The retreat into theocratic thinking
Why have laws and an elected prime minister when you have God and the Bible?
Is it my imagination, or has Malta experienced a rapid deterioration in the ability to separate church and state? I get the feeling that the reaction in some quarters to EU membership (and the perceived secular barbarians at the gate) has been a panic-induced retreat into theocratic reasoning.
Here is the finance minister, Tonio Fenech, writing in The Malta Independent yesterday. I find this deeply disturbing.
——————–
God has a say in the morals of this world, of our country, of our families, as individuals and when we break God’s order of things, we bring disorder and pain upon ourselves.
The secular world wants to put God in a closet, while it keeps doing its own things. This is what the pro-divorce movement wants us to do: Determine our votes not on moral convictions but supposedly to give a right to those who do not share our convictions while damning those whose opinion differs from theirs especially if it comes from the Church. That’s anything but pluralism.
Unfortunately they fail to appreciate that what God has dictated is for the good of all of us, believers or not. Divorce does not give an individual another chance at a restart, it simply breaks the permanence of all marriages and gives no permanence to the supposedly new marriages it seeks to allow.
Life is beautiful. God has given us a manual to make the best use of our life, the Bible. We may choose to abide by it or choose to do our own way. If, like when in the case of a car, we go against the manual’s directions and rather than petrol, we add diesel, at some point the car will break down. You’re still free to add diesel instead of petrol, however the damage would have been made. Same with life, God will not stop you from doing your own way, but there are consequences that are harmful to ourselves, to those we love and to the society we live in.
91 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
U jien kont nahseb li il-PN inbidel u sar aktar centrali, progresiv u liberali. Il-hasra li m’hawnx alternativa kredibli.
Minix assolutament xi fan kbir tal-PL, imma personalment ma nara xejn izjed tal-wahx minn gvern teokratiku li qed jaghmel minn kollox biex johnoq il-vuci ta’ nies izjed moderati.
Il-PN qed johnoq il-vuci? Mela int ma kontx haw fi zmien nil-progressivi socjalisti? Anqas meeting iz-Zejtun ma hallew isir.
What happened in the 80s, I hardly remember. I was a teeny toddler and politics was hardly my priority back then. What happens now is what interests me, and for me it is truly scary.
I didn’t vote Yes for EU membership only to end up living in a Catholic Iran.
Does PL represent me as a party? Probably not. Does PN represent me as a party? Not at all. And this is coming from someone who was born and bred in a family where there’s hardly a traditional Labour voter among my relatives. I didn’t grow thinking of the PN as Satan.
GiovDeMartino – When our islands are finally rid of extremists from both political camps then maybe we can move forward.
Your way of reasoning allows our current political masters to get away with murder because the other lot were a load of thugs 25 or so years ago. The grass root core of Labour supporters have equally long memories of the privileged class of 45 or so years ago and this goes on between both camps. They only meet halfway when they both conspire to keep any third party out of their little game.
I keep on waiting for the PL to exorcise its demons, but it looks like a long wait, whilst at the same time I am saddened to see the PN degenerate into a ragtag assembly of self-centred scoundrels who have now become fixated on halos.
These islands are in dire need of some new blood in the political arena.
David, int bis-serjeta qed ixxebbah lil Malta ma’ l-Iran? Zgur li le, ghax hadd ma jista’ jkun daqstant stupidu. Anqas jekk ikun Laburist.
Yor/Malta….fanatical supporters have always existed on both sides and will always exist, BUT well known criminals who terrorised Malta were protected by the despotic Labour regime, while PN fanatics, very few in number, are completely harmless because they know perfectly well that the PN will not tolerate any wrong-doing.
Those who broke the law were kicked out to be embraced by….the new Labour.
God said “Let there be light” (but not so expensive).
I would ban exposure to religion for all children under age 18.
No Holy Communion until they decide for themselves if it’s for them.
PS I tried diesel instead of milk on my cereal this morning. Not bad. Cheers Tonio.
Surprised? We all get what you vote for (whoever they are)! have fun!
And would you have gotten anyone more enlighthened and liberal if you did not get the PN? Both sides are the same; village and small-minded nitwits posing as politicians, but of the Don Camillo and Peppone variety, while civil/individual rights be damned. There is NOTHING we can do.
smallminded nitwits reflect their electorate… so if you voted for smallminded nitwits it’s your fault too… and don’t give me ‘we cannot do anything’…
I am scared. Do we have a fundamentalist government that does not understand the fundamentals of government?
I don’t think there is any deterioration. It has always been there for as long as I remember among certain sections of the population. Those sections have stronger leadership than those who want to see greater Church-State separation.
Totally absurd. The situation in this country becomes more desperate by the day.
This statement is not only shockingly patronising, but also goes to show how religious fundamentalism mixed with politics is alive, well and happily indoctrinated in the heads of certain members of parliament. Oh, the horror! Is there a way I could opt out of contributing my taxes to paying this bully?
“Is there a way I could opt out of contributing my taxes to paying this bully?”
No.
“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
Oh, this is contagious… I am sounding patronising and fundamental like the Minister.
This piece sounds just like it’s been taken from a US senator’s run for Presidency speech.
The Minister is trying to fill in the space left void by Mr. Kmiec.
“Unfortunately they fail to appreciate that what God has dictated is for the good of all of us, believers or not.”
The gap between PL and PN is closing fast. The choice to vote for the lesser evil is becoming more blurred. I am seriously considering leaving this island again – this time for good.
I will not re-live the 80s again, be it under socialist clowns or theocrat fundamentalists.
U fejn tmur, Sur Vella?
Probabbli anke iz-Zimbabwe ahjar f’dan l-istadju, Sur-DeMartino. Jien ili li hallejt il-Malta hames snin u emminni, kienet l-ahjar decizjoni li hadt f’hajti.
L-anqas nindifen f’Malta ma rrid.
Zgur mhux il-Mosta ;)
GiovDeMartino – Why so insular and so damned proud? If S Vella wants to go all we need to say is good luck and have a safe journey.
There is a trait in the Maltese mindset – the word that comes to mind is obstinate. Things in the political arena must change because the waters are murky and starting to smell.
@DeMartino
The whole of the EU is just a job application and a plane ticket away.
@Kenneth
Very true! It is easier to move to another country in the EU than to move to Mosta. All it takes is one small suitcase, credit cards and a smartphone.
Il-Vjagg it-Tajjeb…..U ben tornati meta tigu lura erbat ijiem wara. Ahjar minn hawn ma ssibux…sakemm jibqa’ gvern tal-PN. Jekk le, iva, ahjar iz-Zimbabwe
“If, like when in the case of a car, we go against the manual’s directions and rather than petrol, we add diesel, at some point the car will break down. You’re still free to add diesel instead of petrol, however the damage would have been made”
What if it’s a diesel car?
I can’t believe this talk is from a European minister of finance. It’s atrocious. He seems to favour pluralism, but promotes theocracy.
Logic and reasoning, where are you? Please come home!
Patrik, the per-litre tax on petrol is higher than that on diesel (Excise Duty Act, Fourth Schedule). Therefore, good European ministers of finance find the occasional reference to God’s manual helpful in managing their national budget.
Diesel is going UP in PRICE again , I know .
He should be in Khamenei’s cabinet, not ours. His place is not here. I’m going to find voting very difficult in the next election.
This is disturbing on a number of counts. The inability to separate Church practice and doctrine is one. My other difficulty is with the statement who says? – if that were the case, there would be no free will. So which God are we referring to?
I’m not surprised by anything anymore in this damn country.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110428/local/borg-in-nadur-no-link-between-natural-disasters-and-divorce-group-says.362652
“Same with life, God will not stop you from doing your own way, but there are consequences that are harmful to ourselves, to those we love and to the society we live in.”
I’m starting to think that this reasoning nowadays counts for my voting PN!
“Freedom is the Distance Between Church and State.”
“Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.”
“Politicians treat God the way heavy metal bands treat Satan, as some kind of marketing device.”
I cannot believe that all my life I have voted for a party that has produced ministers that utter such trash. I shall be voting YES in the referendum and the bugger is that I know that I shall be voting for the PN in the next general elections.
They may be good at getting elected to parliament but they are definitely hopeless theologians. Worse still, they make a mockery of their role as legislators.
Every time parliamentarians use so-called theological arguments to explain their attitudes to legislative matters they do nothing more than chip away at the gloss they believed they have painted themselves into.
Is this guy for real or what? Tonio ”Taliban” Fenech should resign immediately and become a minister of God. He is paid with our taxes to do one job and one job ONLY, i.e.organise the country’s finances.
He should leave sermons to ayatollahs, bishops and priests. It’s difficult enough these days to distinguish the difference between these 3 roles without having him jumping on the bandwagon. Pathetic!
…my other difficulty is with the statement who says? if that were the case it would imply the lack of free will. So which God are we referring to?
Sad….. just blooming sad! Are the Nationalists doing their utmost to stay out of office for a very long time? Let the huge brain drain of rational and intelligent people increase to drones upon drones….
He says at one point in his article: “I am sure Our Lady is very sorrowful that Malta is considering divorce.” How can a minister talk like this. He is simply not fit for office.
It is the sort of language I expect from Marlene Pullicino Orlando. But then she too is not fit for office.
Well, maybe it is high time MPs stopped kissing crucifixes when elected, or jostling each other whilst fingering rosary beads for a photo-opportunity with the Pope next time he decides to pay us a visit.
I gave the church the finger a long time ago, yet now I’m lumped with a load of bible-thumping politicos. It is getting bleaker by the minute, this sunburnt rock of ours.
What an incredible load of tosh.
Keep your god (no capitalisation please – no reverence required for something that does not exist) to yourself, Tonio. You and the rest of your troupe of buffoons are handing Labour a landslide victory.
Sorry, but I have decided – I cannot vote for a party which does not use logical reasoning as the basis of its policies, and instead uses religious crap.
Stuff it, boys – that’s me out of the equation.
Malta is another Pakistan in the Mediterranean.
Compared to Pakistanis, the Maltese are laid back.
Malta is a great place to live, like a bunch of roses.
Just avoid the pricks.
And remember, it’s only a few floating voters that put a party in power.
Int bis-serjeta qed tghid? Jew biex turi kemm int gharef li taf li jezisti l-Pakistan?
Donnok qed taghmilha il-missjoni tieghek li tghajjar injorant lil kull min jinsinwa li Malta taht il-PN mihiex affattu genna tal-art, imma bil-mod il-mod qed issir infern, u mhux minhabba l-flus u l-kontijiet tad-dawl.
X’nista nghidlek, Sur De Martino? Kompli injora dawn is-sentimenti tan-nies ta’ madwarek, forsi ghax int thossok tajjeb fic-cokon tieghek. Nammetti li Malta ghadha mhix la il-Pakistan u lanqas l-Iran, imma il-garra dejjem bil-qatra il-qatra mtliet, u jekk dar-ragunament mill-mexxejja taghna jibqa jigi ttollerat ghal hemm sejrin …
Jien ma nahmilx lil dawk li biex jikkritikaw lil xi hadd..gvern, knisja ecc jiktbu hmerijiet li jikxfu HUMA sress l-injoranza taghhom. Ghax biex tasal tipparaguna lil Malta ma’ dawn il-pajjizi trid tkun mhux injorant, imma essenza ta’ l-injoranza. Illum bil-mezzi moderni li haw (mhux bhal fi zmien il-lejber) illum kulhadd jista’ jara kif inhi l-hajja barra minn Malta. Mhux biss l-Iran, il-Pakistan, l-iraq……imma anki f’hafna pajjizi Ewropej…Haw genna ta’ l-art anki b’Gonzi fil-Gvern. Ahseb u ara jkekk ikollna lil Joseph!
Tonio Fenech’s rhetoric makes me so angry I get heartburn. Indeed, if the set of chav wannabees in the LP won’t destroy our lifestyle, you can be sure that the religious findamentalists in the PN leadership will …
And these are still the better option compared to the bozos at PL. I don’t know what to say anymore. I’ve officially given up on politics in Malta. I keep feeling so irritated, it’s not good for my health. They give me stomach ulcers with the hatred I feel towards all of them.
Tonio should stick to his role and perhaps try to be a better minister of finance. We have enough preachers telling us that divorce is bad, so his comments are useless.
I am against divorce for the simple reason that with its introduction there will be more people receiving social security cheques and as a taxpayer, it is the thing that annoys me most.
No , we Maltese are devious. Those who are listed as separated receive single parent allowances, sleep over at their hubby and are content to screw the system (and all us tax payers) . These miscreants shall not vote to have divorce introduced because then they can re-marry thus ending their benefits .
Dar-ragel deficenti.
Qisha priedka tal-muzew.
Anzi aghar. Qisha priedka tal-Evengelici Fundamentalisti tal-Amerka.
As every true Catholic knows, it is not JUST THE BIBLE.
As chief cheer-leader of such people you must be feeling rather silly!
[Daphne – Not at all, Edward. Only the mentally deficient expect to agree with every representative of the political party they vote for, all the time.]
That was my thinking exactly when I saw this in the Indie yesterday. HTF can the Finance Minister find time to write this drivel when he has left Air Malta employees without managerial direction for the last seven months or so? And I mean exectly that – no one is taking any decisions around there when it is so vital that the exact opposite happens – telling all of us collectively that we are dead wood – while the real dead wood remains in there, well known to all of us who put in a decent day’s work.
And now we have a new CEO who spent the best part of his first week pumping hands and then promptly jetted off for his Easter holidays. Not much urgency it seems.
Seriously I am more than fed up of this sorry excuse for a government and I have always looked at the PN as definitely the far, far lesser evil. Now I just cannot see much difference any more.
Please keep up the good work. Yours is one of the few sane websites on the island and your blogging on Libya especially beat all other so-called opinion-makers hands down.
I don’t think I could vote Labour but I will not be sorry if the likes of Tonio Borg finally end up in opposition. I’m really tired of this sanctimonious, bible thumping idiot.
Marku, it is Tonio Fenech, not Borg, this time.
But it’s not just the name they have in common.
You’re right. It’s not just their first name they have got in common; it’s their …
I can happily call myself a secular barbarian. Mankind has carried out heinous crimes against its own in the name of their god.
It becomes frightening when men (I think in this context women suffered terribly at the hands of man – more witches burned at the stake than warlocks) who wield power become as one with their understanding of THEIR god, all sorts of mischief becomes humble duty.
Church dogma is an insult to any free-thinking brain (in a few years maybe even a silicone chip) due to the understanding that the dogma is obeyed without question.
Tonio cannot fathom that high morals and decent ethical judgment are not held only by bible-thumping Catholics.
The bible did not arrive in the Vatican neatly bound ready to be read by the faithful. The book was created by men under the direction of the first Holy Roman Emperor, built up from many different writings by various sects of Jews and early Christians.
Interpretation and translation from different ages, perspective and language have given rise to recent challenges (you do not get burnt for heresy now) to various religious dogma based on specific scriptures.
As the saying goes ‘God help us when the insane control the asylum ‘.
This is it. I have had enough of this scaremongering and bullying tactics. Had this been a real European country the honourable minister would do the honourable thing and tender his resignation immediately.
And the PM would have no option but to accept it, but we are only European on paper. Tonio Fenech`s thinking is akin to Adrian Vassallo`s religious vision and I suggest that they both emigrate to Iran or Afghanistan.
So now we can have a new litany – Sancte Tonius Borg – non ora pro nobis.
Sancte Tonius Fenech- non ora pro nobis.
We are turning into a theocracy. What we need is another referendum, voting for complete separation between state and church. The likes of Tonio and Tonio can form the Maltitaliban Saints Party.
Like many who had their say in this blog I’m disgusted at the antics of the PN.
I feel like we are touching new lows in politics, abstaining from voting in the coming general election seems like the optimum solution as things stand.
The bit which truly struck me, which is not included in your above excerpt, is “I am sure Our Lady is very sorrowful that Malta is considering divorce” (full article: http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=124186).
I can just imagine Our Lady sitting in a corner of heaven sulking and commiserating, thinking how the Maltese have let her down.
How can a guy who purports to know what the Virgin Mary is thinking be taken seriously?
With articles like this one, Tonio Fenech will elicit in people the same reaction which Edward, the guy from Smash, elicits in people.
I cannot begin to express how disturbing I found this article. Truly shocking.
Yes, thinking about how the Maltese let her down, not how Gaddafi is sanctioning the murder of innocents, including very young children. Oh, come on, Tonio Fenech!
He probably thinks that if he prays hard enough to Our Lady and lights the candle which he bought from Censu tal-grocer in front of her statue, she might wipe off a few millions off Malta’s national debt.
Who knows on what Tonio bases his economic decisions? Does he refer to economic textbooks or does he refer to the manual given to him by God to see if there is any particular passage which he can interpret? Does he consult with technocrats or priests? The mind boggles.
As we say in Maltese:
Irid ilahhaq m’Alla u ma’ Gaddafi.
How I wish I can fast forward time to 2013 and the general elections! By then, Lawrence Gonzi’s ambivalent attitude towards Libya would have been forgiven and forgotten, Tonio Fenech’s sermons will be solidly in the past, JPO would be shedding tears of penetance at “taht it-tinda” happenings, and so on. Boy, I can’t wait!
[Daphne – I can’t wait, either: to see what Karmenu ‘Brontosaurus’ Vella’s plan for the future is going to look like.]
Maaaah! Qisu xi tifel ghadu hiereg minn lezzjoni tad-duttrina.
It was one thing having the wicked and at best the inept representing ‘us’ in parliament in the 80s but this is a cruel twist that I was not expecting. And it makes me sick.
How lovely…
Does the finance minister think that Malta is somehow privileged above all others because its government has opposed divorce legislation for so long?
The way he’s speaking makes me think he actually believes that ‘God’ is on his side, and that Malta is going to be raised from its ashes and will conquer the rest of the world who are living in sin, infidels, pagans, or even worse, secularists.
Incidentally, compared to this deluded mentality on the ‘holy side of the gate’, I’d much rather pick the secular barbarians on this other side. Somehow, the EU den of iniquity sounds a lot healthier, calmer and wholesome.
Maybe Malta is turning into a pot of deranged holier-than-thou flagellants because the people who know better are happier staying out.
So Tonio Fenech is not ashamed to give voice the Christian beliefs which inspire his political commitment. Kudos to him!
What strikes me is that Tonio Fenech does not have the intelligence to realise how disturbing a great section of the population find his reasoning.
I compare his words to those of an uneducated person who openly expresses his or her racist views without realising how offensive many of us find those views.
The sad thing is that Tonio is not the exception in today’s PN.
It looks like our leaders’ beliefs are that they can book a cosy place in their heaven at the expense of forcing us commoners to live our lives in a hell of their own creation.
If there is a god and a there is a heaven, humanity will be accepted in heaven not because of, but in spite of religions.
Thank you for drawing our attention to this. I found it sickening. The PM is an ex Azzjoni Kattolika man and he has surrounded himself by men like Carm Mifsud Bonnici, Tonio Borg and this Tonio Fenech is in the open too now. Austin Gatt has also said that he’d rather resign than see divorce legislation go through. I will not vote for these people.
I was made fun of and called confused some weeks ago when I said here that I am not sure where to cast my vote in a general election. Can you blame me?
BTW did no one notice the atrocious English in the opinion piece?
I was going to respond to your item on Dr Schembri, however it’s better if I do it here.
Many Maltese do not realise what a secular state means. They have a wishy-washy feelgood peachy view of the Roman Catholic Church whilst keeping a healthy distance from its bureaucracy.
The Enlightenment happened for a reason.
Dr Schembri’s plight might highlight what it means to abdicate our personal liberties to an archaic superstitious organisation that prides itself in ignoring the people’s wishes.
I’m suddenly getting interested in Spinoza. Can anybody point to decent book that is recent and accessible to the layman?
I am seriously worried with the abuse of rights. Everyone speaks of rights without ever mentioning responsibilities.
Divorce is coming to Malta at a very serious and alarming price. Who is going to pay for this? The boat is overloaded.
We have an alarmingly high rate of so called single mothers. Now we want to join the fashion catwalk and demand divorce.
Okay granted and who is going to foot the social bill? Are we going to have more criminal chidren abusing teachers and declaring their rights only when they have no idea how to behave in a human way?
Is this the society we are investing in? When the family is deteriorating then where will society be? Where are we going to end up?
Ask the children about divorce! They too have a say! And all those people who do believe in divorce I just say to them ” why marry in the church?” The Church has laws and she abides by these laws.
If anyone disagrees just marry in a civil way. You can’t expect the Church to divorce you when you use the sacramental rite!
I see an eerie spectre regarding this referendum. Labour is surely rubbing its hands and seeing a mock election coming up. I spoke with many Labour supporters who honestly were against divorce. Suddenly to my horror they seem to have received orders to support the party by voting Yes. What a wonderful way to rehearse for a general election.
I shudder each time I hear the PM in public peppering his speeches by ‘jekk il-bambin irid’. I immediately think of ‘inshallah’.
It is not that I am not religious or spiritual, but I would prefer if politicians differentiate between the secular and the religious while they are holding public office. A public office is there for the general public, be it atheist or religious, and not for a segment of the population only.
Itik fastidju l-Prim Ministru ghax fi kliemu juza frazijiet bhal: Jekk Alla jrid? Mistoqsija semplicissma.
My simple answer is yes. For example: “Jekk il-bambin jrid – the new public lavatory in Bugibba will be inaugurated in a month’s time.” As if the baby Jesus gives a shit about the lavatory in Bugibba. Also “Jekk jrid il-Bambin the PN will win the next election.” It’s wrong of the prime minister to drag him into these matters.
Still living in the Middle Ages. I cannot take it any more. Someone needs to do something about this. Where is the press? Where are the inteligensia?
And another one http://www.di-ve.com/Default.aspx?ID=72&Action=1&NewsId=82871&newscategory=33
“Where is the press?”
Busy hedging their bets, and now busy writing the biography of every hair on Glen Vella’s “Kjun mill-Isfar” head.
“Where are the inteligensia?”
Busy editing their business cards to add every last insignificant degree from some red-brick joke up in Sheffield, and busy sucking up to whoever will provide a higher salary.
Ftakru, boys, dejjem itolbu l-Kjun mill-Isfar. U meta jigi t-terremot ta’ Angelik, lanqas xaghra wahda ma ticcaqlaq.
Prosit, Tonio!
Politici bhalek jaghmluni kburi li jien Malti u nisrani!
Ejja, bl-ghajnuna tal-Ispirtu Qaddis, inqumu qawma fuq taghna bhala nsara ha nsalvaw din id-dinja msejkna mid-daghbien li riesqa lejh!
‘nsalvaw din id-dinja’? And what are you going to do with the atheists, the Muslims, the Jews, the Hindus, the Buddhists and a thousand other denominations? Enlighten us please.
“daghbien” xi tfisser?
chasm
HP, a “daghbien” is a hidden crack. Within the rocks, I mean.
I think Carmel Scicluna meant something more like “precipizzju”.
As a Nationalist supporter all my life, I am so very disappointed at the way the party is behaving in the run-up to the referendum. Tonio Fenech`s declarations are downright embarrassing. Reminds me of the American Ambnasssador. They should both leave their jobs and become priests.
Why doesn’t Tonio Fenech concentrate on doing a good job as Finance Minister rather than sanctimoniously pontificating about religious matters? The way he writes seems to indicate that he has chosen the wrong career.
“God has a say in the morals of this world, of our country, of our families, as individuals and when we break God’s order of things, we bring disorder and pain upon ourselves.”
What happens if there is a god, but it’s not the god you believe in?
Do Catholics and Protestants believe in the same god? Surely not as one accepts divorce and one doesn’t.
What if there are no gods, other than those invented by mankind, and there have been plenty of those – the difference between an atheist and a Christian? Christians reject all gods but one – atheists go one step further towards the truth.
Well, the honourable minister should read his bible before making such stupid statements. There’s a lot there which justifies genocide, infanticide, rape, villainous behaviour towards women, racism, slavery and cruelty to animals.
[Daphne – Only in the Old Testament, though, and that was superseded, for Christians, by the New Testament.]