Josateki speaks up again

from w
The talatala vakaqu, the Rev Josateki Koroi, who has a splendid farm down Pacific Harbour way in his retirement, has spoken on two matters.  One -  his view of the notion of Fiji as a 'Christian State', and secondly about the church and politics - that they cannot be separated. It's fine for people to have a viewpoint and the media love it when different church members, especially from the Fiji Methodist Church, are at odds.  Perhaps Jo's argument with the church stemmed from the time he was treated badly a few years ago when there was a kind of coup in the Methodist Church, a time of coflict between moderates and strong-willed traditionalists..His view against a 'Christian state' is understandable in that Fiji is a pluralist society, and yet I can understand those who love God - in the Christian understanding - and want society to be based on the principles that came out of the teaching of Jesus. The second article - that the church is essentially involved in politics - is okay by me. I don't mean party politics, but essentially that the church MUST be involved in social justice.

Anyway, this is how his views were presented by a journalist in the Fiji Times.

It's 'blasphemy'

Nanise Loanakadavu
Sunday, October 28, 2012

THE notion that Fiji be declared a Christian State is an abuse of process, a misconception, misnomer, mischief-making, hypocritical and indeed blasphemy.

These were the comments of the former president of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, Reverend Josateki Koroi.

Mr Koroi's comments come in the wake of the continuing debate on whether Fiji should be declared a Christian State as proposed in submissions to the Constitution Commission.

He said the debate on the concept would continue to rage well in to the future. "This is because many of us accept this concept at face value rather than following Jesus Christ's teaching as recorded in the scriptures "come follow me", Mr Koroi said.

He said there was a need for Fijians to separate the State and its government of civil society and distinguish without prejudice the ever-living Christ himself and what was Christianity.

He said the declaration of a Christian State was something that would be legislated and written, an ideology that was compulsory to be adhered to whereas the teachings of Christ were something personal directly involving the creator and the believer.

Christianity, he said, from its inception was personal and individual and people's living relationship with an ever-living person.

Mr Koroi said Christianity was never an impersonal matter of ideology as to be fused with what a Christian possessed or owned such as a school, church or home.

He said the concept of Christianity was never an impersonal ideology as to an association of race, country, political parties or state and not even a denomination of a particular region.

"Christianity is a worldwide religion; it is not sectarian, closed religion of one's own race or country as the Fiji Christian state being advocated by others.

Politics part of pulpit

Nanise Loanakadavu
Wednesday, October 31, 2012

THE involvement of church leaders in politics was inevitable and could not be avoided.

This according to former Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma president, Reverend Josateki Koroi.

Mr Koroi said the Bible was full of politics from cover to cover where politics was clearly defined as the art of living together.

He said he was saddened to see people attacking church leaders and demanding they need to stay out of politics.

"The book of law gives the standard of personal morality, social justice but they also present the code which regulates the life of the community. This is politics," he said.

Mr Koroi said even the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed his gospel and died his death in a political context.

"This was the context of what we today would call a colonialism situation.

"The work of Christ in our time has become more and more political, not less."

Mr Koroi said Christians had always seen the enlightenment of the mind as part of their mission and people knew that the provision of education in schools, college and universities and of adequate scholarship was a political issue.

He said the provision of efficiently-equipped modern hospitals or research facilities to unsolved medical problems of a national health service depended on political actions.

"In any event we cannot evade political responsibility, the act of abstention from politics is itself a political act," he said.

"If we do not proclaim God's way in politics, then we are responsible for what happens."

Mr Koroi said no community could exist without politics.

However, he said it was for Christians to see they were better rather than worse.

"If politics had got in to the hands of the wrong people and had become a dirty business, it is the job of the Christians to clean it up. We do not live to ourselves and we must not be afraid of soiling our hands."

Mr Koroi said if politics was an unclean refuse or a muck heap, the Christian church should be a muckrake.