Country representatives of NCA are every year called
to Norway for two weeks of training and consultations. We ended this year’s
weeks on Friday. Every day starts with a
small reflection. My turn came also up.
Some few weeks ago Ireland had a referendum on same
sex marriage. On the plane from Malawi I
found an article in NY Times International about this that caught my eye. Ireland has an overwhelming Catholic
majority. The article gave an overview
showing that Catholic majority countries in general had the most liberal laws
and practices. This seems to be a contradiction. In the case of Ireland, the
Catholic Church – supported by the Vatican – lobbied strongly against the
liberal law. Doctrines seem to be in
contrast with practice. The context
(time/place) and private interpretations override official doctrines. There are tensions between leaders and the
grassroots.
Does this have relevance to NCA? We represent a faith-based organization. Our main partners are faith-based organizations. What does this mean?
Push a button and my colleagues in Malawi will deliver
a sermon or a prayer. All meetings, be
it internal, with partners, with building contractors, government… start with
prayers. Is this the yardstick for being
a faith-based organization?
This personal sharing reflect wide varieties of
interpretations of faith and doctrines.
When translated into attitudes towards social and ethical issues, it is
sometimes difficult to recognize a clear set of values that correspond with NCA’s
basic documents.
The Vatican regarded the Irish referendum as a serious
set-back, while the people – Catholic majority – regarded it as an important
step into the future.
I have occasionally heard that NCA needs to support
the progressive segments of our religions.
We have in Malawi experienced in a project called “Human Rights and
Theology” that representatives of our faith partners see contradictions between
the two concepts. We are in the process
of universalizing Human Rights, and there are still important battles to be won
in order to have a consensus about the compatibility between theology and human
rights.
It is a reality that NCA promotes values and ideas
that are seen as challenging to a number of our faith based partners. How are
we perceived? Promoters of Western ideas
– with a religious gloss? Do our
partners tolerate us – as long as we come with the money and “do good”? Or do we represent a voice of change, also for
some of the interpretation of values and attitudes we represent?
