Poverty, war and loneliness...

Watched The Pianist yesterday night till 130am. My parents stayed up to watch too. The front parts totally grossed me out. How the german soldiers randomly chose ple to shoot, and the humiliation of human beings (jews- whether bankers, pianists, lawyers, businessmen etc). There was this scene when a german soldier threw an old man in his wheelchair out of the window. All because he could not stand up to bow down at them. And another scene where the random jews bowed down their bodies and got shot in the head one by one. It invoked rather strong emotions in me. Why would the germans treat other human beings like that? I totally cannot understand how humans have the capacity toward such evil. Didn't their conscience prick them? I also thought abt institutions. Maybe the germans grew up being educated in their schools that it was the right way to go about? Who questioned the authorities any way?

Ple in authorities yield a lot of power. Group think occurs and everyone agrees to the head and whatever the head says is filtered down to the second level of leaders and so on and so forth. And who questions the authorities? If someone does he is probably seen as the deviant one. I think Martin Luther must have gone through much inner turmoil when he started the reformation and said that men shall live by faith alone.

How about in America, where blacks were treated as slaves. There was something clearly wrong with this kinda treatment. But nobody spoke up until much later. Were they too influenced by culture to see it, or was it that nobody bothered to speak up?

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Recently I've been thinking about poverty and all that. As well as the doctrine of christians being blessed. I have no doubt that God blesses christians. But what do christians do with the money that they are being blessed with?
If the germans committed murder-directly on innocent jews, we are very indirectly committing murder by hording up our wealth and not helping the poor. When all the poor needs is a few dollars or even a small percentage of our donations/wealth and u can save a life!

Rather enlightened by the passages on poor recently. Never saw them but I guess somehow God opened my eyes to the scripture through various books. God cares for the poor and He is unhappy with social justice. In the old testament in Amos, Amos warns the ple in Israel that God is unhappy with them oppressing the poor and not giving them their wages etc etc. And likewise in Isaiah and Jeremiah. I never took those readings too seriously-probably thought that, nah, not for me. I am ok..I don't oppress ple. The bible is talking abt the really evil landlords who charge high taxes or ple who underpay their workers. Definitely not me!
Read Matthew 25:43-46

41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 44 Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Notice that Jesus was NOT just talking about the oppressors. But He was talking about ple-u and me who saw ple who were hungry, thirsty, naked, sick etc but didn't bother to help them.

Christianity is not only about ourselves being blessed!

Luke16-19-25
19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell F112 from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

Just because in Singapore we don't directly see the same scene, but yet in a way we are practicing what the rich man is doing. Having good food, clothes etc. Yet at the other side of the globe, maybe in Africa, malnutritient/sickness/lack of education is rampant. Aren't we behaving like the rich man then?

Read Ron Sider's Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger.

Not only do we not help the poor, but we teach ple that christians are to be blessed and live a standard of life that is above average. God can bless us with a lot of wealth. But why shd we think that the wealth that God gives us is for us to enjoy our lives? God is a God of social justice and loves the poor. And we should too.

Not that I have attained anything so noble etc. I am ashamed that I am behaving like any well-fed, typical christian, but I think it is important in our daily lives to examine what are the things we really need (do we need more gadgets and newer handphones?) and what can we give and sow into others lives. I think instead of treating our wealth as a given to be thankful. Oh yah, u may wanna do smthing practical like sponsor a child at world vision! I just got a boy from Phillipines!

Some food for thought. Please please think about it!