Why some prayers are not answered

The following question was printed in the Catholic News:
Question:
Our 26-year old daughter died a year ago after a 15-month bout with oral cancer. I really believed in the power of prayer. My confessor urged me to pray without ceasing, which I did. She was also included in lots of prayer chains. But she never had any good news. When it became evident she would die, I stopped praying. Since then I can't pray for anything because I don't think it will do any good. Can you please tell me why I should pray?

My Answer
Many of us are perplexed why God did not answer their fervent sincere prayers.

The ANSWER is actually very simple. God answer all your prayers that are prayed according to His will.

If your prayers are not according to His will, then sometimes He answers, but mostly, He does not answer.

Jesus knew what His mission on Earth is - to die on the cross as a sacrifice for man's sins. But being human, he agonised over this mission that He was to suffer. So He prayed and plead "Father if Thou are willing, remove this cup from Me..." He knew that this request is NOT according to God's will. So He added "Yet not My will, but Thine will be done." (Luk 22:42)

The second part of his prayer was answered, that is, God's will was done.

Hence, why did God not answer prayers for safety, for healing from deadly illnesses, for the impending deadly tornado to vanish? It's because such prayers are not according to God's will. God's will does not interfere with the natural order of things on Earth.

Follow Your Heart ....

THE SOLDIER
Horror gripped the heart of a World War-I soldier, as he saw his lifelong friend fell in battle. The soldier asked his Lieutenant if he could go out to bring his fallen comrade back.
"You can go," said the Lieutenant "but don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your life away."
The Lieutenant's words didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously, he managed to reach his friend, hoisted him onto his shoulder and brought him back to their company's trench.
The officer checked the wounded soldier, then looked kindly at his friend. "I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded."
"It was worth it, Sir," said the soldier.
"What do you mean by worth it?" responded the Lieutenant. "Your friend is dead."
"Yes Sir," the soldier answered, "but it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive. And I had the satisfaction of hearing him say.... "Jim...I knew you'd come."


REFLECTION
Many times in life, whether a thing is worth doing or not, really depends on how you look at it. Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things. Fhe way to love anything is to realise its worth and that it might be lost. Also, relationships are like crystals, you dont realize how much it's worth until it breaks.

Take up all your courage and do something your heart tells you to do, so that you may not regret not doing it later in your life!!


(This posting is copied from www.tankinlian.blogspot.com)

Amateurish Winning Strategy at the Casino

I don't gamble. But one day I would like to visit the 2 Integrated Resort locations to see for myself what are the new attractions there. I will not pay $100 to enter the casinos though.

My neighbour told me that his brother went to the Sentosa Casino twice already. On both occasions, he won a few hundred dollars, even after contributing $100 at the entrance each time.

The strategy sounds simple.
1. Don't be too quick to bet.
2. Walk round the tables and observe.
3. Identify a gambler who always win.
4. Follow that gambler in his choice of betting
5. Don't be greedy. Get out after making a few hundred dollars.

Well, with this strategy, I think the chances of winning "all the time" is still very slim. I won't border to try. But please let me know if this strategy works.

Making friends in your office

"If you are polite and courteous, you will enjoy the friendship of many people. Exchange greetings with many, but take advice from only one person out of a thousand. When you make friends, don't be too quick to trust them; make sure that they have proved themselves. Some people will be your friends only when it is convenient for them, but they won't stand by you in trouble. Others will fall out with you over some argument, and then embarrass you by letting everyone know about it (gossip gossip). Others will sit at your table as long as things are going well; they will stick to you like your shadow and give orders to your servants, but they will not stand by you in trouble. It your situation takes a turn for the worse, they will turn against you, and you won't be able to find them anywhere..."

Guess where this "quotation" is taken from? (See the comments)

One Intriguing Story (1) ...A Woman Called Susanna

There lived a man named Joakim who married to Susanna. Susanna was a beautiful woman and deeply religious. Her parents were devout Jews. Her husband Joakim was very wealthy. Lovely gardens surrounded his house, and the other Jews often gathered there for meetings. Everone who had a legal case to present would also go to Joakim's house, whre 2 judges held court. These 2 leaders of the Jewish community had recently been appointed to office.
Everyday at noon, when all the people left for lunch, Susanna used to take a walk in the gardens. The 2 judges were so attracted to her that they would wait around and watch her. They became so obsessed with their desire for her that they lost interest both in prayer and in their responsibility as judges. They each wanted Susanna, but neither told the other how he felt, for each was ashamed to admit his lust.
One day Susanna went into the garden as usual with her 2 servant girls. No one else was there, except the 2 judges, who had hidden themselves and were watching Susanna. It was very hot and she decided to take a bath. So she said to her servants, "Bring me some bath oil and some perfume, and lock the gates, so that I won't be disturbed." The girls did what Susanna asked, and they did not notice the 2men.
As soon as the servants left, the 2 judges jumped out from their hiding place, ran to Susanna, and said, "The gates are locked and no one will see us. We are burning to have sex with you, so give us what we want. If you don't, we will go to court and swear that we saw you send your servants away, so that you could be alone with a young man.
"There is no way out," Susanna moaned. "If I give in to you, I could be put to death for adultery. If I refuse, you will still have me trapped. But I would rather be your innocent victim than sin against the Lord. So she started screaming as loud as she could and the 2 judges began shouting accusations, while one of them ran and unlocked the gates.
As soon as the servants in the house heard all the noise, they ran into the gardens thru' the side door to find out what happened. The judges told their story, and the servants werre shocked and ashamed.
The next day, in front of all the people assembled at Joakim's house, they said "Send for Joakim's wife Susanna." When she was called, she came in with her parents, cildren and other relatives. Susanna was so graceful and beautiful that the 2 wicked men ordered her veil to be removed, so that they might enjoy looking at her. Her family and everyone else were in tears.
The 2 judges started their accusations against her. She was crying, but she looked up to heaven because she trusted the Lord. "We were walking in the gardens when this woman came in with her 2 servant girls. She locked the main gates and asked the servants to leave. Then a young man who had been hiding in the gardens came to her, and they lay down together. We swear that our testimony is true." Because the 2 men were not only leaders in the community but also judges, the people believed their story and condemned Susanna to death.
Then Susanna cried out in a loud voice, "Eternal God, nothing can be kept secret from you; you know everything before it happens. Here I am about to die, but you know that I am innocent, that these men are lying. Why must I die?"
The Lord heard her prayer and led a yound man named Daniel to speak out, just as Susanna was being taken away to her death.
Daniel stood up before them and said, "People of Israel, how foolish can you be? Are you going to condemn an Israelite woman to death on this kind of evidence? You haven't even tried to find out the truth. Reopen the case...
So all the people hurried back to where the trial had taken place...
Daniel said them, "Separate the 2 judges, and let me question them one at a time. The Daniel called the 1st judge and said "...Now if you really did see this couple making love, tell me, what tree were they under?"
"Under a small gum tree," he answered.
Then the first judge was led away and the 2nd one was brought before Daniel. "...Now tell me what tree you saw them under?"
"Under a large oak tree,"he answered.

Read the Bible to enjoy the rest of the story.

We will always disagree - in many things

We will always disagree in many things. We are made that way. 2 brains are always different.

So there are always differences in thinking and in opinion, even though 2 persons may believe in the same God.

But if we want to live in the same world, or the same country, or the same house, we need to compromise. The alternative is to stay in different world, different country, different house.

On the issue of abortion, there will always be people who are pro-life and people who are pro-choice.

On the issue of religion, there will always be worshippers of God, and gods, and idols. To each his own.

Yes, we are difference. But living in the same world, we just have to interact in the 'common space', and compromise the differences.

Black Sheep Priests

In the newspapers today, there is a front page article about 'Predator Priests'. The scandal is about paedophile catholic priests in some Western countries. I have no doubt that there are many cases of misconduct.

There are black sheep in any group, any organisation. Jesus had 12 apostles at first, yet within the 12 there was one black sheep. Those of us who work in groups will surely agree that even in small groups of 10, you will find a black sheep. It does not matter whether the groups are religious, political, commercial, family, voluntary, social or business in nature.

The church is no difference. There are thousands of priests and bishops and deacons worldwide. If 1 in ten thousand is a black sheep, there are plenty of them.

The church, or any organisation, needs a process to manage its black sheep from influencing the rest of the organisation and destroying its reputation.

Coping with life at 80s

My mother in-law had just done an eye cataract surgery. Both in-laws are now staying in my house.

My father-in-law is on medication for some other illnesses.

So there are 2 80-years-old with me very day.

Their lifestyle is: wake up, take medication. breakfast, lie down, read newspaper, medication, lunch, lie down, dinner, watch TV, sleep.

I tell myself, that is not the lifestyle I want in my 70s and 80s! Where is the meaning of living.

Perhaps I should now squeeze some time to do some volunteer work. I need to think about this.

Many people work very hard

I asked my regular pork seller in the wet market.

He told me that he closes his stall around 12 noon. Go home and sleep by 3 pm. Wakes up at 9 pm and goes to the stall by 12 mid-night to prepare for the next day. Beween 12 midnight to 6 am, he receives delivery, chops the whole carcasses, separate the types of cuts, store them nicely in the fridge, etc etc. Customers buy from 6 am onwards. He closes the stall around 12 noon and starts the cycle again.

You can guess how much time he spends with his wife and children.

And how much he earns? You can guess. But not many customers during weekdays. More customers during weekends.

The reality is, making a living is not a bed of roses if you do not have a high-paying job.

Let's not make life difficult to the poor blue-collar workers and small businessmen. Live and let live.

Coping with the painful 50s

I read in the papers that the govt should look into 'The missing 50s' - people who are in their 50s, but once retrenched, could not get back into the workforce.

I am in my 50s. I realised the pain of being in the 50s:

50 to 60 years old experience the following:

1) Coping with retrenchment. PMETs, once retrenched, can hardly find an equivalent job or something close.
2) Children may get married, or start working overseas, leaving the parents behind, causing a void.
3) Their parents should be about 70 to 90 years old and 'gradually' leaving this world. It is stressful both to look after parents and parents-in-laws during their final life stages, and to see them leaving one by one (4 times within 10 years?).
4) Some friends may start to leave this world.
5) The physical body deteriorates. Health problems set in. Tires more easily.
6) It's the time of menopause and andropause, whatever the effect.

It's time we look towards the Divine again.

From being crude, to being refine, to being best

Monkeys pick up food using their fingers. Early man pick up food using their fingers too.

Then humans realised that they could
use a stick to pick up food. Better still, use 2 sticks. So chopsticks were 'invented'.

As society progresses, people wants to be more 'classy'. Chopsticks are too crude a tool. So westerns started using forks and spoons and knives.

As society progresses further, people attempt to be more artistic. The use of fork and spoon is nothing artistic. So people revert to the use of chopsticks. Holding chopsticks, picking food with chopsticks and chopstick design became an art, as practised in China and Japan.

But really, the best way to eat is to pick up food with the 5 fingers. Nothing beats 'finger-licking'goodness.

The Indians still pick up food using their fingers - They know what is best!.

Magic, Illusions or just Miracles - Dinner for 20,000

We have seen magicians putting an assistant in a box, and then saw him into 2 parts, and then joined the boxes, and that assistant was whole again. Of course the assistant was not cut up! But we marvel at the illusion.

Another magician may gather people together a short distance from the Tower of Liberty, and made the Tower of Liberty disappeared before their eyes. Of course the Tower of Liberty was still there and the people just could not see it. We marvel at the illusion.

But no illusionist or magician can make 'something out of nothing'. Something that you can touch and feel. (When a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat, the rabbit must be hidden somewhere there in the first place!)

No magician or illusion can change 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes into 8,000 kilograms of bread and fishes, and feed 20,000 people. This is a miracle, not an illusion or magic trick.

Sometimes I asked myself whether I am stupid to believe in miracles. Are all others who believe in Christ's miracles just as foolhardy as I am?

I don't think so.

Can You Believe These Witnesses?

It happened a few months ago. The Romania Charge D'Affair in Singapore, Dr Ionescu, drove his car recklessly in the middle of the night, killing one pedestrian and injuring 2 others. In court, the witnesses told what they saw that night. If you are the judge, would you believe the stories of the witnesses?

It happened 2 thousand years ago. Jesus was with 15,000 to 20,000 people. It was evening time. They needed food to feed these thousands. Jesus was given 5 loafs of bread and 2 fishes. He broke the bread, gave thanks to God, and distributed it to the thousands. Miraculously, the bread and fishes kept multiplying as he handled out the pieces, and there were enough to feed all the thousands, with 12 basketful left. Some witnesses saw the miracle and wrote what happened. Would you believe the stories of these witnesses, as written in the Bible?

I believe these witnesses. What Jesus did, he did in front of so many thousands. The witnesses who wrote about this miracle had no reason to 'collude together' and churn out a false story, which 15,000 can immediately say it was false. (Although the 15,000 were all dead by now.)

If you beleve in the witnesses in the first story which happened a few months ago, you should also believe in the second story although it happened 2 thousand years ago.

Why "Good" Friday

Today is Easter Sunday.

I wonder why the day to commemorate the passion and death of our Saviour Jesus Christ is "Good" Friday?

Why not "Good" Easter or "Good" Christmas. Why only "Good Friday"?

Can I wait for some readers to respond?

The true story of my grandmother

My paternal grandmother died in around 1983. During her last days, she was hospitalised at Kwong Wai Siew Hospital at Serangoon Rd. While in hospital, she still could talk. I remember I had visited her a few times while in hospital before her death. I remember clearly that she had told me that she would not wish to be cremated but to be buried after her death. She was subsequently buried at Choa Chu Kang Cemetery, and about 12 years later, her remains were exhumed and placed at the Kwong Wai Siu Columbarium at Bishan.

These few weeks is the Chinese Qing Ming period. When I was with my father a few days ago, he mentioned something that set me thinking.

My father said that prior to being hospitalised for the last time, my grandmother was sick at home. She saw 2 'persons' at the window beckoning her to take her away. She told my aunt (my father's sister) and my aunt told my father. Now my father told me about this.

It had aways been a belief among Buddhists that during the dying days, some "beings" will appear to the dying. They were supposed to guide or accompany the dying in his journey into the next world.

So it happened to my grandmother as well.

When I read writings about NDE (Near Death Experience), there are always anecdotal stories of dying persons meeting angels, or guides, or spirits, or buddha or 'Jesus' at the end of a tunnel bridging to the other world. There seem to be consistency among the various religions in this aspect of NDE.

So Why People Died And Suffered In Natural Disasters

Recently, there were several earthquakes around the world, like the earthquakes that destroyed the whole of Haiti. So many people died and suffered. Natural disasters are more frequent nowadays.

It must be around the year 30 AD. Jesus was alive and teaching then. A Tower of Siloam crumpled and collapsed, killing 18 people. The people came to Jesus to ask for an explanation.

Jesus replied (Luke 13:1-5) :
At that time, some people told Jesus about the Galileans whom Pilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices to God. Jesus answered "Because those Galileans were killed in that way, do you think it proves that they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No indeed! ... What about those 18 people in Siloam who where killed when the Tower fell on them? Do you suppose this proves that they were worse than all the other people living in Jerusalem? No indeed! I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did."

So you see, all those people who died in natural disasters were not 'more bad' than others, and so deserved to die that way. We will all die physically, sooner or later.

And we will also die spiritually, unless we come to Christ. Christ said "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me." John 14:6.

My new product

I am launching my new product. It's call RTP stencil - or Ready-To-Print Silkscreen Stencil. Buy from me by email or phone. Each RTP stencil can be used to print at least 2000 T-shirts.

Peacock and Peahen

Watch these 2 videos. then answer the following 'quiz' question:






Why in the PeaBird World, the male Peacock is more pretty than the female Peahen, whereas in the Human World, the female woman is more pretty than the male man ??
(Continue reading this Blog for the answer.)

Some Christian organisations will last, some will not

Old Churches such as Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, have existed for a long time. Some Churches, like New Creation, City Harvest, are relatively 'young'.

When an organisation is young, there are few rules and regulations.

As an organisation gets older, 50 years, 100 years, 500 years, an organisational culture develops. The volume of rules, regulations, codes of conduct grows so huge that the organisation may even need an 'Archival Department'!.

Many independent churches were started by zealous and charismatic leaders. But when the first generation leaders passed away, these churches weaken and finally cease to exist.

The first generation lasts about 70 years. The next generation overlaps the previous generation by 30 years and lives another 40 years. The next next generation last another 40 years. Hence 3 generations would mean a total of 70+40+40 = 150 years.

Memories last only 3 generations. We can remember our grandparents in some detail. But we cannot remember our great-grandparents in detail.

Hence, the critical year is about 150. If a church or a religious organisation could survive 150 years, it is likely to live on. An organisation which is less than 150 years old has a high probability of dying out.

So you can expect many Christian organisations, though successful they may be at present, to cease before they reach their critical years equivalent to 3 generations. New religious organisations will always sprang up to take their place.

Are you with an organisation that is less than 3 generations old? Are the first two generations putting in place a robust succession plan?

Haiti unites the world (for a moment)

To get quarrelling members of a team to unite, we give the whole team a project with a common objective. As the members work on the project towards that single objective, members put animosity behind them.

Countries of the world are always quarrelling. When God look down from Heaven, He sees a divided world.

I was thinking, perhaps when there is a need to fight off aliens from far-away galaxies attacking earth, the countries of the world will have a common objective to be united.

Haiti had been reduced to nothing by an earthquake 3 days ago. Sadly, Haiti now faced the same destruction as Sodom and Gomorrah, where Lot escaped and his wife turned into a pillar of salt (Gen 19:1-29).

All the countries in the world (well, almost all) are preparing to help. Well, at least the world is united, for a moment.

• Give thanks by Give thanks

More Give thanks music on iLike

Dear All,

Just a beautiful song to end the year 2009.

Wishing you all a Blessed year 2010.

December Busy-ness

Dear Friends,

In Nov/Dec 2009, I have started conducting T-shirt Printing Workshops at RCs (Residents' Committees).

21 Nov 09 at Cheng San (Ang Mo Kio) Zone C RC
5 Dec 09 at Yio Chu Kang Zone 9 RC
12 Dec 09 at Toa Payoh Central Zone 3 RC

It was a new experience to conduct T-shirt Printing lessons for paying adults. They were all very enthusiastic, otherwise they would not have signed up voluntarily.

Above are some photos.

A "Great Video'' Which is no good

MY teenage children love to listen to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" very much.

I viewed the video a few times too. Gaga's performance was creative and brilliant. It's seems 98% harmless, only 2% of shocking dance steps and words like "I want your psycho...your vertical stick...want you in my rear window..."

Do you find this video shocking too?




Just like to compare this video with what we are bombarded today...

We face false teachings, false reasonings and false prophets today. The tricky part is that we can hardly tell whether they are True or False, Good or Evil. You see, even evil is camouflaged by 98% harmless, and we may miss the 2% harmful !!!

Humans will always feel for God

Whether in a modern society, or in a tribal society, humans feel for God even if they do not acknowledge Him or they reject Him.

These 2 quotes summarise the human longing:

"I don't believe in God, but I miss him." Julian Barnes, writer

"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him." VOLTAIRE

Christ's Second Coming -- Too many false alarm !

"In the days after that time of trouble the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses. The Son of Man will appear, coming in the clouds with great power and glory. He will send the angels out to the four corners of the earth to gather God's chosen people from the end of the world to the other. ... In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the time is near, ready to begin. Remember that all these things will happen before the people now living have all died." Mark 13:24-30.

Throughout history, too many people had claimed 'divine predictions' on the second coming of Christ.

The most famous of which is case of William Miller (1782-1849). (Wikipedia on William Miller, Seventh-Day Adventist Movement) Miller was born in 1782 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and though coming from a Christian ome, he became a skeptic and rejected the Bible as divine revelation. However in 1816, he was converted from his skepticism and began to study the Bible intensively. Two years later, he came to the conclusion that the world would come to an end in 1843!

When the year came and the Lord did not return, there was intense disappointment among Miller and his followers. Samuel Snow, one of the leaders with Miller later came up with the conviction that the 2300 days in Daniel 8:14 will end on 22 Oct 1844. As 22 Oct approached, there was great excitement but Christ did not return on that day.

There were hundreds more predictions - all came to nothing.

As for me, I believe Christi's second coming will take place some time in the far far future. But it will not take place in my lifetime.

So I will not be physically present to welcome and to meet Christ in His Second Coming.
Most likely, I would be dead, cremated or buried by then.

What is Purgatory! (General Knowledge)

"Eternal Truths" are part of the doctrine of eschatology, or the study of Last Things. Eschatology is a branch of theology concerned with the end of the world and the final destination of a soul after death.

Death, judgment, heaven and hell are the four "eternal truths" sometimes referred to as the four Last Things.

[The Catholic Church, being the oldest Church of 2000 years, and a mega-scale organisation, has lots of ideas and teachings written down, but not taught to the average church-goers. If you are interested in a certain topic, you need to seek an expert and ask.]

The Catholic Church believes in and teaches the doctrines of heaven, hell and purgatory.

Heaven is described as the happiness of the just, who will one day be with Christ.
Hell, by contrast, is the eternal punishment of the unrepentant sinner, deprived of the sight of God.
Purgatory is the possibility of purification for repentant sinners before they see God. This purification is very different from the punishment of the unrepentant sinner in hell.

... Just a bit of general knowledge...

Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine, Integration

What cause diseases?

In Western medicine, germs and viruses are the primary causes.

In Chinese medicine, the causes are divided into 3 categories:
1st: External causes, namely wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness and fire.
2nd: Internal causes, namely the 7 emotions, joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, shock.
3rd: fatigue and foods.

Traditional Chinese medicine has grown out of common human experience of over 2,000 years. The concept of germs and viruses are not used at all. Instead, the main focus is on other factors familiar in human experience.

We are faced with 2 very different approaches to diseases and healing!

I am writing this to demonstrate that human thinking and experience could be as diverse as East and West. The twine never meet as they started from completely different starting points.

So are religious ideologies. They would never meet.

But today, Western medicine and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) are sometimes used together for some illnesses. Trying hard to integrate, right?

So too are religious ideologies - there are people who try to integrate them. Trying very hard!

Be Very Suspicious of 'New Revelations'

Hebrews 1:1-2 says "Then, after speaking in many and varied ways through the prophets, now at last in these days God has spoken to us in His Son..."

God sent His Son, the Eternal Word, who enlightens all men, so that He might dwell among men and tell men of the innermost being of God (John1:1-18). Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, was sent to us." He "speak the words of God", and completes the work of salvation which His Father gave Him to do. To see Jesus is to see His Father(John 14:9).

For this reason Jesus has perfected revelation by fulfilling it through his work of making Himself present, and manifesting Himself: through His words and deeds, through His death and glorious resurrection from the dead. And finally He sent us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.

So when someone, or some sects or groups, including self-proclaimed yoga groups, tell us 'New Revelations' about Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and when these 'New Revelations' conflict with what the Bible says, then we must be wary and suspect heresies.

To tell the difference between Divine Revelations and Non-Divine Revelations, read http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html

Integrative Religions and Ideologies

The idea of Integrative Religion has always been attractive to some groups.

I was told that Sahaja Yoga urges its followers to accept the divinity of gods of different religions. And the chakra points in our body are the site of different gods. I think, by so doing, Sahaja Yoga hopes that followers of various religions will not reject the practice of Sahaja Yoga, and even embrace it.

The religion call Cao Dai, with a magnificient temple in Saigon is said to have millions of followers. This religion amalgates other religions - Chinese religion, Buddhas, Hindu gods, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammad, and so on. It is really a melting pot of religion under the name CaoDai-ism. (Surf www.wikipedia.com, and Youtube, search for 'cao dai')

Well, the founders of these Integrative Religions may think they have a solution to the divisive nature of religious ideologies. But....it's going to be very messy!!

Accommodative Religions and Monotheistic Religions

Generally, polytheistic religions are accommodative and changing. Monotheistic religions are not.

Religions such as Taoism, Hinduism and tribal religions accept many gods, even the Christian and Muslim God. 'New' gods are added over time.

That is not the case with Christianity. In the Bible, God has revealed Himself and His thoughts progressively. It is very clear when God said:
"I am your God. You shall have no other gods but me..."
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life..."
The "10 commandments" are clear.

God is God. There shall be no idolatry. No compromise. Black is black and white is white. There are no grey areas concerning God.

Chinese religion is different. Chinese temples may have several gods and deities. Chinese religion adapts and accommodates gods of other faiths too.

Buddhism is also accommodating to changes. Jane Hope, in her book "Buddha For Beginners" wrote:

"In the Buddhist lineage, knowledge is not handed down like an antique. One teacher experiences the truth of the teaching and hands it down as inspiration to his students. That inspiration wakens the student who passes it on further. The teachings are always up to date, they are not thought of as 'ancient wisdom'."

"The Buddha encouraged his followers to put everything he said to the test, and therefore, through the ages, followers of the Buddha have trusted their own wisdom, rather than trying to interpret what might have been meant in old texts."

"The doctrine of change and impermanence which is at the heart of Buddhism constantly breaks any tendencies towards fundamentalism."

Buddhism is changing and adapting all the time!