Robert C. DeWitt and Sense in the Camp of religion and peace.jpg
Today, I
am speaking to you as Robert C. DeWitt, the Kaohsiung Branch Chief of the
American Institute in Taiwan. However, if we had met 40 years ago, I would be
speaking to you as Elder DeWitt, a younger and more handsome Mormon missionary
to Taiwan. The Taiwan of today is not
the Taiwan of 1976! There are so many
wonderful and positive changes in Taiwan.
Fortunately one thing has not changed and that is the warm and friendly
nature of the Taiwan people. As a
missionary, I saw that every day. Even
when people we met were not interested in learning about my church, they still
invited us into their homes, offered us something to drink, and listened
politely. In those days, Taiwan was much
poorer than it is today. It was not
unusual for me to be served a glass of hot water – that’s all the family had to
offer. More well-to-do families would
send a child down to the local market to buy me a bottle of cold Heisong soda
pop. there was no American fast food, no
7-11’s (Imagine! Taiwan without 7-11’s!), no subways, no high-speed rails, no
Carrefour, no Costco, and automobiles were very rare! Those who owned automobiles were very, very
wealthy. And politically, things have
changed much, too. Back then, Taiwan was
not a democracy. Under martial law, we
missionaries had to register with the police wherever we went within 24
hours. The police kept an eye one us to
ensure that we did not get involved in political activities. We didn’t of course – we had strict rules
from our church about that – but nevertheless, we were watched. By contrast, the political liberalization of the
past several decades is so impressive. The people on Taiwan have built a
robust, prosperous, free and orderly society with strong institutions, worthy
of emulation and envy. We’re proud of what Taiwan has
accomplished and proud of the role that the United States has played in
Taiwan’s success. It was very moving to me to realize that in less than the
span of one person’s lifetime, Taiwan has made so many positive changes.
My
missionary service in Taiwan had an enduring impact on my life: I met my wife, a young woman from Utah, in
Taiwan. I returned to the United States
and majored in Chinese at Brigham Young University. After joining the State Department, I served
three different tours in three different cities of Mainland China. My time in Taiwan made a deep and lasting
connection to this island that made me who I am; I didn’t have to hide or
change my beliefs to move forward in my life or to connect with people in Taiwan.
It is no wonder that I have a personal
respect and admiration for Taiwan’s commitment to religious freedom. However, not everyone is as blessed as we are
here.
At its
core, religion is a search for meaning, a search for something greater than
one’s self. It is both a goal and a way
of life. Every human being deserves a chance to pursue this search peacefully for
himself, even if his journey is different from mine or yours. I can tell you
that my own search with the Mormon Church has given me strength and inspiration
to make myself a better person, and I hope that through that process, I have
helped contribute in a small way to making this world a better place.
There
are some governments and rulers in the world that would take away this
opportunity. According to the Pew Forum,
75% of the world’s population lives in countries where religious freedoms
remain seriously limited and many minorities face persecution, intimidation,
and harassment. There are even those that kill, enslave, and destroy in the
name of religion. Make no mistake: this is not religion. These are criminal
acts have no place in our society. You and I are different, but that does not
make us enemies. Rather, it gives us that much more we can share with one
another.
So,
instead of focusing on those who would tarnish religion for their own gains, we
should focus on the contributions that faith communities make each day to build
peace, prevent genocide, promote human rights, and help people escape hunger,
ignorance, and disease. Today, you are
all here listening to an American Mormon, invited by a Taiwan Buddhist, who works for a Catholic hospital. Though we are
all different, we are united by the common goal that interfaith dialogue brings
solutions, not problems. We all need to
work together to protect and defend the right to worship freely, since it
cannot be taken for granted. Indeed,
even in the United States it took generations to ensure that all Americans could
fully partake in the freedom of worship that is enshrined in our
constitution. Members of my own
religion, for example, faced persecution – killing, raping, and destruction or
confiscation of property – in the years following its founding in the 19th
century. The United States has come a
long way since those events happened, but it took many years of work on the
part of our government, society and faith-based groups to come to this
point. Taiwan has been a steadfast
partner of the United States in protecting religious freedoms. Not only is the
freedom of religion enshrined in our respective constitutions, we both boast
active and religiously plural societies. Although there is always room for
improvement, I can confidently say that by accepting different beliefs, faiths,
and creeds, both Taiwan and the United States are ensuring a more peaceful and
prosperous future.
Recently, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reminded us
that “Religious freedom has been at the absolute center of American values and
is an essential component of our foreign policy.” This means more than just
tolerating the beliefs of others. We must respect their beliefs and ensure
their legal rights to practice them. We cannot coerce those who are different
into adopting our beliefs, not can we treat them as second class citizens. It
is a proven fact that religious discrimination is not only bad policy; it is a
source of worldwide conflict. Along with
the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and the new U.S.
Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom David Saperstein, the United States
is committed to:
- Remove
religious discrimination and marginalization
- Review
and monitor religious freedoms worldwide
- Promote
religious freedoms across national, regional, and international boundaries
Today, I
ask that all of you join me in this mission. Your dialogue and discussion at
this conference can break through the unknown; demystify the opaque so we can
see that although we may be different, those differences can make us stronger.
When I
came to Taiwan, I learned more than I ever was able to teach. The Taiwan people made that easy for me
because they were kind and accepting. I
learned about Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and various branches of
Christianity. I learned about
traditional Chinese culture and folk religion.
I learned to respect honest
religious beliefs, even if they were different than mine. Everyone, regardless of their faith, is
deserving of our respect and the freedom to practice their faith.
In
closing, I’d like to share a powerful quote from Ambassador Saperstein:
To the religiously oppressed in every land who live in fear,
afraid to speak of their beliefs; who worship in underground churches, mosques,
or temples, lest authorities discover and punish their devotion to an authority
higher than the state; who languish in prisons, simply because they love God in
their own way; who question the existence of God; who feel so desperate that
they flee their homes to avoid persecution, indeed, as we have seen so often to
avoid simply being killed because of their faith – to all of them, together,
you and I here, the State Department, this Administration, the Congress, together
our nation can be, must be, will be a beacon of light and hope.
It is my hope that we can all work together to become a
universal beacon of light and hope, and bring peace to this very troubled
world. Thank you.
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