CHRISTIANITY – THEN AND NOW

Just a couple days ago, my wife and I had a conversation on why things were so wrong then and seemingly ok now. Conversation came about things like drinking and dressing specifically and more so specific to the values my family and I practice. To her it was how come the inconsistencies? How can values change? My response to her was people through the changing environments are better exposed and people’s horizons are further opened. As time passes and we become more exposed to new developments, new perspective, we then modify (or a more canggih word “revolutionize”) our beliefs and more importantly, we learn.

For example, in a small town called Bukit Mertajam where I spend most of my life in, Chinese school’s were like a slave camp, concentration camps or an Apple Foxconn factory in China. We hear of students in those camps schools having to complete a crazy load of homework until midnight until they would break down and cry for the fear of the canning the next day if they haven’t finished it. For us… canning was like something fun… like when we ran around, did our mischief’s… the cane was like a badge of honor we all were proud of. The stamp of heroism.  To us, from the English Schools (more like the Malay schools), these kids had no life, no creativity, straight up nerds.

But when I met my wife (who did not carry any of those traits, I had a hard time believing that she was from a Chinese school), she presented me a whole different perspective. In KL, apparently it ain’t as bad and crazy. Yes they seem to have more homework but they didn’t have to stay up all night and cry doing their homeworks. They get punish pretty much like we did. It was and is very hard for me to believe because all my life, Chinese school = concentration camp. You send kids there and they come out to be the latest Japanese very-human-lookalike robots. The point is, it was hard to accept it (and still is), but slowly, my perception of a Chinese school changed due the new learnings that I gathered from a person who has been there and done it. Who better to testify than a person who’s been through it all?

The same situation has been true in my Christian life. I grew up from a Methodist church in Perak and then spent a good deal of my life in G.C., Bukit Mertajam in which we were indoctrinated with what Christian values means.

Of course we left when I was about 18 when the pastor pulled a Mahathir and threw shit at my family and even though my father has always been the forgiving one who made peace and shook his hand, my brothers and I are continuously reciting the Lord’s prayer:

Our Father who art in Heaven,

Hollowed you shall make his head,

Your lighting come,

Your  thunder to follow,

On this wretched creature we so hate.

Give us today the assurance,

That he shall be with Lucifer,

For his heresies and his bitter spirit.

Lead his congregation away from him,

And deliver them from this evil,

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,

Now and forever.

Amen.

Ok… that was the other guy, Benny, in me writing.

Throughout my Christian walk from Perak to Bukit Mertajam and now K.L., I have definitely been exposed and enlighten further on what Christianity really means and the values that we should carry. The same has been for my family. Values that were carried then have been re-assessed and re-evaluated and the new learning/perspectives have brought about an evolution of values, perspective and ultimately a change in some values. I am not implying here that the previous values/beliefs were wrong but the new learning has brought about greater understanding and acceptance to me especially.

For example:

THEN	NOW
1. Huge emphasis on sin	1. Huge emphasis on grace
2. No alcohol. Drinking is frown upon and if you drink, may the alcohol wash your spirit to hell. Alcohol during wedding – pastor would stamp his frown on your event.	2. Drinking is ok. Drunkenness is not.
3. No jeans to church. You wouldn’t go see a king in jeans. I literally wore slacks and uncle shirt (note - not t-shirt) to church most of my younger days.	3. Jesus shook hands with the outcast. Just dress appropriately (i.e. no man g-string  in church). Jeans and t-shirt – ok
4. Spaghetti strap, skirt (not even mini skirts) big no-no. God hate nakedness.	4. Jesus was friends with prostitutes. Just dress appropriately (i.e. no bikini’s in church).
5. Homosexuals/“sinfully” looking people were given the “You sinner – Get outta here” look.	5. Embracing of people with different sexual orientation. Hate the sin, love the person.
6. Eating food offered to idols – eat and you become the devil’s slave	6. Resist where can but not until a point where it offends people of other religion. Respect.
7. No bowing down to idols during funerals/wedding – do and you end up in the casket like your unbelieving family member/the devil weds you and he shall have your first night	7. We have all sin and fallen short of the glory of God. Don’t judge other people’s sin. Understand that we have all fallen and God’s grace is enough for us.
8. Share the word – Commando style – Door to door/straight up during events	8. Share the word – Tinkerbell style – Get to know the person genuinely, cell groups and exemplify how God loves all of us.
9. Rock music, rap = songs worshipping the devil	9. Rock music, rap à please observe lyrics. Rock and rap are merely forms of music which can be used to worship God.
10. Dying hair (for boys), piercing, tattoo – Were you born of the devil?	10. Dying hair (for boys), piercing, tattoo – Anything wrong?
11. 10 Commandments – Follow or you shall rot in hell.	11. 10 Commandments – was there to show you what God’s standards are and that we would never be able to achieve His standards. That’s why we have Jesus.

*The above does not signify a right or wrong value. It solely represents how I have been further enlightened in my journey in Christianity personally. People may still hold differing views and that’s acceptable.

So those are some of the values that have evolved with the new environment we are in. With the new horizons that we become exposed to - that there is more than just focusing on sin… there’ grace. And that to me is the beauty of life, when we are exposed to new horizons, we are able to think and re-evaluate our beliefs and change our values accordingly. With education comes enlightenment. With new perspectives comes liberty. Liberty from being bound by a single perspective. And with liberty comes growth.

I am very close to being convinced to send our kids to a Chinese school…