In my posting Bones of Jesus & Mary Magdalene found! reader mich said “As much as I feel ‘hurt’ when KTemoc has his strong opinion on Christianity …”
Well, I would be lying if I were to bull that I didn’t know what I was getting into, because religion is always a very sensitive subject, with individuals handling it in various manner.
Yes, I didn’t help much by being irrelevant in my comments when it comes to religion, any religion. But why do I pick on poor Christianity?
To be honest I didn’t, but because I was educated in a Methodist school I have a little (not much, mind you, just a wee iota) knowledge of the Bible, and in that I feel a little comfortable talking about its contents.
If you look at my posting again, you’d find I didn’t question the Resurrection. I wrote what newspapers in the Western world had written, with of course a bit of the usual KTemoc-ish irrelevance to spice up the posting.
I challenge anyone - now’s my turn to challenge you guys ;-) – to point out where I had questioned the Resurrection, other than to report what the media had reported.
But there were three reasons why I posted the subject two days after it appeared in the press when I could have done it immediately I read that article.
One – I waited for Malaysian newspapers to report that, but alas, there’s tight-assed self censorship. Is it healthy for our society?
Two – Malaysian Christians [some of whom are my friends – I hope they still are] feel pissed off with bloody blasphemous biased(?) KTemoc. But that’s precisely how Muslims or Hindus would feel too if the very foundation of their religions were challenged. For example, when I questioned Buddhism once, my mum slapped me, so yes, I am aware that some people like my mum couldn’t handle it.
Three – Malaysian Muslims may wish to know that the news of the bones of Jesus and family have been and are openly discussed in the West, without Christians rushing out to burn anything or kill anyone - of course we get the usual suspects lambasting James Cameron and gang.
Compare this issue with ‘One’ above and also the terrible pressure one local actress must have felt when she made a fairly innocuous remark about the wife of the Prophet (pbuh) in the (no longer live) TV show Sensani.
Basically if your faith is strong and resilient - and all religions (even Buddhism) are based on faith - you don’t worry about others questioning your beliefs. So I hope mich and Y1 and indeed Ranger (I think I know who you are) won’t be demoralised or too upset.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen – Hebrews 11:1
then good ole Luke had this to say:
Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? - Luke 12:27-28
All is forgiven KT. Your irrelevance is showing and you wear it on your sleeve. :) Peeved as I am (er I mean was)I know you like to take the mickey. No probs mate. I just wish you make it clearer between the quotations and your own opinions.
ReplyDeleteYour bible knowledge never ceases to amaze me as a Christian. One day I hope it might sink a littele lower from your head to your heart (oops pardon my attempt to proselytise! :))
Methodist school eh from Penang? I just wonder which year. It did produce some wonderful people. Irrelevant or not! :D
ktemoc:
ReplyDeletefirst and foremost, I would like to clear also few thing: When I mentioned I am "hurt", noted that I used "", figuratively can you imagine someone being "stabbed", "injured", "wounded" but you are powerless to retaliate? In this case, when I wrote to Y1 about this hurtness, I am more keen to convince him that it is not our position to "challenge" KTemoc more than anything the little faith I have (Oh yeah, I am not a big faith lady but depending on the grace of God who keep me in Him).
Yes, apart from your catchy title, and little Israel/Christian Right conspiracy theory going on, you did not challenge the Resurrection.
And respond to your few other claims:
1) Malaysia's newsreport. Sorry that I could not answer for that part, you might have to check that out with Malaysia's government.
2) Yes, there is a wide range of tolerance among individuals (emphasize individual). And realizing this is a reality of life, I am and will be very concern that the fellow Christians who you read ur blog here could be as nasty as a lot of comments out there (believe me, I am very ashamed of what other Christians could write or say). Thus, I wrote to Y1 about my concern. And if you can see the extension of this, I see there is no gain in "hurting" others just to show that you dare to "poke" Christianity but not others. But alas, that is my little personal conviction and the others (Christians or non-Christians) might not share the view I have here.
3) Yes, Malaysian Muslims may wish to know this news of Jesus's bones claimed to be found. But again, this is your blog, your opinion, you decide the way how it is written, and readers like Ranger, Y1, Hedonese and me decided to feedback with the questions raised about this piece of news, like DNA stuff. And as for no Christian rushing out to kill or burn, IMHO, we should not be pleased with ourselves of not doing it, but rather bear in mind that we OUGHT not to do it in the first place. Being Christian should not mean by NOT BEING a bad person, but being someone who is a follower and has the quality like Jesus Christ. (But of course, that is often the ideal, in reality we are weak in flesh...). And as for lambasting James Cameron and the gang, seriously you are not allowing me to whine or bitchy even a bit when I am pissed off? :P As far as I know, James Cameron's movie will still be out and presumably he did not lose his career over this yet.
and finally, thanks for the wonderful reminder on Hebrews 11:1, too bad we can't scientifically proved that to a lot of atheist out there who question the faith...
Tut,tut back pedalling, like the writer said "Christianity-THE SAFE FAITH TO INSULT" http://www.nypost.com/seven/02272007/postopinion/opedcolumnists/the_safe_faith_to_insult_opedcolumnists_mark_goldblatt.htm
ReplyDeleteI have been going through your archives, you indeed have a skewed view of minority faiths in Malaysia. You are not, what you claim to be.Would you have the 'cojones' to mock the majority religion?
And that would prove exactly what, Ranger? That if he can 'bang' (not what you're doing, KTemoc, but I'm using it in this context) one religion, he should be able to 'bang' all the rest? Get a grip, Mr. Angry Christian, our faith is not so weak that it needs our protection, unless you feel threatened. ;)
ReplyDeleteIt was your title "Bones of Jesus & Mary Magdalene found!" that had people tied up in knots. Had you titled it "Bones of Jesus & Mary Magdalene found ?" then you would have just been citing what the media had written and not affirming that the bones had indeed been found.
ReplyDeleteYes it is true that you do indeed spice up your postings but your postings were usually well researched and facutal.
But this story about the "tomb" of Jesus is old hat. Why you picked on it as a topic is actually puzzling to say the least as it has been debunked so much over the years. Surely you also know about Jesus' other "tombs" in (a) Kashmir, India (http://www.tombofjesus.com) and (b) Japan (http://www.thiaoouba.com/tomb.htm). This is great - he now has three "tombs" - and that in its self must be another miracle not recorded in any of the Gospels!
To simply parrot what a filmmaker and a journalist have been sensationalizing to promote their respective products is just not KT's style.
My point is if you are skeptical about a 2000 year old 'story' shouldn't you also be skeptical about a present day 'discovery' based in part on the 2000 year old ‘story’ ?
But when it comes to conspiracies, you surely take the cake, yet somehow you miss other equally important conspiracies:
1) The conspiracy of the disciples & apostles to keep the “myth of the resurrection” alive after having buried him in a box with a big label that said "Jesus, son of Joseph" where any Roman soldier could so easily have found it. (Remember, the Romans were searching high and low for the body they claimed was stolen. Further, the disciples would not have wanted any evidence lying around to counter their claims of his resurrection.)
2) The conspiracy of the Romans in failing to find the ‘stolen’ body of the despised Jesus of Nazareth. (If they had found the body then they could debunk once and for all the “myth of the resurrection” and deal Christianity a still birth.)
3) Is it beyond the whelm of possibility that some of the Jewish leaders would not have staged a deliberate plot to plant some bodies in an attempt to discredit the testimony of Jesus’ followers and the 500+ people that saw him resurrected after the crucifixion?
4) A kid may have found these ossuaries long ago and inscribed on them as a prank. (They could have inscribed "Emperor of the Universe" on the ossuaries but then it wouldn’t have been as sensational when discovered many years later and poor Cameron and Jacobovici wouldn’t be able to drum up publicity for their products).
Some factual errors :
1) “In fact Jesus was said to appear to all the apostles with the sole exception of KTe … er … I mean … doubting Thomas.” - In the Gospel of John (20:24-29) an account is given of his meeting face to face with the risen Jesus.
2) “One of the ossuaries went missing. The human remains inside were destroyed before any DNA testing could be carried out. “ - This is what http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/02/26/jesus-tomb.html?ref=rss says “While the bones found in the boxes were buried in a consecrated area in Jerusalem, Jacobovici said forensic experts can examine DNA material from human residue.”
Refer http://www.y-zine.com/yjesus.htm
for further reading.
P.S.
Please try Googling "Bones of Jesus & Mary Magdalene found!" and you would be surprised to find that you now own a niche of cyberspace.
Hah, the inviolability of religion ... but then I'm KTemoc. My dear Peter woudl it be too late for me to insert a question mark? ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs for your “In fact Jesus was said to appear to all the apostles with the sole exception of KTe … er … I mean … doubting Thomas.” - In the Gospel of John (20:24-29) an account is given of his meeting face to face with the risen Jesus., now where was it I made a factual error than my cheeky mention fo KTe ..."?"
Sorry, my bad, I misread your cheeky mention "of KTe" and just read the last two words - Just one of the perils of speed reading.
ReplyDelete