Rich Church Poor Church

In Poor Church, I watched a Christmas skit on their makeshift stage. A church goer next to me commented that it will be nice to have a real backstage where the actors can prepare themselves and emerge into each scene more seamlessly. I replied that it wouldn't really matter as this is a church and not a professional concert hall. Besides, the message conveyed through the skit was entertaining and clear - that we should celebrate Christmas with God in our hearts and not be overwhelmed by the frills of Christmas shopping and parties. Before the service, there was a simple buffet dinner. After that, we had a nice dessert buffet for everyone to get know each other better.

In Rich Church, we watched a Christmas musical on a collosal stage with props of an outlandish and stately American home complete with a winter fireplace; a huge back-up choir and live orchestra in the backstage, their silhouette focused by  cleverly positioned and synchronised lights and colours, visible through a translucent screen. The auditorium seats 3,000 odd of us with a professionally lit stage, pristine sound system and two large video screens magnifying the performance delivered by two camera cranes. It was an entertaining performance. The singing and entertainment were cleverly orchestrated with preachings in between and eventually culminating in a hard sell to convert non-believers. It was cleverly done by asking everyone to close their eyes and raise their hands if they so wish to be converted, to overcome their shyness. There was also peer pressure to ask believers to look at non-believers and say, "I will accompany you if you would step out to accept Jesus".

I am never a fan of hard sell of any product, religion included. Sadly, religion is a product and all religions are man-made without exceptions.

As the hard sell made its assault, I couldn't help but imagine how Jesus would have felt if he sees all these bright lights and sizzle displayed before him in the name of converting non-believers into believers. Couldn't it be done the same way as he did under the canopy of a tree in an open ground without any frills? Can we truly enlighten people about their spirituality inside by exploiting the crass materialism outside? Can we solve the problems of this material world that tempts us to stray away from God, with the same mind that had created them?

Big churches need big funds and these come from church goers. But should these funds be channeled to the teachings of Jesus and the Bible, or to commercial outlets and glitzy auditoriums?

May be among the thousands recruited in Rich Church, some will see the Light and experience salvation. However I suspect that many will be led into many blind alleys and meanders. Poor Church is materially poor, but I find its congregation warmer and its size of a more human scale. It also does not hard sell, or sell at all. It treats its congregations and guests as seekers of the Christian faith.

Of course, being spiritual does not mean that one has to be poor. We need material to survive in this human journey. However, if we are overwhelmed by material and lose ourselves in the insanity of the material world, then we will be led further and further away from our heart and God. That is my discomfort with Rich Church. This is my opinion. I am not imposing this on anyone. Rich Church goers will continue to do what Rich Church goers do. Ultimately, whatever we do, whether we are conscious of them or not, they are on our journey towards self realisation and salvation.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

For god, No god.

Met some atheists. They mocked the raping of choir boys by church priests and said they are going to educate others that there is no god.

I think they will have a hard time, as if they really believe that there is no god, then there should be nothing to educate about. Unless they want to start atheism as a religion.

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The Interview with God

Got this inspirational video from a friend today...

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I dreamed I had an interview with God.

“So you would like to interview me?” God asked.

“If you have the time” I said.

God smiled. “My time is eternity.”

“What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about humankind?”

God answered...

“That they get bored with childhood,

they rush to grow up, and then

long to be children again.”

“That they lose their health to make money...

and then lose their money to restore their health.”

“That by thinking anxiously about the future,

they forget the present,

such that they live in neither

the present nor the future.”

"That they live as if they will never die,

and die as though they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine

and we were silent for a while.

And then I asked...

“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons

you want your children to learn?”

“To learn they cannot make anyone

love them. All they can do

is let themselves be loved.”

“To learn that it is not good

to compare themselves to others.”

“To learn to forgive

by practicing forgiveness.”

“To learn that it only takes a few seconds

to open profound wounds in those they love,

and it can take many years to heal them.”

“To learn that a rich person

is not one who has the most,

but is one who needs the least.”

“To learn that there are people

who love them dearly,

but simply have not yet learned

how to express or show their feelings.”

“To learn that two people can

look at the same thing

and see it differently.”

“To learn that it is not enough that they

forgive one another, but they must also forgive themselves.”

"Thank you for your time," I said humbly.

"Is there anything else

you would like your children to know?"

God smiled and said,

“Just know that I am here... always.”

-author unknown

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Comedy - Religion

Warning: This posting contains opinions that may be considered unacceptable by some people. If you are easily offended by unconventional views about religion and spiritualism, then DO NOT READ FURTHER THAN HERE. If you do, then do it at your own risk! If you do not agree with the views expressed below, it does not mean that you have not 'arrived', rather it just mean that you 'do not agree'. Meanwhile, try to be open. There are lots to discover about ourselves when we are open. Do feel free to leave comments. BELIEVING IS NOT NECESSARY!

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More Warnings!!!

Foul Language is used in both the videos.

Religion - by the late comedian George Carlin
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Take away the foul language and the baseball bat, and what he said makes a lot of sense. What do you think?.
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The Ten Commandments
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If there is a "Ten Commandments", I would rather have it as "Ten Commitments". "Commandments" come from a purported supreme being imposing it on us based on Fear.

"Commitments" come from within.

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Conversations with God

Just got this in my "Daily Contemplation" subscribed email, such synchronicity:

You came into this life with nothing to learn -- you have only to demonstrate what you already know. In the demonstration of it will you function it out, and create yourself anew, through your experience. Thus do you justify life, and give it purpose. Thus do you render it holy.
-- Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations With God, Book 1)

Here's more of Neale Donald Walsch's videos:
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About Catholic Religion and Spiritual Dogma
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Can We Shift our prevailing Reality?
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Who is God?

Bucky Group 25 - Conversations with God

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The movie is about Donald Neale Walsh journey after he got into an accident, losing his job and going downhill and dejected. Then one day he started talking to God...
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The following are some more video clips of the movie...
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Discussion about the movie:

I can relate to when Neale was waiting anxiously by the public phone for his job interview appointment, as it reminded me of the time when I first went to London with my backpack looking for freelance programming roles. Like Neale, I was staying in a crummy little hotel, down at the notorious Kings Cross, that charged 10 pounds sterling a night. Staying in a place with down-and-outs and welfare recipients as your neighbours, turned me street-wise very quickly.

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So what is the difference between talking with ourselves or God, versus being schizophrenic? Is the difference in the quality of thoughts or conversations we have with ourselves? It's like choosing between the blue pill or the red pill, as in the movie, "The Matrix". Just as Dr Aaron said, one of the pills would represent Love, whilst the other would represent Fear. When we chose the former, it will open all the doors and consequences of Love, and conversely, if we chose the latter, it will open to all the doors and consequences of Fear.

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One of my friend who calls himself an 'aethist' told me that his wife has been hearing voices and has been diagnosed as haivng mild schizophrenia. She was telling incidents that are not coherent with reality, like claiming that she heard him talking outside the window when he was clearly miles away. She then accused my friend of lying to her.

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Personally, I have also heard voices. Just a few nights ago, I heard a clear voice, "Go to bed", late at night when I was very tired. I did, and fell instantly to sleep. Sometimes, I can hear my mother calling my name. However, I know I am not schizophrenic because what I hear are voices of love, not of fear. That, I think, is the essential difference.

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When in times of trouble, we can ask ourselves, "What will Love do now?" Incidentally, I did. "What will Love do now?" Does doing nothing count? When helping another person, ironically, it is sometimes wiser to let a person go downhill further and not offer help, as it will not serve him? In other words, people must continue to do what they are doing until they have enough. We can only help people when they are ready. Thus, when Neale went back to the trailer park to look for his homeless friends, even if he had found them, they may not have been ready for the change.

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Joo Hock: Our Bucky Group has a connection with 'Conversations with God' right from the begginning. Years ago, I was depressed and decided to write the note, 'ear God, Need Help! Please Help!' Then I put it under my pillow.
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After a few days, a friend called and told me about the "Money and You" (business training) programme. Actually, I was not interested, but this friend kept insisting and told me he has already booked a place for me.
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When the day came, I attended the programme and it absolutely blew my mind away. Incidentally, in the programme, Bucky was mentioned. I was very impressed with Bucky's teachings and even more impressed that this man actually has a spiritual belief in 'a force more powerful than men'. And this despite him being a highly scientific person.

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The rest of it with Joo Hock and Bucky is history. :)

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Even all the down points in our life have their purposes as they are part of the bigger picture. All our experiences are connected and everyone's journey is different. If Neale hadn't gone through those hardships, perhaps he wouldn't have got inspired or talked to God; then subsequently becoming a successful writer and coach. Bucky too was at the verge of taking his own life at Lake Michigan, but didn't, after hearing a voice that his life is not for him to take. Bucky then went on to live and contributed enormously to mankind.

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Lastly, about the 'blue pill' or the 'red pill'... :)

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Bucky Group 17 - Precession

We continue in "Utopia or Oblivion" and read about 'precession' - the effect of bodies in motion on other bodies in motion. Such as when we stretch a rubber band longitudinally, we would expect the thickness of the band to become thinner. Conversely, when we exert inward (compressive) longitudinal force on a cylinder, the body of the cylinder is going to botch out. As shown:

The longitudinal forces effected a inward or outward radiating forces. These forces are predictable. In another example, when a man jumps from the stern of one boat onto another, both the bow draw towards each other. This is also predictable. See diagram...

Discussion:

Are all situations in a precession predictable? Guess not all. For instance if there had been a tsunami, then the boats won't have come together.

From there, the discussion strayed to the predictability and the defining of God. And that why we define God as such, since we don't know who God is. Basically, stemming from the Buddhist concept of "we don't know what we don't know".

I found such discussions futile. Why would I care about the definition of God. No matter how it will only be in words. It will not be able to encapsulate God with mere words. And for those who know God, do you think there is any point of explaining what God is. It reminds me of a Teochew saying... "If I tell you, you won't understand; and if I would bring you tell, it is too far!" :)

Little Indian Philosophy

Went for a haircut in a charming barber shop in Little India and found some inspiring messages in a leaflet...

"Special message: the way God grants grace:
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Do not expect God to appear before us and help us upon our call.
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God will create circumstances and situations and lead our life in a pleasant way.
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'Circumstances' and 'situations' are not in our hands and it is there the God plays his role."
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