“Yes we all know Israel is God’s country,” [Tuilaepa] said. “We all read the Bible.”
But Tuilaepa said there is a reason for war and strife in the area.
“Israel is still paying the price for their decision to crucify Jesus Christ, that’s why there is war night and day,” he said. “Remember what the Jews said when they decided to crucify Jesus, they yelled ‘let this decision be on our heads and our children’s heads.’ Well that’s what’s happened and until the penalty for that decision is fully paid, then there will be peace.”
The Prime Minister, who is a staunch Catholic, did not say when the penalty would be fully paid.
My Comment:
With all due respect to the Prime Minister, I believe that he has stepped way out of line in publicly voicing his harsh and callous opinion and feelings about a very sensitive and poignant issue.
Sometimes he needs to be wise in his choices of how he makes his feelings known especially when done with the intention to malign a whole nation, country or people. For him as a leader, that was uncalled for. Such audacity is a blatant antithesis of good diplomacy and proper relations between nations and peoples. It also violates trust and amicable relationships among people and citizens of the world. Ironically, yet pathetically, it’s also un-Christian to pass such a scathing judgment and charge. Such charge can engender hate, bigotry and hostility towards a particular group. It’s simply divisive and very cruel.
Such an acerbic claim deserves our deepest, profound and prayerful reflections as Christians - especially Samoa as being an official “Christian” state. On reasoning and exegesis levels, we need to ponder the complexity of the whole issue and be wise about it. It’s attitude and mentality such as the PM's that would turn people into zealots, maniacs and extremists. By saying what he said, the Prime Minister is now openly and unabashedly supporting the horrors of the Holocaust, including any other cruel atrocity that befalls Israel and the Jews. Although such assumed fate can be implied in the scriptures, I still hate to play God in any elementary debate on the issue. Let God Almighty be the final judge and arbiter. He alone understands the whole plan from the beginning. Christ after all, according to the Bible is the lamb “slain from the foundation of the world.” In other words, He was destined to die to fulfill God’s plan for us mortals. Moreover, Christ himself said that “no man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:18 KJV).
In quoting the above, I am not in any way vilifying, condemning and/or even exonerating Israel as a people and nation. Again, God is the only one that is omniscient and omnipotent. It is not our part and role as mere mortals to pass such a verdict and judgment on our other brothers and sisters.
I’m sure the Catholic Church, of which the PM is a member, would want to chastise and censure him for openly advocating such a horrible and creepy position. And I don’t care if it’s biblically, scripturally or popularly supported in some churches or religious circles as official dogma, it’s still one of those things you don’t go around and openly declare, endorse and preach it. The usual Samoan maxim comes to mind: “Atonu e sa’o, ae le a’o.” (“It may be right but not proper/appropriate”.)
Ma le Fa'aaloalo lava,
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