Who will survive 2010?

Every coming of new year we set out new resolution we hope to accomplish, but with each passing year, we never really achieved anything. Even though each year we promised to be a better person, we are never that serious to change ourselves, or the people surrounding us, and far away from changing the world. Everyday we are still polluting the earth, ignoring our neighbors, turning a blind eyes to people in need, etcera etcetera. We easily forget our promises because that’s what human do, …and then we came to another coming of new year. For a short while we paused to reflect at what we have been doing all year long and then started out new promises while our past ones are left unfulfilled. Every year we stayed in that infinite loop and managed ourselves to going nowhere.

The term ‘Happy New Year’ has become such a cliche that it is now merely a tradition to signify the presence of hope. What is so ‘happy’ and hopeful about the coming 2010? One can senses a dark aura of doom lurking around the corner. The world is in hopeless state. Nations are still in conflicts, innocent lives are being killed on daily basis to justify unholy wars and the ‘leader of change’ is just another western rethoric that promise only false hope. No concrete solution has been achieved to previous and current crises in the world, and yet we are heading to a direction where more crises will arise while the current ones will escalate further.

Religion is getting less relevant and the world population is getting more corrupted with lust, selfishness and greed. Ironically, the more human forget about religion and about God, the more God will make aware of His presence. That will simply translates to more disasters and tragedies. How else can human perceive God without being subjected to losing control to his delicate life and forced to accept that there is higher force at play.

In Malaysia, politicians are painting the country’s future black. Desperation and clinching for power has left the country in embarassing state. Personal gains sacrifice the good of many and the people are left to fend for themselves. 2010 will bring inflation and higher cost of living with the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

So as the citizens of earth are being jovial and about to partying all night on December 31, as some of us are getting drunk and forgetting ourselves and everything else, please try to remember we are a step closer to, and are celebrating our own destruction.

The world and our biological body are destabilizing every second, minute and hour, politically, environmentally and in every other aspects known to man. We will eventually reach a saturated point where our total destruction is inevitable and shall meet our ultimate doom.

So (smirk) to all friends and strangers, Happy New Year!

Technorati Tags: 2009, 2010, Christmas, GST, Happy New Year, Malaysia, Malaysia News, Malaysian, New year resolution

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Christmas motifs and decoration in a shopping mall

In shopping malls, shopkeepers and retailers take the opportunity to erect a non-religious motifs such as snow, stockings, Santa and his reindeer. There are also the candy canes and Christmas tree, come complete white, green, red and gold, which are regarded as the traditional colors of the season. All commercial centers and hotels decorated themselves in sync with the atmosphere of Christmas.

Religious Adherents Statistic of 2000, Malaysia Department of Statistics

Christmas in Malaysia also refer to the church gatherings comprising of people of different beliefs (excluding Moslems) to observe the festive spirit. The celebration and the festivity continue till the morning hour.

Sabah will host the Christmas Open House this year at Padang Merdeka here on December 27 and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to officiate the event. The concept of ‘open house’ is unique to Malaysia. Such practice is a norm for all religious festivities – friends, families and strangers are welcomed for a visit thus enjoys the delicious feast prepared by their hosts.

Christianity in Malaysia is a minority religion practised by 9.1% of the population. The major Christian denominations in Malaysia include the Anglicans, Baptists, Brethrens, independent Charismatic churches, Lutherans, Methodists, non-denominational churches,  Presbyterian and Roman Catholics. Majority of Malaysia Christians live in East Malaysia (Borneo) consisting 28% of  Sabah population and 42.4% of Sarawakian.

In Malaysia, Jesus too is recognized and loved by other spectrum of the population. The Moslems that constitutes the majority 60.4% of Malaysian, have different perception on Jesus.
In Islam, Jesus (Arabic: Isa) is considered a Messenger of God who had been sent to guide the Children of Israel (Bani Israil) with a new scripture, the Injil (Gospel). The Qur’an, believed by Muslims to be God’s final revelation, mentions Jesus 25 times. It states that Jesus was born to Mary (Arabic: Maryam) as the result of virginal conception, a miraculous event which occurred by the decree of God (Arabic: Allah). To aid him in his quest, Jesus was given the ability to perform miracles, all by the permission of God. According to Islamic texts, Jesus was neither killed nor crucified, but rather he was raised alive up to heaven. Islamic traditions narrate that he will return to Earth near the day of judgment to restore justice and defeat al-Masih ad-Dajjal (“The False Messiah”, also known as the AntiChrist).

Like all prophets in Islam, Jesus is considered to have been a Muslim, as he preached for people to adopt the straight path in submission to God’s will. Islam rejects that Jesus was God incarnate or the son of God, stating that he was a mortal man who, like other prophets, had been divinely chosen to spread God’s message. Islamic texts forbid the association of partners with God (syirik), emphasizing the notion of God’s divine oneness (tauhid). Numerous titles are given to Jesus in the Qur’an, such as al-Masih (“The Messiah; the anointed one” i.e. by means of blessings), although it does not correspond with the meaning accrued in Christian belief. Jesus is seen in Islam as a precursor to Muhammad, and is believed by Muslims to have foretold the latter’s coming.

Christmas is 'almost' a non-religious affair in Malaysia

Muslims believe in the virginal conception of Jesus by Mary, which is recounted throughout several passages in the Qur’an. According to the Qur’anic narrative, Mary had withdrawn into a temple and was visited by an angel an agent of divine action or communication commonly identified in Islam with the angel Gabriel (Arabic: Jibreel) but also with the created spirit from God by which he enlivened Adam. He proclaimed to her the conception of Jesus.

Mary was startled, for she had vowed her virginity to God and intended to retain it. The angel reassured her, stating that such a conception was easy for God, who wished to make from her a sign to men and a mercy from Him. The Qur’an describes the conception as the result of a creative decree made by God, similar to the creation of Adam. Some Qur’anic exegetes describe the event of conception as the angel’s breathing into the cloak of Mary; which, upon putting it on, resulted in Jesus being conceived. Afterwards, Mary withdrew “to a distant place.”

After delivering Jesus, Mary was overtaken by the pangs of childbirth, resting near the trunk of a palm tree. Jesus then addressed her from the cradle, to instruct her to shake the tree and obtain its fruits and also to allay Mary’s fears of a scandal surrounding his conception. She then showed the new-born to her family, and in silencing immodest rumors he declared: “Lo, I am God’s servant; God has given me the Book, and made me a Prophet. Blessed he has made me, wherever I may be; and He has enjoined me to pray, and to give alms, so long as I live and likewise to cherish my mother.” (Resource: Wikipedia)

Technorati Tags: Anglicans, Baptists, Borneo, Brethrens, Catholics, Christian, Christmas, Gabriel, Gospel, Isa, Jesus, Jibreel, Lutherans, Malaysia, Malaysia Travel, Mary, Maryam, Methodists, Moslem, Presbyterian, Qur'an, Sabah, Sarawak

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