Friday, February 17, 2012

Fun And Games

Sigh, is this really that offensive? Enough to detract the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) from cleaning up their own act, and distract the public from the investigation of MHA high ranking officers exchanging sensitive information for bedroom favours? And provide more delays "to come clean with the people what information have they got (sic)", to borrow the words of one Khaw Boon Wan.

That "Thailand is a place of little true joy" is simply a expression of what the Campus Crusade for Christ group hoped, some may say naively, to achieve in their mission trip, i.e. show them true joy, whatever that may be. Their target audience may welcome the visit, or they may not. The choice is that of the Thais - they may not receive the religious messages, but they may find the guitar strumming and sing along musical presentations entertaining. Campus Crusade for Christ is an interdenominational Christian organization that promotes evangelism and discipleship in more than 190 countries around the world. Besides the traditional one-to-one conversations about God to reach out to students, they also use mass meetings, film showings and new media, such as Google advertising. They also founded The Jesus Film Project in 1981 to translate the Hollywood film "Jesus" into 1,006 languages and shown the film in 228 nations. That's another way to spread "true joy" to other people. If you don't like it, don't attend the showing.

Besides the Campus Crusade for Christ, there are many other Christian groups on campus. All of them share something common, young undergraduate minds trying to understand religion. Not all will find it though, some may discover joy elsewhere. Should their quest for personal happiness and spiritual knowledge be quenched by the sledge hammer of the MHA?

Even within the Christian world, it's not all fun and games, joy and laughter. To give you an idea of how complicated religion can be, take a gander at this extract from a stunning guide into the source of scriptures:
"Later in the Book of Isaiah, the Sepuagint's (Greek translation of the Hebrew original text) "And I saw two mounted horsemen, and a rider on an ass, and a rider on a camel" became an embarrassment to Christian apologists but a welcome support to Muslim disputants, because it seemed to be prophesying not only that Jesus would enter into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday riding on a donkey, as the Christian Gospel described him doing in the New testament, but that he would be followed (almost exactly six centuries later) by the prophet Muhammad, who was a camel driver."
("Whose Bible Is It", Jaroslav Pelikan, Penguin Books, 2005, pg 59)
 
Just a passing thought: If the SCDF Commissioner and CNB Director "got religion", would they have found joy in the private company of the IT executive?

23 comments:

  1. Do we know if they 'got religion' - the two chiefs and the vice' principal?
    We know Mr Yaw has one. And what does that prove?
    Got religion means got high morality? Vice Versa?

    Highest trust in their govt in edelman's barometer index!?
    Far better everyone has a pragmatic views of how infallible human beings are/can be and learn to be forgiving, than to keep drinking those outrageously 'clean & integrity' cool aid from the Party. Examining your own soul and the country's does not always mean looking to religion to fill the shallow gap.

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  2. Many wars are fought because of religious believe or for that matter disbelieve. To think of it, would the world be more peaceful if there is no religion?

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    Replies
    1. Imagine... by John Lennon or was it Paul?

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  3. Religion is a double-sided sword,
    a sword that cuts both ways.

    The Sin of Religion is SUPERSTITION
    and it is a horrendous sin.

    patriot

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  4. Not all with religion has moral lah. This is the same as many without religion have higher moral standard and principal. Some use religion to mask their misdeed or an excuse for prosecuting fellow human. So much for religion. Go for the person character instead.

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  5. The poster could have just mentioned, "only about one hundred Thais accept Christ each year in the country of over 68 million people."

    The mention of Buddhism was unnecessary, and resulted in inevitable comparison whether intentionally or not, and offended sensibilities. Such things have to be nipped in the bud.

    Similar posters by group of any other religion would have drawn similar, if not stronger, reactions, nothing against Christianity.

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  6. Anon 7.34pm

    Would opine that doubt it as such statements have been made and pass is given as they are normally in other languages.
    So not as easily comprehensible as English.

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  7. I am not anti-religion. But I am anti-evangelism.

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  8. RELIGION IS LIKE A PENIS.

    It's fine to have one.
    It's fine to be proud of it.

    But please don't whip it out in public and start waving it around,
    and PLEASE don't try to shove it down my children's throats.

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  9. Well said. Religion is very personal. If you believe in its teaching, good for you. What make you think your belief is the truth and others are not. I have many Christian friends but they do not preach their religion whenever we are togather. That should be the way.

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  10. "Buddhism is so much a part of the Thai national identity and permeates into every level of society and culture that only about one hundred Thais accept Christ each in the country of over 68 million people."
    Sounds like a line taken out of an article from National Geographic, Reader's Digest or news magazine like TIME or NEWSWEEK. Where is the offensive part?

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    1. I believe the offensiveness comes in 'BUT did you know...little true joy". ie. these pple do not what what true joy really is about, just poor sufferings perhaps...many lambs to save...enough said.

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  11. It seems their strategy has always been to attack first, hopefully inflict some kind of collateral damage & then apologise later as if they are truly sorry.

    No wonder the world is never at peace.

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  12. You are one of the few bloggers around who will dare to speak up for Christians when it has become spectacularly popular to denigrate and attack them. I have not always agreed with you in what you write, but for your courage in writing this, I salute you sir.

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  13. Hey, Really great work, I would like to join your blog anyway so please continue sharing with us,

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  14. Me am very baffled by the intrigue of the Crusaders.
    The kind and loving Members sort of like to jeer their quarries with antics in their intentions to convert them.
    However, their(Crusaders) claimed motives are to make others happy and love.
    Can psychologist and or anthropologist explain to us the paradox?
    And not forgetting that crusade and jihad include conversion by military means and social coercion.

    patriot

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  15. Patriot

    Would you like to research first even in wikipedia. the crusades arose from the expansion of the islamic empire into the now formerly christian lands(hence one of the oldest christian congregations is the orthodox church eg copts in egypt)of middle east. the crusades arose from the cry to take back the lands in now western europe but prior known as holy roman empire and unfortunately in all such situations tainted by normal human greed.
    the motives would be considered reasonable but unfortunately actions were known in line with Christ teachings.
    if you wish to pursue, in the islamic empire, there was significant differential taxation aka dhimmi tax.
    for china empires at the time, there were no such overt religious disputes, but disputes between different school of thoughts of governance and empire.

    regards

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  16. Had the incident not happened in Sin
    and
    generated much unhappiness, me would
    not have any interest on the subject
    at all.
    Crusades and jihads have been going
    on for millenniums. Religious wars
    had killed more than any other causes,
    man made or natural.
    Why are people still at it, is beyond
    reasoning.

    patriot

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  17. Are the campus crusaders CRUSADING around the present world being persecuted?
    Be real, do not just argue for fun.

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  18. NUS has just ordered the Campus Crusade group to cease all activities on campus. That sounds pretty like religious persecution. At SMU and NTU, the CCCs are still in operation. Mercifully, not all fanatics are alike.

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  19. Going around and into others' domains to spread personal belief and slighting others while doing so is simply put; SINFUL.

    And that's all to it.

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  20. "Remember that his own religion is the truest to every man even if it stands low in the scales of philosophical comparison.” Ghandi

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