Time Not Yet Ripe For Secular College in Mizoram

Aizawl, Dec 14 : Mizoram is not yet ready for a secular college, or such is the opinion of the Synod, the highest decision-making body of the Presbyterian Church of India, Mizoram. After deliberating for six days on the issue, the Synod rejected the proposal to establish a secular college in the state.

A Mizoram Presbyterian Church Synod meet, which started on December 6 and concluded on Sunday night at Khatla in Aizawl, decided that "the time was not yet ripe for establishment of a secular college by the largest church in the state."

The Synod also decided not to join the World Council of Churches (WCC) - another outcome of deliberations at the meet - as 29 Presbyteries voted against the move while only 14 approved of the Presbyterian Church being affiliated to the international church body.

Spiritualists, evangelists and even some theologians were against the Mizoram Presbyterian Church joining the WCC, due to diverse reasons. Theologians like P C Biaksiama, a church elder, objected that the doctrine of the WCC clashes with the main tenets of Christianity.

Some spiritualists and evangelists even predicted that the WCC would become an instrument of the Devil as it is already marked with the number of the Biblical Beast as foretold in the Book of Revelations.

The Synod also approved in principle the amendment to the decrees regarding punishment and pardon of divorced couples and also of people of the same sex living together. The Synod executive committee was authorized to prepare the final amendments.

The committee, while screening the agendas to be deliberated in the Synod meet, earlier rejected the proposal to ordain women as priests and church elders.