Singapore Methodist cleric calls for tolerance
Guest speaks:
Michael, I just wanted to share with you this article Singapore Methodist cleric calls for tolerance
A former Methodist bishop has called for greater understanding and respect for gays in Singapore, where recent public debate has questioned whether homosexuality should be decriminalized.
“We know that the differences will exist, we only . . . plead for mutual respect and not for condemnation,” the Rev. Dr. Yap Kim Hao, who in 1968 became the first Asian bishop of The Methodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia, said at a Thursday night dialogue on homosexuality and the church.
Most of Singapore’s 4.5 million people are Buddhist, followed by Christians. The nation’s other main religion, Islam, also forbids homosexuality.
Posted in on May 28th, 2007 by suzie | |
on May 28th, 2007 at 10:21 am
Religion and politics should be separate.SG after so many years want to alter course and not be the moral police anymore as their soceity opens up due to the casino’s. There cannot be two systems .
Govts cannot be God…..religion is a personal thing…it is u and God alone.. U cannot criminalize God’s law cos that would make u God..
on May 28th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
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on May 28th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Religion is not just plain black and white. The Bible was written 2000 years ago..
What u believe now maybe the wrong belief in the future when some guy comes and tell u , u have been believing in the wrong concept..
It took Martin Luther King to say that ur salvation was saved by the grace of God and not by ur works.The whole Christain world or Roman Catholics at that time believed that one is saved by works . Thus was born the new Protestant church….
Then another famous evangelist said , u dont need to follow the old dietery laws of the Old Testament.
There are so many christian churches of so many denominations..Who is right ?
I have my own interpretations too only I dont have a church.
In the Bible , homosexuality is an abomination… but what was the punishment for homosexuals. Anyone?? How will God punish homosexuals? The Living Bible says homosexuals will not go to heaven..Now ,if they repented and asked for forgiveness…. will they go to heaven? I dont have the answers.. I think I ‘ll just be a simpleton , believed in God and love my fellow brothers and sisters and not judge anyone .There is only one God and only one judge.Period
on May 28th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
My mom used to tell me that a woman’s external beauty comes from what she eats….Do u agree?
I think this old wife tale is true. She need’s to eat the right kind of food to give her a beautiful external appearance.
Some mothers would prepare ‘Tong Kuei, Pat Chan herbs with black chicken to let their daughters drink for their health and vitality.Some would take ‘Ling zhi” in tablet form
Some girls are born with natural beauty or have flawless complexions,, their skin so smooth like Hazeline snow..keke!
on May 28th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Will u send ur aged parents to the old folk’s home?
In our Asian soceity ,filial piety is a good trait of our culture.All children are expected to have filial piety but in the present times, this custom is slowly dying or phasing out.
Many children have forgotten their roots and do not know what filial piety is all about. Some of them , even though they rich and successful , do not care about their parents and send them to the old folk’s home.
Their parents who worked hard and saved and sacrificed for them is forgotten or unappreciated by their materialistic offsprings . There are many OFH everywhere.
Some may visit them once a month while some dont even visit them or only once a year.There is nothing those old people can do but only wait to die ……
When u are old, ur brains shrinks and many brain cells die and they will have slow dementia or forgetfullness. Their behaviour becomes like children again..They have to depend on their children for all their needs.
When u were young, ur parents carried u to what u are today but when they became old, they were carried by the children to where they didnt want.
Some children had no choice as there were no one to looked after their parents and it was found that , the OFH is much better as they will have company and all their food and washing and lodging was taken care off.
When our parents are old, they are always eager to see their children and look forward to ur visits…Please visit ur old parents if u still have them……before they are no more.
on May 28th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Why romance died after marriage? Whose fault is it?
He came into ur beautiful world by chance or ur good fortune and the God of Love smiling upon u , send Cupid to shoot an arrow into ur young ,supple and tender heart.
When he was enchanted by ur beauty and romancing u, u felt like u were on top of the world. It was such sweet agony and esctasy.Ur world whirled at a frenzied pace and ur heart rhytemic to his strong heart beats.
U whisphers softly into his ears,’I Do!’after a whirlwind romance which swept u off ur feet.U think , u have atlast found the gorgeous , charming and alluring beau of ur dreams.
The man whose footsteps u worshipped and adored with all ur body ,heart and soul and put on a pedestal have become an idol of clay .
Why is that happening? What happened to romance?
Why has he changed from the romantic and easy guy u knew and love to someone alien to u.
Many questions flow through ur mind .U believed righteously that u have been an adoring and loving wife and has done no wrong to him but find’s that he treats u differently and sometimes with disdain.
U will blame him for all the ills that beset ur marriage.He does not understand and he has done all is expected of him as a responsible husband and he still cannot satify his wife’s insatiable appetite.
He is not wrong for he has become his real self or what he is .It was u that was blind with love and did not see him for what he was.Romance was just a part of the chase and he believed that he need have to continue the romance since he has married her as his wife.
He came from another world and was brought up to do the hunt and when the prey was captured . The trophy was to be hanged up on the wall for decorations.The chase ends for him.. All romance and any fire left in him would be extinguished, not knowing that for her , her life was starting as a woman ,wife and mother .
With kids and so many responsibilities to shoulder, it is a hardbreaking task and the man and woman may never find the time to be alone together like old times.
The attrictions of daily living have taken their toll on romance.Slowly, they grind their daily routine and romance slowly creeps out of the window without them realising it.
The man become oblivious to the needs of his wife who could not expostulate or demonstrate her desires….
Now that u know how romance cooled or died.Is it the fault of man? Only u know the answer…..
on May 29th, 2007 at 8:32 am
My God and I……
To know God is to know love.For God is the God of infinite love, infinite patience and infinte kindness.
If u know God and have no love , it is like an empty gong.U need to love ur neighbour as yourself and to do good to others,if u want others to do good to u.
If u are a parent or grandparent and if ur children or grandchildren is a homosexual or transexual or intersexual, will u judged and condemned them?Will u disowned them or ex-communicate with them?
U brought them into this world and u sacrificed everything for them because they are ur children ,ur own blood and bones.Just because they have preferences for the same kind,will u stop loving them or throw the book at them?
If u being a human will not condemned ur own children,God will also not condemned them.We are all children of God.His love for us is greater than our love for our children. God’s love is infinte and limitless.
In the bible, it is stated that homosexuals are deserving of death.But God so love his children that He send His only son to die for our sins…
The sins of homosexuals and all sinners are death but God’s love , patience and kindness is infinte and He will wait for the sinners to repent. He is a very fair God and will give them many chances to repent.God can wait 7 years, 10 years or 30 years or more for u to come back to Him.
I am also a great sinner and I am weak ,thats why I need my God to help me and guide me.My God works through the area of my conscience. If what I did was wrong, my conscience will give me no peace. I will be troubled and cannot sleep everyday. If I obey His voice, then I will have peace.
There is only one God and one judge in this world or universe and I have no right to judge my brothers or sisters whatever their preferences maybe but only to love them like my own brothers and sisters.This is the loving God I know and whom I love with all my body ,soul and spirit.Peace to everyone and whatever ur belief is… Amen!
on May 29th, 2007 at 8:55 am
My God says, “He did not come for those who are well but for the sick the and infirmed.”
If u see a homosexual, transexual or intersexual person, would u preached that it is against God’s law and then have nothing to do with him anymore or would u love him and allow God to work by His time and not ur time.
on May 29th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Will u gamble or buy Magnum,Kuda and Toto..?
Many people dream of being rich one day.Some will realise their dreams of striking it rich by just buying some numbers.They only have to strike one time and they will be so rich and never have to work again.Many will lose their hard earned money and become poorer instead.
This game of chance is heavily lopsided on the Towkay’s side. Out of 10K numbers, ur chances are one in 10K and in Toto’4/49 is one in 25million.Just imagine the odds against u of hitting the first prize.Furthermore, some hot numbers are usually sold out .(makan sendiri?)
Yet many people who can ill afford to play this game of chance are wasting their precious money.
One week there are three or four draws(special)If they buy just one number for Rm2.00, they would have to spend Rm8.00 for each draw and one week would spend Rm24.00 or Rm32.00 and in one month about Rm96.00 and one year Rm1152.00 This is based only on one number for Rm2.00 if he buys more, then he will lose more. ne may strike some but it will not be enough and in the end he will be the born loser.
Some go to those gambling clubs or friends house to gamble. They become addicted and neglect their wife and family and may even lose their money and become heavily indebt to Ah longs…
Gambling is evil and it is greed….
on May 29th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Ooops! correction ..sorry.
One week there are three or four draws(special)If they buy just one number for Rm2.00, they would have to spend Rm6.00 for each draw and one week would spend Rm18.00 or Rm24.00 and in one month about Rm72.00 and one year Rm864.00
on May 29th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Why woman lives longer than man ..?
Man keeps too much to himself and explodes..keek!A woman can express her feelings better and dont repress them .A woman is more shielded from the outside world and she only comes out of her coccoon at a later stage.Women dont feel the burden of supporting a family. She can always depend on the husband if she cannot work.It never dawn on them what if the husband cannot work…?It is only when they reached that stage, will she thinks of ways to support the family.
A woman may shoulder more responsibilities when she is young and at her most physically and psychically peak.While a man may have to shoulder more responsiblities when he is in the 40’s ,50’s or 60’s…
A man’s peak is reached when he is around 40..After 40 , it is slowly going downhill….he can either go up or go down and there wont be any second chances.
Most man would be around 40++ and 50 ++ when their children start growing up .This places more strain on his burden and this is what is killing them .
on May 29th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Who do u love more.. ur father or mother..?
Some of us are blessed to have both father and mother in our normal family. Some are quite unfortunate to only have either the father or mother.This question does not apply to them.
I come from a two family type. In those olden times, my father married two wife as marrying two wife were quite common and I belong to the 1st family.He wasnt very rich , just only a lorry driver and earning Rm180.00 pm in the 60’s.
I am darned ,with that salary he is able to raise 7 of us in the 1st family and another 6 in the 2nd family..Sheesh!I didnt see my dad rant or got problems about supporting both families. He looked jolly to us but we seldom see him .He left early at 5.30am every morning to work and only come back at 9.00pm at night.By that time we were all asleep. That time we dont have the black and white T.V It was not invented yet or that we were just too poor to afford one..keke!
He was only free on Sunday and that too , he didnt play with us but will help with the household chore. That time we were using the wood stove and had to chop the firewood to cook.
My mother also helped with the finances, she would be the dhoby woman and we were her coolies..keke!She took care of all our needs and till this day, I love her more than my dad…My dad is no more for he died of throat cancer in 1990. I still have my mother and see her every week. She chosed to go to the old folks home as there were no one to take care of her. How times really flies….
on May 30th, 2007 at 11:27 am
How to put romance back into ur relationship..!
Remember ur first thrilling and on cloud nine romance? How u fell in love with ur hunky,tall, dark and handsome beau? Now that u have married and have kids and life is so boring and a drudgery .
U feel that romance is absent or has waned and u recalled those happy and sweet memories when life was so carefree and he was romancing u.U were like two ‘happy go lucky’ guys without a hitch in the world.
U want to energize and spice up ur love life but dont know how to go about it or u are directionless ,just bobbing neither here or there and just being carried away by the ocean currents where it wants.
U crave for the close intimacies, all those sweet nothings and his attentions and affections.Those wonderful sweet , euphoric feelings or sensations of being in love..
U want to seek a fresh purpose to the meaning of ur marriage life which has become so dull and drab.
Though u may not be physically as beautiful as before and he is not as handsome as he used to be , u could still have some fun and fantasies in ur life.U could recharge those dormant feelings and have a blast…
If u are just in love with ur partner and have no romantic love, u will sense a feelings of emptiness, for u would have missed those wonderful and fascination romantic thoughts and feelings.Imaginations and fantasies are what makes our life interesting and pleasurable.
If u have no romantic love and still dont know if it is love,thats is even more muddled and confused…keek! U would have to sit by the river banks and wait till the water subsides and see the stones at the bottom of the river bed.Then u would know whether it is love or not.Time will tell and u need to be very patient.If u dont feel it, then it is not love.
How to be romantic and have those happy and sensual feelings again?
The answer is very simple and yet many dont realize it.. Just fall in love again..!U fall out of love and u need to go back in again using another door or the same door..keek!Maybe u got to say “Zam Zam ala Kazam!” and the magical door of the romance world opens to u..keke!
(part 1 ..to be cont..)
on May 30th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
How to put romance back into ur relationship..!
(Part 2)
To fall in love again , it will have to be the woman who will have to spark the fire of romance .The man would have fallen into a rut and forgotten by now how to romance or thought it is over.
It is to the advantage of the women to create the atmosphere of romance .Let those emotions of romantic love out of the dark cage .Feel and experience those emotional romantic thoughts, the sights , the sensual and soft touch , those caresses, the sounds.Use ur imaginations, what kind of romantic love u would want to share with ur husband or b/f.
Looked at him again through the eyes of another woman and see what u still see in him .All those qualities that u admired before .Have u taken him for granted?
U complained about his insensibilities and his obtuse ways but u never realized that u also took him for granted .Man are also sentimental beings and they need adorations and that he is still attractive to u.
If u want to be romantic, u need to visualize ,read more love stories , see more love dramas.Use more imaginations, feed ur thoughts with more inmaginations , fantasies ,dreams and then they will intensify ur emotions and feelings.
Stop dreaming about the other gorgeous guy which is out of bounds to u and look inwards.
Provide him with a romantic climate or atmosphere where his senses is tilltilated ,soft dim lights or candle lights , soft romantic musics wafting in the backgrounds, wear those sexy outfits , sit near him and switched of the T.V or all distractions.Walk hand in hand in the garden or take him to a beautiful place where u can feel the beauty and the love …
Go to those intimate restaurants where the ambience is conducive to kindle romantic feelings.U could also go to those parks or beaches to picnic, just the two of u.
Make him feel exuberant, enchanted and fascinated with u again .Love will bloom a second time ,when he hold’s u in his strong arms and u radiate like the most beautiful orchid or rose .
Why are still waiting for..? Use ur tongue not for criticizing , complain and naggings but to show him and praise and give him a lick or two..keke!
on May 30th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
To be a romantic, u will need to have more physical contacts and more eye contacts..
Each of us have a need and desire to be held,touched, and caressed or embraced, hug and kissed.U should exchange hugs and kisses liberally, the more the better when u are together.
A kiss is very romantic if given the right way.Kissing on the cheeks , forehead , and gently on the lips or the corner of the lips or anywhere on her head or body is always pleasant, stimulating, exciting and very sensual.
When u are kissed , how do u feel? U will have palpitation of the heart .At that instant nothing matters and u will enjoy that moment of closeness, lip’s touching lip’s and heart’s touching heart’s.U feel ur body merging into his , entwined like those vines tightly and never letting go.
Do u feel his precious and tender love from him and ur warmth affectionate love flowing out to him ? It is like adding more high octane fuel to keep the fires of romance burning brightly and shimmering.
The eye is the window into his heart. Look at his eyes and they will tell u the truth.Some eyes can talk and no need to speak..keek!Want to kiss me or not or can I kiss u now? He will search those beautiful and ur gem like eyes of urs and lips will meet without answering, for both can read each other’s mind..keke! There are very intuned with each other speaking in one mind and spirit.
Dont be judgemental of him, his standards may not be the same as yours.U married into his world and try not to change him according to ur standards as he may not be happy about it.
Think positive always and make life more pleasant and pleasurable to him even if u have to bite ur tongue or expecting him to treat u back the same way.
Dont hold back ur love for him because he did not or forget to do what u expected from him.Treat him like a big grown up kid and be gentle and kind to him..for romantic love to flourish…Darling! I only have eye’s for u…….