While surveying how Malaysians respond to the transsexual marriage, I came across Yvonne Foong's blog... She is a writer with a keen social conscience and a supporter of DAP (ehem, I'm from Ipoh Timur - hint, hint).
My admiration for her talents skyrocketed when I discover that...
I could only wish that we have more Malaysian bloggers who have such courage to speak up for the marginalised.
In a recent post, she commented on the news report about Jessie Chung's wedding and the 'barbaric' case of a transsexual being humiliated by the police.
I'd like to highlight this post not because I have an axe to grind, but because it is a concise summary of how people (esp Christians) think/talk about the issue now.
Referring to the latter, she made a clear moral judgement as any champion of social justice ought to do. "It is the evil in men gone wild. Simply barbaric!"
I applaud and shout "Amen!" I certainly feel anger and sadness when transsexuals are treated with less dignity and respect that they should get for being human created in God’s own image.
In pluralistic Malaysia, we certainly need to learn respect and kindness towards those we disagree with.
But in the former, she took to task people who have moral objection against the same sex/transsexual wedding as 'self-righteous' and 'elitist'. (see 'Rocks & Stones')
Then there is the rhetorical question "Who are we to represent God and speak of His judgements?"? Got supporting bible verse: “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Lastly, "There are countless more sins far worse than changing one’s gender. Why don’t we look into those?... Children are starving in India, mutilated and tortured in Africa."
How could we respond without sounding like an 'elitist' Pharisee?
Not easy, but I took a crack at it here.
It is not the best 'contoh jawapan' around. (there were mistakes and false starts)
But I hope it would illustrate some helpful tips you can use in conversations at home, office, factory or classroom.
My admiration for her talents skyrocketed when I discover that...
Yvonne is a freelance writer who aspires to touch, assist and nurture lives by writing.... Her most triumphant achievement is her battle with a rare and complicating illness called Neurofibromatosis Type 2.
I could only wish that we have more Malaysian bloggers who have such courage to speak up for the marginalised.
In a recent post, she commented on the news report about Jessie Chung's wedding and the 'barbaric' case of a transsexual being humiliated by the police.
I'd like to highlight this post not because I have an axe to grind, but because it is a concise summary of how people (esp Christians) think/talk about the issue now.
Referring to the latter, she made a clear moral judgement as any champion of social justice ought to do. "It is the evil in men gone wild. Simply barbaric!"
I applaud and shout "Amen!" I certainly feel anger and sadness when transsexuals are treated with less dignity and respect that they should get for being human created in God’s own image.
In pluralistic Malaysia, we certainly need to learn respect and kindness towards those we disagree with.
But in the former, she took to task people who have moral objection against the same sex/transsexual wedding as 'self-righteous' and 'elitist'. (see 'Rocks & Stones')
Then there is the rhetorical question "Who are we to represent God and speak of His judgements?"? Got supporting bible verse: “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Lastly, "There are countless more sins far worse than changing one’s gender. Why don’t we look into those?... Children are starving in India, mutilated and tortured in Africa."
How could we respond without sounding like an 'elitist' Pharisee?
Not easy, but I took a crack at it here.
It is not the best 'contoh jawapan' around. (there were mistakes and false starts)
But I hope it would illustrate some helpful tips you can use in conversations at home, office, factory or classroom.
Comments
Do I have a looooong way to go before I match you!
I hope dreamstate writes you personally.
being thick-skinned to barge into a room full of people who disagree with u is like suicide... but fortunately there are other Christians there.
If it did any good, at least, Yvonne seems to have withdrawn a statement earlier abt prophets being 'just men'. I dun find it any more there.
Btw, none of the tricks are original... Greg Koukl, my sifu, has been saying 'em for quite some time... I just borrowed and contextualised it for Msians hehehe
Greg's site: www.str.org
Keep up the salt and light thing
Well done Dave! You deserve a lollipop for saying what I would say. Ah, how did that work again? How come you knew what I was thinking?
Looks like great minds do think alike. Aha!
:) Like Anon1, I admire your stamina. Hah
good, am learning these days how to form answers.
This is classic. Didn't know you can be so blurrrrrrrrr.
Amen, Xyba... One of the weaknesses in our witness today is we always start off by quoting scripture in a culture tat, as David Tan rightly observes, views authority with suspicion...
That works when we are talking to fellow christians for whom Scripture is a 'given'... We end up as 'jaguh kampungs' (local heroes) here...
But to a crowd with a different 'plausibility structure' we need to approach it differently... not to say u can't use scripture, maybe we can use it further down the discussion. There are solid moral reasons we can use, and it blows my mind why we are afraid to use 'em.