Paint your faith

My trip Milan landed me to a small yet beautiful church called Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, located at Corso Magenta 15. It was on number #1 of my to do list in Milan. But I went there the second day. I am so thankful, I made the time to go there. The small church was filled with paintings of faith.

Some of my favourites were the beheaded of Paul, the first sin, and Noah. I also took a replica of the last supper since I couldnot get the ticket to see the original painting.

Spritually bullied at Christmas season

So today, is the 8th of December 2015. I felt spiritually bullied. In Spain, today is a public holiday because Spain celebrates The Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

It is celebrating the solemn belief in the Immaculate Conception of theBlessed Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on December 8, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on September 8. It is one of the most important Marian feasts celebrated in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church celebrated worldwide. (source: wiki)

I perfectly understand that people dont share the same belief, but in a group where I am in, people mock, ridicule, and make joke on this day. I felt so.. so sad. Been living in the country where Islam is the majority belief, I have never felt spiritually bullied like today. What did Jesus do to them that they do this to him?

RE: I refuse to refuse anyone

I  was reading I refuse to refuse anyone, a blogpost by J.S. Park when I remembered my conversation with my at-that-time new friend in Berlin. She shot me point blank by saying ‘you are christian, of course, you do not accept the idea of LGBT community’. And I spent a whole 45 minutes trying to explain to her what my view is. That was my first open conversation about LGBT community outside Indonesian community or christian community, in a language that is not my mother tongue.

The short reading made me re-question my view about LGBT community and I am confident to say the same Truth that I still hold tight until now, that:

1. God did not create LGBT community. If He did, The Bible would have recorded it.
2. Jesus died for everyone who is in LGBT community. The Bible says He died for us all.

What’s the different of me and you with everyone else in the LGBT community? Nothing. He did not create us for what we are as well. But Jesus died for us anyway. If someone then asked me, can a gay person be a pastor? Then I would ask back, can a thief be a pastor? Or can an adulterer be a pastor? Or can a sinful person be a pastor?

But I am still struggling to answer another question, which is, can a gay couple get married in a church?

I know church is for sinful people. Like a hospital is for the sick and not the healthy, hence church is for sinful people and not holy people. I know all is welcome.

But…

Church is also a community that (try to) observe the Holy Bible. And marriage sacrament is arranged carefully by the Bible how it should be and for who it should be. I dont think that church should marry any guy couple. And I think it’s not against human’s right.

I am a very sinful person. But if I asked a church to marry me with a man, who is my husband-to-be, I am pretty sure they wouldnt mind. What makes me any different with a gay person? I might be even more sinful than any gay person in this world. And just because… I am allowed and he is not. I do not understand, yet.

My question goes back to the gay couple who is asking to be married in a church. Why would you want to be blessed from people who dont want to do it for you in the first place? Is it also just because you need the legal status of marriage, even though the term marriage hold by the church is different with the one you hold?

Everything is still vague. But until it is clear for me, I refuse to refuse anyone. And to judge others.

Richard Dawkins

The word became flesh.

I came across interesting quotes by Richard Dawkins for two days in a row. I guess it’s healthy for our logic and faith to exercise our apologetics, which I have never felt the need for before. I challenge you to explain your christian faith without using christian keywords to people who do not know that you are a believer. Do not use words like: Christian, Christ, Jesus, God, The Bible or any other keywords. I did that yesterday. Boy, it’s difficult.

Here’s an interesting reading of someone to make a contra point of Richard Dawkin’s notorious statement. If Richard Dawkins was right

Good and perfect gifts

Every good and perfect gift is from above. 

My birthday is coming!!! Yay! or Nay!?

water into wine.

I know this sounds like a blasphemy. But, it’s a funny one. I do believe in God. Thank God! 🙂

Dec #24

I thank God for Christmas. Yes, I know, it’s not Christmas for most people around the world but it is for the danish. I went to the kitchen to see my landlady’s family and she asked how are you in this Christmas morning? …hihihi… I giggled in my thought, it’s not Christmas yet. But oh well, isn’t the Christmas spirit should be with us everyday? So, merry Christmas! 😉

Tis the season to be jolly! Falalala…lalala…

It is my right not to be an atheist.

This is happening: That people start to say sorry to me whenever they mention christianity, christian, Christ, Jesus in the most blasphemous way they could possibly do.

But what got into my head is that probably I need to be more open minded, compasionate and have high acceptance of what they are doing. They have been living this way for the rest of their lives and suddenly come someone from asia who is religious and they feel that what they do (curse, swear, use certain symbolic words) is somehow misplaced, maybe because they see how my face turned into cold stone or how my pupil dilated or simply how my jaw dropped. I’m serious, sometimes these european people, oh gosh, how to put it into words, they are horrendously heartless. It is your right to be an atheist. But remember, it is my right also to be religious. So next time you see me reacting like J.S. Park below, be in mind that we have the same equal rights.

Northern Lights

Sometimes The Northern Light does not appear as a light. It might appear as a person.

I am not sure that you are going to stumble upon this. But that’s okay. I just feel that you deserve a post on my blog.