Why a atheist is defending the Catholic Church?

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As reported in the latest issue of Catholic News Vol 60, Bernard-Henri Levy has come to the defence of the Catholic Church and the Pope.


Levy said in an interview with ABC: "The Pope's voice is extremely important, and we are very unjust to this Pope. I am not Catholic, but I think there is prejudice and especially major anti-clericalism that is taking on enormous proportions in Europe."

Further, he also said that : "We have the right to criticise religions" but he said that he scale of the criticism was "out of proportion".

Read more aboyt the work of Bernard-Henri Levy at www.bernard-henri-levy.com

"Does God exist?"

"Does God exist?" -- Social campaign on education 

Below is one of the latest comment about the above video:
Even though Einstein was a man of Science he didn't express that Science is the way to thing's existence, he even express that Science has still limited knowledge.
So those of you, who don't believe in the existence of God, never claim that Science is the way, because in reality we still have much to learn.

New Creation pastor says sorry for controversial sermon

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First it was Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism and now according to Yahoo News:

"New Creation Church pastor Mark Ng, 48, has personally apologised for a controversial sermon he gave in 2008.

Ng is currently being investigated by the Internal Security Department (ISD) for giving the sermon in which he mocked Taoist beliefs. In a 10-minute audio clip posted on YouTube, Ng is heard joking with the congregation about Chinese rituals and in one instance, compared praying to Taoist deities to “seeking protection from secret society gangsters”."

Lighthouse Evangelism, New Creation and City Harvest (if you have not heard about their problems...where have you been?) are all so called "Mega Churches" and they all put the Christian faith in a bad light.

Forget about their "Prosperity Gospel" preaching which is rubbish in my opinion, their "interest in building mega business" using church funds, they all have people including pastors (senior ones for that) that have behaviour which is shocking to me...

They contribute to non-Christians who think that Christianity is about telling others that their beliefs is flawed but also making fun and jokes of other faith.

They actions has thus far been giving the wrong impression and hope that the authority will do something to these "mad" pastors (senior ones) to preserve our religious harmony and also protect other Christians (of non-mega ones) who formed the majority of the Christian community.

Let's hope that these crazy pastors think before they open their mouth as they are supposed to preach the Word Of God and not tell jokes and entertain. If laughter and applause is what they are looking for, they should become a stand up comic instead.

Read the whole story of "New Creation pastor says sorry for controversial sermon" Here.

How Old is your Church?

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HOW OLD IS YOUR CHURCH?

THIS IS A MOST INTERESTING QUESTION!!!
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WILL ASTOUND MANY OF YOU!

If you are a LUTHERAN, your religion was founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, IN THE YEAR 1517.

If you belong to the CHURCH OF ENGLAND, your religion was founded by King Henry VIII IN THE YEAR 1534, because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to re-marry.

If you are a PRESBYTERIAN, your religion was founded by John Knox in Scotland IN THE YEAR 1560.

If you are a member of the CONGREGATIONALIST, your religion was originated by Robert Brown in Holland IN THE YEAR 1582.

If you are a BAPTIST,  you owe the tenets of your religion to your founder, John Smyth, who launched this denomination in the city of Amsterdam IN THE YEAR 1605.

If you are of the DUTCH REFORMED CHURCH, you recognize Michaelis Jones as your founder, because he originated your religion in New York IN THE YEAR 1628.

If you are a PROTESTANT EPISCOPALIAN, your religion was an offshoot of the Church Of England, and your offshoot was founded by Samuel Seabury in the American Colonies in the 17th Century.

If you are a METHODIST, your religion was launched by John and Charles Wesley in England IN THE YEAR 1744.

If you are a UNITARIAN, then Theophilus Lindley is the founder of your church, in London IN THE YEAR 1774.

If you are a MORMON (LATTER DAY SAINTS) your modern religion was started by Joseph Smith in Palmyra, New York,IN THE YEAR 1829.

If you worship with THE SALVATION ARMY, your sect began with Willian Booth in the city of London IN THE YEAR 1865.

If you are a CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST, you recognize that your religion was begun by Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy IN THE YEAR 1879.

If you belong to one of the religious organizations known as
"CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE",
or "PENTECOSTAL GOSPEL",
Or "HOLINESS CHURCH",
or "PILGRIM HOLINESS CHURCH",
or "JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES",
Or any of the MULTIPLE THOUSANDS OF STOREFRONT CHURCHES, then your religion is one of the thousands of new sects founded by men WITHIN THE PAST 150 YEARS!

If you are a ROMAN CATHOLIC,  Then you know that your Church was founded IN THE YEAR 33
BY JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD,AND IT IS STILL THE SAME CHURCH!!!

Sharing in the Abundance

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Each of the readings this weekend reminds us of an important aspect of our Eucharistic Celebration. While all the accounts identify the meal as integral to the event, the reading from Genesis speaks of the priestly offering of bread and wine as Melchizedek professes his faith in the prayer of blessing.

In the Second Reading from Corinthians, we reflect on the words of the institution of the Eucharist: “this is my body,,...this cup is the new covenant in my blood.” They point to the sacrificial element in a Celebration that anticipates the second coming of Christ.

In Luke’s account of the feeding of the five thousand on the Mount, the generosity of the Lord extends to the physical and spiritual needs of people who eat of the loaves and the fish. In our case the Lord feeds and sustains us with the bread of life and wine when we partake of the Eucharist.

The Eucharistic celebration is truly a sacrificial meal in which the body of Christ is broken for us. It is also a celebration of the intimate union of all believers with the Lord and with one another as the body of Christ as Church because we share in the one bread and drink of the one cup. Likewise, it is an action we continue together as a community of believers, remembering the Lord and strengthening our resolve to live as his disciples.

We only comprehend in faith our integral and intimate union with Christ and with one another as his body. We are urged to reflect on our faith in the Lord in the Eucharist. However this faith extends itself to the whole community’s understanding and appreciation of itself as the body of Christ, its willingness to share in the sacrifice of Christ, and its response to the gift of the Lord.

The imagery in the readings also stimulates reflection: bread, wine, meat, feeding Body and Blood. These images are part of our daily lives. Likewise, they are personal, dynamic and essential to our very existence. The images while representing biblical tradition, reside within the experience of every family and community.

The celebration of the Body of Christ occurs not only in the Eucharist, but we also celebrate our union with the Lord in the ordinary circumstances of our lives. Furthermore, a connection exists between our appreciation of the Eucharist and our appreciation of the Church as a community.

Finally, the readings urge us to consider our responsibility of feeding others as did the apostles and the other disciples. The Lord uses his followers and the Church to witness his presence in our world. As a community, we can do for others what people cannot do for themselves.

We can provide for the physical and spiritual needs of others, nourishing them with his word. Just as the readings suggest the continued abundance of the Lord, we might explore and put into practice ways of sharing in the abundance we may have with others. It may be time spent with the aged, the sick and the lonely. It may financial or material resources to feed the hungry and the destitute. It may be prayers said with and for them. There are many varied and creative ways of reaching out to others.

We want to do this because we share in the intimacy with Christ in the Eucharist because we are the Church, his Body.

Taken from the bulletin of St Francis Xavier Serangoon

Believing in Jesus

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Today’s readings emphasise believing in Jesus, the Risen lord. He is powerfully present in the community and manifests himself to the disciples. In the new age, the disciples carry on the ministry of Jesus and rely on the presence of the Holy Spirit. In our time, belief takes on a different tenor for we believe in the testimony of others and without the signs seen in the early days of the Church.

The early Church was a community which was credible and attractive to others because it gave testimony to the presence and action of the Lord. This resulted in a great increase in the number of believers in the early Church.

In the reading from Revelation, John reflects on the meaning and significance of his union with Christ and the union of Christians in the Lord. It is a union in suffering and glory. According to John, Jesus and the Christian do not pass through suffering into glory. Rather, for Jesus and the Christian, suffering and glorification occur in the same moment. In other words, in the suffering is the glorification.

The reading also reminds us of the presence of the Risen Lord in our ministry. John’s vision stresses the presence of the Lord among us. The glorified Lord is always with the Church as he interprets the meaning of events and gives new life to hispeople. Jesus is present and active in our lives and in the community.

In the two appearances of the Risen Lord to his disciples as recorded in John’s gospel, Jesus invites the unbelieving disciples to a new level of belief. In the first episode, the frightened disciples were filled with joy when they heard the words of peace spoken by Jesus. They believed in his new presence among them and
because of this renewed faith, they were sent forth to continue his mission. Believing is therefore more than an affirmation of faith in Jesus. It is actively continuing the mission of Jesus. The Risen Lord assures us that he will continue to be with us in his Spirit. It is in the reality that we celebrate the Easter liturgies.

The second appearance of Jesus to his disciples speaks of believing in Jesus.. The story of Thomas’ “unbelief” reminds us of ourselves. Thomas would not believe in the presence of the Risen Lord on the testimony of others. We remember Thomas being mentioned several times in the gospel. At the time of Lazarus' death in Bethany, Thomas said,“Let us go and die with him.” During the Last Supper,he had some difficulty understanding Jesus. “Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Thomas seemed again to struggle in his faith and needed a sign of his own choosing – a sign that would confirm Jesus’ death and resurrection. However, the doubt of Thomas was the prelude to a great confession of belief: “My Lord and my God.”

Today’s readings end with a clarification of what believing in Jesus is all about. When we believe in Jesus, we have life in his name. The reading identifies for us the focus of our belief and urges us to believe in Jesus. And our belief can only be an effectual sign if it is expressed in relationship with and service of others within and beyond our community.

The above article is taken from the bulletin of the St Francis Xavier Church - Serangoon.

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City Harvest Church responds to questions over non-disclosure of Suntec deal

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City Harvest Church has sought to clear the air surrounding the confidentiality of its deal to co-own Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

In a two-page notice to its members on Sunday, it explained that it had signed a non-disclosure agreement.

This makes the megachurch a party to the Shareholders Agreement.

It has to keep confidential all matters and details relating to the Suntec transaction, including the share price and the percentage of shares acquired.

The church also said there is a "strong and unfounded allegation" floating online that the Management Board and Reverend Kong Hee are "deliberately concealing a number of embarrassing facts from its members".

You can read the full report HERE

Well, I think the missing fact is this...

As the reading of this Easter week's reading (Colossians 3:1-8) clearly tell us: "that is why you must kill everything in you that is earthly: sexual vice, impurity, uncontrolled passion, evil desires and especially greed"

It should be things in heaven that we should be looking for....

A church should not be turned into a business enterprise and tax free funds collected in the name of charity should be used towards helping the needy....

How do you think?

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• City Harvest Church or City Harvest Inc? (searching4god.blogspot.com)
• What a ex-Mega Church goers have to say... (searching4god.blogspot.com)

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What a ex-Mega Church goers have to say...

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I read with interest the comments of 1 ex-mega church goer named Takumi who commented in an online article. This is what Takumi has to says:

"It is not the amount of money collected that should be under scrutiny, rather the way it is collected. Being from an ex mega-church member, I’ve seen firsthand the methods they employed to achieve their aims.

1) Admonish members who do not tithe as lacking faith, often implying that God is watching and displeased. Works wonders with regards to the faithful and devout.

2) Conduct regular campaigns on top of monthly tithing which ‘encourages’ members to donate beyond their means as a ‘test of faith’. The more you donate beyond your means, the ‘greater’ your faith. You get to go up on stage and be praised and congratulated by the senior pastors and the audience. Works wonders for people with low self esteem.

3) Implying (implicitly or otherwise) that God will repay(in monetary riches or equivalent) manifolds your sacrifice. This is essentially lying as nowhere in the bible does it state that God will financially reward those who donate to the church. The verse that has any remote resemblance goes like this: “for those who have, more will be given.” Those who do not know the true meaning of that verse should leave the church immediately. Craving for monetary riches is completely opposite to what the bible teaches. Anyway this works well for members who are there for the ‘prosperity’ aspect.

4)Using appropriate smoothing music (violins and pianos work best), hypnotic chanting and silent introspective prayers (indoctrination in effect) in harmony with the above tactics can create the essential feel good, faithfulness or guilt associated emotions that can make these members emotionally or psychologically vulnerable to persuasion and/or coercion.
Works well with everyone. It has been proven experimentally that , when we are exposed to certain auditory/visual stimuli, our emotions can be manipulated subconsciously. This method has been routinely employed by politicians, salesmen, hypnotists and of course church pastors.

Add in mass indoctrination, force of habit and peer pressure, you can understand why their members willingly hand out their hard earned money to these pastors without bothering about how it will be spent.

It is a pity that none of these tactics has any legal implications simply because their claims (of god and rewards) are not based on evidence and therefore cannot be challenged."

Takumi commented in an article regarding the investment of City Harvest Church which you can read about Here

Prelude to Triumph and Glory

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This Sunday which commemorates the Passion of our Lord is a prelude to the three holiest days of the year during which we celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. As a prelude is meant to introduce us to what is to follow, it offers us an overview of what we are about to experience. Hence our liturgy today must lead us into the celebration of Holy Week with renewed faith in and gratitude to God for his salvation for all mankind.

As palms are blessed and the Gospel story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is proclaimed, Jesus is likened to a saviour-king figure and greeted with blessings and praise. As we listen to the enthusiastic welcome of Jesus of the people, we can’t help feeling the sense of eager anticipation of great things to come. At the same time, there is a sense of foreboding as we behold the envy of the enemies of Jesus who see in the tumultuous welcome of Jesus by the people of a signal for them to act quickly against Jesus. They are not caught up with the popular enthusiasm for they fume with jealousy and milk their beards as they bid Jesus to silence the vociferous multitudes. The readings and the psalm fit well into this pattern of the prelude. They each move from joy to sadness, from well-being to suffering, from glory to ignominy. They both highlight the saviour image of Jesus. In Isaiah’s Third Servant Song (First Reading), the servant who has been proclaimed in the earlier songs as beloved, gifted with the Spirit of God, consecrated, a light to the nations and a gentle minister of the Lord’s justice, is now shown the truly faithful servant.

This Servant has always been seen as a model for all disciples and for the people of Israel itself. They knew from their history that prophets were not listened to. They were ridiculed, rejected and even killed. This reality is manifestly acknowledged in the Third Servant Song. On Good Friday, as we walk the Way of the Cross and venerate the Cross, we will listen to, be touched by, and appreciate with profound gratitude to the Servant’s complete self-giving, bearing our sins for us and loving us to the point of being a “man of sorrows”, dying on the Cross.
This theme is then taken up in the anguish and pathos of the Responsorial Psalm 22, opening with the heart-rending, desperate prayer-cry of Jesus, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This is Jesus’ prayer of complete abandonment to his Father – a prayer of utter self-giving to the Father – a fitting prelude to the Father’s glory.

Then in the Letter of Paul to the Philippians, we are also led through the abandonment to God accepting his Son’s sacrifice, receiving him with love and loving him into new, risen, glorious life. To prepare for the Holy Week by focusing solely on the suffering Jesus is not to prepare fully. The suffering is no end in itself. It is Jesus’ gift, received by the Father who transforms it into new life for all of us.

The Gospel reading dramatizes the roles of many of Jesus’ disciples: the warning to Peter about his impending unfaithfulness and his subsequent denial of Jesus, the sleeping disciples in Gethsemane, Judas' kiss of betrayal, the grieving women of Jerusalem, the conscripted Simon of Cyrene, the repentant thief, and Joseph of Arimathea who buried Jesus. And there is Jesus himself, God-made-man, the Master, the Servant, the Lord, sweating and betrayed, humiliated, scorned, bearing the weight of our sinfulness on his back and crucified.

But this is the Father’s plan of love. It’s the Father’s prelude to his Son’s glory.

This passage is taken from the bulletin of The Church Of St Francis Xavier.

City Harvest Church or City Harvest Inc?

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They are back in the news....for the wrong reasons as usual.

City Harvest Church announced recently that they have purchased a stake in Suntec City for S$310 million.

The church was recently asked by the Commissioner of Charities about this business venture.

City Harvest did not create a separate business entity for the purchase.

There are concerns regarding this arrangement because the church's income as a registered charity is non-taxable.

It seems like there is a loop hole whereby one can strive towards one's own ambitions by building a business empire using tax free money. By their teaching of tithing, they get regular and steady income streams which are tax free.

As the church's collection are registered as charity and thus tax free, shouldn't the money be used for helping the poor and needy?

Well, in the case of some so called mega churches, it seems like this is the best way to enrich themselves and thus the need to turn the church into a business enterprise........with returns to justify more money to be paid to it's leaders.

Certainly, these people need to reflect on themselves and people who goes to such churches, stop giving yourself excuses and no it's not God's grace that made the leader's rich...it's you and your money.

This brings to mind the story just before Jesus started His ministry and was lead into fasting and prayer for 40 days in the desert. Jesus was tempted when shown all the riches and kingdom He would receive in return for worshipping the devil....

Well Jesus made His choice......how about you?

A light and messengers of Christ to the world .

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Jesus did not reach out to the people with words but with deeds. It only through our deeds, we know that we have faith in Christ.

Through our deeds, then we are a light to the world and messengers of Christ. Good deeds comes as a result of a total conversion in the heart....to one that is always of love, charity and compassion.

Yes, salvation is by faith but faith that has deeds for “if good deeds do not go with it (faith), it is quite dead”.

Does our Church preach to us about God's love, charity and compassion? I know almost all Churches claimed to do so but does you Church practice what she preaches?

Does your Church do her part in reaching out to the poor and needy by caring for them in terms of providing education, providing shelter (nursing homes, homes) and medical care such as hospitals and hospice?

Because "In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me." (MT25:40)

Does your Church lead by example to love God and your neighbour which is the commandments of Jesus ?

Are you living your life as a light and messenger of Christ to the world ?

Are you following Jesus's instructions to go out and spread God’s love by caring and loving people around you as as God loved you ?

God Bless.

What does the Gospels says....??

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What is Jesus really teaching and doing in the 4 Gospels?

Perhaps Paul provided the best summary in 1 Corinthians - Chapter 13:13 when he said “As it is, these remain: faith, hope and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.”

As Jesus Himself said (in MT 22:37-40): “'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.”

Jesus reaches out to everyone (including the tax collectors and prostitutes) especially the poor and needy regardless if they believed in Him. He help and cure them because of his Love for them. Many are converted because they felt loved by Jesus and followed Him.

So, if a Christian is someone who subscribed his faith to “the life and teachings of Jesus”, then Christians must live his life based the 2 commandments for: "Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love." - 1Jn 4:8.

As Christians, we place great importance in God’s Word and keep His commandments close to our hearts. However, words amount to nothing if we do not live by them or if we do not follow God’s will in our daily living. It is easy to profess what we believe in, yet our actions are not always in line with our profession.

Jesus did not reach out to the people with words but with deeds. Through our deeds, then we are a light to the world and messengers of Christ.

Only through our deeds, we know that we have faith in Christ. As James said in James Chapter 2:
17. In the same way faith, if good deeds do not go with it, is quite dead
18. It is by my deeds that I will show you my faith
22. So you can see that his faith was working together with his deeds; his faith became perfect by what he did.
24. You see now that it is by deeds, and not only by believing, that someone is justified.

We are called to remain devoted and faithful to God’s Word in our lives. The Last Judgment account in Mt 25 reminds us that it is our actual deeds of love that matter, not mere words.
In MT 7:21-27 , Jesus also warned us that not all who call “Lord…Lord…” will enter into Heaven. It is not lips service that He wants. He said a true disciple are those who hear the words and act on it. Not those who hear but do nothing.

Why would one who believed in Him and not follow His commandments?

What is Christianity?

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According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity), Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament. The Christian faith is essentially faith in Jesus as the Christ (or Messiah), the Son of God, the Saviour, the manifestation of God to humankind (Immanuel), and God (Yahweh or the “Lord”) himself.

A simpler version according to Macmillian English dictionary explained as the religion based on the ideas of Jesus Christ. Its followers worship in a church.

And Christians are adherents of the Christian faith (according to Wikipedia) and someone whose religion is Christianity (according to Macmillian English dictionary).

If above is agreed upon, then what is “the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in the New Testament”?

Shall talk about that in the next post.

Beautiful Churches

It has been a while since I updated this blogs...sorry. I'll be back soon.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of beautiful churches....

Jesus Saves.............

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Here's a joke that I received from a friend and would like to share with you:

Jesus and Satan were having an on going argument about who was better on the computer.

They had been going at it for days, and frankly God was tired of hearing all the bickering.

Finally fed up, God said, 'THAT'S IT!
I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for two hours, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job.!

So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away.

They moused.

They faxed.

They e-mailed.

They e-mailed with attachments.

They downloaded.

They did spreadsheets!

They wrote reports.

They created labels and cards.

They created charts and graphs.


They did some genealogy reports.


They did every job known to man.

Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency and Satan was faster than hell.

Then, ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured, and, of course, the power went off..

Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld.

Jesus just sighed.

Finally the electricity came back on, and each of them restarted their computers.


Satan started searching frantically, screaming:

'It's GONE! It's all GONE!

'I lost everything when the power went out!'

Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours of work.

Satan observed this and became irate.

'Wait!' he screamed.

'That's not fair! He cheated!

How come he has all his work and I don't have any?'

God just shrugged and said,



JESUS SAVES

Church lifts sanctions on Fr Joachim Kang

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"FATHER JOACHIM KANG is a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiosese of Singapore and has always been." This is what Archbishop Nicholas Chia said in a statement that officially restored Fr Kang fully to his duties as a priest.

Read more about His Grace's message here.

It is hearth-warming to know that the Archbishop welcome Fr Kang with so much warmth and love.

In a recent interview with the press, Fr Kang has also expressed his eagerness to return to his priestly ministry work.

Let pray for Fr Kang and welcome him back.

Religious groups agree tolerance is vital in multi-racial society

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The church may not water down its stand on homosexuality but hopes for better understanding when engaging the issue with other groups, according to the Bishop of the Anglican Church in Singapore.

Why did he has to say this? Well, this was a continuation from one of his senior pastor who used the pulpit to garner support for some of his church members during the recent AWARE saga.

The Bishop of the Anglican Church, John Chew, said there needs to be some fine tweaking of the way it is handled.

He said: "We have to recalibrate our perceptions, our understanding of the common space and how should we engage and how should we address one another. But the most important thing is that in the sense we are uniquely Singapore."

You can read about it here.

Well he is certainly right as many Christians has been pushing their own agenda without regards to truth and faith they preached. And more importantly, with no regards to feelings of people from other faith.

After all, all Christ wants from us is love each other as He has love us. And hopefully, Christians will heed the call of the bishop.

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One in Christ

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This is the Fifth Sunday of Easter and the readings are as follows:
1st Reading Ac 9:26-31, 2nd Reading 1Jn 3:18-24, Gospel Jn 15:1-8

In many ways we differ from one another. Thanks to God for the riches of this variety. How sad our world would be if we were all the same, for we would see only our own image. We differ in our faces, our characters, our personalities and occupations, our language and cluture, in so many things. Yet there is one thing that brings us here together. We belong to Christ, we are united in him. He wants this bond to be a close union: like branches on a tree, on a life-giving vine. We are one in Him with one another. We pray that this union may be close and effective.

Anglican Church and AWARE

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On Thursday, Dr John Chew, president of the National Council of Churches of Singapore or NCCS (the umbrella Christian group), issued a statement to selected media calling for churches to "all step back and give AWARE space to settle its own matters".

The NCCS’s statement said among other things, that it did not condone the use of the pulpit to get involved in the controversy.

Senior pastor of the Church Of Our Saviour Derek Hong has issued a public apology for using the pulpit to give backing to the Association of Women for Action and Research's (AWARE) executive committee in their dispute with the group's previous leadership. Incidentally, Dr John Chew is also the archbishop of the Anglican church and pastor Hong’s Church Of Our Saviour is in Dr John’s diocese.

You can read about it at "Pastor apologises for misusing pulpit".

A little information and latest update on AWARE.

Ms Josie Lau and her exco have stepped down from Association of Women for Action and Research or AWARE in short. Ms Lau and some other exco came into power at AWRE in a hostile manner less than 2 months ago.

6 members of the exco are later revealed to be from an Anglican Church Of Our Saviour. This also spark concerns from some as AWARE is a secular NGO and religion should not be allowed to encroach it.

These are some of the concerns that people at the recent AGM said :

1. One Malay Muslim woman said she was not comfortable with an-all Christian and all-Chinese group representing a secular group like AWARE. And members of the Christian faith stood up and said the action of the new Exco set back constructive dialogue between Christians and secularists in Singapore.
2. "We are here because we were deeply troubled by how this executive committee came to power. We are here because we are deeply troubled by the usurpation of civic space, and the lack of respect for the values of pluralism, democracy that this new executive committee has demonstrated," said one member of the audience.
3. "AWARE is about inclusiveness, AWARE in helping women, helps everybody, male and female. And whatever their sexual orientation can be, it does not matter, because they are first and foremost a person. A human being and that's what AWARE is about," said another.

Although former AWARE president Lau said that : “Race, religion were never an issue. We welcome women of all races, culture, religion and come and serve on the subcommittee," clearly, the crowd was not won over.

Another sticking point that was revealed was the fact that under Ms Lau, AWARE spend $90,000 in the last month since they took power some two months ago while under the constitution, the exco is not allowed to spend more than S$20,000 and if they do, they must consult members.

It's Good Friday

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It's Good Friday and Christians flocked to churches to mark the day they believe Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross and died.

The Catholics churches was stripped of all decorations and no music - on a day meant for prayer, fasting and abstinence.

There will be a celebration three days later on Easter Sunday, Christ is resurrected.