Friday, April 28, 2006
growing old
Yesterday, I bumped into 2 of my secondary classmates on the train.Strange to see them after so long..and embarassingly, I suffered a momentary bout of amnesia. I just couldn't, for the life of me, remember their names! And worse still, I need to introduce them to Michelle, who was with me.
Anyway, it was really interesting to see them after so long. Time really changes everything, doesn't it? The guy who used to be the class beng, is really decent now, studies in NTU and speaks English! Haha...He used to pronounce "black" as "brack"!
As for the other guy, while I remember him to be this relatively hardworking chap, he actually didn't continue his studies after JC and is bumming around now, taking a part time course in hospitality/tourism now.
Strange, isn't it? How people turn out.
Makes me wonder what would it be like if I had pursued law overseas as suggested by my mom? Would I be sporting some ang mo accent and getting high with soft drugs??
Interesting.
-audrey
XxX,
audrey at 10:01
0 lamb droppings
Saturday, April 22, 2006
"True Faith" - The evolution of the eccentrics?
To add to the culmination of what my babe has said about Christianity, I have managed to catch the much anticipated documentary on National Geographic Channel on the SCV recently.
This interesting documentary titles, “The Gospel of Judas” (National Discovery Channel, 2006).
Do not perceive my personal judgments to obliterate the past down beliefs in centuries that have convinced millions of people to believe in God, I have spent 10 years in the house of the lord (i.e., being in Anglo-Chinese Primary and Secondary School, every Monday was a Chapel Session and I also recited the lord’s prayer during those days) and I too, have an adequate knowledge just as another Christian believer.
The documentary has now made me further doubt Christianity. It seems that the religion itself has been chosen by the believers themselves where the bible would have been made as accordingly to what people would want to hear and read instead of the truth.
I have always been a skeptic and have seriously doubted the actual purpose of Christianity but now it seems people are beginning to see from my side.
Right I shall now proceed to talk a little about what the documentary mentioned:
I do hope Christians who are reading this blog to readdress my doubts and issues here, perhaps tell me what your arch – bishops have said or lied (*sic) to you about instead. I would have relate Christianity as a blind fate which believers follow without even knowing/ or refusing the true faith.
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The bible contains the four gospels as we knew; the gospel of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John respectively. But evidences have shown that were indeed more than 30 to 60 different kinds of gospel (e.g., Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Thomas etc.). Why were only these 4 chosen?
This seems so because the orthodox churches wanted it this way to create equilibrium. That the 4 gospels could be related to the 4 corners of the world, the 4 pillars, the 4 seasons and weathers with god in the centre of all.
It is also known that Romans hated their fellows whom turned Christians and who have refused to sacrifice animals to roman gods. Their punishment? A la “Hostel” style of torture: sitting in a heated chair to be burned to death.
It seems that Christians do not really know their fates; that they had choices of more than 30 to 60 gospels to choose from. Instead, the arch- bishops eventually chose those they felt were right. The bishops obviously condemned the Gospel of Judas, written in the name of the betrayal of Christ and thus was definitely wrong, irregardless of its authenticity or not. Judas should not be mentioned at all in the book of Christ.
He was so wrongfully and innocently condemned.
Carbon dating to the Gospel of Judas has set it to be around 280 AD; that meant the Gospel of Judas is an authentic text of the ancient world, certainly of no forgery.
As Mark puts it; Judas is no villain in his Gospel. In the upper room while having the last supper, Mark’s account did not focus on Judas, instead Jesus told them that the one who would betray him would be the one receiving the bread from Jesus. Judas apparently just asked, “Is it me?”
Matthew’s Gospel written 10 to 12 years after Mark’s depicts the betrayal of Judas by identifying Jesus to the Romans with the world’s most famous kiss, “Here I am Rabbi”.
When Judas heard that Jesus had died, he committed suicide to show his fate. The place where his body was last found has since been converted into a rubbish dump.
In the last Gospel, John; the last supper scene was instead related to Judas as the full transformation of an evil incarnate, fully developed.
Bear in mind that the name Judas relates to the Jews which I will touch on. It seems that Christians denounced Judas to distance themselves from the Jews in order to survive the war. The Romans went to war because Christian believers were influencing and pulling at every opportunity to convert people from the other religions (as of till current).
When Jesus was crucified, the Christians blamed the Jews for it. So it correlates that the name Judas epitomized the Jews even till today. This is in truth, inauthentic to the actual Christ teachings and that the new testaments were written as anti-Jew articles which in turn; was created for defensive reasons. Anti- Semitism.
The Gospel of Judas was found to actually be advanced teachings in Christianity and were not meant for public readings; which unlike the four Gospels we have now, were actually somewhat of a “beginners’ course”.
Some notes from the Gospel of Judas which I managed to memorized:
Gospel passages – in a secret account - Jesus spoke to Judas 3 days before he was to die – that some people walked good and some walked bad – Jesus actually was in appearance as a man rather than a kid– that those who have seen him in man form were of at an advanced level spiritually – he appeared as a kid to the other 11 disciples except Judas - Judas was Jesus's most trusted disciple and the one he loved most - one day during thanksgiving – before a scared meal – as the 12 disciples were giving thanks – Jesus came over and laughed – The Gospel noted that Jesus laughed a lot and that the only one who understood him was Judas – Jesus said that the true god was sacred and he laughed as he perceived their prayers were of false piety to the whole god whom have helped created the world instead - Jesus was angry and asked who dared to step out to bare his soul for him – only Judas could– Jesus asked Judas to step away from the others and that he would show him the secrets of the kingdom – Judas stepped forward and was modest with his spiritual backbone, standing before Jesus - he could reveal his spiritual self while others failed – Jesus told Judas that he would be the apostle who will be hated forever for the things which Jesus would want him to do – Jesus mentioned that the star brilliance of Judas was greater than them all – Jesus asked Judas to sacrifice him –Jesus had tested him and this act of sacrifice by Judas to surrender Jesus was to show him the divine spark which is within Jesus with Jesus himself as that spark which should be set free eventually – so that people would discover their inner spiritual selves like what Judas has found in himself. –
Although orthodox churches acknowledged the crucified Jesus; actually no accords of it occurred and that the death of Jesus was to spark off their inner beliefs to Christianity but believers failed to see it, moaning instead to losing an "earthly god”.
People can make their own choices (i.e. beneficial or harmful), my personal thoughts (no pun intended). What can we say of Hitler, who massacred the jews and claimed for he acted in the name of God? I don't remember any religion purposing bloodsheds as an act to redemption and to show true faith (except one which the majority would have already guessed by now).
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It does not matter how you would believe in something, but to simply believe what others told you to be rightfully so would eventually determine how you would believe and it is not what Jesus and God would have you to seek your beliefs in firstly (e.g. boyfriend not Christian and is an evil being? Then I would be Satan’s incarnate!). No earthly beings could be a self-induced messiah to give advices which the Lord himself would not have even spoke or approved of.
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I asked the Lord for saving grace to Christians whom have strayed and had set their own rules as to what Christianity was initially taught as. May the light from God himself shine on those who made the wrong interpretations for their own beneficial needs.
AMEN!
The Smooth Operator
XxX,
Mr_Mimosa at 03:37
0 lamb droppings
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
The Theological Flamethrowers
Recently, one of my friends has been cajoled, emotional blackmailed and harassed into breaking up with her boyfriend on the basis that he is not Christian.I just cannot understand the logic behind it. Apparently, the Church wants my friend to dump the poor guy because they are afraid that the guy will pull my friend away from God and straight down to Hell.
And you know what I think? I think it’s pure stupidity.
Firstly, to ditch someone is not a very nice thing to do, much less to say, a Christian thing. Secondly, if these so-called Christian think and call themselves saviors, messiahs and children of God, put on earth to spread His love and teachings, how can they judge one person from another? Just because you are not Christian, then suddenly you are this lesser being in God’s eyes? How do they know? Are all humans not born equal and hence are all children of God? Do they not wish for the ultimate salvation for everyone. Of course, in the eyes of Christians, the only means of salvation is through Christ, any other route will mean that you go straight to hell.
Which brings me to the question…Is Christianity just faith without good works? Apparently, true Christians have both faith and do good works. Bad, backslided Christians are those who only believe in blind faith. But since all is forgiven once you convert to Christianity and all Christians naturally go to heaven, does it really matter then if you do good works anyway? Afterall, as a Christian, you are already 1 step above the Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, etc. who may also be kind, meritorious and who do a lot of good. Does it mean that a bad Christian will be granted salvation over an atheist who does a lot of charity?
Does this make sense to you?
A staunch Christian once tried to explain to me why it was so crucial to believe in Christ. She gave me the analogy of a dripping a drop of ink into a glass of water. No matter how much water I add into the glass, the ink would still remain. Only by adding an external substance or chemical, can the ink be dissolved or removed. In this case, the ink was sin, and Christ was the external substance.
Yet, if you come to think of it, many different kinds of chemicals can get rid of ink in water. Similarly, there are numerous ways to attain Nirvana.
It could be the egoistic human in me that is talking…But I sincerely believe that since the Almighty created me with a brain, he had the intent for me to question. And if I question, and no satisfactory answer can be wrought, then is it truly a fault of mine that I cannot believe?
- audrey