By Michael William

What is true religion? I was asked to speak at a youth conference on the function and purpose of religions in Malaysia. It is interesting that there is a growing trend on being spiritual but there seems to be a distancing from being ‘religious’. One of the most viral youtube posting this year is a video titled "Why I hate religion but love Jesus". This video depicts this growing concern that people seem to dichotomise the spiritual from the religious - "what happens on Sunday is ‘religion’ and what happens every other day is spiritual’’. Why are we differentiating our religion from our spirituality?

In this issue of Pelita, we are trying to focus on the social responsibility of Christians. Question that are posed are how do we regard the poor and the oppressed. Since know Jesus as our saviour, should it impact our daily lives? Does our religion impact the social life of Malaysians. "How are we to be salt and light to Malaysia?" Our religious life cannot be confined to just our church life. It has to be in our whole life!

“Is this not the kind of fasting i have chosen to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not turn away from your own flesh and blood?" (Isaiah 58:6,7)

Hopefully as the Methodist church in Malaysia we can be truly religious in our lives as we strive to love our neighbours as ourselves.