Resisted 3 WHOLE days of not using my computer. The computer was supposed to have been destroyed when my cousin dropped by last SUnday with every intention of seeing me go computer-less for the next 2 months until my A Levels have passed. It was for my own good both he and my father preached. And while I was sleeping, apparently, by some holy intervention by some unknown party, the both of them decided that it would be heartless to part me and my computer away. So instead of totally obliterating it, they shifted it out of my room so that I would be unable to use it LATE into the nights and since its now in the living room, they could now keep a close eye on my usage and supervise me accordingly. Well, *trying to sound optimistic here* at least I can now play the computer and watch the TV at the same time (right Qihui? U lazy BUM!!) haha. And besides, short of losing some privacy about blogging (only done like now when I am alone in the house) and other erm..private stuff (Sim..you know what I mean), I guess I can adapt to having my PC in the living room.

Was thinking about the discussion on religion my friend had with my civics tutor on graduation day last friday. Off the record, I have always respected him because he is a person with alot of self confidence and he is a rather deep thinker himself. So, it was never really surprising that when this topic came up suddenly when we were having our civics period, he was one of the 2 main voices that aired their thoughts on the topic on religion. Sadly, I missed almost half of the exchange because I was too "bo chap" to even notice the conversation from the beginning. And for the record, my friend is a chirstian while my civics tutor is a Buddhist, and I am just an observer whose not giving you his opinions but merely re-iterating what was being said.

When I started listening, the case put forth by my friend was purely from a religious view point. I have not read the bible (unless you count the bible which I was forced to buy back in Anglican High and that was inc hinese which I seriously couldn't make head or tail of it), so I am in no position to comment on his views. My friend's view was Chirtianity couldn't co-exist with other religions. There is only 1 god. There is only 1 "real" religion and when he dies, he'll go to heaven because his god died to pay for all the sins of his followers.
I would say that this was a pretty standard viewpoint and as quoted by my friend "its really a paradox. Its so easy that nobody believes that just by believing in god (Jesus), you can clear all your sins, repay all your previous debts and start life afresh and basically be saved. All you have to do its accept him. Its that simple"

My teacher's view point on the other hand was one which mixes philosophy and religion together. Her reasoning was simple. "I, as a physician, am trained to question everything. It must make sense to me before I accept it." According to her, she started reseraching about religion back in her early twenties. She read the Bible, the Koran and buddhist texts. Eventually, she seemed to find reason in Buddhists texts and eventually became a Buddhist. Her view on religion was this. She said "think of god as not someone of a higher energy level than we are". For example, just as electrons orbit a nucleus in different shells (each shell represents a different energy level of the electron), so too can humans and gods co-exist at different energy levels. God may simply be someone from a higher energy level who can see ALL but is powerless to control us. And why can't there be different gods? She said to my friend "your jesus could perhapes exist in one energy level, another god in another energy level and so on". Its the same as spirits. Ghosts, spirits can exists. Why not? All we can see is just a tiny fraction in the electromagnetic spectra. We can only see visible light. But spirits and ghosts may perhapes exists in the infra-red spectra, or even the gamma frequency or as X-rays or even with such high frequencies that we cannot detect them at all. Its all possible. And again, she also believes that heaven and hell is actually created by man himself. She said this notion of the good going to heaven and the bad to hell was born out of people fear's of dying. She said "many people fear death. People simply cannot imagine that once they die. Its the end. Nothing. Instead, they created the afterlife to 'preserve' their 'spirit' so that they may live on" But she believs that the dead (like in those buddhists texts) will eventually return to the earth. She said.."the earth is where you came from. and after you die, you'll simply return to it, and be reborn again (reincarnated) into something else but carrying memories of your previous lives" She explained...."Its something like how you are the sum of all your previous experiences. Its just that when you are reborn, you cannot remember anything but its there." I don't exactly know what she means here but I am assuming that its something like a genetic code. In a way, we are all a product of the very first homo-sapian to ever walk the earth. He has sex and passes the genes down to the next generation of people. In a way, he lives again through the genes of his offspring. This is because his offsping will carry his genes as well as the genes of his partner. (By this point, I was getting very lost. She is a much deeper person than I ever gave her credit for and she now sees to be punishing the slow and stupid (me!). She said that according to the texts, people could be reborn through the earth again as 6 different things. One is a human, the other is an animal, the 3rd a plant and so on (I forgot the rest). This was possible because as she explained, "a leaf dies. It falls to the ground and rots to be part of the earth again. eventually, it will be the nutrients with which new plants grow and the spirit of the leaf will once again be re-born." But as I mentioned, I was already super confused by this so please don't ask me about it. I woul rather think of what she say in terms of energy. Basic principle of energy is that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Everyone of us humans are made of energy. When we die, our energy simply return to the "system" where it will once again be used in the creation of new life. And finally, my teacher also touched on KARMA. Karma is something that we are creating at every moment of our life. For example "If something bad happens to me, its because of fate. And this fate is created because of something bad which I did in my last life." Basically, people who don't believe in fate and destiny will be bound to reject this notion. But my teacher believes in it because of this theory of Causality. The theory of cause and effect (I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS!!). Basically, if there is a cause, there must be an effect. For example, something bad happens to you. That is the effect. the cause is probably some bad things that you did in your past life. And for every cause, there is an effect and for every effect there must be a cause=)

Sidenote: In the past, religion was born because people worshipped the unknown. The sun god, the tree god, the water god, the mountain god were all examples of the gods that ancient civilizations worshipped. As people evolved, so did the complexity of their thinking. Sun gods, water gods and the like because extinct because people no longer feared the elements as they understood them more. This could actually then be the birth of most of our modern religion. The evolution of religion itself lol. People have always wanted answers to the unexplained. Why does it rain? Why are there drought? This seemingly unexplained phenomenean could now be explained using modern physics . But many questions astill remain unanswered such as "Where do we go to after death?" and religion..well..it could simply be founded as a way to explain all of these "unanswered questions". But I have always found it weird. Why can't religions co-exist? Just as matter co-exist with anti-matter, so too can different religions co-exist. Like the Bible, the Koran also states that there is only "one" god and "one" religion. Non believes are "infidels" and will go to hell. I believe this is along the same path as christianity. Which brings me to this rather perplexing question. If both of the religions are right, doesn't it mean everyone will simply go to hell since by definition, you can't be both a muslim and a chirstian. Oh well....quoted from the movie Pirates of the Carribean "What now Jack Sparrow? 2 immortals locked in an epic battle until judgement day." If a few centuries of Crusades couldn't settle it....I guess I'll forever be left wondering....

And finally, I wish to say again that I really really respect my friend for being able to hold his own against a teacher who has really given alot of thought about life, religion and philosophy. At 18, he is able think as deeply as she does and stand his ground. Which is really something in my opinion. He is seriously deep. But perhapes I shall believe in what my mother says. Its the simpliest notion I've heard and possibly the most logical one. "Religions teaches people to be good. Anything that teaches otherwise is a cult" Way to go=)

PS: Whatever is said above..if you don't agree, please don't come confronting me or anything. We are after all grabted freedom to our own opinions are we not? Besides...I merely repeated what is said between my teacher and my friend..so....there. ASk them. NOT ME! I'm too young to bother about such stuff. Apple anyone?