Alternative Culture: ALS and the Ice Bucket Challenge

Earlier this year, the fad of pouring a bucket of ice over one's head has reached the shores of Singapore. Even I was asked by my students to participate in the challenge.

In this post, I want to examine the motivations of this challenge in the light of theology. For other information on the challenge, please go to this site.

What is the Ice Bucket Challenge?

For those not in the know, the Ice Bucket Challenge was designed to raise awareness (and hence funding for treatment) for the neurological disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

As soon as the volunteer dunks the bucket over his/her head, the challengers are obliged to donate money to the relevant organisations.

Sounds like a good idea!

Despite the good intentions, I am generally against the idea of the challenge. None of my challengers could even give a brief description of what ALS is. Thus I just encouraged them to simply donate the money.

Even though some proponents suggest it builds empathy for ALS patients, shoving ice over our heads at best allows us to simulate the disease for minutes. That is nothing compared to the long-term suffering of the ALS patients.

Conclusion

While the Ice Bucket Challenge has allegedly increased the donations to ALS charities, I strongly doubt if this gimmick has increased the awareness of the disease. Similarly, we (Christians) should also be wary of gimmicks we use to promote our faith. Do such methods actually help people understand Christianity better?

Alternative Culture: Age of Aztec review

Aziciting Aztecs!
What happened if the Aztecs conquered the old world? In this novel, James Lovegrove explores an alternate reality where the Aztecs had ruled the world for hundred of years.

Synopsis
Welcome to 2012 London, where a premier footballer willingly sacrifices his life (and literally his heart) to appease the Aztec pantheon. The crowds cheer in support and even children are brought to marvel at the sight.

Enter the Conquistador, a vigilante with similarities to the Punisher and Batman. With an ambitious aim to overthrow Aztec rule over the British, the Conquistador is not above killing and using terror tactics to pursue his goals.

Mal, a police officer is dispatched to stop the Conquistador, even as her loyalties to the Aztec are questioned. Who will prevail?

What I liked
I really enjoyed the idea on how theology drives the culture of the world. For instance, captial punishment is regarded as the norm and violence is accepted as part of sporting and workplace culture. This puts us in a perspective that should be uncomfortable with the modern day person, who tends peace for granted.

Furthermore, the Aztec gods are portrayed as bickering superhumans, as opposed to the omnipotent and omnibenevolent Judeo-Christian God we are all so used to.


What was missing
I kind of wished that the author explored the world more. Although passing references were made to the Mayans, Japanese, French and the Americans, I wished he had described what had happened in Africa and the rest of Asia.

I also wished he had described more of how Europe fells to the invading Aztecs.

Conclusion
The novel is a great read, and explores how theology guides society. I give it a 75/100.

Theology 1.0: What is poisoning the well?

An ad-hoc fallacy
Imagine two people having a debate. The first man begins by denouncing his opponent of being liar, an adulterer and untrustworthy person.

His statement (while it made be true) is an ad-hoc fallacy. It is an attempt to disprove an argument by discrediting the person. In debates, this tactic is called "poisoning the well" (Sire, 2006).

But how does this apply to apologetics?
In our attempts to reason with our non-believing friends, we may unwittingly use such tactics. Let's see some example statements:

"This person doesn't know anything about theology."

"He comes from a church that promotes materialism."

"She does not come from a reputable school."

Sometimes, the tables get turned. For instance, my Christian friends and I have been accused of being "fundamentalists", "imposing morality" and "misguided idealists".

Conclusion
Every argument should be treated on its own merit, and should be independent of the reputation of the person making the argument.



References
Sire, J.W. (2006) Why good arguments often fail

With due respect: God cannot defeat chariots of iron!

The logo of the atheistic site, Iron Chariots

One of the attributes of God is His omnipotence. However in Judges 1:19 (KJV), this is revealed,

And the Lord was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

This verse seems to cast doubt on the power of God. Even the atheistic website, Iron Chariots adopt this Bible verse as their logo.

Objection!
As usual, even a cursory examination would reveal that the conclusions drawn for this verse (that God was unable to defeat iron chariots or that the Bible writers were making excuses for their lack of success) are shaky at best.

Pronoun
If you look closely, "he" refers to Judah and not God. When the reader is in doubt, he/she is more than welcome to look between translations. Often (but not always), God is referred as "He" and not "he".

Guaranteed success?
Some people may point out Judah should have been victorious since God was "with him". However, nowhere in the Bible says that when God is with us, we will be always successful. Let's look at Genesis 39:20-21:

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.

Granted, Joseph had been shown favour, but he was still in prison.

Conclusion 
Although it is easy to nitpick on Bible verses, we must take things in context.

For more detailed information
Holdings

Theology 1.0: Is a theology essential for a Christian?

During a one Alpha Weekend (a church camp designed for new Christians and non-Christians) the question of the importance theology arose among my small group. Does it matter if we view the Holy Communion a sacrament, a vehicle of grace or purely representative? Is it it important to allow or ban infant baptism?

The general sentiment was that theology was not as important as Christian unity. In my opinion, while a deep understanding of theology is not essential for salvation, it is an inevitable part of a Christian's journey with God.

The inevitable part of knowing God more
Just as in any human relationship, we may know little about the person at the start, but grow to know him/her person as our lives progresses.

As an analogy, let me use my relationship with my parents. When I was born, the concept of parenthood may not even be formulated in my infant mind, yet that does not change the fact that my parents exist. As I grow older, it was inevitable that I know

Just as so with our relationship with God.

The importance of theology
In having a theology, we clearly state that God has spoken. As Christians, the God we believe in is theistic-- God is actively involved with the world. What I mean here is that theology is not an extension of God's word, but simply our response to God.

In having a strong theology, we can live our lives as close to the gospels as possible.

Conclusion
As Christians, knowing God more is an inevitable part of Christian life. I invite all of you to find out more!

For further reading
The importance of confession

Pursuing illogical studies?

My Confession: I should write more about the Holy Spirit

Despite being a member of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit is something I have rarely wrote about. Maybe it is because the concept of it is less tangible than God the Father and God the Son. Maybe it is because I have never spoken in tongues. Maybe it is because that the word"spirit" makes me a bit sceptical. Maybe it is because so many "preachers" exploit its gifts for money that makes me a bit suspicious.

Regardless, I should not shy away from trying to understand this member of the Trinity. So do pray for me as I start to read and pray more on the Spirit.

Alternative Culture: Jerusalem the Biography review

I have never been to Jerusalem. However, the history of the city has always interests me. Why is the city considered the holiest city in Christianity and Judaism, and the third holiest city in Islam? Why is there so much violence over one city? Why can't the claimants share?

Covering Jerusalem from pre-Biblical times to the Six-Day War in 1967, Simon Sebag Montefiore breaks the mold of traditional historians by portraying Jerusalem like a real, breathing human rather than a grand city.

My favourite parts include the Soviet Union's interest in newly independent Israel, the Victorian Britain's relationship with Israel and King Richard I's battles in the Holy Land.

Some things to think about

What is challenging about the book for me is that it challenges me to think deeply about the significance of the earthly Jerusalem. For instance,

What is the role of the city in my theology?
Has Christian's view on the city change over time?
Does Jerusalem has any significance in Christianity now?
Is there a moral obligation to share Jerusalem?

Summary

I loved the book, and sincerely recommend it to people who ever wants to know more about Jerusalem.