THERE is a stark difference between your average inter-religious dialogue and your typical intra-religious monologue. One seeks to build bridges between faiths by seeking understanding of another person’s beliefs and values, and the other, usually to strengthen the walls of our own beliefs and reinforce the ideas, philosophies and unique ways of our own religion.

The two are often at uncomfortable odds with each other- every religion seeks to preserve its own, and spread what they believe is the best way to live, or to attain heaven and eternal salvation. At the same time, as they are both diverse and an emotionally-charged topic, dialogue between religions is more than necessary to preserve civilisational peace within the various religions in a country, region and so on.

But what happens when you not only talk about your own religion, and attempt to talk about another?

In multi-faith Malaysia, in the age of social media, that’s like walking a tightrope on stilts.

Especially if it is meant to criticise a particular religion without giving its followers a chance to reply.

For example, the now-cancelled, closed-door, Muslim-only conference on Christology organised by an NGO in KUIS, recently.

While Muslim seminars on Jesus and Mary are quite common, given their prominence in Islam and shared reverence between Islam and Christianity, a conference dedicated to Christology – a branch of Christian theology pertaining the divinity of Jesus, a concept rejected in totality in Islam, seems odd. That it was being conducted by a person whose claims of being a former Catholic nun have been disproved, makes it even more so.

If the intention is to truly seek to understand the reasoning of Christians, why not involve a Christian in the panel, to present their understanding of the topic.

If the intention is to run down a Christian belief, why have it at all?

Often, these talks are conducted with the excuse of defending religion against Christian proselytisation, often termed here, perhaps erroneously, as Christianisation. But proselytising to a Muslim is a crime in Malaysia.

Events held by Christians for purposes of promotion or propagation of religion is strictly monitored and controlled. Reading material brought in or printed here are subjected to stringent laws and censorship.

Despite the many allegations dating as far back as the late 1990s of mass conversions of Muslims to Christianity, for example the much publicised but proven false Sibilin church ‘baptism’, nearly none have been proven true. Apart from one or two isolated cases, unrelated and standalone cases, which have since been dealt with either using conventional laws or with the ISA, no clear evidence have yet been presented, casting doubt if there is much truth at all to these irresponsible claims.

Yet often, the people that sow this distrust not only often get away with it, but after a brief period of respite, are often spotted repeating these allegations in some other form, at some other forum.

Even with the repeated explanations and denials, the damage has been done. Interreligious sentiment has been heightened, sensitivities breached and trust eroded. Harmony that took ages to build took hit after hit, all due to little more than mere hearsay.

It should not be this way.

Christians have long been loyal and contributing citizens to this country. Drive around any Malaysian town and you’re bound to bump into schools, orphanages, hospitals and old folks’ homes built by various Christian groups over the years across the country.

Had there really been an agenda to convert everyone, would it not have been much easier for Christians to do so when the country was younger, its people less educated, arguably more naïve and less religiously inclined, and using the many channels it then had available to it?

Christians are not the bogeyman. – November 28, 2017.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.