Taiwan Church News 3217 Edition October 21 - October 27, 2013 Church Ministry News "Be A Dignified Taiwanese!", Original Culture Society Urged Conscientize Our Cultural Awareness Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong In the evening of October 17th, a cultural lecture titled "Be A Dignified Taiwanese", organized by Original Culture Society,was held in She-lin Presbyterian Church. Professor Lin Wen-deh who is an Sculptor Artist from Austria, Physics Professor Kau Chen-yen of National Taiwan University and Real Estate Professor Liao Ben-chuan of National Taipei University were invited as speakers. Taiwan poet Lee Ming-young, a winner of 2009 National Arts Award, was invited to be the moderator. Lee Ming-young started this culture lecture by pointing to a serious historical lesson, illuminating from the overthrow ofEast European communist regimes and her irreversible transformation into democratic systems, that required the church would respond her calling to consolidate the people into a lively communion and fight against any injustice incurred. Contrasting with this critical achievement of East European churches, Lee criticized the religious level of Taiwanese culture were still immersed in the thoughts of virtues and works to exchange deities' favor. "The religious awareness of Taiwanese needs to be conscientized!", urged Lee. Using the democratic transformation examples among East European communist countries, Lee explained further that it wasthrough church that east European people could stick together to generate a communion with mutual responsibility and obligation. Once for all and irreversibly, this ecclesiatical communion toppled down the authoritarian regimes established by the communist. Accordingly, those communist parties had to changed their names into labor parties to have a chance of survival. Further, Lee asked the question why the authoritarian KMT in Taiwan was not overthrown once for all? Why it had a secondchance to come back and make havoc of Taiwan society? Lee suggested a major spiritual cause is due to the superficial recognition of Taiwanese religious mentality: a thought of virtues and works to exchange god's favor. In other words, without a solid cultural discourse about Taiwanese subjectivity, all the religious knowledge will succumb to short-sighted calculation of benefits between man and god. Professor Liao delivered his discourse from the point of " the conscientization of land justice". Taking the Dapu event ashis departure, Liao asked why Taiwan had no justice to treat her people? Liao attributed these injustice to the current institution and norms could no longer bound those greedy power brokers and capitalists, so these villainous politicians could breach the law at their will to satisfy their bottomless desire. Then, how can people do to stop all these fuss and bully from the government? Liao concurred the movement Of "Tear DownGovernment", as this is an action to break down the evil law and inefficient governmental institutes. In the meantime, people could use any means, for example strikes or protest on the street, which could abolish the legitimacy of the government. "What we want is the humanistic and social justice. Everybody needs to wake up within our cultural awareness, then this society can protect the people!" Professor Kao Chen-yen delivered his talks from a subject: "From the preservation of Bitan Suspension Bridge to reflectInheritance of Taiwan Culture". He reminded the audience that Bitan Suspension bridge is the only Tungsten Carbide Ball Bearing Suspension Bridge left in Taiwan. Her unique cultural asset could be compared by the Cilan Mountain Cypress Forest to be included in the World Heritage List. Although Bitan suspension bridge had been successfully to be included as a Taipei classic relics, she still continuously suffered the greedy land grabbing crisis around her location site. As to Professor Lin Wen-deh, he delivered his reflection on Taiwan's cultural awareness from a view of European Arts. Translated by Peter Wolfe |