God.. Ruin that party!
"Do you believe in praying in tongues?" asked a new friend.
I was taken by surprise, and wasnt quite sure what she had in mind.
"I don't don't believe in tongues." I said rather diplomatically. "Whats the matter?"
"Well, I was just thinking of inviting the 2 of you to come pray with me... in tongues..." she said to my friend and I.
I dont really have anything against people who pray in tongues, but i have never thought of attempting it either. I have seen sessions of praise and worship in sunday services, where some of the people burst out in random sounds in such a frenzy, that honestly, freaked me out.
"Doesnt your church pray in tongues?" No...
"To pray in tongues mean your are baptized by the holy spirit!" she said..
I didnt like what that implied. It implied that the rest of us who dont speak in tongues werent really baptized by the Holy spirit yet.. as if to say... we arent as holy as her. But I didnt want to dwell or argue about the matter. This was a matter of choice and belief, and I wasnt in the mood to argue about spirituality and religion.
"Is there something in particular that you are concerned about?" I asked, shifting the conversation to safer and more common waters.
"They (meaning some guys staying in the hostel) are organizing a private party at the common room, 10 guys, 10 girls, by invitation only, and my friend is going." she said.
Is seems this friend got all fired up over the party because (a)there was going to be a lot of drinking (which was probably a deadly sin to her) and (b) the party flier stated the purpose as:Just to get drunk. and so, completely disapproving of her friend attending and also the party itself, she felt that a prayer session, tongues and all was required for some divine intervention.. to burn down the common room or to give all the guys there hemorrhoids or something.. I wouldnt know..
I sensed that this was a tricky conversation, with obviously clashing views between her and myself concerning religion, freedom, privacy and the right of others to host a party and get drunk for all we cared. And this was where I stood.
I could perfectly understand her need to protect her friend's chastity against a bunch of itchy wolves trying to get lucky. But she was making some pretty big assumptions.
Firstly she would assume that her friend would go. everyone at the party to get dead drunk and intoxicated. And also that just a few drinks would be enough to get all 10 female attendees to uncross their legs, and finally that this was the guy's purpose in the first place, and that they would actually bed this women on a scale of 10, which arguably could be called date rape if the girls were unusually intoxicated.
The guys have the right to have a party if they wish. Heck, its in the common room! An open lounge. How dodgy will that get? And anyone invited to would have the choice to go or refuse. Its not really our place to forbid people attend. We are their friends, not their moms. And even if they do go, things happen, liquour flows and legs get uncrossed.. its really their actions and their choice, and certainly their responsibility. We can advice our friends and warn them against going the wrong way, but we arent there to be moral police, to catch and condemn others for what we think is wrong. Others will beg to differ.. Hey its a free country back and in Malaysia, and so here in the UK. Lastly, whatever it is, people must be allowed to make their own mistakes. Its painful to see, and we all try to prevent others from making mistakes that we are aware of.. But some just have to learn things the hard way. Its the only way we really learn.
But she was not going to hear any of my liberal mumbo jumbo secular view of life.
She told me about how they have in the past, through the power of prayer, in tongues foiled a similar 'sin-infested' party back in Malaysia, where there was a gathering of people, sexy wear theme and drinking alcohol. Its seems some old granny living nearby caught a glimpse of the party and called the police who came and pretty much ruined the party for everyone. It was precisely this kind of divine intervention she was looking for again.
I am by no means belittling the effectiveness of prayer or speaking in tongues. Personally, I do believe in praying. We pray for love, understanding, strength. We pray for others that they are guided in the right way and stay safe. But it still seems deviated to pray for someone else's party to be ruined because we dont like it. It also seems a bit arrogant, as if asking God to grant our will to be done.
Anyway, after hearing enough of my secular rantings.. She left to her room to start her divine session with God, and I couldn't wait to change the subject.
Later I found out the party did go as planned. Guys got wasted... no legs uncrossed, the common room wasnt burnt down and no one got struck by lightning.
I was taken by surprise, and wasnt quite sure what she had in mind.
"I don't don't believe in tongues." I said rather diplomatically. "Whats the matter?"
"Well, I was just thinking of inviting the 2 of you to come pray with me... in tongues..." she said to my friend and I.
I dont really have anything against people who pray in tongues, but i have never thought of attempting it either. I have seen sessions of praise and worship in sunday services, where some of the people burst out in random sounds in such a frenzy, that honestly, freaked me out.
"Doesnt your church pray in tongues?" No...
"To pray in tongues mean your are baptized by the holy spirit!" she said..
I didnt like what that implied. It implied that the rest of us who dont speak in tongues werent really baptized by the Holy spirit yet.. as if to say... we arent as holy as her. But I didnt want to dwell or argue about the matter. This was a matter of choice and belief, and I wasnt in the mood to argue about spirituality and religion.
"Is there something in particular that you are concerned about?" I asked, shifting the conversation to safer and more common waters.
"They (meaning some guys staying in the hostel) are organizing a private party at the common room, 10 guys, 10 girls, by invitation only, and my friend is going." she said.
Is seems this friend got all fired up over the party because (a)there was going to be a lot of drinking (which was probably a deadly sin to her) and (b) the party flier stated the purpose as:Just to get drunk. and so, completely disapproving of her friend attending and also the party itself, she felt that a prayer session, tongues and all was required for some divine intervention.. to burn down the common room or to give all the guys there hemorrhoids or something.. I wouldnt know..
I sensed that this was a tricky conversation, with obviously clashing views between her and myself concerning religion, freedom, privacy and the right of others to host a party and get drunk for all we cared. And this was where I stood.
I could perfectly understand her need to protect her friend's chastity against a bunch of itchy wolves trying to get lucky. But she was making some pretty big assumptions.
Firstly she would assume that her friend would go. everyone at the party to get dead drunk and intoxicated. And also that just a few drinks would be enough to get all 10 female attendees to uncross their legs, and finally that this was the guy's purpose in the first place, and that they would actually bed this women on a scale of 10, which arguably could be called date rape if the girls were unusually intoxicated.
The guys have the right to have a party if they wish. Heck, its in the common room! An open lounge. How dodgy will that get? And anyone invited to would have the choice to go or refuse. Its not really our place to forbid people attend. We are their friends, not their moms. And even if they do go, things happen, liquour flows and legs get uncrossed.. its really their actions and their choice, and certainly their responsibility. We can advice our friends and warn them against going the wrong way, but we arent there to be moral police, to catch and condemn others for what we think is wrong. Others will beg to differ.. Hey its a free country back and in Malaysia, and so here in the UK. Lastly, whatever it is, people must be allowed to make their own mistakes. Its painful to see, and we all try to prevent others from making mistakes that we are aware of.. But some just have to learn things the hard way. Its the only way we really learn.
But she was not going to hear any of my liberal mumbo jumbo secular view of life.
She told me about how they have in the past, through the power of prayer, in tongues foiled a similar 'sin-infested' party back in Malaysia, where there was a gathering of people, sexy wear theme and drinking alcohol. Its seems some old granny living nearby caught a glimpse of the party and called the police who came and pretty much ruined the party for everyone. It was precisely this kind of divine intervention she was looking for again.
I am by no means belittling the effectiveness of prayer or speaking in tongues. Personally, I do believe in praying. We pray for love, understanding, strength. We pray for others that they are guided in the right way and stay safe. But it still seems deviated to pray for someone else's party to be ruined because we dont like it. It also seems a bit arrogant, as if asking God to grant our will to be done.
Anyway, after hearing enough of my secular rantings.. She left to her room to start her divine session with God, and I couldn't wait to change the subject.
Later I found out the party did go as planned. Guys got wasted... no legs uncrossed, the common room wasnt burnt down and no one got struck by lightning.
posted by Compulsive Blogger @ 12:30 am
Comments: 1
