Aih, ye of little faith…
Filed under Religion
Someone asked me to watch this video today. Accompanying the message was a warning note to realize that while Christians are still comfortable about 'doing Church', 'the evil one' is not only 'encroaching' upon us, but has 'already taken over us'. Since 'the earth is on fire', we need to have more 'committees and seminars' to talk about how to 'counter this situation'.
To me, the warning call sounds like a Jesus Camp, fear the evil one kind of mentality. A pre-pregnant me would disregard the mail, ignore it, and throw it away, while cringing at such faithless conversations, and wonder where the 'love' in Christianity went to. As far as I recall, my bible's Jesus doesn't talk about fearing the evil one, neither does He talks about Christianity as an enrolment game of bringing in the numbers. My Jesus tells me that while my faith has long dissappeared, God will still be there, and I keep reading over and over again, the underlying message of 'Be Still, and know that I am God'.
Alas, far from being still, many Christians seem to not trust God so much and like to make lots and lots of noises, labelling people who do not believe in the kind of God they believe in, people who believe in the devil, the evil one. Aiyoyo, no wonder-lah, the great Mahatma Gandhi said before, 'I do not reject your Christ, I love your Christ.It is just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.'
But then again, who am I to quote Gandhi. A lot of holier-than-thou Christians will fervently point out to me that Gandhi, being Hindu, is NOT in heaven, and is burning in hell.
I suppose many many non-Christians would have experienced at least 1 Christian in your life whose version of the Good News is entering Heaven after death, and accepting Jesus to escape the fiery lake of hell. Perhaps such Christians may be so overwhelming and overbearing that they have painted a bleak image of who Jesus is. I was brought up in such a Christian family, and it made me run far far away and it caused me to hate the faith for many many years. Cell group meetings consisted of praying for Jesus to help us to spread the faith more, and at the end of the year the overall Church mission was always to 'enlarge the tent' and bring in the numbers.
I want to say that not all Christians are like that. Many of us are not idiots. Just like how, in the Muslim faith there are people who deem going to candlelight vigils as 'not Islamic enough', just like how in the Muslim faith there are people who will chastise their fellow sisters-in-Islam for having different understandings about their faith, so are there these kind of people in Christianity. The scary thing is, fear resonates quickly, and makes very loud noises, so it gives you the impression that it comes in big numbers.
If you're the kind of Christian who actually thinks that Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism comes from 'the evil one', I challenge you to read your bible, and expand your view by reading of other Christian thoughts. Go back in our Christian history and face our own hideous, uncharming path (we haven't always been loving and kind, and neither are we still like this now). As long as we keep fighting a war that talks about 'killing off' all other people, there is NO way that Kingdom can come. And ultimately, Jesus's only prayer taught to us was this, 'Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us, from the evil one. Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.'
Nothing in the Lord's prayer tells us to fear. Nothing tells us to find the evil one and kill it for the Lord. It just tells us to trust in God and trust that God will deliver us from the evil one, whoever the evil one is.
Be encouraged: Why so serious?
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Jul30
July 31, 2009 at 9:54 am
“I want to say that not all Christians are like that. Many of us are not idiots”
hahahahahaha….
what i cant really stand is that amidst the investigative journalism story… so many christians dont even wanna talk about it and everyday send mails saying… “God is go good today, He told me this that this that….”…. sien…
August 2, 2009 at 10:00 pm
On 25th July Lurker said: “And I salute Claire for having the guts to twitter him directly to ask him to shut up!”
http://malaysiakini.com/news/109709
Lurker, did Clare twitter LKS to tell him he’s such a stupid ass to be in the firing line???
August 3, 2009 at 9:18 pm
http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/
Were you there???
August 3, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Balls licker Anddrew Lim, where are you?? are you still hiding under your mama’s skirt?? http://malaysiakini.com/columns/109762 I was looking for you the other day. where were you?? don’t tell me you are pregnant and cannot go to crowded places but crowded shopping centre ok for you.
August 4, 2009 at 2:12 am
Hei Mrs. MiniShorts, firstly I just want to congratulate you on getting pregnant. I know its abit late. Anyways, just want to thank you for this post. My views are just about the same. Thanks!
August 8, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Wow… I didn’t know the shopping complexes in your area is THAT crowded. Amazing. I learn something new today. Thanks.
August 13, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Claire,
Great comments on misconceptions that many Christian believe about other faiths. the Bible reminds that love is most important. Love after all is one of the Lord’s great gifts to humankind.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
– Romans 12:9
Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts.
– Amos 5:14-15
Genuine love involves hate.
Genuine loves means that we hate evil.
We detest its creeping into our hearts and ruining our relationships. We abhor its effects on those we love.
We are repelled by the eternal destruction it causes in those whose lives are tender, or weak, or wavering.
So the very best thing we can do for those we love is to cling to what is good and stay far away from evil and wickedness.
Many people claim that God is on their side. In reality, the important question is whether we are on God’s side!
That’s determined more by what we seek and do rather than what we think and say. God longs to be with us, but he will not sacrifice his character to extend us cheap grace — a grace that does not call us to be like him and live with Jesus as our Lord.
He’s looking for believers who put their character where their mouths are and work to bring goodness to their world, culture, and legal systems.
I follow your site when time permits, and wish the remainder of your pregnancy go well. I pray for your health and the health and well being of the new life within you!
David
I have this theory that if one person shows compassion to
another then that person will start a chain reaction of the
same.
— Rachel Joy Scott