FOOD FOR THOUGHT

ok. while waiting for the next dota game. thought i post sth while showering few weeks back.

As many of you might have read about in the bible about people 'helping' God, as at times they do not see his ways over our lives. I'll give you a few examples(yes, i gt read bible)

1) Tower of Babel - A tower that the people of Babylon built as high up, hoping to reach the heavens, in other sense, hoping to find God there. Babel used to be a place of unity, where everybody speaks of the same language. Yet this tower was built for a man-made religion, He confused the people by making them speak different language as scattered them among the earth. Thus the building was never complete. (Earlier i wrote God struck down by lightning, it's wrong by the way, thanks for Sean for pointing this out. Wrote this myself, apologise for not researching enough)

2) The Gold Calf - It was during the period whereby Moses has just led the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land. During their period of the wilderness, Moses went up to Mount Sinai to receive what will become of God's 10 commandments. So Moses left the people for 40 days and 40 nights, and the Israelites fear that Moses might not return. Thus pleading with Aaron to make gods that they could worship to. The bible did not state Aaron's opinion for the decision, but Aaron merely compiled the gold together by collecting gold earrings of the Israelites, melted them and constructed a gold calf. He also set up an altar for the calf, so that the people could worship it. God then told Moses that His people has sinned against Him. Furiously, He said He will eliminate all these people and make Moses the father of the new generations. But Moses pleaded they could be spared and the Lord relented. Moses then went down the mountain of Sinai and got furious upon seeing the Gold calf. He threw down the tablets upon which God's law had been written, and broke them. Moses then burnt the golden calf in the fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on water, and forced the Israelites to drink it. He questioned Aaron about the event, who admitted to collecting the gold, throwing it into the fire, and out came a calf. Then Moses gathered the sons of Levi and set them to slaying a large number of adult males (3000). A plague then struck the Israelites. Nevertheless, the Lord stated that he would one day visit the Israelites' sin upon them.
Since Moses had broken the tablets, the Lord instructed him to return to Mount Sinai yet again to receive a replacement.

3) Uzzah the person who 'steadied' the Ark - It was at the period when King David's journey to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Zion. It was said Uzzah tried to steady the Ark and he was then smitten by God for touching it.

4) Jesus Himself - He performed miracles, cast out demons and healed the sick. Yet the Pharisees whom were said to be priests did not acknowledge that it was God's doings and got the Roman Soldiers to capture Jesus and crucified Him. On the road to Calvary, there were so many people that mocked at Jesus, taunting him time to time to save Himself if He was the Son of God. Yet, unknowingly, there are some of them who actually witnessed the miracles that He performed, they saw how He cast out demons and healed the sick. It was like experiencing God's power so close to themselves. Yet they were just treated Him as evil and trying to be somebody.
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All that aside, in my opinion. I dun really blame all the people in the bible for doing the things they did. Yes they doubt God. But all of us are made like this. Eyes-See, Ears-Hear, Nose-Smell, Skin-Feel, Mouth-Taste. I think that many will agree with me that at times, we will tend to doubt the God that so loved us. Cos, most of us have not seen/hear/smell/feel/taste Him. Thus like the people in the bible. We decided to 'help' God reveal Himself to us through idols and all, thinking that we're still seeking God, even when He said it's not right for idols worship. At the end of the day, we actually end up with nothing at all.

Let's step on another note. As many of the christians here might know, God's ways are simple and easy that we can comprehend of. What's difficult to understand here?

Love God Wholeheartedly & His people Fervently.

Love Your Neighbours As You Will Love Yourself.

Sow and You Shall Reap.

Yet, many at times. It's the people that complicates things.

Have you wondered, that in ALL RELIGIONS. the God MIGHT be the SAME one that we believed in? buddhist, taoist, christians, catholics, muslims, blah blah blah. (no offence and pun intended)

it's just people that complicates things. Thinking that God should be like this or like that. It's very much based on culture of that country at their particular era.

For eg. in Taoism - The Jade Emperor dressings looks like an emperor dressed in their era of dynasty. (Once again, i apologise if i offended anyone, it's my own opinion and thinking. It might not be right. Apologise for not researching enough)

Another opinion that i failed to state out is that different cultures there's different ways of worshipping God also. I remember my teacher telling me once in other countries(Africa i tink), tribes that are christians. They have their ways of worshipping God too, eg offering incense. It's very much based on their culture and life in that area.

It's my opinion and thinking by the way. so dun come crashing dwn on me ya? It's just my point that God's way to people are very simple, it's the people that complicates things. They just added in their ideas what God should be like, thus creating many idols or religions in this sense. Remember after the towel of Babel was destroyed, the once united people are scattered all around the world and they spoke in different language. When people do not understand one another, they come out an 'understanding' of their own. A good example will be the 2nd inference that i mentioned about Israelites and the gold calf. For 40 days and nights when Moses is gone, the people got confused and started coming out with what they think God might be!

Another point you can consider from. As the Israelites were brought out from Egypt. There's bound to be Egyptian gods that they used to pray to. One of it is actually the Egyptian god Apis which is shaped like a cow. Some might say that the Israelites are falling back to their old ways of worshipping other gods when they used to reside in Egypt which is Apis. But do remember, if you have not seen God before. How would you know how He looks like? why a calf? perhaps in Egypt, they TOO, think of what God will look like. Some said they made a calf to worship as Moses is not around, which brings me to a point. Are they worshipping God or Man?

Den again. in the 10 Commandments, God Himself states that you shall not worship other gods before Me. So in the sense, are there other gods? or are they other spiritual forms? Or did God Himself make His word simple to comprehend to the people of Israelites? Cos if the gods that they were worshipping to were just other spiritual form beings, the people might not think of it as other forms but gods instead. Perhaps God makes things clear in their sight on spiritual form beings as their so called 'gods'?

Not that christianity does not have it's own doubts. Remember this religion was branched out from Catholicism. So, in the sense. WE are actually branched out of what seems to be right for many years back by Martin Luther who held this belief. There's nothing wrong with Catholicism, dun make ur stand so fast. Afterall, they believed the same thing as we do. Just that they honour Virgin Mary and pray to her. But come to think of it, do you not honour such a fine lady that gave birth to Christ Himself? She took all the criticism of being an unwed mother. shotgun marriage in today's term. All for God's Son. no?

So who's right and who's wrong? Honestly, everybody has their own stands. But i have mine too. And that's call FAITH. Faith on believing something that the eyes cant see, but of the trust in the heart. Honestly, i read in an email before. It's abt an atheist commenting that God is not real because in science terms of 5 senses, we cannot see/feel/hear/smell/taste Him. So He does not exist. Yet, i cant see/feel/hear/smell/taste my brain too. So do i have a brain? I believe in alot things, Faith really plays a part. To provide us something we can hold on and believe in, yet cant be seen in the nakked eye. Yet God cant be experienced just like that. It's cant be described. People has smelled a sweet aroma while praying. I seen people wheelchair bounded for so long starting to walk after being prayed for. I have seen people being delivered from demons residing in them(not a great sight). People, people, it's not you how would u know? I have my fair experience too. I have trembled being in presence of God, i have fallen under the presence by a force that u cant describe of, that is so minor that even a cup wun topple(jc hur hur). I have prayed for God to show me something in my prayer, and He showed me gentle rain, calm as can be. I have weeped countless of times while praying, for no reasons at all.

I can say on and on forever. Yet this is something that you guys have to experience it yourself to believe in. This my friends, is my faith.

then again, i might be just making simple things complicated. =)