Synopsis Job's reply in Job 6-7 did not sit well with Bildad. It was now Bildad turn to speak,
“How long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind. Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?" (Job 8:2-3)
According to Bildad, Job's children got what they deserved for their sin. He explained,
"When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin." (Job 8:4)
He continued,
"Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. What they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is a spider’s web." (Job 8: 13-14)
He then concludes by a simple view of God's justice,
“Surely God does not reject one who is blameless or strengthen the hands of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more.” (Job 8:20 -23)
My reflections Despite his attempt to comfort Job, Bildad is wrong in relegating God to a simplistic view of justice. In his view, only the good are rewarded while the wicked are punished. In other words, physical health and material wealth is one way to know if a person is right with God.
But we definitely know that this is not true. In our lifetime, we definitely have witness injustice. There are healthy and rich people who are corrupt; while there are sickly and poor people who are honest. Bildad seems to be promoting a form of prosperity gospel.
I myself must not follow in Bildad's theology and promote such binary thinking.
A rock formation in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Taken 2017
In 2010, it is estimated that there are about 41,000 Christians (about 2.1%) in Mongolia. While Central Asia has generally been unfriendly to Christians (as Christians were persecuted under Islamic and Communist rule), Christianity has a long history there.
First appearance
The earliest known appearance of Christianity in Mongolia was in the 600s. The White Huns (who were west of Mongolia) requested for a Nestorian Christian bishop in 549, and by 650 there were 20 Nestorian diocese east of the White Huns.
Some Mongol tribes like the Naimans and Keraites accepted Nestorian Christianity as their tribal religion.
Rise of the Mongols The presence of Nestorian tribes meant that there were Nestorian Christians in key roles during the rise of the Mongols (under Genghis Khan). While Genghis himself was a beliver in Tengri, his empire had a policy of religious tolerance.
Examples of Nestorian Christians under his adminstration included Sorghaghtani Beki (his daughter-in-law) and Sartaq Khan (Khan of the Golden Horde).
Such a policy allowed the Roman Catholics to send missions into the Mongol Empire. In 1289, John of Montecorvino translated Psalms and the New Testament in the Mongol language and built a church in Mongol-controlled China.
Decline of Christianity After the Black Death, the Mongols were driven out of their territories in China. The now Ming Dynasty expelled the Christians.
In addition, 3 of the 4 Mongol successor empires embraced Islam, which meant that it was difficult to send more missions to Mongolia or Central Asia.
Although there were missions sent much later (like one led by James Gilmour in the 1800s), there were little growth in Christianity there. When Mongolia became communist in 1924, Christianity was discouraged.
A new beginning?
With the fall of the communist government in 1990, Christianity was again allowed in the country.
Hector and his daughter Liliana from Fire Emblem Cipher
Often Christians use the Bible to justify their moral or political stance. In this way, we all fall temptation to misquoting the Bible. One example I want to examine today is the Book of Numbers and abortion.
Numbers and abortion One of the popular Bible quotes for pro-abortion Christians is from Numbers 5:27:
If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse. (Numbers 5:27; NIV)
In other words, the author of the passage was describing how to cause a miscarriage, which implied that abortion was acceptable during the Old Testament times.
Immediately you should see the fallacies in such an argument.
Fallacy 1: Describing is not the same as endorsing One giant mistake that such pro-abortionists make is that just because the Bible describes something, it does not mean the Bible supports it.
For instance, in my history blog I often describe horrors of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. This does not mean that I support such terrors.
Describing the expansion of Imperial Japan is not the same as supporting it.
Fallacy 2: The context is a test for unfaithfulness, not procedure for an abortion.
Even a simple look at the verse in context reveals that the passage is not about abortion, but about punishment for unfaithfulness.
But if you have gone astray while married to your husband and you have made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband”— here the priest is to put the woman under this curse—“may the Lord cause you to become a curse among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell. (Numbers 5: 20-21; NIV)
Fallacy 3: The verse is not deliberately causing a miscarriage While the NIV translators used the term "miscarry", it is not a unanimous translation. The same passage is translated slightly differently even within the English versions.
And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people. (Numbers 5:27; ESV)
When he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall discharge, her uterus drop, and the woman shall become an execration among her people. (Numbers 5:27; NRSVUE)
If she has defiled herself by being unfaithful to her husband, the water that brings on the curse will cause bitter suffering. Her abdomen will swell and her womb will shrink, and her name will become a curse among her people. (Numbers 5:27; NLT)
Comparing the translations, the idea of miscarriage is admittedly unclear. Nevertheless, it is clear that Numbers 5:27 refers to a punishment for the unfaithful wife.
Children are a gift from God
Fallacy 4: The Bible overwhelmingly supports procreation Lastly it is a mistake to take a single verse and make a stance out of it. The Bible is very clear in its support for childbearing.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, (Psalms 139: 13- 14; NIV)
Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. (Psalms 127:3; NIV)
Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit. (Job 10: 10 -12; NIV)
Conclusion It is dangerous to twist the Bible for our purposes. We instead, should mediate on the Bible and be inline with God's purposes.
A quote from Sam Harris during his interview on Triggernometry
In a 2022 August interview, atheist philosopher Sam Harris made an appalling statement about the 2020 American Presidential Election. He claimed that even if Hunter Biden (President Biden's son) had "corpses of children in his basement", former President Trump was worse in his "Trump University Scam". Therefore (in the same interview), he suggested that any conspiracy (if it had existed) to keep Trump from being president was justified.
The shifting of a philosopher's mind When I first heard the comments, I was stunned. Here was a philosopher who in my younger days advocated for a truth without religion. While I disagree with him on many issues, I did follow his dialogues and blogs a little. I read two of his works, Letters to a Christian Nation and End of Faith, and liked that he popularised the idea of steel-manning an argument, (i.e. to debate an idea in its strongest form) rather than to strawman it. I enjoyed that he advocated free speech and freedom of expression.
Yet here I was shocked that now he was advocating for the censorship of the New York Post (a right-wing tabloid) and accepting any method to rig an election (although he would deny this in his tweets post-interview).
What does the Bible say about truth? But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner? - Romans 3:5-7
In his letters to the Romans, Apostle Paul clearly denounced the deliberate use of falsehood to enhance the outcomes (in this case, Christ righteousness.)
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left - 2 Corinthians 6: 3-7
Apostle Paul also highlights the importance of truth to prevent the discrediting of Christian ministry.
In fact truth is so important that Jesus himself described himself as that: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” - John 14: 6-7
As Christians, we have an obigilation to discuss issues honestly and with grace. Anything less is a compromise on the truth of Jesus.
Peace if possible, truth at all costs. -- Martin Luther
Martyrdom of Paul Miki and Companions in Nagasaki, unknown Japanese artist, c.1635
In terms of proportion, Japan has one of the lowest Christian population in developed countries. As of 2015, only 2% of its population are Christians. This is in contrast with South Korea (29.2%), Singapore (18.9%) and Hong Kong (11.7%). This is considered unusual because in such places, religious freedom is allowed.
However, one must remember that Japan was not always tolerant to the Christian faith.
The first missionaries In 1543, the Portuguese came into contact with the Japanese. As part of their cultural norms, they brought along Roman Catholic missionaries with them.
The Japanese authorities initially were supportive of the missionaries and Jesuits (religious order of Roman Catholic monks). After all, they took power away from the Shinto Buddhist monks, and were essential to trade with the Europeans. By 1573, Japan had about 130 000 Christian converts.
The banning of Christianity However, the Christian converts began to disrupt the social fabric of Japan. Not only did they challenge the feudal system, the more violent factions sacked Buddhist provinces and temples. In response, the the second great unifier of Japan, Hideyoshi issued a ban on Christianity in 1587.
The reputation of Christianity took a further hit when the Spanish ship San Felipe wrecked itself in Japan in 1596. The captain of the San Felipe poorly communicated the purpose of the Spanish missionaries, and this caused the Japanese authorities to think that the missionaries were here to subvert Japan, and colonise Japan for Spain.
26 Martyrs For refusing to leave the country, the Japanese rounded up 26 Roman Catholics and forced marched them for 30 days. 24 of them had their ears cut off. Finally, they were executed in Feburary 1597 via crucifixion and spearing.
Among them was a Japanese Jesuit called Paul Miki. According to certain accounts he said,
"All of you who are here, please, listen to me... I have committed no crime, and the only reason why I am put to death is that I have been teaching the doctrine of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I am very happy to die for such a cause, and see my death as a great blessing from the Lord. At this critical time when, you can rest assured that I will not try to deceive you, I want to stress and make it unmistakably clear that man can find no way to salvation other than the Christian way. The Christian religion tells us to forgive our enemies and those who do harm us, and so I say that I forgive the emperor and those responsible for my death. I have no hatred for the emperor; indeed, I wish that he and all the Japanese would become Christians."
This was the first execution ordered by the highest authority in Japan because of religious belief.
Aftermath The martyrs were canonized as Saints in 1862, while Japan eventually allowed freedom of religion again in 1889. The feast day is on February 6.
The first state to make Christianity the official religion was Armenia all the way back in 301 AD. This landlocked nation, more well-known for its mountains and association with the Soviet Union first received Christian missionaries in 40 AD.
According to some sources, King Tiridates III of Armenia made it official religion after a Christian missionary named Gregory the Illumiator cured his madness. (Before that, the king was persecuting Christians.) To show his gratitude to Christianity, he made it the state religion.
Other sources stated that he made Christianity the state religion to spite the neighbouring Parthains (who were Zoroastrians). Regardless of reason, about 94% of Armenians are Christians (with a vast majority being Orthodox Christians).
One of the many moral arguments in Triangle Strategy
Triangle Strategy is a 2022 strategy game for the Nintendo Switch. In this game you have to organise your party by upgrading their individual skills and weapons, clever positioning and terrain management to lead them to victory in various battles. The style of battling is similar to Final Fantasy Tactics.
Where the game differs is that the three advisors you have in the game, Benedict (your retainer), Frederica (your betrothed) and Roland (your best friend) sees morality in three different ways. Benedict tends to favour utilitarianism (i.e. greatest good for the greatest number of people). Frederica tends to argue for liberty (i.e. individualism), while Roland stands for morality (in this game, he favours honour and duty).
Thus such conflicting viewpoints often forces the player character (Sereona) to make a stand. Such decisions (in the game) will alienate some allies while elevating others.
The great thing about this game that it forces players (in this case, my wife and I) to discuss hypothetical situations and defend the moral decisions. In this post I want to examine the game's moral system from the view of Christianity.
Christianity and morality Right of the bat, it is important to note that Christian philosophers have discussed morality to great detail.
William Paley (the Father of Intelligent Design) was an advocate of utilitarianism. In his book Moral and Political Philosophy (1785), he argued that God's laws as laid down in Scripture were intended to promote widespread happiness. He saw Christianity as a rigid and logical system in which the greatest utility is produced if everyone followed God’s will.
There is also justification in Scripture for the importance of honour-based morality. Theologians have argued that honouring parents, the Sabbath and marriage were instituted by God for eternity. It was also pointed out that in 1 Timothy 5, Timothy was instructed to honour widows in a time and place when they were second-class citizens. This implied that Biblical concepts of honour sometimes goes beyond the culture of the era
Lastly, the Bible has been used to support individual liberalism. In Luke 15, Jesus uses parables to describe the importance of every lost sheep and coin, and these parables have been used to support the worth of every person.
Christianity recognises the complexity of morality Yet Christianity rejects the simplicity of moral issues. In many scenarios, the Bible highlights the complexity of making moral judgements, and focuses on reflection rather than establishing an outright decree. In Exodus 18, Moses himself was advised to appoint men to aid him in judging moral decisions. In 1 Samuel 24, David (against the advice of his men) refused to kill Saul (who was masterminding David's assassinations).
Christianity is more than just morality The main purpose of Christianity is to be more than moral. Yes, Christianity does contain certain moral principles (like the importance of obeying God over man is advocated in Acts 5:29). However, Christianity is not just adhering to moral teaching or principles.
It is about forming a lasting relation with Christ and to be reconciled with Him. In it we will grow in our moral insights.
