26 March 2014

Restrained by culture

An article in the Sun-Herald earlier this month said that women desire sexual intercourse more than how they let on.

The article featured Daniel Bergner, who wrote about experiments done by Meredith Chivers on human arousal.  Subjects watched different kinds of pornography as their genitals were measured to see how aroused they were.  Subjects noted how aroused they felt as these measurements were taken.

Bergner and Chivers concluded that men and women were similarly aroused sexually, but women are less likely to admit it.  It is as though it is culturally taboo for women to feel aroused in some situations, so they feel the need to hide their shame.  Culture allows men to be less restrained in this aspect.  They promote the idea that when the society's expectations allow it more, then women express their sexual desires more openly.

Do you believe them?  Is this really true?  Are we sexually inhibited by cultural expectations?  Is this a "good" thing or a "bad" thing?  What do you think?

Is the intensity of women's sexual arousal related to their ovulation cycles/

Should we be more honest about our sexuality, or should we be less open about it?  Why?

Would more openness lead to a higher rate of rape, unwanted pregnancies and other undesirable sex-related crimes?  Really?

What is appropriate expectation and behaviour with regards to the sexual aspect of our lives?  What should the expectation of society and culture be?

What does God say about this?  Does it matter what God says?

23 March 2014

Prayer at public school

Should everybody at public school be forced to pray?  To which god?  What if they don't believe in god?  What do you think?

I don't mean private schools or Christian schools, when I ask this question.  I think the expectations are clear that if a child were to attend one of these, then they are expected to fit into the culture of that school.  And it can be expected that Christian schools would want people to pray, Buddhist schools expect people to chant, etc.

But public schools cater to the masses.  Children whose parents cannot afford the cost of private schooling are sent to these schools, since schooling is compulsory.  They go to the school that is assigned to them, often based on the geographical area of where they live.  Should such children be forced to pray?

A story in today's Sun-Herald set me thinking.

The article spoke of a parent who pulled out his child, not because he was anti-religious, but because he thought the practice not to be inclusive for everybody.  He thought that scripture classes or prayer groups within the school can have prayer time, but not during the school assemblies where everybody is expected to attend.  But the majority of the parents in that school voted to retain prayer in the school assemblies.

Another school said there would be no way that Christian prayer would be conducted at their school assembly, since that school was 90% Muslim.

Yet another school runs it such that sometimes, the children would pray to Allah.  At other times, they would read Sanskrit text, and at yet other times, sing Christian hymns and practice meditation.  This school thinks that the exposure to the religious practices of a multicultural society would be good for the children.

What do you think?

Should governments segregate swimming pools and prayer rooms so to satisfy the requests of the Muslim community?  Should there be combined prayer time or separate ones?  Why even have prayer time at all?  How should public schools run with regards to this aspect?

17 March 2014

How did we lose something so big?

Possibly, the biggest news item that has grabbed the attention of the world and has everybody thinking, is the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines, flight MH370, just over a week ago.  The plane left Kuala Lumpur, was on its way to China, when it fell out of radar detection and radio communication.

How can we lose something that big?  In this day and age?

Sure, several aircrafts have been lost in the Bermuda TriangleAmelia Earhart was not found also.  But in this day and age where we have satellites, radar, military surveillance, Google Earth and internet communication, we do not expect to lose something like a Boeing 777.

Somebody has mocked the process, saying that "MH370 so big cannot find, Anwar sperm so small but cannot find".  The mishandling has been so embarrassing that somebody feels that he does not want to embrace Islam.

That the loss of the plane happened so soon after Malaysia's opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, was accused of sodomy (again), and the court convicted Karpal Singh of sedition, leaves some to think that might be some political motivation behind this national embarrassment.  However, we do not yet know if this is the case.

What do you think?  What happened to the plane?  Why?  How?  Will there ever be a believable explanation?

What can be done for Malaysia?  How can the nation handle the situation better?

11 March 2014

Which guy are you most like

Jesus' story of the prodigal son is recorded in Luke 15:11-32.  It reads:
Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

 
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
  I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.  ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.  But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
As you think of it, which character are you most like?

I could identify with all three.
  • As the younger son; being self-seeking, unwise, carried away with pleasure, lacking foresight.  Later regretting his mistakes and looking for forgiveness.
  • As the older son; seeking justice and fairness, not wanting to be deprived for what he has contributed to his father's livelihood.  Perhaps even resentful of having been left to look after the parent and the home while the brother got to go out and enjoy himself.
  • As the father; patient and forgiving.  Willingly giving everything for the well-being of his children.  Not necessarily fair, but gracious.
What do you think?  Can you identify yourself within these characters?

What do you think the message of this story is?  Which character do you think most typifies God?  Why?

What would you do about your thoughts on this story?

06 March 2014

Godless America

Recent news headlines featured Putin calling America "godless".  He said that the nation was founded on Christian values but has now turned away from these values.

In the present era, American thinking puts worship of God on the same level as the worship of Satan.  Openness to religious freedom and living in a culture that thinks less about God has left the society to not discriminate between religious beliefs.  Atheism is rampant.

People have also become more open to sexual freedom to the extent of honouring same-sex marriage and abortion.

Contrast this to an era about twenty years ago, when Russia was a communist nation.  Reagan called Russia a "godless nation" back in those days.  Clergy and Christian believers were tortured and put to death between 1917 and 1937.  Churches were destroyed.

Now, Russia banned public display of gay behaviour during this year's Winter Olympics.  Orthodox churches have been reestablished.

Has the world changed?

Whose views are correct?  Which culture is the better one?  Which one is "right" from an ethical, godly, human point of view?

Whose values would you rather adopt?  Why?