Japanese Shrines and Shinto

I took a holiday in Japan.  Tourists in Japan will surely visit some of their Shrines and Temples.

I was confused.  Fortunately I met a lady who spoke to me in English, and I took the opportunity to ask her what is the difference between a Shrine and a Temple.  She told me that Shrines are Shinto, Temples are Buddhist.  Ohhh!

While visiting the Shrine of Emperor Meiji, I picked up a pamphlet and learnt a lot from it.  The pamphlet says:

Meiji Jingu is a Shinto Shrine. Shinto is called Japan's ancient religion, and it is deeply rooted in the way of Japanese life.  Shinto has NO FOUNDER, NO HOLY BOOK, AND NOT EVEN THE CONCEPT OF RELIGIOUS CONVERSION, but Shinto values for example harmony with nature and virtues such as "Magokoro (sincere heart)"  In Shinto, some divinity is found as Kami (divine spirit), or it may be said that there is an  unlimited number of Kami, You can see Kami in mythology, in nature, and in human beings.  From ancient times, Japanese people have felt awe and gratitude towards such Kami and dedicated shrines to many of them.

Now I understand Japanese culture a little bit more. No wonder they built a Shrine of Emperor Meiji (1852-1912), the great grandfather of the current Emperor.

Really, there are a lot of Shrines in Japan.  When you see a Torii Gate, there is a Shrine.  What religious people !!

The virgin birth, The resurrection, The future coming.

Week after week, we recite the 'Mystery of Faith' during church mass:  Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again.

The introduction to the Book of Romans was exceptionally well written.  In Chapter 1:4, Apostle Paul did not dwell on the virgin birth of Christ (which is impossible to prove and has to be accepted by faith).  He did not dwell on the future coming of Christ (which has yet to happen and we do not know when).  He simple grabbed the irrefutable miracle, the Resurrection of Christ, as the key proof that Jesus is the Son of God.

Try to proof that Christ did NOT rise from the dead, and He did not appear to his disciples and hundreds of people after His resurrection?  You just can't.

No doubt.  He is the Son of God.

Romans 1:4 "...was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord."

Jeremiah's Curse

The extreme expression of sadness and hopelessness is suicide.  And just before reaching this extreme, the expression of deep anguish and sorrow is by cursing the day when one is born.  Jeremiah the prophet was so hurt that he did this.

Jeremiah 20:14 onwards: Cursed be the day when I was born...Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying 'A baby boy has been born to you!'...Because he did not kill me before birth, so that my mother would have been my grave, and her womb ever pregnant.  Why did I ever come forth from the womb to look on trouble and sorrow, so that my days have been spent in shame?'

The language used by Jeremiah is extreme.  I could feel his pain, his sorrow, his bitterness, his despondency.  By cursing his own birth, he cursed himself.

Fortunately Jeremiah did not go on to commit suicide.  God had asked Jeremiah to be His prophet and assured him.  "But I will deliver you on the day," declares the Lord, "and you shall not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread.  For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me." declared the LORD. Jer 39:17,18.

When God calls us, life could be painful some times, or even most of the time.  But God has promised that we will not be tested beyond what we could bear.  In Jeremiah's case, he was indeed tested to the very limit he could bear.

God will always provide for us, so that we will not be stretched beyond the point we can endure. 1 Cor 10:13.

Blessed Assurance.

Hell, not at all.

Deep in our hearts, many of us Christians do not believe the damnation of Hell.

I remember watching a film on the holocaust of the Second World War.  To exterminate the Jews quickly, they were herd into the gas chamber a few hundred at a time. The door was closed, and the Jews died inside.  Death was relatively quick, perhaps in minutes or hours. Their cries of pain and anguish could not even be heard, because all the German guards left the place after the gas was turned on.

That scene could not be erased from my mind.

Jesus Christ is not like that. On the Judgement Day, He will not condemn millions and billions of people to the eternal fire of Hell.  He will not close the door of Hell and let anyone suffer eternally inside.  Our God is a God of Love, Lovingkindness and Mercy.  He may chastise and punish us for our sins, but the punishment will not be eternal Hell.

So if you were told Christians go to Heaven, and non-Christians go to Hell, think again.  It is impossible for God to use Hell to inflict eternal punishment on any of His own creation.  Jesus will forgive 70 x 7 times, or even 700 x 7 times.

That is the confidence of  knowing the character of God. The wonderous love of Jesus Christ.

Idols and Mammon

"Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the Lord your God." Lev 19:4.

"...Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  Matt 6:24.

In their preaching, many pastors asked their congregations to examine themselves. "You may not be worshipping idols, but is mammon your idol? Are you worshipping wealth and materials?  Do you care more about pursuing money, fame and power?"

"Idols" are spiritual in nature.  Most idols are benevolent and generous, otherwise few would be interested in them.  People worship idols for health and wealth, for power, for good luck, for all kinds of blessings.  Often, these idols would oblige them generously in return for their worship.

"Mammon" is not idol.  Mammon are things of the world.  They are non spiritual, hence they do not require anyone to worship them.  Mammon could be anything of worldly value - such as the pursuit of money, wealth, power, fame, beauty, wisdom, worldly success and longevity.  Mammon distract us from God. Mammon are also used by idols to separate us from God.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind...You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matt 22:37-39.

Avoid both idols and mammon.

Lord, Have Mercy

This post is the result of personal experience and deep reflection.

When our friends and loved ones are sick, we pray for healing. That is the normal thing to do.

But while praying for healing, the condition got worse, from stage 3 to stage 4 to end stage cancer, from stage 3 to stage 7 to end stage Alzheimer's, from grade 2 pain to grade 10 over 10 on the pain scale, we know the end is near.  We became convinced, became 200% sure, that praying for healing is not according to God's will anymore.  When a case has deteriorated till the pain is beyond bearable, as advised by a priest, beseech God for His mercy.

The daughter of this internet friend had cancer, and despite everything they do, had reached the stage of grade 10 over 10 on the pain scale. The doctor finally advised her to let go since even experimental drugs had no effect, let alone morphine and other painkillers. Finally after 4 years, she rest in peace.

My own father, also with cancer, left 3 years ago. I asked God for his healing. But it got worse and after 6 months, he told the palliative doctor that it was 9, sometimes 10 over of 10 on the pain scale. On the final days, he sat at the sink and cough out blood every few minutes.  We all let go - we do not pray for healing anymore, but for mercy and a peaceful journey.

I have some other personal experiences, but it is unnecessary to cite them.

On the way to the cross, Jesus did not ask God to spare Him.  He fully understood His purpose and acted according to God's will.

Yes.  We pray for healing when we are sick.  But if circumstances relentlessly point in the opposite direction despite fervent prayers for healing, then, "Lord have mercy, Thy will be done".

Nothing is yours...

And so he asked:
-- "Surely the house and the car that I bought are mine?" No.  They are not yours. When you leave, they are someone else's.
-- "Surely my children are mine?" No. They own their own lives.
-- "Hah, the savings I deposited in the bank, for my own use, they are mine!" No. They are yours only if you use them.
-- "How about all my achievements, my professional degrees, the energy and money I spent in feeding the poor?"  No. When you pass on, you could not bring those along.
-- "Now, surely my time is mine. Yesterday I had 24 hours.  Today I have another 24 hours!" No. Time is not yours.  Time simply pass us by.

-- "Then what is mine???"
    The moments are yours.  Only the moments, no the time.  Those intangible feelings of joy, peace, love, gratitude, dignity, are yours to enjoy and treasure.  Those negative feelings of disappointment, regrets, guilt, anguish are your too. Only you can overcome them and discard them; or continue to keep them in your memory to torment yourself.

Live and enjoy each precious moment of your life. Store up the positive moments and keep them in this life and beyond.  Discard the negative ones, do not dwell on them.

Thank God for every moment.  That is the only thing that you own and could bring beyond the grave, besides your personal relationship with the Divine.

What is Ninth Hour?

Today is Good Friday.  Every year during Good Friday, we read and re-read the account of Christ's passion, trials and crucifixion.

The pendulum clock was only invented 1656. During Christ's time, a 'day' began from sundown and end on the next sundown. A 'day' was divided into 4 watches and 12 hours.

First watch  --  Sundown to 9 pm
Second watch  --  9 pm to midnight
Third watch  --  midnight to 3 am
Fourth watch  --  3 am to sunrise
1st hour   --  sunrise to 8 am
2nd hour  --  8 am to 9 am
3rd hour  --  9 am to 10 am
4th hour  --  10 am to 11 am
5th hour --  11 am to 12 noon
6th hour --  12 noon to 1 pm
7th hour --  1 pm to 2 pm
8th hour --  2 pm to 3 pm
9th hour --  3 pm to 4 pm
10th hour  -- 4 pm to 5 pm
11th hour  --  5 pm to 6 pm
12th hour --  6 pm to Sundown

According to the Gospels, Jesus was crucified and finally died  at the 9th hour, which is between 3 to 4 pm, present clocktime.

But then, He rose again on the third day, and never die again.

Alleluia. Let us welcome Easter joyously.

Those very enigmatic bible verses...

"DO NOT RESIST HIM WHO IS EVIL; BUT WHOEVER SLAPS YOU ON THE RIGHT CHEEK, TURN TO HIM THE OTHER ALSO.  AND IF ANY ONE WANTS TO SUE YOU, AND TAKE YOUR SHIRT, LET HIM HAVE YOUR COAT ALSO..."  MATT 5:38 to 44

This is an example of Bible verses that is hard to understand and practice. We don't do this when someone does bad to us.  When a robber robs you of your wallet, you don't voluntarily ask him to take your watches as well.  When a bully punches you on the left side, you don't volunteer the right side to be punched too. When Israel lost a city to an invading enemy, Israel did not say "Take my other cities as well." When Jesus was slapped by the soldiers who came to detain Him, the Bible did not mention that He turned the other cheek too.

Sometimes the Bible verses surprise us, some go against common sense and are unnatural for us to follow.

In such incidences, we should not follow the Bible verses literary.  We should mull over the exhortations and the intentions behind those words, and apply those underlying lessons which are consistent with other verses in other parts of the Bible.

So now, if a Christian accidentally took some poison, please seek medical assistance.  Do not just pray and do nothing.  Mark 16:18 does not apply.

Holofernes versus Judith (History continues)

See my last blog entry for the background. Holofernes had conquered all the other nations and now tightening his grip on Judah. Judah had only 5 days of water supply left.

Judith was a widow in Judah, albeit, a rich one. When the leaders of Judah did not know how to deal with Holofernes, Judith volunteered to save the Jews with her own plan.

When Judith had finished her prayer to the God of Israel... she took off the sackcloth and her widow's clothes, took a bath, and put on rich perfumes.  She brushed her hair, tied a ribbon around it, and dressed herself in the fine clothes she used to wear on joyful occasions when her husband Manasseh was still alive... Judith gave her slave woman a leather bag of wine and a jar of oil to carry.  She filled a bag with roasted barley cakes of dried figs, and several loaves of bread baked according to Jewish food laws...

As the two women walked through the valley, an Assyrian patrol met them.  They arrested Judith and questioned her, "What is your nationality?  Where did you come from and where are you going?"

"I am a Hebrew." she answered, "but I am running away from the Israelites because God is going to let  you destroy them. I am on my way to see Holofernes, the general of your army, to give him some reliable information..."

By and by, Holofernes' bodyguard and his personal servants came out and led Judith into the tent.

By and by, Judith remained with Holofernes for 3 days. On the fourth day of Judith's stay in the camp, Holofernes gave a banquet for his highest ranking officers... Holofernes was so charmed by Judith that he drank more wine than he had ever drunk at one time in his whole life...Judith was left alone in the tent with Holofernes who was lying drunk on his bed...All the guests and servants were now gone, and Judith and Holofernes were alone in the tent.

Judith stood by Holofernes's bed and prayed silently, "O Lord, God Almighty, help me with what I am about to do for the glory of Jerusalem.  Now is the time to rescue your chosen people and to help me carry out my plan to destroy the enemies who are threatening us."  Judith went to the bedpost by Holofernes' head and took down his sword.  She came closer, seized Holofernes by the hair of his head, and said, O Lord, God of Israel, give me strength now."  Then Judith raised the sword and struck him twice in the neck as hard as she could, chopping off his head.  (Apocrypha Book of Judith chapter 11 to 13).

If you like to know the happy ending, please read the Book of Judith. 

God Bless You.  And Happy Chinese New Year of the Rooster. 28 Jan 2017

Before Alexander The Great there was Holofernes The Feared

Holofernes was the commander of King Nebuchadnezzar's army.  This story happened around 200 years before Alexander The Great.

Just as the king had ordered, Holofernes chose 120,000 of the best infantrymen and 12,000 of the best mounted archers and arranged them in battle formation.  He also took along a very large number of camels, donkeys, and mules to carry the equipment, as well as many sheep, cattle, and goats for food, Every soldier received plenty of rations and a large payment of gold and silver from the royal treasury. Then Holofernes and his entire army set out, advancing ahead of King Nebuchadnezzar...

Three days after they had left the city of Nineveh, they reached the plains around Bectileth near the mountains north of Cilicia, where they set up camp.  From there Holofernes advanced into the hill country with his entire army, his infantry, cavalry, and chariots.  He totally destroyed the countries of Libya and Lydia, then plundered all the people of Rassis and the Ishmaelites who lived on the edge of the desert, south of the land of the Chelleans.

Then Holofernes crossed the Euphrates River and marched through the land of Mesopotamia, completely destroying all the walled towns along the Abron River as far as the sea.  He seized the territory of Cilicia, killing everyone who resisted him, and went as far as the southern borders of the land of Japheth, near Arabia.  He surrounded the Midianites, burned down their tents, and slaughtered their sheep.

Holofernes went down into the plains around Damascus during the wheat harvest, burned all the fields, slaughtered the flocks and herds, looted the towns, devastated the entire countryside, and killed all the young men.  Panic seized all the people who lived along the Mediterranean Sea, and they shook with fear.  Everyone in the towns of Tyre, Sidon, Sur, Ocina, Jamnia, Ashdod, and Ashkelon was terrified.  (Apocrypha Book of Judith chapter 2)

All other nations sent peace delegations to King Nebuchadnezzar and offered to surrender to be the King's slaves.

By and by, Holofernes arrived at the doorsteps of Judah.

If you like to know how the people of Judah defended themselves from Holofernes, see the next blog entry...

How They Desecrated The Temple of God

The Apocrypha is a set of 12 books found in the Jewish 'old testament', but not the Christian Old Testament. I enjoy reading them very much.  In 2 Maccabees 5,6, we can learn how much the Jewish people suffered.

Antiochus took 135,000 pounds of silver from the Temple and hurried off to Antioch...Antiochus hated the Jews so much that he sent an army of 22,000 mercenary troops from Mysia to Jerusalem under the command of a man named Apollonius, with orders to kill every man in the city and to sell the women and boys as slaves... 2 Mac 5: 21-24.

Not long after that, the king sent an elderly Athenian to force the Jews to abandon their religion and the customs of their ancestors. He was also to defile their Temple by dedicating it to the Olympian god Zeus. The temple on Mount Gerizim was to be officially named "Temple of Zeus the God of Hospitality," as the people who lived there had requested.
The oppression was harsh and almost intolerable. Gentiles filled the Temple with drinking parties and all sorts of immorality.  They even had intercourse with prostitutes there.  Forbidden objects were brought into the Temple, and the altar was covered with detestable sacrifices prohibited by our law.  It was impossible to observe the Sabbath, to celebrate any of the traditional festivals, or even so much as to admit to being a Jew. Each month when the king's birthday was celebrated, the Jews were compelled by brute force to eat the intestines of sacrificial animals. Then, during the festival in honor of the wine god Dionysus, they were required to wear ivy wreaths on their heads and march in procession...It was easy to see that hard times were ahead. For example, two women were arrested for having their babies circumcised.  They were paraded around the city with their babies hung from their breasts, then they were thrown down from the city wall.  On another occasion, Philip was told that some Jews had gathered in a nearby cave to observe the Sabbath in secret. Philip attacked and burned them all alive... 2 Mac 6:1-11

So all through history, it was never easy to be God's people.  Thank God we are not persecuted as Christians in Singapore.