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Twenty prominent protestant pastors said on Tuesday that Christians should be the first to look at their words and actions and lead the way in creating an atmosphere of peace with other religions. They issued a statement saying they do not think the government is deliberately pursuing a biased religious policy, but admitted that certain Christian officials have displayed one-sided views that favored Christianity over other religions. They added that they humbly acknowledged the criticism raised by Buddhists and regretted the fact that Christians had shown a lack of willingness to coexist in peace with other religions.
The latest controversy surrounding religious bias arose between the government and the Buddhist community. On Wednesday, Buddhists are holding a major rally in downtown Seoul protesting against the religious bias of the Lee Myung-bak administration. These Protestant pastors, who are not the parties directly concerned, have come out saying they ¡°humbly¡± accept Buddhist criticism at the risk of inciting protests from other Christian officials, as they fear that the incident may escalate into a religious conflict and leave Korean society deeply divided. The pastors involved in the latest statement are highly respected in the Protestant community, and their timely comments have somewhat eased fears among the public that religious peace, a prized asset of Korean society, may be shattered.
All religions passionately propagate their teachings due to their firm religious beliefs. But if some religious groups discriminate against others or persecute them in order to do so, the only outcome can be religious strife. That is why religious leaders must avoid insulting other religions to reaffirm their own beliefs. It is an outdated stereotype to gauge the soundness of a particular religion by the number of its followers and the level of its influence. From that perspective, it is difficult to say that popular protestant ministers were wise in telling their followers that Buddhist monks had better convert to Christianity or that Buddhist nations do not fare well.
In their statement, the Protestant leaders said they hope the Buddhist community¡¯s actions were motivated by the search for peace, acceptance and temperance. The Buddhist community vowed to make the rally a chance for Buddhists to come together with other Koreans and to display their sincere hopes of religious peace. If the government¡¯s conflict with the Buddhists drags on, it could intensify into a conflict between religious groups. The government should use the latest controversy as a chance to stop making comments about religion that could lead to misunderstanding, while working to take religious tolerance to a higher level.
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