By Steven L. Shields
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In Jesus's time, such an offense was punishable by death by stoning. Stoning was painful. A crowd gathered around, each throwing rocks at the target. How long it took to die is anyone's guess.
Yet Jesus, as was often the case, was asked by members of the crowd whether stoning was justified. Some in the crowd hoped to trip him up; to get him to violate Jewish law by saying something contrary.
Instead, he agreed the law permitted stoning. However, he challenged the woman's accusers. He said, "Whoever among you is without sin, throw the first stone."
This important lesson about human nature ― not just about grace and forgiveness ― fails to evoke similar attitudes, especially Christians today.
A well-known Protestant pastor in Seoul is famous for his political ramblings and public accusations of wrongdoing against the current president of Korea.
He's made fame, and probably fortune, throwing stones at President Moon Jae-in. He's able to command large crowds at his rallies. He seems blind to the history of Korea and its politics. He's certainly blind to some of the basic tenets of the Christian faith he claims to espouse. Likewise, his many followers.
In a recent report in The Korea Times, a leading opposition politician was featured. He criticized the Moon administration for its response to the COVID-19 virus. The same opposition party, you may remember, that was in power under the Park Geun-hye administration who botched the Sewolho response. Something about throwing stones.
In either case, neither the pastor nor the opposition offers suggestions as to what could be done to make a better response to this national health crisis. Where are the Christian churches in responding as concerned citizens?
Many are holding fast and refusing to change their worship gatherings. Who among these people is rushing out to the hospitals or other places to provide relief to those who are infected, or their families who are grieving?
What about the opposition party? Where are they? What are they doing to help the national government and regional governments deal with this crisis? They seem mostly interested in rallying people's unrest, so they can win the next election and thus further stymie national progress because they don't like the current president or his policies. Throwing stones will not solve the problems faced by Korea and its people.
No government, no political party, no group of politicians, no medical teams could adequately prepare for a crisis the magnitude of the novel coronavirus. Such an unimaginable health disaster is unprecedented. No one can prepare for the occurrence of an epidemic.
Governments make emergency response preparations; they generally work through many possible scenarios; they keep reasonable stockpiles of certain disaster relief supplies. Emergency response teams and medical professionals are trained in many possible response scenarios.
But none of those preparations can imagine every possible potential disaster. They can only prepare for repeats of disasters we know about. They can imagine is such a disaster occurred again that it might be worse. But when a disaster that is not in the playbook happens, everyone scrambles the best they can.
We can look through history and see how others responded to major disasters. We can easily, through hindsight, pick out the mistakes they made and consider what might have been done better.
Leaders in Korea, both in and out of government, need to be introspective about their failings and inadequacy. They must help the people of the nation survive this current disaster. Most of all, they must consider the common good, not personal or political power; they need to stop throwing stones.
Steven L. Shields (slshields@gmail.com) has lived in Korea for many years, beginning in the 1970s. He served as copy editor of The Korea Times in 1977. He is a retired clergyman and vice president of the Royal Asiatic Society-Korea Branch.
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