29 August 2013

Not translatable

Can you think of anything you wish to express that anybody else would not be able to pick up exactly what you mean?

If it is an emotion, then empathy goes a long way in understanding another.

In language, most words translate across to other languages, although there are many exceptions to this rule.  Some languages have words that other languages do not.  Some have words to express tenses, whereas others express tenses as prefixes, suffixes, or not at all.

Huffington Post listed 11 words that do not translate, but I know a few more to add to the list.  I also know that languages change over time, and it is impossible to keep a current list of words in all languages.

Are there other things that do not translate well?

Have you wondered how the words spoken by politicians in democratic countries are often represented more negatively than what the politicians probably mean?

Are there words that capture what people think of Miley Cyrus' raunchy act?

Can guys really understand what girls feel?  (I'm sure they can, most of the time - they are equally human, after all, but maybe girls may have some emotions guys do not understand.)

What of cross-cultural miscommunications?  Things your spouse may not understand because he/she was raised up differently?

What else?

What do you think?

24 August 2013

Spiritual awakening

Soulseeds reckons that there are 12 signs of spiritual awakening.  His blog lists these as

"
1. An increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
2. Frequent attacks of joy, unexplained smiling and random bursts of laughter.
3. Feelings of being closely connected with others and nature.
4. Frequent overwhelming, almost dizzying, episodes of appreciation.
5. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experience
6. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
7. A loss of ability to worry.
8. A loss of desire for conflict.
9. A loss of interest in taking things personally.
10. A loss of appetite for drama and judgment.
11. A loss of interest in judging yourself.
12. Prone to give love without expecting anything in return.
"

Do you think so?  Have you experienced spiritual awakening yourself?  Do you think spiritual awakening is good or bad?  Why?

Does spiritual awakening come from self or from God or both?  How?

What do you think?  Please share.  Thanks.

17 August 2013

What is "fatwa"?

"Some people use the term to mean an Islamic death sentence imposed upon a person the word "fatwa" is an Arabic word, and it literally means "opinion"."  This seems to be a key point according to the Wikipedia article on this subject.

The opening paragraph of that article said that "in Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar".

So it seems that the world has different opinions about how seriously to take fatawa.  ("Fatawa" is the plural of "fatwa".)

I was drawn to this subject when somebody pointed out on Twitter that some have used fatwa to exploit Syrian women.  It sounded to me that people were taking words beyond what the Koran said, and interpreting the meaning to justify themselves in doing nasty things.

I think self-justification is wrong ... but very human.  It is in our nature to want to think that we are good, when we are actually sinful.  I found it assuring to find another person also expressing that fatawa need not be taken as law - they should be read in context of the background and culture of the mufti scholar who puts it together.

Some fatwa are hard for me to believe, eg. that a curse will be on people who take photographs, except for reason of necessity.  What do you think about such rules?

Do you think people understand the Scriptures in ways to justify their own actions?  The Quran?  The Bible?  What do the Scriptures actually mean?  How does God really expect us to behave?  What does He want us to believe?  Are there expectations and understandings that transcend the boundaries of culture?

What do you believe?

11 August 2013

Defecting from religion

Why do people give up their faith?  Why do they change from one faith to another?  From having a faith to not having one?  Or from not believing in God to believing in God?

Then, does one remain with one's convictions?  Or does one change one's mind after a matter of weeks, or months, or years later?

http://learnislam1.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/defecting-from-religion-new-trend.html carries some insights into this question.  It describes such changes as a "new trend".  It tells about people who have been dissatisfied with church.  Some of the reasons for feeling dissatisfied has been
  • unequal treatment
  • not agreeing with policy
  • feeling confused about what to believe
  • needs not met
  • expectations not met
  • did not feel God close to one
  • not happy
How should church change so to address these issues?

Should church change to suit the people?  Or should people change to suit the church?  How about changing to be more like God, in spite of what the church thinks?

How about changing to fit in with what God expects, rather than what church or religion expects?

Does defecting from church to a religion address these issues?  Or will one still end up feeling dissatisfied after a while?

What do you think?

04 August 2013

Real faith

Hement Mehta told us Rachael's story.

Rachael is the daughter of an apologist.  She was taught the Bible while she was young.  She knew the words to say to defend the Bible.  Her father was proud to show off what she knew.

Then one day, she asked herself a question she could not answer.  From that point on, she turned her back on the faith that her father had taught her.

Did she do the right thing?  What do you think?

Is she right to turn her back on what her father had taught her?  Should she stay believing in that if it had been wrong?

What if her father had taught her something else, and she left that for the God of the Bible?

What makes it right?  What makes it wrong?  Does Rachael have enough power to discern?  Does anybody?

Is truth relative to a person's perception?  Or is there only one truth, and that is God's; we only need to agree on what that truth is?

What do you believe?