Religious Hatred Bill to Bring Peace in Britain?

Thousands of Christians gathered outside the British Parliament last week, crying out against the proposed Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. Under the shadow of the London underground bombings which has highlighted to the public extremism in religion, the issue has now become highly sensitive.

The British government has promoted the proposed Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, claiming that it aims to ban incitement of religious hatred so as to protect people from being victimised for their "beliefs". By looking at this definition, it appeared that the Bill could be a possible solution to bring peace between different faiths, in face of a growing multi-faith community in the UK.

The motive behind the bill, in fact, is fairly appreciated by most of the UK Christians, who strive to bring out a message of peace and unity and look forward to enhance interfaith dialogue. However, questions have been raised towards the detailed definition of so-called "incitement of religious hatred" in the Bill.

The statement made by the Executive Secretary of the Free Churches Group, Revd Mark Fisher, has outlined the gist of the controversy and represented the worries of Christians, particularly the evangelicals.

"Perhaps the most worrying aspect is that there is no requirement to prove an intention to incite hatred, meaning that one could fall foul of the law without knowing about it," Fisher said. "I also wonder how one defines ‘hatred’ and, indeed, how one can legislate against feelings."

Despite the positive motive behind the Bill, the Bill has seemed to have caused widespread confusion. The fact is that few people have any clear idea about what the bill will permit or restrain. And such confusion probably has discouraged people of all faiths to openly discuss ideas and concepts freely.

Understanding and communication have been highly promoted by many who have worked to enhance the relationship between faiths. An open environment and the freedom of speech for discussion are both essential to create a healthy interfaith community. The confusing nature of the Religious Hatred Bill may hamper the positive effort in embracing people of all faiths.

To step back and think deep, where does religious hatred start to arise? In terms of spirit, one cannot deny that it is the sinful nature inside of man that has caused jealousy, division and murder.

A cycle of hatred can be generated with just one small thought. This is probably a precious lesson people of this world have learnt through the bloody wars in our tragic history.

Hatred can only be overcome when there is a ground for everyone to stand on the same level to communicate and when there is an open environment for the message from God to be preached freely. It is a problem that can be solved by simple definition of humanistic law.

In the midst of the growing tension between different faiths, this is a crucial time for the Britons and people in the world to meditate deeply from the spirit and to face the real challenge.