Special Hearings — Faith Community Hearings — 1997-11-17

CHAIRPERSON: Please let us stand. Keep silence as we come into the presence   of the transcendent one. 
OPENING PRAYER.
Good Morning. Goeie more. I am quite amazed that normally you are so noisy   when you shouldn't be and when I give you permission to be noisy, you are suddenly   all so very coy and cultured. Goeie more, let me hear you. Molweni. Good Morning.   Much better. We welcome you all very, very warmly to this the second day of   this special hearing of the Commission the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.   REPEATS WELCOME IN AFRIKAANS AND XHOSA.
We also want just to say a big thank you again to all the people of this centre   for making available these splendid facilities, we are deeply grateful to you   and to Bongani Finca and his colleagues, members of staff in this region for   the preparations they have made. I want you to know that we do have outstanding   colleagues and staff persons, very dedicated people and I want again to say   a big thank you to the committee, the special committee that was set up to organise   these special hearings. I want particularly to welcome and give thanks to the   representatives and adherents of other faiths gathered here today. First I want   to thank you and those whom you represent for the sterling contribution that   you have made to the struggle for justice, freedom and democracy in this land.   We can all attest to the fact that we walked arm in arm in our demonstrations   with Jews and Muslims and Hindu and others and that we are where we are today   to a very large extend because of that co-operation during the days of the struggle. 
It is also good that we acknowledge the contributions that members of other   faiths have made and continue to make in the development and the prosperity   of our land. Just think of the many people of other faiths who are doctors and   lawyers and engineers who are making splendid contributions, members of the   business sector and we want to acknowledge that contribution to. Second, I would   want and I'm sure that all of my fellow christians would want to apologise to   you members of other faiths for our arrogance as christians when for so very   long, we behaved as if we were the only religious faith in this country, when   in fact from the year dot, we have been a multi- faith society. You can think   of how in the past, hardly any member of a faith that was not christian was   given a chance on public radio and television and we made the arrogant claim   and a claim that is difficult to justify that this was a christian country.   I have never known what we meant by that unless we were merely claiming that   the majority of the population were christians, which is not a particularly   remarkable fact, but it seems as if we were tacitly claiming in a kind of way   that we were probably conspicuous embodiments of christian virtues. But even   if you were to say that there was a thing such as a christian country, the experience   that we have had in the world is that those that would have claimed to be this,   have not usually excelled. It was christians supporting Nazism, it is christians   fighting fellow christians in Northern Ireland, and we in this country are a   singular, almost a spectacular example of a country which had an immoral and   evil system that some sought to buttress by claiming that it was biblically   based and that if you said it is a christian country, which christianity? Which   is the christian position on for instance, abortion? On homosexuality? On Sunday   observance? On capital punishment? There are about as many views on these and   other controversial subjects as there are christians. 
We claim, quite rightly, that God is the only source of goodness, of beauty   and truth. And clearly, christians do not have a monopoly on these. Can anyone   doubt that a Mahatma Ghandi was an eminently good person? That an Einstein was   a genius? And if God is the only source of truth, of goodness, then these are   eminently God inspired persons. And that christians do not have, could never   have, a monopoly on this. To acknowledge the reality of the existence of other   faiths does not mean that you are a christian and need compromise on the ...[inaudible]   that you hold dear. I hold very firmly to what our faith teaches that Jesus   Christ is the unique and perfect revelation of God. And I will not compromise   this central aspect of my faith. But that does not mean that I should then arrogantly   ride rough shod, boots and all, on what others claim who are not christians   to be their holy ground. The transcendent one is infinite and no human being   who claimed to be a genuine worshipper could ever claim that any faith comprehends   the transcendent utterly and completely, because then that transcendent would   not be transcendent. And so we should welcome humbly, thankfully the insights   of others. After all, the very bible that we hold so dear could refer to a servant   who stood outside the covenant relationship that God had with his people, a   sign that God is not limited by our limitations. The love of God embraces all   and when we are narrow we limit God to the parameters of our own comprehension.
We should be open to what God may be saying to us through others whom we could   not claim to stand outside of God's care. And in any case, just as we worked   together for the demise of apartheid, so now we need desperately to work together   with all people of goodwill, with all people of faith, as we seek the healing   of our land, we strive the reconciliation of those who, for so long, were alienated   from one another. And more than anything, we know that our country is looking   to the faith community to assist in the rehabilitation of moral values in our   land. To work together for the abolition of poverty, to bring prosperity and   peace and stability to our land and we thank God that today is possible. So   we call on the first to testify, Dr Franz Auerbach. May I say that today we   are going to be a little less generous and say that we want each presentation   to take a total of 30 minutes. Something like twenty or so minutes for the presentation   and then ten minutes for exchanges. But we welcome you very warmly, Dr Auerbach   and thank God for your wonderful witness as an educationalist and in your striving   for justice in our land. Thank you.
DR F.

AUERBACH: Thank you very much. I must apologise that it wasn't possible   for the World Conference on Religion and Peace

CHAIRPERSON: Because we have been dealing with religious people, I didn't think   that you needed to take an oath, I thought that you were going to speak the   truth, but to satisfy all righteousness
ADMINISTERS OATH.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you. Over to you then doctor.
DR F.

AUERBACH: Right. I just want to say that unfortunately, we weren't able   to get the submission that we are making to the commission to you beforehand,   so I realise that this is the first time that you have an opportunity of seeing   it. I do not know therefore whether you want me to use the precious time available   to read it or whether you would wish to read it yourself for a few minutes -   it's six and a half pages.

CHAIRPERSON: I would suggest doctor, that you highlight for us and then people   will read, I'm sure as an educationalist you will be able to give us an overview   and just stress the point that you do want to make. 
DR F.