Who the Sasnaritan?

Press, 18 October 1980, Page 7

Who the Sasnaritan?

PA . .... Wellington The Minister of Police (Mr Couch), thinks the Good Samaritan would have supported a Springbok rugby tour, but he has met theological opposition. Mr Couch rewrote the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan in a

speech on Wednesday to the Police Association conference. His story featured South Africa as the victim and the New Zea-

land rugby player as the' -Samaritan. ’ Mr Couch is an elder and holds a priesthood in the Mormon Church. His critic yesterday, Mr C. R. Marshall, the Labour member of Parliament for Wanganui, is a former Methodist minister. Mr Marshall said he saw Mr Couch’s view of white South Africa as the victim of thieves as “a verv sick joke.” “It is the blacks and Coloureds in South Africa who have been systematically robbed and beaten all these years,” Mr Marshall said. A more accurate parallel. he said, would describe the South African black as the victim of thieves and the anti-apar-theid movement as the Good Samaritan. r Earlier this week, the Bishop of Wellington (the Rt. Rev. E. ,K., Norman) said he supported the principle of a Springbok tour to New Zealand, although he had reservations about the timing. Mr Marshall said Mr Couch’s misunderstanding of Christ’s priorities was . “perhaps- understandable — Bishop Norman’s is not.” He suggested that white

South -Africa should properly be portrayed as the exploiters. A more accurate view of Christ’s attitude towards exploiters was shown when he encountered the moneychangers in the temple, Mr Marshall said“Fortunately, the Church in this country

and round the world is both more angry about conditions in. South Africa and more perceptive about the Gospel implications than either Bishop Norman or Mr Couch,” Mr Marshall said.