26-04-2025
How religion shapes a free and democratic South Africa
Nico Koopman
South Africa is a secular state in a very special way. We make room for secular, intellectual, cultural and religious views in our public sphere. We welcome expressions of these different voices in public as long as they contribute to building a free and democratic country where alife of dignity, healing, justice, freedom and equality for all is actualised.
As we celebrate Freedom Day on 27 April, let us also remind one another that religious worldviews, faith convictions and practices of a rich diversity of religions can play a distinctive - and even indispensable - role in building a society grounded in dignity and rights for all. The vast majority of South Africans adhere to a diversity of religions.
Religion
Religions exercise a threefold presence in society, namely a prophetic presence, a priestly or pastoral presence and an ethical presence. Prophetic presence is exercised in at least five ways. It entails that religions can help us remember the vision of a new society where dignity for all, healing for all, justice for all, freedom and equality for all reign supreme. The prophetic presence of religions also entails that courageous, informed and fair criticismis offered where there are various forms of betrayal of this vision. Criticism means distinguishing between progress towards materialising this vision and exposing our failure to do so. But criticism also entails self-criticism.
Religions have an ambivalent track-record with regard to embodying human dignity and human rights. They have played both a constructive and a destructive role, as we can see in past and present religious legitimations for racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, ableism, ageism and ecocide (the destruction of the environment by humans).
Madiba
When the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa was established on 14 April 1994, the late Nelson Mandela attended the worship service at the synod. The vice-chairperson of the synod, Reverend Sam Buti of Alexandra in Johannesburg, welcomed Madiba. He expressed appreciation for his father's cherished journey with Madiba in the liberation struggle. He indicated that the new church would support the process of building a free and democratic society. He, however, also pointed out that just as churches opposed the apartheid government, they would criticise and oppose the incoming government if they betray the vision of democracy.
The leadership of synod furthermore decided that Madiba could not address synod, since he was present, not as president of South Africa, but as leader of one of the political parties that were participating in the elections to be held on 27 April. Because we were so excited that Madiba was present, it was not easy to take this decision. With this stance, the synod indicated that churches should impact on political life, but that they should not advantage specific political parties. Two weeks before the birth of democracy, the new church offered clear guidelines for the prophetic presence of churches in a democracy.
