Golden Compass.

Like the release of another show, the Da Vinci Code, Philip Pullman’s Dark material consisting of three books, The Golden Compass (Previously Northern Lights), The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, has raised a uproar in the Christian Community.

Pullman is an atheist with a special hatred for Christianity. He is firmly against the church; his books are about killing God. He is definitely not someone we want our children to read blindly.

But dig a bit deeper. Do we want to bring up a generation of children who cannot think for themselves but need to rely on parents or the church for moral guide on everything? Do we not want them to learn discernment instead of robotic obedience?

The truth is, careful guiding of the children through the books is far better than a outright boycott to the books. Please note, i believe that the nature of Dark Materials is indeed something that Christians need to have discernment, and not a Carte Blanche approach. Especially young children. Perhaps with the really young kids i might advocate not letting them read but for older children, discernment.

The books are what I believe to be far better written than C. S. Lewis much loved Narnia Classics. Lewis is more of a philosopher; his books are arguments construed behind a fictional landscape, put forward by characters. (From another view point: The enticing pagan worlds nurtured by C.S. Lewis and his myth-making friends were not inspired by God's Word or Spirit. Those stories grew out of a lifelong immersion in the beliefs, values, rituals, languages and lifestyles of former pagan cultures. The site portrays Narnia as a pagan book).

As a work of fiction, this is a great book. Narnia unfortunately (or fortunately) does not rank as one of my must reads. I read it once, and never felt like reading it again. So I am NOT bashing Narnia, but I believe it is not in the league of good fiction. Lewis writes superb non fiction books of which many atheists would be hard pressed to measure up.

Let me put forward my thesis: The dark materials, if properly discerned does have excellent teaching materials of truth. The problem with truth, (or the power of truth) is that one cannot escape from it no matter how hard one tries. The power of truth is not in its presence, but in its absence. If there is no truth, there can be no force in any argument. That is, if there is no truth, then every argument automatically fails. Because there is truth, then we can have hope that something we believe in is possible.

So I believe that a careful reading (and I do not mean a careful in the sense of studying but careful in the sense measuring up the book’s teaching against the bible) will reveal some things.

I deal with them book by book because it is easier. The first book, called Northern Lights (I prefer it’s original name) talks about Lyra. She lives in a world where humans have daemons (pronounced demons). These daemons are a person’s best friend, more a soul. If someone were to touch or hurt a daemon, the person would hurt. It is like being able to commune with your soul, in fact in Lyra’s world, only humans have souls.

Lyra, through a series of events, gets thrown into an adventure (or so she believes) to save her friend. She goes all out to save the one she loves, and never gives up. She travels to the north, and never loses sight of her goal; something I believe I need to learn. To never give up.

Lyra finds friends that she never knew, gypsies who are the social outcasts. And they remind her, she is not them; she needs to find out who she is. (identity).

A very powerful scene is that of Lyra talking to the seaman. When the humans are young, their daemons take any form they want. As they age, the daemon settle. The humans learn that as a result, the daemons show them who they are. The kind of person they are. This is a lesson I feel every Christian must learn. They must know who they are. Saying the son of God is not enough. Loving God involves loving Him with your soul, your make up, your spirit, who God made you to be.

The seaman’s daemon is one of a seagull, and he says, “(K)nowing what kind of person you are. Take old Belisaria (his daemon). She is a seagull and that means I’m a kind of seagull too. I’m not grand nor splendid nor beautiful, but I’m a tough old thing and I can survive anywhere…”

The man knows his station. He knows the person that he is, and he is satisfied about it. He does not give up being better, but he knows who he is. The world cheers on those who follow, it stand aside for the one who knows where he is going, it is in awe of one who is confident of who he is.

Subsequently, the man talks about being contented and be satisfied with who one is. Never be dissatisfied with who you are inside, the talents the abilities. Sure learn skills and better yourself; but dun be unhappy with who you are and try to be someone you are not.

Whoa, this scene is so powerful. It breaks my heart. We need to tell our children and our friends, you are loved for WHO you are, not what you can do. And this book tells it.

The truth meter (alethiometer, the Golden Compass) tells the truth. It is valuable not because it is rare, but because it’s ability is important. Even the atheist have to admit that the most valuable commodity is truth. Because if there was no truth at all, then you might as well die now. Because if what you believe is cannot be true at all, why bother? The tool helps Lyra decipher what is going to happen as well, but you know what? She doesn’t want to.

In a scene near the end, she and Roger (her best friend) discusses about asking the meter to find out about what will happen. But instead, they decide, they rather remain in the present and live things as they are. How powerful is that! We want to know our every step till the day we die, when here, the children are interested merely in knowing the next one and to walk step by step till the events unfold slowly.

This is something important. Too many of us want to know what step 100 is when we should be focusing instead on step 1, when t=0 (now).

Subsequently, Lyra talks to Lord Asriel (her dad) about things. In here, Pullman proves something so opposite to his stand. We cannot prove the bible. We cannot prove the existence of God nor the existence of Adam and Eve even. We cannot even prove whether the Solomon existed (because his temple ruins have never been found). But yet listen to this, “…think of Adam and Eve like an imaginary number (the square root of -1)…, you can never see any concrete proof that it exists, but if you include it in your equations, you can calculate all manner of things that couldn’t be imagined without it.”

Exactly that! You want a hard core poof of God, you will not find it. You cannot. If you did prove God’s existence fully, you’d need no more faith. No more faith = no more hope = death. But you can prove that without God, many things that you observe now cannot be imagined, and that is key to Christianity. We cannot prove God’s existence fully; but we can show you that if you take God out of the equation, every equation out there collapses on itself. (btw, imaginary number is not a bad thing; in mathematics it is called so because it cannot technically exist yet it must. It’s proof lies in part due to the fact that without it, you cannot proceed in many cases). In the sense, there exist some proof of God, but the greatest proof of God is simply if you remove God, then you have nothing and everything collapses on itself.

God can use all things, and I believe He can use Pullman (albeit unwittingly). God’s truth comes out everywhere. In books that are blatantly evil (e.g. books of witchcraft, teaching on touching the spiritual realm, pornography etc) avoid them in entirety. Otherwise, read them with discernment.

There is another part I would like to refute. Pullman writes about the church being oppressive and fearful, as being the ultimate authority. I agree with him that such a church deserves to be torn down. And in fact, it did exist one time.

The church that Pullman describes is one that we need to fight against. It is not the church of God, but of man. A power hungry, oppressive unsafe organisation that we cannot allow. Such a church demands that Christians fight against it. And remember, the catholic church USED (not any more) to be like that. Pullman is right in saying church history is ugly; no other religion’s history is as bloody as ours. But it is ugly because of corruption in the church and hence we do need to be careful of such a church. (BTW, if you are a Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican, etc etc, at one point, you were a heretic. We are all born of heretical movements.) What Pullman writes is not heresy, it is truth.

The corrupted church can come, it might have come. We need to prevent it.

“Without exception, Pullman characterizes churches and anyone connected to them as agents of wickedness, oppression, torture, murder and malevolence.” (taken from http://www.pluggedinonline.com/thisweekonly/a0003516.cfm?eafref=1&eafref=1) I agree with the statement, if the church involved is that described in the book. Then the church IS an instrument of torture, inhuman activity, murder and essential a debasement of God’s church. Mind you, such a church is more of a devil’s bastion and not a temple of God.

In the end, I am here merely to say that the Golden Compass, and any other half truth books, must not be put under a blanket ban or boycott but an educated study of the materials is required. To extract the right lessons, refute the lies, explain the ugly truth when necessary.

Change, Death.

I was reading a friend's blog and came to the realisation. (Ok Aeon Flux helped too)

Change is what makes life worthwhile. Knowing that situations will end and change makes the situation either more bearable (if it is bad situation) or more valuable (if it is good situation.)

A great situation that lasts forever is definitely less valuable than one that lasts for short time because you'd cherish it. Because you know that it might just end.

What makes life worth living, is that one day you will die. It makes you realise that every moment counts, whether or not you use it. So use your time wisely.

Mountains

Today's sermon was on mountains. To climb Mountains. To find your own mountain, and to conquer it.

I think that is vital. We each need to find that arena in life, in the world, where we fight to conquer it for God. We need to find the place where we can roar for God. Where we are the ones who will bring that mountain under God's rule. We are called the children of God, to be saviors in the world. We need to rise up.

I wish I could I say with courage that I love God and have love FOR God. I wish I could say that my walk with God is great, that everyday i grow to be more like Him. I wish i could say that i am a follower of Jesus, prepared to die for Him, to surrender everything for Him.

I cannot. I cannot even say that I have anymore love for God. I still love God, just no longer have the passion for Him anymore. Somewhere, the weeds of the world have choked my desires for God.

I want to have the same faith I had for God when I was in NUS. When I was on fire for God. I want that same passion to seek and to desire for God. Not just an act of loving God, but to want to love God, that is a desire that comes from knowing God.

I have lost. And I want to come home. Just pray for me.

I keep coming home; only to find that I want out.


On an emotional side, I am feeling lonely. Think I have been single for too long. Haha. But there is just the problem that I feel, that I am not ready yet. Not fully. There is a thorn I need to get rid of.

Stamp Eternity on my eyes

‘When I stand at the judgement seat of Christ and He shows His plan for me
The plan of my life as it might have been had He had His way, and I see
How I blocked him here and I checked him there and I would not yield my will
Will there be grief in my Saviour’s eyes, grief though He loves me still
Would He have me rich, but I stand there poor, stripped of all but his grace
While memory runs like a hunted thing down the path I cannot retrace
Lord of the years that are left to me, I give them to Thy Hand
Take me and break me and mould me for the pattern that thou has planned

One thing i have learnt, we need to see eternity.

Tribulation, Perseverance, Character, Hope.

Rom 5:3-4 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

I had that verse in my mind yesterday, wondering why would tribulation ultimately lead to hope. So many times i hear the final word being Destiny, but according to this, it is Hope. Not destiny, Hope.

Trust is in the person's word.
Hope is in the person's character. When we say hope, it means what God says, He will do BECAUSE of His nature, His remains faithful. He cannot deny himself.

Then a friend sent me this: A person’s character determines how he interprets God’s will (Oswald Chambers). And it made sense.

With every trial, IF we persevere, we WILL develop into perseverance, which in turn develops our character which in turn furthers our understanding of God and therefore, increases our hope in God. That is why people who persevere through trials have greater Hope, because they pressed on. They did not give up. Their Hope in God is growing because they have greater understanding of who God is.

To those who are struggling. know that no where in the bible does it promise you to understand what you are going through till after the process. God never reveals to you His plans (in totality) even for the season, until the end of it. There is no point. Listen to His voice, and run for Him.

Pornography

I am blogging about pornography.

Last night at our JYC meeting, my leader mentioned something really true. 2 sides of porn.

One side, Guys watch porn. That is simple. Internet has made hard porn accessible. More, FHM and maxim have made soft porn very accessible. Sex is no longer a gift but to be exploited at every turn. Television glamorous sex. The female form is now used in every advertisement (can anyone please tell me why you need girls in skimpy clothes to display the new ferrari or Honda??) We have made porn to be so accessible everywhere, we are desensitised.

God says Man gave God over to Idolatry, God gave man over to Immorality. Once we idolise anything, immorality comes in.

On the street, porn walks all over the place. Look at what the girls are wearing, short skirts, shorts, translucent etc etc. Once we look at a girl who covers only the essentials and we lust for them (guys, you know when it is lust; it is when you turn your head), that is idoltry and immorality comes in. We desire what we cannot have, we 'worship' them.

Of course, a good christian may say that he does not look lustily. I believe it is possible, but far more of us indulge in porn then we know. Especially in singapore where the warm weather gives girls the 'right' to wear close to nothing.

Which brings us to the next point; Girls commit porn.

By wearing those clothes, they are conveying the message look at me. Look at me and desire me. Worship me.

Guys, when you look at a girl lustfully, remember, you dishonor her, you dishonor her Maker. You dishonor God.

Girls when you wear clothes that reveal too much, you stumble your brothers. And woe is He to stumbles his brothers.

I am not condemning girls who wear skirts, neither am i asking for girls to wear a black shapeless cloth; that is legalism. That is NOT LOVE. I am asking girls to love your brothers and wear things that do not stumle your brothers easily.

I am not asking guys to walk with their eyes down. But i am asking them (myself included) to love the sisters. And not dishor them.

Some Thoughts

I was reading Ravi's book, The grand weaver. Very good book.


But something struck me as being very true:

We say there is a sacred secular divide. That is not true. The opposite of sacred is not secular; it is profane.

What Zacharias was trying to put forward was his thesis that we are all temples of God; every place that we are in in actually a sacred place. Every job we enter is a sacred task. Set apart for God's purposes.

Then i was thinking: So many times we christians are called into the working world, we think we are not doing God's work. Actually, if you are working in the so called secular world, then you have two jobs.

Some definitions before i go on. I come to see that there are some jobs that should be held separate from the rest, no matter what people say. Church work is one. Full time church staff must be called; the levities are a chosen people out of a chosen people, set apart for service in the temple. I take it that unless we are called, do not consider church as a vocation. Do not close the door, but do not pray about it unless you feel there is a call. Church work is not of equal standing, not because it is holier, but because it is God's temple and He calls people to it.

Secondly, mission work. I define it as when a person, out of a call of God, goes out to the field to evangelise through the love of Jesus to the people. Such a person does not hold a job; they are funded by either church or others. I set these vocations apart for the reason, you are doing the work of God only. Spreading his love.

Why that definition? I have come to see people who are called into the marketplace, whether in business, in government, in non-church, non-missionary organisation, they will hold two jobs.

One is to evangelism through the love of Jesus. The default of any christian. The second, is to do their job the best they can. Neither is more important. Jesus never said to neglect our day jobs; when the tax collectors and army people asked Him what they should do, Jesus simply told them to do what was right and not collect more then authorised, in other words, fulfill your function. I believe that this call is as important as the first. In any job, we must do it well. We must excel at what we are called to do, in that field we must excel.

Ultimately, being a christian is the working world is not more glamorous nor more important nor less than those of the church or mission. It involves the christian to be fully who God made him to be. A light of the world. To shine for Jesus.

Favour of God

I decided to do a study on favour of God. Long story.

The word Favour (Hebrew: chen,) (Greek Charis) is sometimes translated as Grace, and in some translations, Kindness. In the new testament, it is also translated as Grace, Thanks

I have largely used NKJV, unless otherwise stated.

2 Sa 15:25 Then the king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling place.

Pro 3:4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.

Luk 1:28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"
Footnote:
NU-Text omits blessed are you among women.

Luk 1:30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Gen 6:19 "Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die.

Ps 84:11 (some versions, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor;)

I think that favour of God exists. It is not favouritism per se, the way we know it. But I believe that for those who have accepted Christ and lived a changed life, a surrendered life, a faithful life, God's favour is on that person. But for those who do not accept Christ, or even accepted but not lived a surrendered life, God still loves that person as much as the former, but he CANNOT give anything great blessing on that person because the person is not faithful in the little things.

I believe that favour is like a gift for faithfulness; not saying the faithful or the more faithful get a lovely life (See Paul, John Baptist etc etc) but that they enjoy the favour of God.

After doing this, i am convinced that God practices Favour. But more importantly, i realise I have a bad habit of thinking God's morals are what i feel is right. And not what bible say. I think when we mention favour of God, favour sounds like a bad thing, impartial. I actually think fairness of God is not what the world sees it as, i treat you equally. That is impartial; God is faithful, He loves all the same, but bestows favour on the faithful.

Love and Favour is different; Love is a gift from God, Love is an action (1cor 13, Jn3:16). But Favour is a blessing/Mercy (see above).

I want to be faithful, not for the favour of God, but because it is HIS mandate.