Rev Michael Thoo has released a press state statement from the office of the Penang Bishop. Here is the statement in full:
In response to recent and current newspaper reports on the “eviction exercise” of’ 14 houses within the grounds of the Church of St. Francis Xavier, Penang Road, 10000 Georgetown, Penang the church wishes to clarify as follows:
- There are 14 semi-concrete pre-war houses within the grounds of the Church of St. Francis, Penang Road, George Town, Penang. The houses are old and have no architectural value.
- Other buildings on the land are the St Joseph’s Home for orphans and children from broken homes, the Learning Centre for children with learning disabilities and the “Lighthouse” which provides free food for the needy and school buildings. These social welfare and charitable organisations are run and/or supported by the church.
- Twelve of the houses are occupied by monthly tenants paying nominal monthly rentals between RM60 to RM200. It is not true that all the tenants have not been paying the monthly rentals for the last 36 months as ieported in the issue of The Catholic Herald dated 31 May 2009 and The Star dated 2 June 2009;
- Two houses are presently empty.
- Unfortunately, one of the two tenants who vacated her house (No. 52-L, Penang Road, Penang) proceeded to remove the zinc and timber roof truss from the house thus creating a potential hazard.
When church’s workers started removing the plywood wall of the house to prevent the potential danger of the unstable wall from collapsing, the MPPP acted rightfully in requesting the church to stop work. The church regrets this inadvertent violation of the law. That house is infested by termites and is in danger of imminent collapse.
- The church has no record of the residents being there for four generations as reported. Some of the residents had moved out in the past and new tenants had moved in.
- The church intends to use the said 14 houses after refurbishment for its religious, welfiare and charitable purposes as it is doing now.
- The refurbishment of the houses will be done in accordance with Unesco and local council guidelines, regulations and by-laws.
- The church has no intention to sell the land to the Cititel Hotel group or to embark on a “property development project” as reported. Consequently, all such reports are baseless and mischievous.
- The church is mindful of the economic plight of some of the residents. It is for this reason that the church has decided to give them ample notice of two years to deliver vacant possession of the houses occupied by them. In addition, the church has also decided to give them an “ex-gratia” payment of RM10,000 per household in order to assist them to relocate. No rentals will be collected from the residents during these two years from 1 June 2008 till 31 May 2010.
Dated the 5th day of June, 2OO9.
Signed
Rev Michael Thoo
from the office of the Rt Rev Antony Selvayanagam,
The Titular Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang
Anything and everything in Malaysia can be politicised. But, most importantly, ask ourselves, which in this case, the Penang Bishop’s office, the decision on “eviction exercise” of’ 14 houses was made in “clear conscience”?
Actually, only the one who make decision knows the answer, as he or she is answerable to God, for HIM whom he or she owed duty to, ultimately, not to material wealth.
Of course, on legal ground, the church has legal rights to its land, but, ultimately, they still need to answer to the question above. The church has no choice, put it this way.
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(Some of) the clergy and bishops of the church today are no different from the Pharisees whom Jesus rebuked in the Gospels:
Mark 12:40
“They take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers. Their punishment will be all the worse!”.
http://www.jerrymohan.blogspot.com
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To dalbinder and Lucia,
Please read the Gospel:
Luke 18:18-25 -
In the 2nd line of verse 22 Jesus said to the rich man:
“…. Sell all you have and give the money to he poor, and you will have riches in heaven;….”
So dalbinder, a true christian would not place importance on owning a piece of land. He would allow the poor to live on his land because it will guarantee him “riches in heaven”.
The church today is preoccupied with building bigger churches but not building better christians.
http://www.jerrymohan.blogspot.com
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“The church today is preoccupied with building bigger churches but not building better christians.”
Spot on Jerry! Good quote…smile.
And IMO, the same (unfortunately) goes for all the other so-called religious groupings/churches in today’s world too.
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
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to jerry
i repeat:
yes go ahead and criticise the church if you must but please do it in a constructive manner (esp. not screaming the mantra that the church is rich!! ) and not in a silly manner (like asking the vatican to help! or dishing out some gospel values for the church to follow) AND while you criticise the church, also consider the fact that the residents might not be the ‘good guy’ you people think so, which means they too deserve some constructive criticism.
and please, get off the high moral ground! read what greg had to say about the quip on ‘helping the poor’.
i repeat again – if the land is not yours, don’t expect to stay on it until eternity.
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lucia “i repeat again – if the land is not yours, don’t expect to stay on it until eternity.”
I’m sorry, I know nothing about this issue, except that ownership of land is not always as clear cut as you might think. Did “Adverse Possession” (wikipedia has a pretty good article) make it into Malaysian Law?
If you have any long-staying tenants yourself, perhaps visiting them at least anually, touching up the paint around the stairwell and saying “I repeat, this place is mine, not yours” in earshot of all their neighbours, or getting them to sign a piece of paper that says something similar, may save you a lot of trouble one day.
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Jerry and Anna Brella
THese residents are NOT the poor, for goodness sake. Got Astro, got houses rented out, got good lucrative business (read Jude’s blog).
Ok, if you are talking about the poor, shouldn’t a true Christian help more poor, so these residents here should move their butt out and let the Church develop the land to help more poor (like buidling an Old Folks Home, a Home for Homeless People).NOw there only 10 families-how many people? Less than 50.IF they move out and the place for others, Church can help more than 50 poor (really poor) people.
Are you a CHristian? IF you are, are you an active one? DO you know the CHurch had already been building better christians with all the charitable homes they have?WHy you no praise them when they do good works like the Lighthouse works?
And finally, will you STOP quoting from the Bible verse. Someone can also quote Bible verse that show the residents tehre did no stick to.
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For all those who try to quote the gospel in PIECE MEAL to justify your argument… Get off the High Moral Ground and use simple logic devoid of religion but basic fundamentals…
Well said by Lucia
And I Repeat:
The fundamental issue here is, the church wanting back what is rightfully that belongs to the church. So that they can do more charity work for hundreds more. The question of wealth must never be in the equation. If the church does not have money how can more charity work be done???
So, with the piece meal quote from Jerry, asking the church to sell all its property to give it to the poor is the stupidest interpretation I have heard. I think, invest it well and give work to hundreds of people would be a more sensible process in this day and age. That is sustainable! So what is wrong in investing and using the profits to help more people? If I was jobless, I want a job, not handouts!
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Why didn’t the Bishop come down from his ivory tower to meet and discuss with these poor people and find an amicable solution?
Why did he chose lawyers letters to deal with them? Does he think he is God? …
Mark 12:40
“They take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers. Their punishment will be all the worse!”.
Can you find a house today for RM10K which was what the church offered them?
I simply cannot understand this obsession with owning property (and selling property for a bomb!) by the church and building bigger churches but not better christians who are able to practically apply the teachings of Jesus in their daily lives.
In Matthew 6:24 Jesus says,
“No one can be a slave of two masters; he will hate one and love the other; he will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money”.
In Luke 12:33 Jesus says,
“Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourself purses that don’t wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them”.
It is precisely because of the obsession with material wealth by many christians all over the world that contribute to poverty. (It is not only christians who are materially wealthy but spiritually poor). If more and more christians lived simply, others will be able to simply live.
“Annoyed”,
I know the kind of charity work the Catholic church does which does not address the cause of poverty. They should teach more christians about the importance of spiritual wealth rather than material wealth and to “live simply so that others can simply live”.
If the Bishop places so much importance on church property and it’s buildings, then I don’t think there’ll be enough time for christians to learn about the teachings of Jesus.
Remember the parable of the Rich fool in Luke 12:13-21
http://www.jerrymohan.blogspot.com
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So what if they nave an Astro dish at home. Is it a mortal sin to have an Astro dish? By your flawed thinking, it’s like saying a rich man can have an Astro dish but a poor man cannot.
This reminds me of the Gospel John chapter 8:7
I’ll rephrase it for today’s application -
Let the man who does not have an Astro dish cast the first stone!
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Jerry,
Hope you’re doing what you are preaching…God bless.
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“Can you find a house today for RM10K which was what the church offered them?”
THe RM10K is not for them to buy a house. It’s jsut a compensation. Do you know what is the meanining of compensation? Many of them already have a house and many of them might have bank account more than RM10K.
“I simply cannot understand this obsession with owning property (and selling property for a bomb!) by the church”
The CHurch is not selling the land. If I am right, the Church wants back the land for further development, for charitable/community purpose, of which it will benefit more than 100 poor people.WHatever, the Church is not selling the land.
ANd as i said before, will you please stop quoting from Bible verse? It silly and no logic to argue using Bible.
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Jerry,
You must’ve missed the point on the “Astro” bit. If one claims to be so poor as to be living in poverty, why that person would consider having satellite paid TV more important than ensuring he covers the basics of food and own shelter is beyond many?
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Annoyed,
Who are you to tell me to stop quoting from the bible?
Do the bible quotes hurt you because you feel you and the church have not lived up to the teachings of Jesus? As christians we must ensure we do not qualify ourselves as “the cursed” in Matt 25:41
MH,
FYI, I do not own a house or a car. I do own a 20 year old “kapchai” motorbike which I use for my travel.
I do offer free Acupuncture & Homeopathy treatments for patients of chronic diseases who can’t afford them.
There is a widow’s son who suffers from Muscular Dystrophy living at a low-cost flats in Jalan Ipoh, K.L. who is in desperate need for help. Would you like to help out financially? I have been there a few times to give them some monthy provisions and Acupuncture treatments. I have a copy of his medical report from HKL.
There is a family in Klang, Selangor who is in desperate need for help. The father and his only daughter suffer from a hereditary genetic disease – osteogenesis imperfecta. I have been there to help them and given free treatments as well. Would you like to help?
http://www.jerrymohan.blogspot.com
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ho mun on,
It would have made more sense if you said that they were driving around in BMWs/Mercs yet insisted on living free off church property.
An Astro dish is such a basic thing. Almost all houses have Astro dishes. Can we deny this basic entertainment to these poor senior citizens?
This reminds me of the Gospel John chapter 8:7
I’ll rephrase it for today’s application -
Let the man who does not have an Astro dish cast the first stone!
http://www.jerrymohan.blogspot.com
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Me and a group of friends have started an Essenes Healthcare project where we freely teach Acupuncture and Homeopathy in the treatment of chronic diseases and for pain management for marginalized, minority communities and migrant workers.
This is done to ensure that as far as treatment of chronic diseases are concerned, they can liberate themselves from the oppression of drug pushers, drug companies and medical insurance companies of mainstream Institutionalized medicine.
You can see this video clip on You tube titled – Socialized medicine or christianized medicine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIL6be7WwvM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjerrymohan.blogspot.com%2Fsearch%2Flabel%2FHEALTH&feature=player_embedded
http://www.jerrymohan.blogspot.com
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Right on, Jerry! You have shut those fellas up!
It is ridiculous to say don’t quote the Bible. This whole issue pertains to the Bishop and Church, whose raison d’etre or reason for existence, is the Bible. They have to be reminded that they are judged on how they interprete and implement those exhortations to love and succour the poor and needy. If they fail, then they would have no moral or spiritual authority to proclaim to represent Christ.
They are not developers or a corporation, whose motives, whose reason for existence, are pecuniary, and have to do with profit and pleasing the shareholders.
If the Bishop has Christ-like intentions in the matter, then, pray elucidate, make known in the clearest terms what those plans are. At the moment, they are vague and hedged in the broad language of intentions and possibilities. But the question is, What would Jesus do in a similar circumstance? If they don’t ask this of themselves, then they deny his relevance in their own existence!
Where is this pressing need to implement whatever developmental plans the Bishop has? So he can bask in the glory of some perceived accomplishment in the sunset of his years? At the onset, Andrew Aeria had made a good suggestion: to allow this last generation to live out their last days there.
Methinks if I were the Bishop, I’d hold true in my heart what Jesus taught, that to the lowest of whom you do it to, you do it to Christ himself. I’d have far greater allegiance to that gem of an instruction than to schemes and projects, however well-intentioned.
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Moss,
I agree with you.
It is precisely because many of us christians have failed that the world is in such a bad shape.
Jesus’ message was a message of liberation from oppressive institutions.
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Hahhaha – guess i have missed the fun over hear mostly commenting on the last news post….oops….well dont want to repeat myself over here but lets make things simple
1) Who’s land is it and who has the authority over it?
2) Why cant the church evict them? What grounds? Legitimate grounds?
3) Are they really poor? They dont like they are and from what i heard from people over there in SFX they are not poor just average.
4) Is it the church responsibility to have only 14 or so residents living freely on their land for generations? Is the church a babysitter? Well if it is i want to dump my hard work life and go live therelah. Cheapmah if not free.
5) What right does the tenants there have to continue to live on that land for generations and now demand like they own the land? Just because it is church so we can take advantage of their goodness?
Ann Brella do you have a house for rent. I want to come stay there for ever ….perhaps several of my future generations would like to stay there as well. Later i claim it for myself. Ok??
Yups perhaps the church would have to be a bit more transparent. The church does its audits and i believe through proper channels if u want to see them u can. But to go public i seriously disagree as it will invite unwanted problems from money vultures. Anyway the church may be rich in property but i dont it is in cash.
Jerry is all form 5 students go preaching the gospels there goes Christianity. It would be like the time of the gnostic during the early centuries. Dont take the bible literally it is not a rule book. It is a powerful book and it needs proper interpretations to fully understand it if not it is destructive. What u are doing is good and admirable but imagine if everyone does that? We would destroy ourselves unknowingly. It is impossible to achieve idealism for there is good and evil and evil will happily use good for its work too and not just blatant evil itself. That is how the devil works. (are u Jehovah witness??? nvm)
Glen – yes we should criticize but dont do it till it damages what we are criticizing. It is not fair for the criticized. It should be constructive and not destructive. What i read is destructive to the church and even to the tenants. Tenants why is because u r only making them poorer. They would end up like the race that always need help from womb to tomb. Look at them now? Are they a productive race compared to the other races?? Do u want these tenants to be like them? People empowerment. Read up Dr Jayakumars blog about this people empowerment. (The church is to teach people how to fish but not give them fish)
I am very sad to those criticism stories. It really hurts. I feel that those who do so is just…….if u r sincere in criticism then i feel u would not be writting in this blog but already out there settling things with the bishop and the people diplomatically. Yes we are humans and humans do make mistakes but to condemn them for what they are not is not Cristian itself. Dont judge other especially the church. Read the gospel Jerry u go read about the est of the church by Jesus and how he put it and not how u put it.
Well like my last post at the other news post this is my last. No point d discussing this issue if people dont listen.
Shalom and God bless.
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Annonyed:
I answer your questions put to me (and simultaneously to Jerry) as follows:
1. “shouldn’t a true Christian help more poor, so these residents here should move their butt out and let the Church develop the land to help more poor (like buidling an Old Folks Home, a Home for Homeless People).NOw there only 10 families-how many people? Less than 50.IF they move out and the place for others, Church can help more than 50 poor (really poor) people.”
The way I see it (which happens to coincide with the viewpoint of that star trekking Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise) the “one” is as important as the many for our lives are all of equal value here and also in the eyes of God I believe. And so in my view, it is how you treat the “one” that clearly indicates how you will treat any of the others in the “many”.
Extract from the Bible:
“Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42).
So IMO, whether you agree with me or not, if the Church is really there to represent God through Jesus Christ, then surely its PRIMARY purpose is to educate through the spiritual/moral teachings (the bread and wine that Jesus gave for the human soul) and only when that has been met can it engage in its secondary purpose, the social/chartable one of providing shelter over the heads and serving meals, whether on wheels or not, to fill the stomachs of the poor, needy and hungry.
From that view, it follows then that the primary responsibility/duty of its highest-profile leaders such as the Pope and Bishops, and also of those in its priesthood, is to teach/educate and guide others in those spiritual/moral values and very importantly, to live their own lives exemplarily to embody those spiritual/moral codes and principles they teach others so that they are seen by those to whom they teach to follow in the ethical footsteps exemplified by their Lord, Jesus Christ. And without diluting any of those hard teachings to make them….err…to conform more and fit in better with their own Church’s or its anointed/appointed heads and executive leadership’s interpretations and cultures and circumstances.
Going back to the eviction issue and looking at it from that social/charitable perspective, these people have, IMO, first claim to be there on that land which is already designated as “social and charitable” purpose land before any others in that also deserving, “many” but who are now not on that land.
The Church and its Bishops should try to help all genuinely poor and needy people of course, but surely not by doing one wrong to do one right and so doing nothing in the end except real harm: first, by doing an injustice in trying to evict those aged tenants who do not want to leave there (perhaps because they cannot afford to go anywhere else or do not want to risk living their lives being beholden to their family or on their charity or that of others; second, by doing damage to the primary objective by damaging the image/reputation of the faith-based spiritual institution called the Christian Church in the eyes and faith of right-thinking people in both its laity and in the wider community and which reputational damage will in turn adversely impact upon donations given to the Church and which cash flows are ultimately required to fund the maintenance of the Churches’ now vast infrastructure and to enable it to carry out its secondary social and charitable objective.
Furthermore, since no one forces anyone to join a Church or become a Christian or a leader/priest in it and so don on those collared garments that strangely enough, somehow seem to give the wearer the automatic moral authority to preach to others sitting and kneeling in the ordinary pews from the distance of that highly religious pulpit the very hard spiritual moral codes and principled values (that do in truth, I believe, lead to the finding of peace of mind and happiness), then I hold the uncharitably stern view that those who take on that good but hard vocation/calling voluntarily should understand what or who it is that they are taking on to represent and therefore, the public scrutiny they are letting themselves in for and consequently, to take reasonable care to preserve and maintain that moral rock of authority that their vocational support structure is based and built upon, so that should others seek to take pot-shots and hurl stones at those spiritually-oriented and faithful Church-houses, those houses of faith will stand firm on that moral rock and will not not crack-up and break apart like those made out of cheap glass.
And my reciprocal question to you, Annonyed, is this:
How many in the Church today (whether Catholic or Anglican or other denomination) do you see who do not behave like politicians today and who engage in more than just static rituals and who truly seek to teach and guide and liberate and heal the human spirit/soul through their spiritual strength gained by living and walking in the true spirit of that simple life led by that human exemplar they (all say they) seek to represent here on earth: the simple footsteps of that itinerant sage Master, who is said to have had no earthly belongings – such as palatial residences to stay in (at the Vatican or Bell Road or anywhere else in the world) or hereditary or executive titles to pin on or put on their official letter-heads or colourful plumage and robes to wear for moral authority or even any educational degrees to profess the authority to teach – and yet came to be known to all simply as Teacher and Master?
Whether rightly or wrongly, I see Jesus Christ first and foremost, as a simple Man of Humanity who never once claimed to be divine himself, and who, for that great knowledge, selflessness and brave candour that he possessed, was falsely accused, cruelly tortured and murdered (from the hateful fear within the hearts and minds of the religious zealots/politicians and the ignorant lay people whom they led and had power over) but whose ultimate moral sacrifice to stay true to himself and to God’s Truth seems to have won him in the end that ultimate prize of crossing over from humanity into divinity and to become the ideal human being/perfect exemplar of a Son of God.
2. Are you a CHristian? IF you are, are you an active one?
No, I am not a Christian nor do I belong to any institutionalised power structure whether it be called a Church or something else. But I do know who Jesus Christ is and so I know that to be a Christ-ian would mean that I would have to live my life according to His hard and very principled teachings and I think I am far too much of a fool and weak, sinner to qualify to be called by that worthy name.
3. DO you know the CHurch had already been building better christians with all the charitable homes they have? WHy you no praise them when they do good works like the Lighthouse works?
I am not sure that anyone has really proven thus far that one can build better people by merely building concrete-structured buildings for them, even if you build many such buildings. However, I do accept that many in the Christian Churches have done a great many good and right things and that their selfless acts and lives may have helped to better the lives of many others. Such Christian people I am sure do not require my stupid, useless praise, for I think they were not doing what they did out of an expectation to get my or any other foolish person’s praise or gratitude, but out of their absolute personal convictions that what they were doing was the right thing to do for them and maybe also in the eyes of their named God. I guess they probably knew too that if they were in deed righteous and selfless, then their reward, if any, for such deeds would lie ultimately in their God’s Grace.
4. Finally, my answer to your request to me not to use quotes from the Bible here is that I believe the spiritual teachings documented as spiritual knowledge in the Bible (and other Holy Books) belong – like God and Jesus and other divine sage Masters/Prophets do – not only to those who may profess to be “Christians” (or “Muslims” or “Hindus” etc.) but to ALL in humanity.
So sorry, to have to potentially annoy further or disappoint you perhaps but it is absolutely pointless of you asking me to stop quoting selectively from the Bible, or from other similar Holy Books, here or anywhere else, but which quotes I accept will only appear as published items here or anywhere else at the absolute discretion of the respective blogowner/s and the latitudes of respect that they hold for free speech and fair comment. That may be harsh perhaps, but nevertheless, fair I believe….smile.
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
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Greg,
I said that a form 5 student can read the 4 books of the Gospel in a weekend. I didn’t say they have to take over preaching the Gospel. You seem to have a problem understanding simple English. Your comments are filled with grammatical errors.
The point we are trying to make is if the Bishop did the right thing, such as meeting with the tenants, all this would not have happened.
As Racheljanz said,
“Now it’s all about damage control and how much they can get away with!”
At this juncture, the best thing to do to resolve this is per the advice given by annbrella,
“So why not take the easier option of doing something great and good instead of the harder option of doing something ugly and bad? Call me a fool but it never fails to amaze me how often the latter option is chosen, even by those who call themselves “religious” or “charitable” organisations and so clearly ought to know better about best practice”.
The big question here is whether the church is slowly evolving into a ‘Pharisee’ like “massive institution” as you put it.
What remedial measures can we take to rectify this?
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Jerry
I wished you had done your homework before shooooting your mouth! I found out that a couple of the tenants are using the Church grounds for car parking. If you visit one of the watering holes in that area, these 2 guys will charge you minimum RM5 to park your car on the land belonging to the church.
That is the main reason why they don’t want the church to take back the land! Talking to the people around there, it is a CASH COW for some of the tenants there…
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“Ann Brella do you have a house for rent. I want to come stay there for ever ….perhaps several of my future generations would like to stay there as well. Later i claim it for myself. Ok??”
greg:
Hypothesising on what you have said to me here, I suppose were I to be wearing the shoes of the Bishop or even that of a Christ-ian, I guess having you as a sitting tenant not paying rent and trying to take over both possession and legal title of my property, would have had me squarely caught between that proverbial rock and a hard place doing some serious hard mulling about that ….er….very profound bit in the Sermon on the Mount about turning and offering one’s other cheek and tunic.
According to the Gospel of Matthew 5:38-42 : “You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
According to the Gospel of Luke 6:27-31: “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
However, phew! as I am not representing the Church or its clergy or in the position of a baptised Christian, and after having taken into account what you have said to me here (which indicates that you are therefore, like some have said here, like those tenants with Astro dishes and so “rich enough” to pay your way since you can now afford a telephone line, a PC and a broadband connection and also time to surf the internet it seems instead of spending the time working to earn the money to pay your way) I suppose should I have wanted that rental income then I would have had no problems whatsoever, legally or morally, in acting like the usual average run of the mill selfish hypocrite/b****** one unfortunately finds everywhere nowadays, and so using all available legal means in turfing you out into the streets for not keeping to the stated terms of the legally enforceable tenancy agreement between us (that I would have ensured was in place before I let my property out to you) and not caring one hoot about whether you were homeless or not
On the other hand, being an admirer of Jesus Christ, I am however, on this one occasion willing to try out one of His most profound teachings. But having no chance to realistically try it out with the rental option, I am willing instead to try it out with respect to that first gratuitous pot-shot stone you have cast at me here, and so offer to turn my other facial cheek (virtually literally) to you for you to lob another one at me gratuitously.
But please could you make it less painfully infantile and disappointing this time round and perhaps add a bit of substantial logic and/or reasoned understanding of the underlying issues to it so that it tries to be a little incisive and cutting?
Be that as it may, here’s something good I picked out for you for a good journey ahead: May the road rise to meet you and may you always have a clean shirt, a clean conscience, a ringgit or more in your pocket and may you live long, die happy and rate a mansion in Heaven.
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
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annabrella,
Excellent!
Your words are so “incisive and cutting!”
SamG,
It’s not about the nitty gritty details about this particular case but the general trend and focus of the church today. Do we want it to evolve into a “Pharisee” like, cold “massive institution” or would we want it to be a religion that gives importance to the values that Jesus and the Apostles espoused i.e. justice, truth, righteousness, mercy and compassion.
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Jerry,
Good on you. Keep up the good works. Everybody has own ways of helping the poor…
BTW, I consider my family average but we don’t have Astro as to us it is a luxury.
God bless.
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