Love Your Enemies: A Theology for Aliens in Their Native Land: The Chin in Myanmar
2009; Edinburgh University Press; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.3366/e1354990109000367
ISSN1750-0230
Autores Tópico(s)Christian Theology and Mission
ResumoExperiences of being aliens in one’s native land are found everywhere in the world, such as with ethnic groups in Myanmar, Tibetans in China, Palestinians in Israel and others. They are aliens, not only because they have received unfair treatment from the ruling government, but also because they are deprived of participating in the administration of their land. Some of them are even denied being able to learn their languages in their native land. A tendency towards self-determination seems to be an option for aliens, but co-existence can also be an alternative.1 The concern of this paper is not to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of either selfdetermination or co-existence, but rather to explore how aliens respond to the oppressors. I consider the latter important, for it is so easy for aliens to fall into the temptation of either victimising themselves or demonising the oppressors. In this paper, I particularly refer to one of Jesus’ teachings at the Sermon on the Mount, that is, to love your enemies, with reference to the Chin in Myanmar. It is not because more than ninety percent of the Chin are Christians, and therefore, the message to love your enemies is more relevant, but because loving your enemies challenges an effectiveoriented politics that does not bring real peace or justice. Nevertheless, loving your enemies does not guarantee that the enemies will be converted. Despite this, what loving your enemies is, is not about how this process works (the logic of politics), but about what it actually is.
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