Hey you. I just wanted to speak to you a bit. About our beliefs, and the details in these things that draw the line between my values and yours.

But just before that, to be safe, I have to apologize to you for the things I'll be saying that might sound hurtful to you. I'm sorry if you find my words a little harsh. And yes, perhaps my apology is rather little feeble to you, but I do hope you'll try to say 'I don't mind the criticisim'.

You see, and I'm going to be, well, brutally honest here, to borrow a quote from elsewhere. But know this, I'm attempting to be constructive. I'm just learning the ropes here, dear sir, ma'am, I'm taking a cue from you. Because you started this 'questioning' first, all these 'comparative religion' mumbo-jumbo, and the rest have the world have said, 'We don't mind' for some while.

So before you get angry, try not to mind, okay?

***

I just wanted to tell you, a few things about your version of 'the truth'. I don't get this. I know that this is a holy month, and folks like you have to fast, that there's a meaning to it. I think it's noble, and I know it takes a lot of perseverence and patience, to see through the entire month. I admire the fact that you place so much more emphasis to living the way God wants you to live, but, I'm sorry, there's just one thing I don't quite understand.

You can invite me to berbuka puasa at your place of worship, but you can kindly deny an invitation to a wedding reception of another friend, simply because it is going to be held in a church?

When I visited your mosques, knowing that it is a mark of respect to cover my head, I took it upon myself to adorn a veil. I could listen in earnest to the tales you tell me of your prophet, and I'm intrigued by the messages of religious piety you have in all your teachings. I'm open to the unknown, I'm willing to learn, but I don't get your rejection of an invitation to attend a Christian marriage ceremony in church.

You see, the surprise is, not everyone extends you an invitation to a wedding ceremony, and when someone gives you a card and invites you to come, it's an honour in itself. It's the witnessing of a union among two people in love, and yes, unfortunately, they choose to do it in Church.

And you tell us, that you have to kindly deny that invitation because, excuse me, it's going to be held in a church? Because your religion mocks upon the very tenets of the Christian faith, and you seem to believe that setting foot into another place of worship (other than a mosque) will gravely affect your 'good behaviour score-sheet' with your God?

Excuse me while I ponder the ludicrousness of this notion.

And while I'm at it I'd also like to tell some people that mocking upon another person's decision to CHOOSE another God other than their own as 'escapism and shirking of responsibilities towards facing up to their deeds' is an act of disrespect. No amount of proclaiming the glory of your God will cancel out the distaste that you've left in our regards of you.

For your information, mind you, the problem with kaffirs like me is we have our very own ideas and visions of Heaven, and whether you like it or not you have to live with the fact that you won't really know what's over there when we die, so while you're here on earth please do us a favour and stop preaching hell because well.

Some people, most people, really, don't care.

***

Hey you. Yeah I'm talking to you. I can't help thinking about our little discussion the other day? You know? That one where our friend just mentioned in passing about the fact that Feng Shui has been built into modern architecture these days?

I can't help recalling that terrible look of disgust on your face the moment our friend mentioned the words 'feng shui'.

For God's sake, please do some read up into an 'art' that has been in existence for over 6000 years. And stop comparing a non-religious cultural concept with Christianity. You ought not mix up the two. You don't see Fengshui masters having ching-chong-chang ceremonies where they do a big worship ceremony to cast away the devils, or enact strange monuments of long-dead Chinese generals to invite better business. No, classical fengshui really (excuse the Lilian Too version) is mostly about placements of objects, airing of spaces, and it's quite PRACTICAL.

Well, granted, a lot of fengshui masters do a bit of mix and match and inject a little bit of spirituality into their work, but studies of fengshui is now quite scientifical and devoid of religious requirements.

In your own words, 'They can pay a bomb to incorporate nonsensical stuff like fengshui all they want, but when God strikes, they can't hide. Hell is but a whisper away.' You want to pull your fundamentalist theories into your rejection of an intrinsic part of Chinese culture? Excuse me?

And while you're smashing up other Eastern influences like Yoga, or Reflexology, or even, God forbid, martial arts like Kungfu or Taekwondo or Ninjutsu, and oh Lord, the CHINESE DRAGON! Allow me to laugh off your concepts of all these Eastern Influences inviting the devil, and pleasing the devil.

Just because you're Chinese or Indian, just because you're EASTERN doesn't make you evil you know? And for God's sake don't go into extremisms and reject the beautiful symbols that have become a part of our culture for ages.

You see, some people create rules to protect their own versions of morality, and they choose to affect their lesser followers with their concepts of right and wrong. You allow these people to influence your relationships with God, so much that you make it a point to obey all these man-made restrictions and man-made contempts of your very cultural upbringing. Just because you're born of a different colour doesn't exempt you from God, just because he's a leader doesn't make him more favourable to God. You allow him to judge you, but who's going to judge him?

Don't turn Christianity into a worship of Western Ideals, and just the same don't, turn Islam into a worship of Arabic ideals. We are Asian, thoroughly and thoroughly, and our culture, although alien to the original preachers, is not evil nor is it immoral.

***

Hey you. I just wanted to tell you what I heard at church the other day, because it's rather relevant. He was talking about Christianity in general, but I want to extend his message to the rest of the world.

You know, a lot of people seem to think that certain privileges granted unto them by God are a confirmation of their holiness. Whether it is accepting salvation by professing Christ, or choosing to walk the path of a devout Muslim, or whether it is the choice to pay homage to all the Hindu/Taoist Deities one has had the good Karma to encounter… we all pray with this one single motive.

We all intend to acquire something for one's own benefit.

You know lah, what happens. My old Ah Po used to burn thousands of Gold Paper because she believed that Tua Peh Kong will bless her with riches if she sacrifices enough Gold Paper to him. She does the rituals because she wants to gain a longer life, more money, she wants happiness in her family, she wants her kids to be richer than her. She doesn't even think of heaven and hell, because in most Chinese-Taoist lifestyles, Hell is an accepted fact… so all she cares about is how to gain better materials to provide for a more comfortable life, here, on earth.

Now, don't be appalled by this very radical explanation. While you live to die, some people choose to live to live, or live for their Children. While you want is go to heaven, and the promises of God's love in heaven, some people want other things, like for their kids to get smarter (so they go and pray to another deity to ask for wisdom).

You might want to call this materialism, that they want superficial, unimportant things.

But I'll just tell you this. You're just the same. You want something too, you want Heaven. And sure, you might call it 'important', the most important thing ever. Except this, 'importance' is a relative concept.

Don't you EVEN dare try to tell people who believe in Hell only that there is a Heaven waiting, because when you try to do that you'll have to make up stories and visions that have yet to be proven (because no one has comeback from 3 days in Heaven to tell you what he saw). Oh before you talk about people who've come back from the dead, I'd like to kindly inform you that each religious belief has its own versions of near-death-experiences, so mind you, which is the real thing?

***

So the painful truth is, you're just as greedy as the next 'pray for 4D number to strike grand prize' aunty. You've turned the entire concept of Godly love and Godly relationship into one of greed and materialism.

I just wanted to say this to those of you who believe in a single deity, who believe in absolute hells and heavens… I pray that in your fervour to mission to other people, you ask yourselves about what it is you're doing and what are you saying to our friends in your mission statements of faith. What is your core message, how do you preach the Good News?

How would you turn out sounding to these people who just don't mind Eternal Hell?

I pray that we all examine ourselves, deep inside, how we regard God. Are we grateful to him for what He has given to us? Or are we all waiting for a future that He promises us, in the afterlife? Are we grateful because God exists, and are we merely preaching because we expect a return from Him in the form of Heaven? Are we really thankful for Him, or are we actually, greedy for Him?

Because the way I've observed things, we've all turned religions of the divine into religions of greed.