Treaty Principles Bill: Is Christian Theology on Seymours side?

If Seymour truly understood the theological concept of Imagio Dei, he might find his politics radically changed...

This week over 400 Christian leaders penned a letter calling on the Government to scrap the Treaty principles bill.

These leaders represented a wide range of people within the Christian community who believe that the devisive, anti-tiriti and anti-māori rhetoric which has been emboldened by David Seymour in his advocacy for the Bill, stand in stark contrast to the deep respect our religious tradition has for Covenants and the importance of upholding commitments made between peoples.

In response to this letter, David Seymour called these Christian leaders undemocratic for being willing to engage in the debate and utilize their democratic right to voice their concerns about the Bill publicly.

He than went a step further by choosing to misappropriate our theological concept of Imagio Dei to argue that our Scriptures and the tenants of our faith are at odds with honouring Te Tiriti.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Imagio Dei is this Theological idea within the Christian Tradition which speaks to this core belief we hold that every person bears within them the Divine Image, and as a result, has indescribable worth, dignity and inherent value.

This concept of the Divine Image being within all humanity – which David is correct is essential to the Christian faith – is not in conflict with a commitment to honouring our covenant and commitment to Tangata Whenua within Te Tiriti.

David has attempted to frame Te Tiriti as devaluing the dignity and worth of those who are not māori. This is clearly not true.

Te Tiriti, like any contract, is an agreement between two peoples. One which creates space for Tangata Tiriti and Tangata Whenua to live in Kotahitanga within Aotearoa. One which, as we know, the Crown failed to uphold, breaking our contract with Tangata Whenua, and in doing so inflicting immense harm upon our treaty partners.

Within the Christian Tradition there is a deep understanding of whakapapa and of the value and importance of covenant. Our Scriptures are filled with storys about Covenants and about the importance of upholding the commitments and promises we as peoples make to one another. Throughout these narratives is a strong theme of Justice, a message that the Divine expects Their people to uphold the commitments of their ancestors, to hold fast, regardless of the passing of time, or fading of memories.

Honouring the Divine Image means we acknowledge that each individual has intrinsic worth and it means we value the uniqueness of one another’s humanity. This does not mean sameness, nor does it mean we ignore the richness and beauty of our diversity, but rather that we honour and celebrate it.

And a part of honouring and celebrating the Imagio Dei within each other, is demonstrated in our commitment to upholding the promises we have made to one another, and where those promises have not been honoured and our fellow Image Bearers have been hurt and harmed, doing what we can to heal the harm and right the injustices of our past.

If David Seymour truly understood what it meant to honour the Imagio Dei in our fellow human beings and was committed to the concept, he would not be pushing this bill. In fact, his politics would be transformed, demonstrating a keener eye to the concerns of the poor, a hunger for justice and a commitment to working towards healing the harm and injustice which has resulted from our nations failure to uphold the covenant of Te Tiriti.

And if he dug deeper into our theological tradition, David Seymour would find that, Jesus, the very founder of our faith, the one we Christians believe to be the Divine in Human flesh, was himself a part of an oppressed and colonized community. And that through the Divines choice to enter humanity in solidarity with this community, that the Creator of the Universe signals another core and fundamental truth.

That the Divine stands in solidarity with those who have been oppressed within this world, that They are with and for those who suffer, that They are working for Justice, acting to make the wrong right, to close the margins of society, standing with those who continue to be oppressed at the hands of the powerful.

And if he took a moment longer to learn about this Jesus, who he was, how he lived, what he taught, he would find, that Love is the Way Jesus invited us to walk, Love witnessed in the act of solidarity, and made manifest as we act with and for the oppressed in pursuit of our joint Liberation.

Honouring Te Tiriti is not at odds with the Christian Tradition. In fact, for many of us who follow Jesus, it is our commitment to our faith that grounds and inspires within us a commitment to Toitū Te Tiriti!

#ToitūTeTiriti #LoveIsTheWay