Sivin Kit’s Garden

I decided to play a more active role in the comments, I wonder whether it helps I used to leave comments frequently on blogs.  I slowed down lately, though I still have more then 200 blogs on my RSS feeds.

42. Sivin Kit (07/07/2008 16:08:35)
Beyond "Legislation"

Link to article

Thank you Rev. Lidis Singkung for helping us see how you are working through the issues surrounding the use of "Allah" in our contexts.
I totally agree with you that "it is far effective to educate Malaysians regarding the use of Allah than legislate its use."
In a conversation with my Muslim friend, he asked about whether there are Christians who want to use the word "Allah" to confuse Muslims. So, I agree with you, that there is a legitimate concern on their part.
Parallel with the court proceedings on this matter, I feel as Christians we need to reexamine how we can relate to our Muslim family members and friends characterized not with a "us/them" kind of hostility but as fellow pilgrims seeking to fear (revere) and love God.
With that as a starting point, i.e. consciously seeking to see the best in the "other" we can then honestly and respectfully talk about our common concerns as well as fears and aspirations as fellow human beings in this country.
Many of us at different levels would need to clearly demonstrate "love" for our fellow Muslim neighbor by engaging in needed conversations without defensiveness but seeking to understand their concerns as well, which apart from the use of the word "Allah" would include issues for example like poverty, the raising, protection and education of our children, the well-being of our neighborhoods, working together for the betterment of our nation, and so on.

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Apostasy Revisited by Dr. Musa bin Mohd Nordin

This is one issue that we cannot ignore. Thus, I read this article with much interest.

There is no single verse in the Qur’an that prescribes an earthly punishment for apostasy. Verses about apostasy in the Qur’an speak only about God’s punishment of the apostate in the Hereafter. Writes Prof. Badawi :
[Behold, as for those who come to believe, and then deny the truth, and again come to believe, and again deny the truth, and thereafter grow stubborn in their denial of truth - God will not forgive them, nor will guide them in any way.] (An-Nisaa’ 4:137)
It is important to note in the above verse that if the Qur’an prescribes capital punishment for apostasy, then the apostate should be killed after the first instance of apostasy. As such there would be no opportunity to "again come to believe and again deny the truth, and thereafter grow stubborn in their denial of truth". In spite of these acts of repeated apostasy, no capital punishment is prescribed for them.
The silence of the Qur’an on any prescribed mandatory capital punishment for apostasy is quite revealing. More revealing is the fact that there is overwhelming evidence in the Qur’an of freedom of conscious, belief, and worship.

Dialogue is a Muslim duty

Dr Syed Farid Alatas is one person where dialogue indeed is enriching …

Dr Farid aptly began by noting the importance of dialogue for national integration and racial harmony. In other words, dialogue was a non-negotiable.  He expressed a concern that dialogue had thus far been relegated to the mere exchange of theological ideas among scholars rather than being embodied as a joint effort to solve very practical issues facing a multi-racial society. 

Using a host of historical examples, Dr Farid elaborated his insightful observation that the positive elements of modern civilisation found their roots in multi-cultural — and to be more precise, interreligious — encounters. Such encounters were, in his assessment, focused on understanding and appreciating rather than converting “the other.”

At a very practical level, Dr Farid expressed his view that for such inter-religious encounters to take place authentically within Malaysia, the manner in which education took place had to be revised. The present education system, particularly its contents, caused polarisation more than giving rise to healthy dialogue. Since the way subjects were taught should propagate respect for various cultures, Dr Farid suggested that textbook contents should be changed. Should this effort be undertaken with utmost seriousness, he was quite confident that the next generation of people would be inherently dialogical in their view of inter-religious interactions.

The presenter was extremely and eloquently forthcoming with his views regarding the state of interreligious dialogue in Malaysia. He commented that if real dialogue was actually taking place in Malaysia, the Muslims would be upholding the rights of Christians to, for example, erect crosses on their religious buildings instead of feeling threatened by such religious expressions. He emphatically stated that Muslims had a duty to help persons of other religions to solve their problems at a very practical level.

22 July 2008 - Recruitment System of Foreign Workers needs to be Urgently Revamped

18 July 2008 - Police Roadblocks undermine National Productivity: Use alternative means of maintaining public order

02 July 2008 - Ensure Policies Provide Fair Economic Opportunity to all Malaysians

21 April 2008  - ACA to be made Fully Independent

Four  CPPS statements which are immediately relevant to a lot that’s going on these days.

Short spurts … but encouraging.

36. NEO (06/25/2008 21:10:01)
Bagus!

Link to article

Cadangan Peter adalah bagus, dan kita tidak payah takut untuk berdoa semedikian!

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35. Beh Sai Kong (06/23/2008 07:34:09)
PETER’S the best

Link to article

Absolutely brilliant! Ingenious! Definitely the most provocative part of Micah Mandate.

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Years ago May Chin and I got lost in a place called Dart Moor in England during our honeymoon.  We had a simple map, but maybe a wrong turn took us to the wrong direction.  It was scary.  We pushed further and further away from the fields into the forest.  When we arrived looking down at the stream , we knew we were REALLY lost.  But, then a spark of insight came to me, and I suggested to my new bride that we need to somehow get down to the stream and the waters should  happily flowing to somewhere, and lead us back to the town.

So, we skid and stumbled down the slope through the leaves reaching the stream.  Our jeans were tainted with dirt and mud while we were avoiding our backpacks from falling off while we were sliding down at times At the end, we got across the stream and found a walking path.  Some joggers passed us by with an intrigued look at two lost Malaysians trying to find their way back to "civilization". 

It worked.   The stream led us back where we needed to be, so we could get back on our journey. That’s what happens when the Word of God coming through the Bible, and specifically through the voice of Jesus does for us as well as the whisper of the Spirit. Streams of living water leading us back to the path of we were supposed to be walking. We were once lost but now we’ve found a way back.
(Note: Check out the streams here –>  Help Reading the Bible)

* * *

Nourishing one’s soul is so important these days.  But this practice is not often given due attention.  What has often demanded our attentions are that which is urgent , surface and immediate. Our time tables are driven by the agendas of others, and it’s so easy to get caught in the "flow".  We could survive of "reserves" for awhile … but in the long run, we are sucked dry and if not careful border on being burnt out.  The stress whether good stress which energizes us, or bad stress which tires us will always be there. But when our inner core is empty, we need to STOP and make amends … beginning now.  Sure, once upon a time we had a good rhythm of prayer, work and rest.  Maybe we plan to do it next week or next month when we have "time".  But we can’t live merely in the past or in the future, what we have before us is today.  And today is a good time to nourish our souls.. One good practice I do now is, whenever the thought of giving some attention to my soul occurs, I just stop for 2 minutes and pray, reflect or pause for a moment of silence while contemplating on the presence of God.  Try it.  And see what happens.. .. of course, slowing down your breathing helps.

* * *

It’s been a while since my last visit to what can be called "squatters".  And this one is so close to where our church is located.  Originally, I was hoping to meet some of the victims of a recent fire at a nearby Stadium, somehow the agenda shifted to paying a visit to the original squatters.  I was challenged again to see first the gap between many of us and those who are living in the squatters. Second, because of the tragedy of the fire, issues of relocation, communities working together, dealing with the authorities all come into play.  On a broader view, one would ask, ""How can you see God in such an event?"

But as we were in conversation with the local folk which included a mix of different ages and gender, what was immediately important was what is next?  Speculative discussions didn’t dominate.  And as a person of faith, I was reminded of allowing a healthy faith keep my focus. That’s where the energy comes from in dealing with suffering and tragedy.

"Faith in God is dynamic rather than static - that is, God works with us. In times when we are complacent and self-centered, we can completely miss God’s dynamic work in our lives and thereby lose the meaning of being created in God’s image."

* * *

These harmonics vibrated from July 21- July 23, 2008

Here’s some buzz in the response section, it would be nice to have more, then again maybe we are not controversial enough, or people want to be polite?

31. Jeremiah Liang (06/19/2008 01:36:52)
Christians Need to Engage In Online Discussions

Link to article

I agree that Christians should be more active in politics. I will go further to say that, post 8 March’08, all Malaysians are now empowered politicians who have a new voice: the voice of the ballot box and the voice of the Internet.
Msian Christians should also engage in intellectual and friendly discussions on various blogs so that we can come to a reasonable understanding with many of our fellow Moslem, or non-Christian citizens.
However, some churches are still cautious about taking a pro-active stance because they fear this will provoke the religious extremists and the racial-provocateurs.
Some even hold the view that the religious extemists are controlled by principalities and spiritual powers and there is no point in reasoning or talking to them.
Are’t we suppose to be the salt of the earth? And salt is meant to be as abundant as the sea?
(I welcome your views on the latest online controversy about PAS’s deputy chief’s proposal for Syariah laws for the PR states. Go to www.jeremiahliang.blogspot.com).

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30. Alwyn (06/16/2008 18:28:48)
Negative income tax?

Link to article

Thanks, Mr Goh, for this sober assessment. What about the following idea from blogger John Lee?
"
If we really want to aid the common man, then just rebate the petroleum revenue to him, as the DAP has proposed. The most efficient welfare system is one which gives money to people to spend as they find necessary. When you give me a lump sum payment, under, say, a negative income tax policy, I can spend it not just on petrol, but on public transport, school uniforms, food, whatever. If I don’t have a car, I still benefit. Relative to a subsidy on petrol alone, a direct transfer payment is more efficient."
http://www.infernalramblings.com/articles/Malaysian_Economy/746/#forum_comments

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JESUS CALLS US to enlarge our circle of companions, to expand compassion beyond the boundaries of our present awareness. Jesus ate meals with misfits and outcasts as well as with his friends. Jesus healed the daughter of a Gentile woman, even as he claimed that his main mission was to save the Jews. When I imagine Jesus staring into that woman’s insistent face, I believe his own heart was broken and his compassion enlarged by God’s boundless mercy. All of us, it seems, are candidates to be stretched Godward by compassion coaching.

- Don C. Richter
Mission Trips That Matter: Embodied Faith for the Sake of the World

(via Upper Room Daily Reflections)

Occasionally, opportunities come my way to "enlarge my circle" a bit.  It’s not planned.  But one needs to recognize an opening when it’s present.  Sometimes, I feel God is nudging me a little bit more out of my comfort zone.  Other times, I know he’s really stretching me … and that’s scary.   In both cases, I cannot and must not be too stiff and rigid.  If I am then, I easily break.  When I’m open then I can be bent accordingly

Enlarging the circle is one needed step.  The reality is in many cases we don’t even have a circle yet, and we are entangled, stuck, and crisscrossed to a degree that some efforts needs to be done, to get us into a circle again. 

So, the work of enlarging the circle may need to come after significant energy and time is spend on getting ourselves out of the being entangled. At first sight it looks impossible.  It can be long, and needs lots of patience.  Perseverance is a must. And a good dose of healthy possibility thinking too … Don’t give up too easily!

How DNA Evidence Works

What can you do when you are bombarded with DNA talk everyday?

The key to DNA evidence lies in comparing the DNA from the scene of a crime with a suspect’s DNA. To do this, investigators have to do three things:

• Collect DNA at the crime scene and from the suspect (see How CSI Works)
• Analyze the DNA to create a DNA profile
• Compare the profiles to each other

Authorities can extract DNA from almost any tissue, including hair, fingernails, bones, teeth and bodily fluids. Sometimes, investigators have DNA evidence but no suspects. In that case, law enforcement officials can compare crime scene DNA to profiles stored in a database. The most commonly used database in the United States is called CODIS, which stands for Combined DNA Index System. CODIS is maintained by the FBI. By law, authorities in all 50 states must collect DNA samples from convicted sex offenders for inclusion in CODIS. Some states also require all convicted felons to submit DNA.

Understanding DNA Evidence: A Guide for Victim Service Providers

This is complicated.

The importance of the role forensic DNA evidence plays in solving sexual assault and homicide cases cannot be overstated. DNA evidence is a crucial tool used in effective police work to solve violent crimes. For those who have been wrongly accused, sentenced, and imprisoned—sometimes for many years—for a crime they did not commit, DNA evidence exonerates the innocent and alerts law enforcement to pursue the true offender. By convicting the guilty and freeing the innocent, DNA evidence truly serves the interests of justice.

Although DNA is a powerful tool, it is useless to the criminal justice system if not properly collected, preserved, and tested. Members of the criminal justice community must be trained to identify DNA evidence, to understand its significance, and to counsel victims on how valuable it is in apprehending and convicting offenders.

DNA EVIDENCE: PROCEED WITH CARE*

The context in which the "science" is applied is equally important.  Fascinating speech by a judge.

DNA Is Different:  Implications of the Public Perception of DNA Evidence on Police Interrogation Methods (pdf)

The "CSI Effect" is an interesting insight …

The theory of the “CSI Effect” is based on the notion that television influences a viewer’s understanding of the topic it portrays. Simply stated, television affects our perception of reality. Specifically, television programs influence our perceptions of crime and the legal system. The television is a staple of the American home and serves as a powerful educator. The majority of Americans watch at least twenty-five hours of television per week, allowing television to become our “primary story-teller, telling most of the stories to most of the people, most of the time.” Thus, television shapes the way that non-lawyers understand the legal system.

Because the majority of Americans are not attorneys, and have never entered a courtroom, “these pop culture representations obtain an enhanced authority. As these stories of law take root in our psyches, they help to construct our understanding of law and justice.”

DNA Evidence: science or smoke and mirrors?

This is technical but reminds us of the subjective dimension in all so called "objective" scientific endeavors.

After all that chemical magic, the final DNA profile is the subjective interpretation of those blips by two or more human operators. Their ‘expert’ opinions are based on an awful lot of assumptions about an indirectly glimpsed, invisible exhibit. No other form of physical evidence is presented so obliquely, is subjected to such a complex fabrication process or requires so much trust in its integrity.

Science it may be, but smoke and mirrors are not excluded.

How, yet again, they are trying to fabricate evidence against Anwar

This is the post which will surely generate controversy sent me checking out what on earth DNA evidence is all about. Of course, one wonders what kind of the unseen DNA of RPK which makes him say things like this:

The ‘evidence’ against Anwar is no good. They now need to look for another way to ‘prove’ that Anwar sodomised Saiful. In the meantime, let us see if the AG will be making another police report against me and whether the IGP is going to arrest me and charge me in court for sedition and criminal defamation for this latest allegation of mine.

Hey, I already face four charges of sedition and criminal defamation. What are another two or three charges? The important thing is not whether I get sent to jail or not. What is important is that the world is told that they are attempting, yet again, to fabricate evidence against Anwar Ibrahim. And that is worth going to jail for.

One of the things I find myself drawn back to again and again is the relational and personal dimension of our faith.  That we first and foremost relate to God as a person, friend, father, Lord and so on.  When we talk about believing .. it’s more than just about our ideas and doctrines of God (which is important for healthy faith), we must not neglect the basics of the beginnings of our faith which often is simple. And this particular verse in John 14:1-6 mentioning the Father’s House is the one which inspired me to call the church premises we worship in the Father’s House.  The place is meant to remind us of the place or space we can have to grow in God, explore new aspects of faith, relate to very different people, and mature along the way … we leave behind simplistic unhealthy aspects of faith, and yet mature with the simplicity authentic faith through the thick and thin of our life journey. The Father’s House in our lifetime now, is a symbol of the pit-stop we need to allow ourselves to mature in worship, in community and in fellowship.

* * *

One of my favorite prayers I’ve learnt from the Bible is from 1 Samuel where the young prophet Samuel was taught to pray this way.

"Speak Lord, You servant is listening".

So often, the issue at hand is not whether God speaks, it’s whether I am listening.

* * *

While we may or may not find out the exact causes and reasons of the difficulties we are facing each day, we will still face them.  So often, we are tempted to head towards a dead-end of analysis when like it or not we still need to act (i.e. decide on the next course of action).  My guess is that God first and foremost walks with us during times of hardship, and at the same time may guide us to a greater understanding of what is going on, but in the long run, he persists in empowering us to overcome the obstacles before us.

* * *

The Bible - or more precisely - the library of 66 books we have in our hands today, has indeed been a necessary resource for my own life, and ministry (work). My understanding on how the Bible functions in my life has been enriched, i.e. it’s not just a Christian chicken soup for the soul  book!, and in some areas revised for the better as it now it encompasses all of life, i.e. not just about religious issues. The practice of reading, and reflecting on the Bible also follows with an ongoing learning process with various curves. The methods are many whether we use guided notes like this devotional, or a simple listening to the texts through the Bible Experience Audio, what I found important and constant is the need to return to the reservoir of truth, guidance, comfort and challenge that comes from it’s pages.  And it’s really beyond just nice and inspiring thoughts, it’s God speaking through the texts to our context.  In times like this where there’s an overcrowded competition of messages which demand our attention, some needed, others mostly distracting, I’m looking forward to hear what can cut through the maze or mess of ideas with a voice who truly is for the good of all.  Returning to the Bible (with all it’s interpretive challenges) forces me to hear the human voices again, but more importantly to hear God’s voice afresh.

* * *

These harmonics vibrated from July 14 - July 18, 2008

POLICE NEVER TAKES LUNCH BREAK

I will do a proper intro to this blogger another day … for now enjoy!

DID YOU KNOW THAT IN MALAYSIA ….

some police personnel suffer from serious skin sensitivity especially when exposed to the Malaysian sun?

That explains why the police squad sent to arrest a person wanted for questioning the other day wore balaclavas carefully covering every inch of their bodies except their eyes which are not threatened by the sun.

DID YOU KNOW THAT IN MALAYSIA …. the police views sodomy as by far the most dangerous crime and the most dangerous threat to the country’s security?

That explains why no effort or time at all is spared (not even lunch time) as soon as an allegation is made concerning sodomy the police goes into dazzling action despite the long queue of cases of missing children, violent snatch thefts, murdered foreigners, missing billions of ringgit to misappropriation and corruption.

Let cops decide, so shut up Pak Lah!

We can always depend on the veteran Karpal to turn up the heat.

“It is wrong for the PM to publicly challenge Anwar to disprove the allegation of sodomy against him.
“The PM should hold his peace and not publicly direct and influence police investigation,” he said.

“Hamid Albar should be prepared to face the consequences for defaming Anwar for these statements and innuendos,” he said.
The minister was quoted as saying, “What is (Anwar) afraid of? Give blood sample for the sake of truth,” by New Straits Times yesterday.

Courage will set us free!

Josh makes a nice twist on the title.

The same tactic is employed time and time again, the latest being the high-handedness of the police in arresting Anwar Ibrahim from outside his house two days ago. While many were brave to turn up before the police station in support of the opposition leader, many more were perhaps quietly concerned over the economic implications of the episode.
What economics? I would ask. For the little bourgeois, the Barisan Nasional government has got its priority wrong at a time when challenging externalities call for exceptional leadership.

Why not reveal Saiful’s police report?

This is a question in many people’s mind I guess … It is a good question.

What is Syed Hamid Albar afraid of?

Aliran President P Ramakrishnan poses the question with clarity …

Do they realise that by refusing to release the report, the police are seen as believing Saiful’s side of the story and suspecting Anwar of being guilty? Where is the fairness? Both the accuser and the accused should be treated fairly and justly so that the truth can be laid bare in the interest of justice.

It is three weeks since the police report was made by Saiful. Why is it so difficult to make the report available to Anwar? Anwar has insinuated that both the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General, who have been accused of having manipulated the evidence against Anwar in the past, could be the source and cause for Anwar’s predicament in this instance.

Anwar Ibrahim and the Experience of Defeat

Interesting analysis ….

Finally, after 8 years, I can say with a grateful heart and a smile on my face, that I have a proper name card to give out! Feel free to share in the comments what comes to your mind when you see the design and colors …