We're leaving to Kovalam today for a family holiday. My parents and Beks and I will drive down today, Chech, Robs and K will fly there in the evening and Achach will drive down tomorrow. Unfortunately Anj won't be able to make it. In the last two years we haven't been able to take proper vacations so I'm looking forward to it. Chech called up and she gave the phone to K who immediately said "ammacha each!" (which translates to "unc, take me to the beach") and "ittar"(oh yeah, please get your guitar).
Traditionally, we always take a family holiday during passion week. This started thanks to my dad who wanted to escape the extremely long church service we have here. A couple of years ago however, the church realising that people have less time in this modern world changed the timings of the service to 9am - 4pm from the earlier 7am-4pm, two whole hours freed up.
I never used to like going to church. When we were kids, we all used to go, can't remember if it was every Sunday but at least on special occasions and I remember watching Bible stories in Sandeep's and Sarah's house. When I started to think for myself, I intellectualized God and believed that I didn't need to go to church since God was everywhere and so on. The division in the church and the court battle on which lakhs were spent didn't help in making me want to go to church.
When I sort of rediscovered God and my idea changed of It changed from just an intellectual entity to something real, for some reason or other it happened through reading Hindu literature particularly from the Ramakrishna Math. I was instantly attracted to this form of Hinduism because everything was so flexible. It understands that people are different and that God can be approached in a number of different ways depending on a person's innate nature. Jesus is thought of as a saint and so on, but not as the only son of God. His teachings remain valid though.
So because I was born christian, is there any reason why I should study christian literature? I know that it is a definite path to God and that it works for many people. However, since I am comfortable in my beliefs which also leads to the same goal, is it necessary for me to continue to be a christian or go to church? When we got married, I finally relented to a church wedding since Appa and Amma explained it as just a tradition, more to do with society than anything else. I was willing to accept that and go ahead with it, and should mention that I was glad I did it cause it was quite intense and something I'll remember forever. I am still against our child getting baptized though so that he or she doesn't have to have a church wedding just because they were born christian. I'm kind of sure though that as things it will happen and that I will be present, something to do with tradition or whatever. (Btw, not that we're planning to start trying or whatever)
Traditionally, we always take a family holiday during passion week. This started thanks to my dad who wanted to escape the extremely long church service we have here. A couple of years ago however, the church realising that people have less time in this modern world changed the timings of the service to 9am - 4pm from the earlier 7am-4pm, two whole hours freed up.
I never used to like going to church. When we were kids, we all used to go, can't remember if it was every Sunday but at least on special occasions and I remember watching Bible stories in Sandeep's and Sarah's house. When I started to think for myself, I intellectualized God and believed that I didn't need to go to church since God was everywhere and so on. The division in the church and the court battle on which lakhs were spent didn't help in making me want to go to church.
When I sort of rediscovered God and my idea changed of It changed from just an intellectual entity to something real, for some reason or other it happened through reading Hindu literature particularly from the Ramakrishna Math. I was instantly attracted to this form of Hinduism because everything was so flexible. It understands that people are different and that God can be approached in a number of different ways depending on a person's innate nature. Jesus is thought of as a saint and so on, but not as the only son of God. His teachings remain valid though.
So because I was born christian, is there any reason why I should study christian literature? I know that it is a definite path to God and that it works for many people. However, since I am comfortable in my beliefs which also leads to the same goal, is it necessary for me to continue to be a christian or go to church? When we got married, I finally relented to a church wedding since Appa and Amma explained it as just a tradition, more to do with society than anything else. I was willing to accept that and go ahead with it, and should mention that I was glad I did it cause it was quite intense and something I'll remember forever. I am still against our child getting baptized though so that he or she doesn't have to have a church wedding just because they were born christian. I'm kind of sure though that as things it will happen and that I will be present, something to do with tradition or whatever. (Btw, not that we're planning to start trying or whatever)
5 comments:
was a lovely holiday & K certainly had a blast at 'each'.
come on! please start trying!
a god who is always there and can be approached when and where you want to approach him pretty much sounds like my god. but i do wonder sometimes if i'm just taking the convenient path - no need to attend long masses, go off meat on lent and other such stuff which religion imposes on you.
Dont mean to sound like a preacher, but the problem with us Syr.Christians is that we treat Christianity as an organized religion, the long masses,lents,Church committees,Achans, the whole bit. Jesus never came to start a religion, He just wanted people to attain salvation, and remember, no other religion can teach us that God sent His only Son to die for us, I have seen hundreds of non Christian Indian and other students from various colleges here in the U.S getting baptized and becoming believers of Jesus on their own accord, you should hear their awesome testimonies,this is so real to them , just read the Bible and get to know Jesus, and you will feel His amazing grace, and trust me, getting into other religions no matter what form, will just not answer life's issues, it tells you what you want to hear,its easy to follow,you can say you'r 'spiritual' and thats about it and in the Bible Jesus says " I am the way, the truth, and the light, No one comes to God except through me", the answer to your question is right there.
Achayen - if christianity works for people and they get baptized on their own accord, thats well and good. but i have to say that i don't believe that the Bible is the word of God verbatim. It was written over the course of many years, and started only many years after Christ. To say that Jesus is the only way, is something I can't stomach. For example, consider a boy in a remote village. He has never heard of Jesus but lives his life by helping everyone and so on, but dies young, before he even had a chance to hear about Christianity. Will you say that he will never go to heaven simply because he was born at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Getting into other religions or philosophies can be easier since like I mentioned, at least Hinduism understands that people are different. However, that doesn't make it easy to follow. Nor tells you what you want to hear. Its a long and difficult path, more so than just going to church and following lent.
You have a very valid point about such an individual who has never had a chance to hear about Jesus, the answer is 'YES' this person will defenitely go to heaven,not because of the good that he or she did, but because God is compassionate and merciful, this is exactly the reason why missionaries travel to the most remotest of places to preach the Gospel.
Just out of curiosity, I have 2 questions, if I may :
1. Have you read the Bible in depth?
2.If you have,what still attracts you to other philosophy/religion?I mean what are the differentiating factors? from your point of view.
I will definitely understand if these are personal questions and if you choose not to answer.
Regarding the validity of the Bible, its been proven time after time, and there are archeological evidences too, but thats a whole other subject of discussion.
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