We used to tease one of the section mates often in the army. That was mean of course, considering he was the one who introduced me many cool games such as Silent Hill and Final Fantasy 8. He also introduced me the idea of Atheism. Well he was one and he insisted I was the same as him, an Atheist. We had long debates as we stripped engines out of the combat engineer vehicles. He was my understudy.
Technically I am never an Atheist. Atheist rejects the idea of deities, regardless of religion. I don't. My argument with him was that I am a free-thinker. A free thinker, in my view, forms his opinion base on reason, independent of authority. When we think authority, it does not limit to religion but a broad range such as schools, camps, governments etc. Going by my definition, you'll never see a true Atheist step into a religious ground but you may see a free thinker not just doing so but even more than one.
Having said that, it does not mean that a free thinker is a hypocrite or has double standards on his views. Amidst his inconsistent actions, there is consistency. That he acts according to what he believes, no pertaining to any definition. In short, you'll never find 2 free thinkers with the same beliefs. That's quite different from an Atheist and that was my argument against my good section mate. We had fun debating.
Little did we expect, after leaving the army, this friend became a Christian after attending several service in a famous church in Singapore. We were shocked as he was the 'staunch Atheist' if there is even such as thing. We could recall he was regularly screwing us up for half believing in deities of whatever religion. Heh, just another chapter of life that taught us to expect the unexpected. When he told me over the phone that he didn't play computer games anymore because they were evil, I knew I lost a friend somewhere.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't alienate a friend because of his newly found beliefs. I am a free thinker remember? It was just that his preferences changed so much that it was inevitable he drifted away from our group because some of our actions (such as gaming) was unacceptable. In fact, things turned out excellently for him after he returned to the house of God. He was the straight-nerd kind without a slightest bit of sense of humor and we suspected he would never get married at that rate. We were dead wrong, someone hooked him up with another girl in church and he got hitched at 25 years old. As he married young, he was at the right place at the right time because he bought his 5 room HDB flat for $150,000 to move out.
The last time I heard from him, he found a good job in the government sector. I am quite sure he is a dad by now and has paid up his HDB flat. 3 years younger than me and debt free with a roof over the head. We all know that for anyone holding a decent job with no debt, Singapore is quite a paradise to live in. Who's laughing now? God has returned his faith 10 folds, 100 folds indeed.
Incidentally he goes to the church where multi-millionaire Pastor Kong preached. That's one of the big ones. The late fiasco about Kong and his friends allegedly misuse church funds to have fun did not surprise me a bit. Only the naive believes that Singapore is a piece of white cloth where corruption does not exist. Over the years we seen dirty linen dug out in NKF, Ren Ci, SLA, CNB/SCDF scandal and then the hot news of the week, CHC. Frauds, misusing of funds, corruption, there are the same thing. Looks like Kong is going to set up a new cell group somewhere else soon, meals provided.
If CAD bothers to work harder, there are plenty, plenty to find out. A good place to start is the White Fortress but they wouldn't do that would they? Another one is the Vault with many Keys, that is mother of all hot potatoes. It is best that we leave things at what it is. I bet you, no one can handle the truth.
I dreamt my application has been approved.
ReplyDeleteThis is a paradise of lust, quick $, instant gratification, elitism and the fittest!
Welcome back! From The ex-accountant
I'm a Soka Buddhist.
ReplyDeleteWhat I believe in is not an ultimate deity either (nope, Shakyamuni Buddha is not God to us).
In place of Supreme Being, we embrace the Mystic Law, which is of course ultimately far more universal, pervasive and powerful than the Singapore law created by mortal humans.
So I find it odd if someone should say to us, "Your god and ours".
Asking an imperfect organisation to pursue the imperfections of another organisation, isn't that similar to "let he who has never sinned cast the first stone"?
Or the pot calling the kettle black (actually, they're usually gray: varying shades of black and white).
What Humanity cannot mostly do, is just live honestly.
When people are wrong, they insist they're right.
When they're right part of the time, others insist they're always wrong.
Us versus them.
We are always saintly; they're always devilish.
Nope, I don't have some great message of salvation either.
The message is already clear in each of us.
We're mortal. We're fallible.
Deal with it. Try to be better. Keep at it.
God and religion are two different things.
ReplyDeleteGod has nothing to do with religion; but god-damned religion used god to brain-wash the people; to turn them into sheep for total control; to con their money; to promise paradise for obedience and belief and hell for questioning their mumbo jumbo.
There are so many problems in the world becaust there are so many intolerant and conflicting religins.
What religions do Jesus, Confucius, LaoTzu, Guatama, Socrates embrace? In fact, they were anti-religions of that period.
I'm not religious, but I think he got his concept of robin hood wrong, nvm when he goes to changi chalet ... he can set up another church aka changi harvest church, initials wun need to chg only the name .... for all you know this maybe another ponzi scheme aka our cpf monies, are the donations still there? Can they do a audit to prove the assets? Pandora's box waiting to be opened .....
ReplyDeletedear nix, may i pls know which year was 5 room HDB flat for $150,000 available?
ReplyDeleteShould be early 1990s.
Delete4-room 'A' flats were new at about $100k in Bishan North in 1990.
DeleteIn 2008, such a flat could sell sold at almost $440k, including $25k cash over value.
I am a deist
ReplyDeleteMy god sis was abit funny after she went to church...the very same church...till now she believes Paster Kong is not guilty. I have nothing to say. She believe in him.
ReplyDeleteah pooh
Hi Ah Pooh, organised faith can be like that.
ReplyDeleteGroupthink is very strong, as is Us versus Them.
Insiders are ultimately right, whatever transgressions they have made, while outsiders are ultimately wrong, whatever their good intentions.
From what I experienced on my side, what I just described seems to be no less applicable even today.
I try to remain cordial, but unmoved from what I am.
Those who disagree with them are isolated, ignored and therefore neutralised.
So I will avoid taking part in creating another such organisation.
And I will keep steering away from groupthink, with my very own people.