Politics and charity
Politics. I was following a bit on the news in Malaysia recently, the one with Anwar. It seems that Anwar is going to face the same nightmare that he faced a few years back, just when he's about to revive his political career. Well... so far still ok, but I'm waiting to see the outcome. This brings me back to one of the readings that I have read recently for my module as well. It's about election. So really, seriously speaking, got me thinking about Singapore politics.
I have written some time back about my skepticism of the opposition. It is, till this very day, my beliefs that people who criticise Singapore democracy dun know what they are talking about. By criticising Singapore elections as gerrymandering, I think people missed out the fact that this takes place in one of the most 'democratic' country in the world, aka USA, which happens to be the standard model that these people use as a counter model to Singapore politics.
Of course I dun claim to know what I am talking about either, but several years of talking with people in Singapore about politics has made me realise that politics pay no dividend to those who support it. Regardless which party you support or what systems you take up, you are bound to meet opposition, saying that there is a better alternative. More than often, the better alternative leads to nowhere. But then, that's all for now.
Charity. Just now I was watching the news and it was reporting on the Ren Ci hopsital incident. I have seen pastors and priests going to court over corruption, but this is the first time I see a monk going to court for this kind of matter. The management simply abandons its support for Ming Yi and went on a different way. So got me thinking again. People always criticise Christianity for a lot of things, including abuse of authority and scandalous usage of power. Priests got charged for sexually abusing children, churches got sued over exorcism... but well, again, I realise that critics dun normally know what they are talking about either. It seems now to me that this is a problem that all religions in the world are facing right now. Perhaps the bible is right in saying that all have fallen short of God's perfect standard. And by all, God means ALL.
So where does all these fit in? I really think that seekers should start looking at the religion instead of the people. But this is difficult, cos people are the representatives of their religions. Not only in Christianity but also others like Islam and buddhism. Maybe they can look at the religion and take a look at the people. The logic is flawed when you look at the people, without knowing the teachings, and say 'this is what the religion teaches'. But the fact that people do this mean that as believers of Christ, we need to live up to Christ's teaching, and not the teaching of the secular world.
The case of the Ren Ci hospital just reveals that you can do all sort of things, but ultimately, physically, we are just sinners in a fallen world.
I have written some time back about my skepticism of the opposition. It is, till this very day, my beliefs that people who criticise Singapore democracy dun know what they are talking about. By criticising Singapore elections as gerrymandering, I think people missed out the fact that this takes place in one of the most 'democratic' country in the world, aka USA, which happens to be the standard model that these people use as a counter model to Singapore politics.
Of course I dun claim to know what I am talking about either, but several years of talking with people in Singapore about politics has made me realise that politics pay no dividend to those who support it. Regardless which party you support or what systems you take up, you are bound to meet opposition, saying that there is a better alternative. More than often, the better alternative leads to nowhere. But then, that's all for now.
Charity. Just now I was watching the news and it was reporting on the Ren Ci hopsital incident. I have seen pastors and priests going to court over corruption, but this is the first time I see a monk going to court for this kind of matter. The management simply abandons its support for Ming Yi and went on a different way. So got me thinking again. People always criticise Christianity for a lot of things, including abuse of authority and scandalous usage of power. Priests got charged for sexually abusing children, churches got sued over exorcism... but well, again, I realise that critics dun normally know what they are talking about either. It seems now to me that this is a problem that all religions in the world are facing right now. Perhaps the bible is right in saying that all have fallen short of God's perfect standard. And by all, God means ALL.
So where does all these fit in? I really think that seekers should start looking at the religion instead of the people. But this is difficult, cos people are the representatives of their religions. Not only in Christianity but also others like Islam and buddhism. Maybe they can look at the religion and take a look at the people. The logic is flawed when you look at the people, without knowing the teachings, and say 'this is what the religion teaches'. But the fact that people do this mean that as believers of Christ, we need to live up to Christ's teaching, and not the teaching of the secular world.
The case of the Ren Ci hospital just reveals that you can do all sort of things, but ultimately, physically, we are just sinners in a fallen world.
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