News

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) Bishop, Dr Alex Malasusa pleaded with government leaders to ensure Tanzania remained a secular state. He said his Church was praying for government to adhere to the rule of law and hand over the government peaceful to successor in October this year. (The Citizen, 14 January 2015)

Comment

The secular concept emerged after a fierce struggle between the philosophers and intellectuals against the priests on one side and, the western and the Russian autocrats on the other side, who feigned to be religious leaders through the priests as a tool to manipulate, oppress, strangle and rule the citizen. The priests and other church leaders of that era adamantly stood their ground without tangible success to oppose in the strongest term the intellectuals and philosophers heinous attempt to separate the religion its influence, decision and its role from the political affairs. Though intrinsically, the Christian religion is absolutely void, did not have neither will it ever have logical answers nor does it have effective solution pertaining to man problem. Nevertheless, it was deliberately used during that era as a political tool.

Putting into serious historical scrutiny and analysis, one finds out that the priests, the Christian leaders or the church in a whole, was forever expected to be on the front line in the fight against the secular concepts.

Since it was its historical rival and arc foe. In contrary, the Christendom are amongst the staunch proponents, carriers, and advocates of the heinous concept in the highest caliber as it is vividly conspicuous in the entire world. To the extent, the church sacrifices some of its former traditions in an endeavor to comply with the secular corrupted and horrible concept.

The stand of the church and its leaders in supporting the secular concept which is perilous to human prosperity it is not only appalling and mind boggling from the fact that that concept is an arch rival to Christianity base on historical facts. Worse enough that concept is absolutely discordant with man's mind, neither does it satisfy with facts nor does it comply with mans nature especially the when it comes to the issue of existence of a creator of everything.

The truth is, this concept did not come from any factual evidence. Rather its mere a nonsensical compromise with the aim of satisfying both parties that was at loggerheads at that time. On one side was the camp of the priests. Who what they gained is that they were left with their religion within churches only. While the camp of philosophers and the intellectuals dominate the entire politics without religious guidance. The main objective being each party should not leave empty handed in that struggle.

We can categorically say that the aim of the church to continue holding the Christian religion on one side, at the same time supporting secularism, it means they admit the following main four points:

1. That man has a sanctification instinct that makes him sanctify his Creator. That is why the Christian religion just like any other religion has certain aspects of worship to fill the natural vacuum.

2. That man needs supervision and political administration of his affairs. That is the main reason that compelled the church to support secularism to fill what is glaringly missing in Christianity.

3. That unlike Islam, Christianity has no solutions in the political aspect. It is only a spiritual religion that confines itself within worship only.

4. That secularism has no tangible solution to the spiritual aspect, that is why it left the acts of worship to the religious aspect.

In wider perspective, this elucidates the essence of man that he is in dire need of one system. From that system, man will be able man to fetch from only one spring to satisfy his all his natural needs. Instead of creating anxiety and disturb man to search hither and thither for solution without any formula. That is to say, man needs a system that will link him with through various rituals as well as other human beings regarding his solutions pertaining to various problems of life be it political, economical, social etc.

Islam is the only ideology that is complete and self satisfactory without borrowing from anywhere. Most important, it is an ideology that emanate from the Creator who created the human being. The Creator who is fully aware of the man's nature. Thus the system shall be compatible to man's nature.

((فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لاَ تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ))

"So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah of Allah upon which He has created [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know." [Ar-Rum: 30]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Masoud Msllem
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in East Africa