interesting arguments

greetings from singapore! =)

here's an update of what happened on facebook after my comments on Mr. X's status update concerning emigration:


Friend #1:
talk cock. move out means disobey calling of the Lord, means selfish, and it is a fault for CHRISTIANS to move out?

bunch of talk cock people.dun worth my time reading it.but good for people like u.

Friend #2:
Who are we to judge what others should or shouldn't do with their lives? Have you ever thought maybe God has a different purpose for him or those who migrated? Maybe God wanted to mold him/them elsewhere so they will be ready to serve Him when they come back? Just because your way of loyalty is shown by staying at your birth country doesn't mean those around you should do the same. At the end of the day, it is you yourself who have to answer to God for the decisions you made in your life, not your loved ones/family/supporters/critics.

My Reply #1:
if you read what i wrote, you'll notice that i never said that tristan was definitely in the wrong. i merely raised questions.

i am sure that some of those who emigrated are sincerely and truly following God's calling. but i'm not sure if all of them are. especially when most of them are emigrating to "better" countries, e.g. u.s.a, australia, etc. Strange that God calls them only to those countries, and not to poorer countries like cambodia or vietnam or bangladesh eh? but of course, God works in mysterious ways.

all i want to do is to spur tristan, and any other Christians, who are thinking of emigrating, to seriously look at their own motives. if, as ricky says, tristan can honestly tell me that he wants to leave malaysia because God is calling him to, and not because he just wants to chase a better life, then that's great.

Friend #1, sorry if i offended you. it's not talking cock, at least not if you care about God and what He wants.

p.s. Friend #2, if they plan to come back to malaysia, that's a different story. that's very commendable, because it will definitely be hard to come back and start all over again. but what i was refering to was a permanent move, which if i read tristan's words correctly, is what tristan was referring to.


Friend #2's response:
Nor did I said anything about who is right or wrong. Again I would like to repeat, who are we to question their motives, genuine or otherwise? That's strictly between God and themselves personally.

Using a quote, "The right to disagree, The duty to support". We can all disagree on everything all day long but we should support our fellow brothers and sisters as long as we exist, no matter the choices they made, be it good or bad(subjective matter). Life is hard enough as it is, why should we make it harder for them and ourselves? We can only give guidance and advice but ultimately the choice is still made by them themselves, and they will have to live with the choices they made the rest of their lives, again be it good or bad choices.


My Reply #2:
Being able to question one another's motives is part of being an authentic community and keeping each other accountable. i would appreciate it if my brother-in-Christ questioned my motives and helped me see if i were really doing my best to follow Christ in all that i do. (of course it would be best if he could do it in a non-threatening way in which i did not feel attacked... and if i've failed in that, please forgive me.)

good and bad is not a purely subjective matter. there is an absolute standard of Good. as Jesus said, God alone is Good. and His standards are revealed to us in His word. as we claim to be His followers, we have a responsibility to help each other in growing to be like Him. a true friend would not support his friend's wrong decisions - and would question, guide and advise his friend on those decisions - although he would always be there to support his friend.

thanks for your sms yesterday Mr. X - appreciate it. =)


Re: the SMS, i was on the way home from work, slightly shaken by the comment that i was "talking cock", when i received an sms from Mr. X. In that sms, he basically said that he'd read my comment, and after thinking about it, he agrees with me. he told me that he'd typed that status update in an emotional moment caused by some unfair mistreatment he'd suffered.

Re: supporting friends and supporting friend's decisions, i'd like to add this illustration: if a friend of mine decided to start abusing drugs, i'd be 100% against his decision, and i would not be shy to let him know that fact. but if as a result of that decision he ended up homeless, i'd be glad to open my house for him to crash in. i hope that helps to show the distinction between supporting a friend and supporting his decisions.

alright, why am i still in front of the computer? i should be enjoying singapore! tata for now, folks! =)