yesterday i was on the bus traveling through the rural east of Singapore and i was curiously surveying the environment (potential for future living haha). while the bus was parked at a red light, i saw this huge community centre building that looked pretty nice and my mind began to run through the kinds of activities there that are actually feasibly doable even though i always associate them with aunties and i thought maybe i should try them. anw the point is, when the bus began to move pass the building, (to my surprise) i realized that it was actually a church building! with a cross that i couldn't have seen from the red light spot.
anw my thought is this! i thought about most of the church buildings that i've seen in Singapore. they actually look religiously void, save for the cross, the name of the church, and the gazillion banners that hang around its premises. even then, they typically look just like any other public building that you see around. there isn't the aura of the Christ or anything like those crazy medieval church architectures you see in European countries. well, one point for secularism!
but why do church buildings in singapore look like that while buddhist temples and mosques and hindu temples look SO religious? they even have all their gods displayed on their roofs! it's like when you walk past them you really know you're treading some serious religious ground. while people like me can actually mistake a church for a community centre.
well.. it's not that it's a totally bad thing. even though there's absolutely no distinctiveness and the churches (that do not use colonial church buildings) have really blended into the modern sanitized secular environment (sometimes really state of the art postmodern kind), i guess it subconsciously gives the idea that the religion is not an out-of-our-world thing but something that is real and relevant to everyday life today. and maybe looking like a community centre isn't so bad because the church does kinda function like one except that they have Christ.
but can you imagine if churches today have their distinctive form of architecture? it doesn't have to be grand with ancient-looking adornments or expensive.. just something more than looking like any other thing on the street. the church is supposed to be special!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
a night to remember.
it's 1.30am and somebody's cooking pancakes..! the smell is killing me but i know there's nobody in my kitchen :(
i know i must be in bed now because i have an important early morning tomorrow. but i just had one of the most memorable nights of my life.
i was standing at my window in the dark looking out and feeling the wind. and something was strange about tonight. the clouds were so close SO CLOSE i think i could touch them if i had a 10m long arm! and the wind was blowing them across the big sky towards the south. it felt like the whole earth was moving and the big sky was shifting. and i could see the different layers of clouds and the stars that twinkled beyond them. the whole earth was converging for a grand assembly down south. it was majestic.
the night felt so limitless. it made me feel kinda lonely in some way.
i saw the stars and i remembered that the pretty twinkle had traveled millions of weary light years to meet my eyes for just that one second.
this God is unfathomable.
i must thank my mom for not installing window grills!
i know i must be in bed now because i have an important early morning tomorrow. but i just had one of the most memorable nights of my life.
i was standing at my window in the dark looking out and feeling the wind. and something was strange about tonight. the clouds were so close SO CLOSE i think i could touch them if i had a 10m long arm! and the wind was blowing them across the big sky towards the south. it felt like the whole earth was moving and the big sky was shifting. and i could see the different layers of clouds and the stars that twinkled beyond them. the whole earth was converging for a grand assembly down south. it was majestic.
the night felt so limitless. it made me feel kinda lonely in some way.
i saw the stars and i remembered that the pretty twinkle had traveled millions of weary light years to meet my eyes for just that one second.
this God is unfathomable.
i must thank my mom for not installing window grills!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Perils of Secularism
Recently i've been reading up a little on religion in our secular world aka the godless world. it's feels coincidental that i've been stumbling across such material. and it also happens to be my ISM topic, which until this afternoon, i've been ready to change entirely. the sudden rekindling of interest really took me back to my paper's proposal, which incidentally is in dire need of editing before sunday.
i just opened the book The Dawkin's Delusion today. i'm only a third through McGrath's critique on Dawkin's The God Delusion. but it's already spoken so much that led me to think about the secular delusion. i kept thinking about jo zheng when i read this book cos i first heard of The God Delusion from him.
most people in the world think of religion as something additional to humanity. something that was constructed through history and was infiltrated into cultures and everyday living in various parts of the planet. with this in mind, the secular world is then depicted as the default “natural” world - the ideological world that humanity was "born into". secularism is associated with a blank space; an impartial platform void of religion for the human race to congregate and connect with one another; where rationality is assumed and hence should be privileged in all big and minor political arenas. but it isn't that.
what people fail to see is that secularism is essentially another religion itself. it is not a neutral world and it is not free of ideological constraints. like other religions, it has its idols of worship, its cultures, practices, beliefs, etc. just as silence is also a sound, secularism is also a faith. a faith that is placed somewhere else that just happens not to be categorized as 'religion'. Believing in the secular world requires your subscribing to and internalizing certain beliefs. faith in self, faith in money, faith in capital, faith in the satisfaction of self-fulfillment, blah blah blah. these faiths were constructed too! it entails your believing in other people's words. you learnt individualism from people, you learnt consumerism from people, you learnt the value of capital and status from people. other people taught you to believe in these. and other people told these other people to believe in these. how is that different from the legacy of religious thoughts? is the fervent preaching of these secular beliefs to the next generation any less of an "abuse of freedom" than parents inculcating religious beliefs in their young?
what if secularism was something that was additional to humanity? what if religiosity (as we know it today) was the "default" world that humanity was "born into"? or what if there was no "default" world to begin with? (i do not believe in that)
anw there was something in the book that seriously jumped out at me. McGrath was addressing Dawkin's argument about the extreme improbability of the existence of God. Dawkin himself had asserted how virtually impossible it is to quantify how improbable the existence of human beings is (God is even more complex than this and hence existence of such a Being is even more improbable). Besides the problematic association of complexity to improbability, McGrath pointed out the obvious truth that despite the high improbability of it all, humans are here. we exist. the point is that "we need to appreciate that there are many things that seem improbable - but improbability does not entail, and never has entailed, non-existence. The issue, then, is not whether God is probable but whether God is actual."
this really jumped out at me because it brought me back to the essential search for truth. for what is reality and what is actual. you could spend your whole life circulating about the probability of that 99% being true, yet miss the whole truth altogether. God could be your 1%. and then you ask.. which God(s) is it? you really really can argue and debate till the cows come home and all the way to your grave. it's never ending, seriously. but the crucial point is not about debunking what isn't. nor is it about what it could or could not be. the most crucial thing is to find out what it is.
it isn't about the 99.9% that could be, but the 0.1% that is.
i just opened the book The Dawkin's Delusion today. i'm only a third through McGrath's critique on Dawkin's The God Delusion. but it's already spoken so much that led me to think about the secular delusion. i kept thinking about jo zheng when i read this book cos i first heard of The God Delusion from him.
most people in the world think of religion as something additional to humanity. something that was constructed through history and was infiltrated into cultures and everyday living in various parts of the planet. with this in mind, the secular world is then depicted as the default “natural” world - the ideological world that humanity was "born into". secularism is associated with a blank space; an impartial platform void of religion for the human race to congregate and connect with one another; where rationality is assumed and hence should be privileged in all big and minor political arenas. but it isn't that.
what people fail to see is that secularism is essentially another religion itself. it is not a neutral world and it is not free of ideological constraints. like other religions, it has its idols of worship, its cultures, practices, beliefs, etc. just as silence is also a sound, secularism is also a faith. a faith that is placed somewhere else that just happens not to be categorized as 'religion'. Believing in the secular world requires your subscribing to and internalizing certain beliefs. faith in self, faith in money, faith in capital, faith in the satisfaction of self-fulfillment, blah blah blah. these faiths were constructed too! it entails your believing in other people's words. you learnt individualism from people, you learnt consumerism from people, you learnt the value of capital and status from people. other people taught you to believe in these. and other people told these other people to believe in these. how is that different from the legacy of religious thoughts? is the fervent preaching of these secular beliefs to the next generation any less of an "abuse of freedom" than parents inculcating religious beliefs in their young?
what if secularism was something that was additional to humanity? what if religiosity (as we know it today) was the "default" world that humanity was "born into"? or what if there was no "default" world to begin with? (i do not believe in that)
anw there was something in the book that seriously jumped out at me. McGrath was addressing Dawkin's argument about the extreme improbability of the existence of God. Dawkin himself had asserted how virtually impossible it is to quantify how improbable the existence of human beings is (God is even more complex than this and hence existence of such a Being is even more improbable). Besides the problematic association of complexity to improbability, McGrath pointed out the obvious truth that despite the high improbability of it all, humans are here. we exist. the point is that "we need to appreciate that there are many things that seem improbable - but improbability does not entail, and never has entailed, non-existence. The issue, then, is not whether God is probable but whether God is actual."
this really jumped out at me because it brought me back to the essential search for truth. for what is reality and what is actual. you could spend your whole life circulating about the probability of that 99% being true, yet miss the whole truth altogether. God could be your 1%. and then you ask.. which God(s) is it? you really really can argue and debate till the cows come home and all the way to your grave. it's never ending, seriously. but the crucial point is not about debunking what isn't. nor is it about what it could or could not be. the most crucial thing is to find out what it is.
it isn't about the 99.9% that could be, but the 0.1% that is.
Friday, December 11, 2009
.
till today, i still can't reconcile the person i knew with the kind of person he later became. they're mutually exclusive.
but i've concluded that it is certainly true that only a real crisis can bring out a person's true colours. when it thoroughly tests you for the kind of person you are and challenges you to the point where you are stripped bare to your bones and you won't even be able to find the thinnest mask to pretend to be something better. and that's who you really are, what you are really made of, and what you really stand for.
he probably never realized he was capable of such ugliness before it all happened. but he is, and that's it. the worst part is, he still doesn't realize how immature he is.
neither have I ever imagined that i could be so hateful and unforgiving.
but i've concluded that it is certainly true that only a real crisis can bring out a person's true colours. when it thoroughly tests you for the kind of person you are and challenges you to the point where you are stripped bare to your bones and you won't even be able to find the thinnest mask to pretend to be something better. and that's who you really are, what you are really made of, and what you really stand for.
he probably never realized he was capable of such ugliness before it all happened. but he is, and that's it. the worst part is, he still doesn't realize how immature he is.
neither have I ever imagined that i could be so hateful and unforgiving.
Monday, December 07, 2009
woe to postmodernism.
Do all paths lead to God? The problem with religious pluralism.
(from mraveragechristian.wordpress.com)
Well do all paths lead to God? I mean, there are many different religions out there - all telling you that they are correct, and that 'spiritual enlightenment' can be found in them.
Surely it would make sense that the paths of all world religions are all going in the same direction up the mountain to reach the same destination.
And if that is the case, then it matters not who you follow, whether it be Jesus Christ, Allah or Vishnu. This is known as religious pluralism. religious pluralism holds that no single religion can claim absolute authority to teach absolute truth, and that all faiths are searching for the same truths in different ways. Maybe this is where you are coming from.
This idea is best conveyed in this well known illustration:
Three blind men are lead to an elephant and told to touch it and then take a guess at what they are touching. One man, touched the elephants tusks and declared it must be some sort of spear. Another felt its side and said it was a rough wall. The third, on touching the tail, said that it was a rope.
The blind men were touching the same elephant, and yet because they were touching different parts their experience of the elephant was very different. So it follows into the realms of religion that all paths are leading to the same thing but coming at it from a different angle.
So according to Pluralism, all roads lead to God. Unfortunately there are some holes in pluralist thinking:
Pluralism is inconsistent
By its very nature, pluralism says that you can’t possibly have absolute truth over any. You must not, you cannot force your views onto anybody else. But in doing so, demands that everybody takes the pluralist view, and if you don’t then you are nothing more than narrow-minded. Perhaps even more then that, they try silence such views. Which is why in the UK, we’ve had such trouble with our Christian Unions being forced out of university campus’s. Huh? Double standard?
Pluralism is patronizing
The promotion of tolerance amongst the different religions has gained much speed of late. And in a way, that’s a good thing. To reach out to different cultures and offer the hand of friendship for the sake of unity, we must respect each others beliefs. However, in trying to affirm all religious perspectives, we honour none of them. Insisting that all religions are the same, just with different labels, pluralism ignores what is distinctive about them. It ignores the differences – Sikhs believe there is one God, Buddhists believe there are no gods. So in comes the pluralist saying, “see you’re all pretty much saying the same thing”. Do the sums! There can’t be many gods, and one god and no gods. You’re just being patronizing.
Pluralism is arrogant
When pluralists reduce all world religions to the blind men and the elephant, what I want to know is, who’s telling the story? Presumably it’s the enlightened pluralist, who looks on at the stumblings of the blind men with absolute clarity. What right does the pluralist have to place themselves outside the picture? Who’s to say they aren’t another blind man feeling his way around the elephant? Placing themselves outside the circle, and declaring themselves the referee, is wonderfully convenient, and very arrogant.
So no, all paths do not lead to God, there can only be one way. And nobody has the authority or insight to say otherwise – despite what some would have you think.
So surely the fairest thing to do, is line up all the religions. All of the ideas and philosophies. Put them under scrutiny and go with what makes sense?
This I challenge you to do, and its my belief that a relationship with Father God would not seem so ‘out there’.
Saturday, December 05, 2009
joy.
this is insane...i haven't had insomnia in a zillion years. i can't sleep!!
cos there's too much adrenaline pumping through my body. really like overflowing man. my hands are pins and needles and i can feel my heart palpitating when i lie on my bed.
the games day today was really fun! haha truly enjoyed myself and it's so weird i can't stop smiling to myself LOL. really let my hair down and just play. haha geog hons peeps are a great bunch. esp my study group :D and we won!! DOMINAAAAATE. haha damn fun. but i'm feeling it man. i can't walk tomorrow i guarantee. paying the price for not exercising properly in A WHOLE YEAR. i'm inspired to START EXERCISING!
another reason why i can't sleep is also cos of the church's CD! i listened to it properly for the first time, all the tracks, from the beginning to the end earlier just before i tried to sleep. it got me too excited. gosh i really love it! REALLY LOVE IT. quite unbelievable actually. and even though we've sang those songs for worship during services before, the depth and the profoundness of the lyrics still captured me. the songs mean a lot because they mark some of the most memorable moments in my journey with Christ.
the worship when shu first sang With Love is a service i will always remember. it was the first time the love of God spoke straight into my heart. it was so piercing i didn't know where to hide my face. the love of God was so brilliant and deep that i couldn't run away from it.
whenever i listen, or sing, or just remember the song Jesus, Be Glorified, i feel like i'm soaring on the wings of eagle. i remember ever asking.. what is it like to dream with Jesus? this was God's answer. God's dream, God's desire. His power, His might, His yearning, His faithfulness, His love, His vision, Our saviour. lives yielded to the power of Christ. His work in the lives of so many millions of souls who have passed through time and the millions more to come is so mindblowing. The power of transformation through Christ, the power of the blood of Jesus. and the brilliance of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I am so proud to be a child of God, and to be the bride of Christ to be loved and cherished for eternity.
Through the sunshine, through the rain
Through my gladness, through my pain
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
In my trials, in my fame
In my triumphs, in my shame
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
In the darkness I can see
For Your light will shine on me
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
Though the battles may be long
Through I'm weak, Lord, You are strong
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
Turn my water into wine
Your transform this heart of mine
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
When Your church becomes Your bride
In Your love our hearts abide
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
When all broken hearts are healed
When Your splendour is revealed
O Lord Jesus, be glorified
When the angels sing Your praise
When Your people shout Your name
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
We glorify Your name!
cos there's too much adrenaline pumping through my body. really like overflowing man. my hands are pins and needles and i can feel my heart palpitating when i lie on my bed.
the games day today was really fun! haha truly enjoyed myself and it's so weird i can't stop smiling to myself LOL. really let my hair down and just play. haha geog hons peeps are a great bunch. esp my study group :D and we won!! DOMINAAAAATE. haha damn fun. but i'm feeling it man. i can't walk tomorrow i guarantee. paying the price for not exercising properly in A WHOLE YEAR. i'm inspired to START EXERCISING!
another reason why i can't sleep is also cos of the church's CD! i listened to it properly for the first time, all the tracks, from the beginning to the end earlier just before i tried to sleep. it got me too excited. gosh i really love it! REALLY LOVE IT. quite unbelievable actually. and even though we've sang those songs for worship during services before, the depth and the profoundness of the lyrics still captured me. the songs mean a lot because they mark some of the most memorable moments in my journey with Christ.
the worship when shu first sang With Love is a service i will always remember. it was the first time the love of God spoke straight into my heart. it was so piercing i didn't know where to hide my face. the love of God was so brilliant and deep that i couldn't run away from it.
whenever i listen, or sing, or just remember the song Jesus, Be Glorified, i feel like i'm soaring on the wings of eagle. i remember ever asking.. what is it like to dream with Jesus? this was God's answer. God's dream, God's desire. His power, His might, His yearning, His faithfulness, His love, His vision, Our saviour. lives yielded to the power of Christ. His work in the lives of so many millions of souls who have passed through time and the millions more to come is so mindblowing. The power of transformation through Christ, the power of the blood of Jesus. and the brilliance of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I am so proud to be a child of God, and to be the bride of Christ to be loved and cherished for eternity.
Through the sunshine, through the rain
Through my gladness, through my pain
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
In my trials, in my fame
In my triumphs, in my shame
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
In the darkness I can see
For Your light will shine on me
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
Though the battles may be long
Through I'm weak, Lord, You are strong
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
Turn my water into wine
Your transform this heart of mine
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
When Your church becomes Your bride
In Your love our hearts abide
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
When all broken hearts are healed
When Your splendour is revealed
O Lord Jesus, be glorified
When the angels sing Your praise
When Your people shout Your name
O Lord Jesus, be glorified.
We glorify Your name!
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
forgiveness overflows
If your brother sins against you, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he sins against you seven times in a day,
and seven times in a day returns to you,
saying, "I repent,"
you shall forgive him.
- Luke 17:3-4
this is the intensity of the grace of our God.
Spread wide in the arms of Christ
there's a love that covers sin.
No greater love have I ever known;
You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again
:D
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he sins against you seven times in a day,
and seven times in a day returns to you,
saying, "I repent,"
you shall forgive him.
- Luke 17:3-4
this is the intensity of the grace of our God.
Spread wide in the arms of Christ
there's a love that covers sin.
No greater love have I ever known;
You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again
:D
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
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