Catholicism in Singapore: Death Warmed Over
Cowboy Caleb's grandmother passed away, overdosed on durians, in a diabetic coma.
He wrote a touching memorial, not one that's entirely rosy. http://cowboycaleb.liquidblade.com
The Peranakan matriarch was Catholic and Caleb and family are upset that she didn't receive the final sacrament. This is Extremunction, where the priest basically (and I am not very specific on this) says your final rites. It can actually be done ahead of time. But honestly, honestly, it makes ZERO difference. Extremunction does not appear in the Bible (mine anyway, which are NIV, NKJV, NLT, The Message and Amplified).
But then the Catholic Church tends to be quite hung up on "have to do's" like rushing to "baptise" babies before they are 40 days old.
I was born to Catholic parents, "baptised" at 16 days. Priest used a milk jug and ran water rivulets over my forehead. I wore a very long and beautiful christening gown. I think I was more interested in lunch (DUMEX!!!).
Growing up Catholic offered some wonderful moments. Like wearing scarves before communion (I still think it's tres chic, and it's a pity women here don't wear scarves more often), sneaking into the nuns' quarter and looking at their underwear drying. Those were some of the hottest, lacy, black underthings I ever saw! And the smell of the priest's house — he always smoked cigars and he always drank port.
But faith wise, in my experience, the Catholic Church in Singapore, for most part, has little to offer.
I look at my friends who grew up Catholic with me:
1. One slept with over 100 women and eventually married a Japanese girl, lives in Tokyo and looks forward to entering politics when he's 50.
2. Another one became a yoga teacher/faith healer/Buddhist bead wearer.
3. Actually make that 30.
4. A number divorced their husbands.
5. 99.99% read their horoscope.
6. 56% gamble (if you count 4D then the percentage rises to over 80)
It's not that their lives are more sinful. It's just that you couldn't tell the difference between them and your agnostic neighbour down the street.
Rev AR Bernard is a former Muslim turned Christian Bible teacher. He is also spiritual advisor to Mayor Bloomberg in NYC. He pastors the largest church in New York, the 20,000-congregation strong Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn.
His take on the Catholic Church, I could not agree with more:
"When the church holds up values and standards, society is impacted positively. When it downgrades those standards, society is impacted negatively.
"Because of the sexual-abuse scandals, where is the Catholic Church now? It sure can't speak out on same-sex marriage. If you strip a moral authority of its voice, then you can bring in things like same-sex marriage. Politics will follow culture unless there's a counterbalancing force in society."
(Washington Times, July 15 2004)
***************************************************************************************************************
Catholic friends and I have regular disagreements (but we agree to disagree). My Catholic cousin who nearly became a priest was very dismayed when I experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit and praying in tongues in a Christian environment. "We have that in the Catholic church too," he said.
"Where?" I asked, genuinely interested in finding out more.
He could not name me one church. I did hear through another friend that there is a Charismatic movement happening at the Ponggol Catholic church.
Here is my beef (and this list is not exhaustive):
1. I hate the "DO YOU KNOW HER?" stickers I see all over car windows. It is a picture of Mary and it's a call to come to Novena Church. I think if you, as a believer in GOD and JESUS, had one chance to call people to church, it shouldn't be to call them to MARY! Good grief. Mary won't get you saved and your soul in Heaven. I'm sorry to have to tell you the truth.
Let me give you a case in point: My own dad attended Novena for 32 years. Every Saturday without fail. He has rosaries in the car, in the house, on the shelf, in the office, on the altar. When my mom passed away he was so overcome by grief the doctors said his vital signs were failing and he was going to die too. Through my cousin who is gifted with healing, my father was led to say the Sinner's Prayer. Such a peace came over him we saw it flood his being with our own eyes. The next day, he was back to normal, and he said to me "32 years I've gone to Novena but I have never known Jesus till now."
2. I hate the watered-down Gospel preached in the Catholic Church.
For the 36 years I was a Catholic I never saw a Bible in the pew at Church. All I knew of the Gospel were extracts taken from this book or that book, perpetually (a favourite Catholic word) OUT OF CONTEXT and completely powerless.
A preacher recently shared that Satan is the biggest Bible student there is. Even SATAN knows Scripture (he tried to tempt Jesus using Scripture) and most Catholics don't. Why does Satan need to know Scripture? Becuase it is a ALL-POWERFUL WORD OF GOD! God's word is LIFE itself. If you don't know it and it's not in your heart, then basically YOU ARE DEAD.
I say PUT THE BIBLE BACK IN THE CHURCH. You don't need more sanctimonious costumes for the priest or airconditioning for the congregation or more parking space (Because the grounds only get filled on Sundays 15 minutes after mass has started and the traffic jam and honking begins 10 minutes before Mass ends). WHAT THE CHURCH NEEDS IS TO PUT BIBLES IN THE PEWS, TEACH THE CONGREGATION TO READ AND LOVE THE WORD. Don't waste time. Tens of thousands of Catholics in Singapore are not even saved yet.
3. I hate that Jesus is relegated to being a powerless, now-dead, good example of a moral man.
HELLO!!! Jesus is our SAVIOR! He LIVES! He is not that giant wooden carving whose feet you kiss on Good Friday. Please don't kiss any idol's feet. It goes against God's Commandment: Exodus 20: 4 "You shall not make your yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God"
My aunty the Buddhist, once considered herself a Catholic because she went to Novena. This is what she did at Novena: she brought chrysanthemums and oranges to "pai pai" at the statue of Mary. She is not alone. Visit the church on any given Saturday or Sunday and see the number of people touching the feet of the statue. MARY IS NOT A JEWISH KUAN YIN! PLEASE!
4. I hate that the Catholic Church in Singapore MAKES NO STRONG STAND against idolatry and faithlessness
Catholics don't know any better, so they don't know it's not Biblical to:
- do yoga (Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me" -- yoga is prayer to Hindu gods. Don't tell me it's "only exercise". That's like saying lying naked with another woman/man who is not your husband is "not adultery".
- read their horoscopr and go to fortune tellers (Leviticus 19:31 "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them."
- lie, cheat, harbour unforgiveness etc etc
5. I hate that the Catholic Church doesn't bother to change its image of being a powerless church that doesn't know the promises of God but that keeps "turning the other cheek".
God is NOT a weak, pathetic, dead God!
As the first church more than ever it is imperative that the Catholic Church be the BEST POSSIBLE PUBLIC RELATIONS BODY for God! Which it is NOT!
God is a living, breathing, supernatural, powerful, jealous, every day GOD! He is ALIVE! He walks and talks with me! He puts His Spirit in me to guide me. He doesn't lurk in dark corners waiting to surface once every decade! He doesn't show up in cut fruits or gourds! Mary is NOT more miraculous or powerful than God!
What is the Church doing? It's using guilt to bring people to church every Sunday. Priests (and I don't mean every one but I have met enough to tell you this is not fabricated) who are greedy and worldly cannot teach their sheep to be spiritual. Priests who have NO BLINKING IDEA what the Holy Spirit is supposed to really do, who can rattle theory at you but have zero experience in the spirit realm, CANNOT successfully lead their sheep to a life lived in victory for God.
The shepherds are wicked. The sheep are lost.
********************************
Are there exceptions?
Yes, thank God, PRAISE God for that.
I believe with all my heart that God is raising up a new generation, a church that is Spirit-led, not denomination-led. I believe that even "dead" Catholic churches can be resurrected by the power of our Most High God. Our part -- my part -- is to pray diligently, envision the eventuality, and with prayer and supplication make my request known to God.
My request is that the Catholic Church WAKES UP! May the new Pope be firm and strong and may he cut out all the rubbish that's going on in the Catholic Church worldwide! May priests who defile young boys and girls while wearing their robes be exposed by God and punished! May Satan's firm foothold on the Catholic Church be destroyed! May Satan's minions who wear the priestly robes but do his dastardly work be confronted and drop dead like Ananias and Sapphiras. May the red tape of the Church be burned, torn up, broken. May the church REACH the people without any expectation of payment. May the many years of seminary study be actually relevant to the problems of today, to the teachings of today. May those who are in training for priesthood have the mind of Christ, not of the devil. May they not be ovewhelmed by the demands on the mind (all that Latin WILL drive you crazy) but may their primary daily focus be upon YOU Jesus, and on the amazing work that you want to do through them.
My prayer is that the Catholic Church wakes up, looks around, and recognises God's hand in the new churches that have risen. Why are there new churches and why do they have congregations of 18,000?
"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place but you and your father's family will perish." Esther 4:14
If the Catholic Church steadfastly refuses to do God's work, then God will just find someone else to do it.
He wrote a touching memorial, not one that's entirely rosy. http://cowboycaleb.liquidblade.com
The Peranakan matriarch was Catholic and Caleb and family are upset that she didn't receive the final sacrament. This is Extremunction, where the priest basically (and I am not very specific on this) says your final rites. It can actually be done ahead of time. But honestly, honestly, it makes ZERO difference. Extremunction does not appear in the Bible (mine anyway, which are NIV, NKJV, NLT, The Message and Amplified).
But then the Catholic Church tends to be quite hung up on "have to do's" like rushing to "baptise" babies before they are 40 days old.
I was born to Catholic parents, "baptised" at 16 days. Priest used a milk jug and ran water rivulets over my forehead. I wore a very long and beautiful christening gown. I think I was more interested in lunch (DUMEX!!!).
Growing up Catholic offered some wonderful moments. Like wearing scarves before communion (I still think it's tres chic, and it's a pity women here don't wear scarves more often), sneaking into the nuns' quarter and looking at their underwear drying. Those were some of the hottest, lacy, black underthings I ever saw! And the smell of the priest's house — he always smoked cigars and he always drank port.
But faith wise, in my experience, the Catholic Church in Singapore, for most part, has little to offer.
I look at my friends who grew up Catholic with me:
1. One slept with over 100 women and eventually married a Japanese girl, lives in Tokyo and looks forward to entering politics when he's 50.
2. Another one became a yoga teacher/faith healer/Buddhist bead wearer.
3. Actually make that 30.
4. A number divorced their husbands.
5. 99.99% read their horoscope.
6. 56% gamble (if you count 4D then the percentage rises to over 80)
It's not that their lives are more sinful. It's just that you couldn't tell the difference between them and your agnostic neighbour down the street.
Rev AR Bernard is a former Muslim turned Christian Bible teacher. He is also spiritual advisor to Mayor Bloomberg in NYC. He pastors the largest church in New York, the 20,000-congregation strong Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn.
His take on the Catholic Church, I could not agree with more:
"When the church holds up values and standards, society is impacted positively. When it downgrades those standards, society is impacted negatively.
"Because of the sexual-abuse scandals, where is the Catholic Church now? It sure can't speak out on same-sex marriage. If you strip a moral authority of its voice, then you can bring in things like same-sex marriage. Politics will follow culture unless there's a counterbalancing force in society."
(Washington Times, July 15 2004)
***************************************************************************************************************
Catholic friends and I have regular disagreements (but we agree to disagree). My Catholic cousin who nearly became a priest was very dismayed when I experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit and praying in tongues in a Christian environment. "We have that in the Catholic church too," he said.
"Where?" I asked, genuinely interested in finding out more.
He could not name me one church. I did hear through another friend that there is a Charismatic movement happening at the Ponggol Catholic church.
Here is my beef (and this list is not exhaustive):
1. I hate the "DO YOU KNOW HER?" stickers I see all over car windows. It is a picture of Mary and it's a call to come to Novena Church. I think if you, as a believer in GOD and JESUS, had one chance to call people to church, it shouldn't be to call them to MARY! Good grief. Mary won't get you saved and your soul in Heaven. I'm sorry to have to tell you the truth.
Let me give you a case in point: My own dad attended Novena for 32 years. Every Saturday without fail. He has rosaries in the car, in the house, on the shelf, in the office, on the altar. When my mom passed away he was so overcome by grief the doctors said his vital signs were failing and he was going to die too. Through my cousin who is gifted with healing, my father was led to say the Sinner's Prayer. Such a peace came over him we saw it flood his being with our own eyes. The next day, he was back to normal, and he said to me "32 years I've gone to Novena but I have never known Jesus till now."
2. I hate the watered-down Gospel preached in the Catholic Church.
For the 36 years I was a Catholic I never saw a Bible in the pew at Church. All I knew of the Gospel were extracts taken from this book or that book, perpetually (a favourite Catholic word) OUT OF CONTEXT and completely powerless.
A preacher recently shared that Satan is the biggest Bible student there is. Even SATAN knows Scripture (he tried to tempt Jesus using Scripture) and most Catholics don't. Why does Satan need to know Scripture? Becuase it is a ALL-POWERFUL WORD OF GOD! God's word is LIFE itself. If you don't know it and it's not in your heart, then basically YOU ARE DEAD.
I say PUT THE BIBLE BACK IN THE CHURCH. You don't need more sanctimonious costumes for the priest or airconditioning for the congregation or more parking space (Because the grounds only get filled on Sundays 15 minutes after mass has started and the traffic jam and honking begins 10 minutes before Mass ends). WHAT THE CHURCH NEEDS IS TO PUT BIBLES IN THE PEWS, TEACH THE CONGREGATION TO READ AND LOVE THE WORD. Don't waste time. Tens of thousands of Catholics in Singapore are not even saved yet.
3. I hate that Jesus is relegated to being a powerless, now-dead, good example of a moral man.
HELLO!!! Jesus is our SAVIOR! He LIVES! He is not that giant wooden carving whose feet you kiss on Good Friday. Please don't kiss any idol's feet. It goes against God's Commandment: Exodus 20: 4 "You shall not make your yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God"
My aunty the Buddhist, once considered herself a Catholic because she went to Novena. This is what she did at Novena: she brought chrysanthemums and oranges to "pai pai" at the statue of Mary. She is not alone. Visit the church on any given Saturday or Sunday and see the number of people touching the feet of the statue. MARY IS NOT A JEWISH KUAN YIN! PLEASE!
4. I hate that the Catholic Church in Singapore MAKES NO STRONG STAND against idolatry and faithlessness
Catholics don't know any better, so they don't know it's not Biblical to:
- do yoga (Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me" -- yoga is prayer to Hindu gods. Don't tell me it's "only exercise". That's like saying lying naked with another woman/man who is not your husband is "not adultery".
- read their horoscopr and go to fortune tellers (Leviticus 19:31 "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them."
- lie, cheat, harbour unforgiveness etc etc
5. I hate that the Catholic Church doesn't bother to change its image of being a powerless church that doesn't know the promises of God but that keeps "turning the other cheek".
God is NOT a weak, pathetic, dead God!
As the first church more than ever it is imperative that the Catholic Church be the BEST POSSIBLE PUBLIC RELATIONS BODY for God! Which it is NOT!
God is a living, breathing, supernatural, powerful, jealous, every day GOD! He is ALIVE! He walks and talks with me! He puts His Spirit in me to guide me. He doesn't lurk in dark corners waiting to surface once every decade! He doesn't show up in cut fruits or gourds! Mary is NOT more miraculous or powerful than God!
What is the Church doing? It's using guilt to bring people to church every Sunday. Priests (and I don't mean every one but I have met enough to tell you this is not fabricated) who are greedy and worldly cannot teach their sheep to be spiritual. Priests who have NO BLINKING IDEA what the Holy Spirit is supposed to really do, who can rattle theory at you but have zero experience in the spirit realm, CANNOT successfully lead their sheep to a life lived in victory for God.
The shepherds are wicked. The sheep are lost.
********************************
Are there exceptions?
Yes, thank God, PRAISE God for that.
I believe with all my heart that God is raising up a new generation, a church that is Spirit-led, not denomination-led. I believe that even "dead" Catholic churches can be resurrected by the power of our Most High God. Our part -- my part -- is to pray diligently, envision the eventuality, and with prayer and supplication make my request known to God.
My request is that the Catholic Church WAKES UP! May the new Pope be firm and strong and may he cut out all the rubbish that's going on in the Catholic Church worldwide! May priests who defile young boys and girls while wearing their robes be exposed by God and punished! May Satan's firm foothold on the Catholic Church be destroyed! May Satan's minions who wear the priestly robes but do his dastardly work be confronted and drop dead like Ananias and Sapphiras. May the red tape of the Church be burned, torn up, broken. May the church REACH the people without any expectation of payment. May the many years of seminary study be actually relevant to the problems of today, to the teachings of today. May those who are in training for priesthood have the mind of Christ, not of the devil. May they not be ovewhelmed by the demands on the mind (all that Latin WILL drive you crazy) but may their primary daily focus be upon YOU Jesus, and on the amazing work that you want to do through them.
My prayer is that the Catholic Church wakes up, looks around, and recognises God's hand in the new churches that have risen. Why are there new churches and why do they have congregations of 18,000?
"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place but you and your father's family will perish." Esther 4:14
If the Catholic Church steadfastly refuses to do God's work, then God will just find someone else to do it.
posted by Threez at 10:14 AM
2 Comments:
OMG! This is golden!
I just LOVE the way you write. Beautiful; simply beautiful.
Love that post on visions too. (not that the rest suck. I just haven't got the time to read the rest) Gained lots from it.
Thanks for having this blog. Continue posting and God bless.
Hi,
Just surfed in. I can see your love-hate r/s with the Catholic Church. As much as you hope that first apostolic church will "repent" of their wrong ways, you are dismayed by the behaviours of lay Catholics and the clergy. Maybe instead of just sitting there and judging whether the Catholics go to heaven or equating Catholicism to its huge humber of unfaithful Singaporean believers, we should look at the Christian church at large. It is no surprise to know that many non-Catholic Christians gamble and indulge in yoga and horoscopy too! Catholics in Singapore are mostly at least 2nd and 3rd generation Christians, inheriting their faith from their ancestors and that explains the lack of fervour. Similarly (and very sadly), non-Catholic Christians are beginning to show such apathy to moral standards and religious commitments! There are Catholics who knew their doctrines well and the meaning of their sacraments and surely can explain the need for extreme unction. Last rites and infant baptism are practised in the Anglican church (non-Catholic) too, although not at full sacramental level. To be part of a church, we must try to know what our church stands and why they practises what they do! Ultimately, we know that a Christian faith is about having a close personal relationship with God. May we know also that idolatry is not just about images and statues, it may also be materialism and self-centredness. Idolatry is anything that takes priority over the importance of God in our lives. That is why it is definitely more prevalent than what is previously accused of the Catholic church and the Orthodox Church. May God keep you in the faith of Christ Jesus our Lord.
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