AWARE: Is the fight justifiable?

Right now in Singapore there's this big fight over the rights of who should control AWARE, short for Association of Women for Action & Research.

It started off fairly dramatically. A takeover like we would have seen on Hong Kong serials where an enemy family takes over another family's business through stock acquisition. And in this case, new members came in and voted in a group of unknowns and newcomers that got the old members all puffed up and angry.

Now accusations are flying and statements of bigotry, of verbal abuse and assumptions are mucking the issue at hand. So what is the issue?

Simply this: AWARE has unknowingly allowed its contents of sexual education to go a bit haywired that reflected or allowed alternative lifestyle. Whatever their intentions, it is unfortunate that they have misread the ground as have the gay activists when they tried to argue against 377A (law against unnatural sexual conduct)

Here are my opinions:

Did penal code 377A stand? Yes it still does because of one fundamental reason. Singapore is one society where morals and values reflect asian conservative viewpoints. But come to think of it, the notion that a family nucleus is made up of a man and a woman is not just a 'conservative' notion it is also natural. What's unnatural is when same sex partners are deemed as a family unit. How so when the child they bear is from a third party? Wouldn't be in a sense, adultery making a mockery of the institution of marriage?

377A stands because Singaporeans have debated strongly against it. That's where AWARE old guard has made a bad judgment with regards to its sexuality education. Despite what the ground has said and made clear, AWARE went ahead and do such projects in the name of 'inclusiveness' and worse of all, in the school environment. Honestly if I have school going children who went for their courses, I would be concerned. Isn't AWARE setting itself up to be gunned down?

Now to accuse Christians and Christians alone to be judgmental on this issue, then pray tell why 377A is not repealled? It couldn't be that a small majority of Christians has such powerful voice in parliament? No. I don't think so. The parliament did have members who are of different faiths and I am sure, they are as uncomfortable as Christians in this debate.

So why Christians? The very fact that there are people who deemed the issue big enough to cause them to act is because they felt that things are not going right. It happens that they are from Christian background, hold Christian values and feels that, as I have felt, we are in this world for a reason. That is to help the people of this world through the teachings of Christ. And the teachings of Christ is based on one thing: LOVE. And out of love, comes respect.

The word 'respect' is heavily used without the true understanding of its foundation. Respect won't come until love is made the foundation. How so? How do we respect our bosses? No one respect bosses who only know how to scold without giving much of a help in terms of directions and motivation. Bosses who love their employees as though they are family gets the most respect.

So it is right that the old Guard can accuse the takeover as a 'lack of respect' because there is a 'mis-appreciation' of how the people think with regards to the 'questionable' programs they have put forth and with the circuitous argument of 'inclusiveness', it just ain't cut it. So it seems the only way to stop such programs is to take over the organisation that promotes such programs.

But is the new guard gaining respect? As much as we loath the choice of alternative lifestyle, Jesus still allowed people to choose how they live to the point of rejecting it. As much as we love these people, we still love them enough to give them the decision making power. Therefore this is the foundation where God will judge people since the decision making power does not rest with God but with men and so God cannot be blamed.

So the new guard chose to take over AWARE quite dramatically in a fashion that would call into question integrity and openess. This is a decision they have made with regards to the 'lost of focus' on women issues and much focus on lesbianism and homosexuality. The inclusion of men in the organisation is a point of contention as well. But would Jesus do what they did? Have they done society a favour by doing so? Or would they mar the name of Christ whom we are called after as Christians?

I would want to say that AWARE, no matter how notable their aims are, are feministic in some ways that may be detrimental to the core of society: the family.

Let's just quote 'equality'.

I want to say that men and women are never 'equal'. It can't be because physically and mentally we are not the same. But the fact is that God made woman as partner to man and not subjugated to man. In that way, God has made man and woman equal in His eyes but both has roles to play within the partnership or family nucleus. So a way, it is by design that man and woman are different and yet, the differences makes partnership very much sense in terms of survival and getting things done.

Now the problem is that man, has subjugated the role and standing of woman lower than man. Yes God did say man should be the leader of the household but the woman is the partner in the household. And man should love their partner as much as God love people. There lies the problem.

Not all man did what God has instructed them to do: Respect the woman....and not all woman has done what God has for them: Respect the role of the man. How can a ship has two rudder? So how can a home has two leaders?

That said, not being the leader doesn't mean one is weak. Instead one should see it in the light that the woman CHOOSE to follow the man even when the man is incompetent, that is a mark of greatness.

Still man has being too abusive to each other (women abuse their husbands as well in a lot more ways than women think) and AWARE wants to fight for equality because of such abuse.

But equality is something that is based on respect and love. Without love and respect, demands for equality is at best grungingly accepted by men and loath by men at worse (through the use of religion and traditions).

That's not what was intended.

So now, the fight will be in the EGM coming Saturday. Whatever the outcome, God has foreseen it. If it is by the power of men, it will not be upheld. If it is by the power of God, no man can close. If the old AWARE is doing what is right, then their conscience should be clear. But whatever they do is against what God has ordained, then I hope the judgment day would come much later for their sake.

Me? I am just waiting for the Lord to come back.

------------------------------

Christians are well known for their works in the betterment of society. It is something that God has given them the power to do so. To make a place better through God's direction. Some of the top schools in US, Europe and in Singapore are started by Missionaries. And I am a product of such school.

To accuse Christianity as a whole for being bigots is really uncalled for.

Let me say that I am disgusted by the discrimination showed by the judges of Miss USA. If acknowledging a gay lifestyle is politically correct, won't it be politically incorrect to reject a Miss USA candidate because she doesn't accept gay lifestyle?

Such questions are unfair and quite honestly, a punch under the belt that is not fair to the competition at all. For gay activists to shout 'inclusiveness', then they are not including the Christians....for them to shout "fairness" then they are not being fair in treating Christians too.

When they abuse Christians, is all fair game. When Christians defend, they say it is discrimination.

How would gay activists gained any respect at all?

I personally has this to say: there are claims that homosexuality can be cured. Why isnt it being debunked? If it is not curable, why are there people who are recovering homosexuals and lead normal lives with normal families?

It calls to question if the fight for legitimacy is just a cover up for their unwillingness to change.

All will be shown in due time.

The Mist...Depravity of Men

I have watched The Mist over the weekend and I find myself very very angry and surprised myself when something bad happened. But when I cooled down I realised that Stephen King did reflect his opinion of overly fearful Charismatic/Evangelistic preaching when one face death. Time for some explanation.

One Mrs Carmody when trapped in the supermarket by The Mist was praying fervently to God about saving souls. What left an impression on me was the motivation behind the saving of souls; to save her own soul by bringing other souls to God.

That comes to mind about Christ sacrifice on the cross. As Apostle Paul puts it in the letter to Ephesians

For by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, that not anyone should boast;
(Eph 2:8-9)

What it says here is this: We are already being saved, 'it is the gift of God' through Jesus Christ. If we are not saved through works but by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Why does Paul has to say that? Because if we are saved based on works, we can boast and Jesus is not magnified. If we can be saved through works, then why do we need Jesus on the cross? (Read Titus 3:5)

Hence Mrs Carmody's foundation of salvation is not at the right place. And that led her to preach wrongly from the Bible, especially from the book of revelation and gave the wrong solution to the people in the supermarket.

And the best part is the usage of this word 'expiation'

Definition: The atonement is a doctrine found within both Christianity and Judaism. It describes how sin can be forgiven by God.

And Mrs Carmody is right. The atonement of sin has to be of blood. What she is wrong is to use the blood of others as a form of sacrifice to the monsters in the mist.

Newsflash: Jesus blood is used for the expiation of our sins. Not of other animals and certainly not of tainted sinful humans,.

Out of Mrs Carmody's error comes the manipulation of fear that is used in religion to blame others for all the sins of the world that culminates in the appearance of the monsters. It is so bad that a soldier who has nothing to do with the experimentation gone wrong, was murdered and fed to the monsters.

So Mrs Carmody's motivation to save souls has instead condemn them to the sea of fire.

And that's when I feel 'great' when she was shot down for spewing words of hate. I am not proud of that moment but there are so many preachers that are doing just that: to turn people away from the love of God, His salvation through Christ and their insistance on works to save themselves.

Fear, some say, is the absence of faith.

One of the character who is a biker has a much much better understanding of God when he commented

“I believe in God, too. I just don’t think he’s the blood thirsty asshole you make him out to be.” –biker

Amen to that!!