Phek, May 11 (MExN): The Chakhesang Baptist Church Council (CBCC) has expressed disapproval over the Nagaland Transport Department's blanket and unspecified ban on stickers of religious institutions and NGOs, terming it an “indirect attack on Christianity” and questioning the government's intention behind the order.
While appreciating the move to streamline random and self-styled display of designations, the CBCC in a press statement said the unspecified vague order for all NGOs and religious institutions was “unfortunate”. The Church body asserted that there was nothing wrong in displaying the name of a church, its insignia, or other symbols for professing one’s faith.
Citing biblical references from Deuteronomy 6:4-9, the CBCC stated that the God of Christianity mandates adherents to witness Him in words and deeds in all visible and audible forms, including written form within the faith community.
The CBCC sincerely appealed to the Nagaland government, particularly the Transport Department, to revisit its blanket order and come up with specified guidelines to help citizens across all religions understand what is authorised and what is not. “There are things that can be avoided, at the same time, there are things that are needful and indispensable,” the council stated.
Further, the CBCC alleged that while NGOs were included in the ban to conceal a hidden agenda, “obviously, it is an indirect attack on Christianity for which the Church cannot remain a silent spectator.”
The council questioned whether the government had “fallen into the trap of pagan conspiracy or have turned against the Church as a naive gullible body without a sense of transcendence in the midst.”
Nagaland being a Christian-dominated state, the CBCC cautioned, “Christians must not rise against the Christians lest we all perish together,” quoting Mark 3:24-25 that a house divided against itself cannot stand.
The CBCC stated that it respects the state government as ordained by God and will equally respect its decisions so long as they remain unbiased. However, it asserted, “any move that infringes the religious rights and freedom of the citizens will be resented.” The council concluded with an appeal: “Let good sense and common welfare of the people prevail.”
