This is an excellent series by the Sun Malaysia, which I hope they’d compile it and publish it as a book once it’s finished.
Reflections on the Rukun Negara
This brings back so many memories of me standing in front of my fellow students during our school assembly leading them to recite the Rukun Negara as the head prefect.
1969 … not that’s a pretty long time to keep on going until now. Many would have packed their bags and left.
May 13 – The glue that binds us
We need to hear more stories like this. Not speculation but “kisah benar” (true stories). Why? Because we need to hear stuff which points us towards what’s greater than we are or could ever be.
“We have such boxed ideas of how we should behave and love that they affect our ability to see these people for who they are.” … OUCH!
The Malaysian Church has been drawn into the news more lately … I think Bob is bringing out an important perspective here. Let me repost some stuff which comes out with a style I usually find it hard to articulate, take it away Bob:
“… as a Christian, while I do feel somewhat offended (okay .. I admit, I’m hardly offended by what is meant to be the object of offense) at the parody above, there are much more that I feel offended about as far as the symbolism of Christianity goes. Let’s see:
- I am offended that so many image representations of Jesus Christ assume that he is a blond haired Caucasian. When it comes with blue eyes, it offends me even more
- I am offended when my fellow Christians twist Scripture to tell me that we ought not be concerned for the poor and the marginalised because Jesus said “will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me” (err .. I guess Deuteronomy 15:11 doesn’t count then?)
- I get offended when bad theology is preached as the Gospel truth and folks are told that only triumphalism matters.
- I get offended with the equation of a free-ticket-to-heaven gospel or a free-market economy or a socialised economy or democracy or socialism or theocracy or what-have-you with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the primary representation of God’s will on earth
Most of all, I get offended when we Christians tend to be mute in the face of the trivialisation of the dignity of God’s creation through the abuse of human rights, our environment, et al but get so easily riled up by minor things like the one above and Oyoung’s attempt to set up a gay friendly church in Malaysia!”