BB speaks in English

LETTER from ATHEIST

2008-04-11T02:27:00.007+01:00

I just wanted a cool title like LETTER FROM AMERICA, the famous BBC Radio 4 programme presented by the late Alistair Cooke -- but for what?

Well, to make the long story as short as possible, I received a question from a woman about my comment for a YouTube clip the other day, and I visited her channel to know what sort of human being she is, and then I found her blog, where she describes herself as an atheist. You may think I should not have put LETTER in today's title but rather COMMENT instead. If so, just try to remember I wanted a cool title, no matter what you may think of the meaning of the adjective "cool".

The YouTube video was a scene from a film based on a true story about an Englishman, who was known as The Elephant Man amongst the British people in the late Victorian era. My comment in question was as follows:

I don't know why God allows misery, but John Merrick said in the film, "The 23rd Psalm is beautiful. It's my favourite." He seemed to believe in the Saviour. So I can believe he will be given a beautiful body someday as he had so beautiful a heart here on earth.

The woman wrote to me: "he said it in the film. how do u know he said it in real life?" The question itself is a very good question indeed, but I would not like to discuss such an important matter with an aggressive atheist. There are two kinds of atheists on the planet -- the gentle and the aggressive atheists. As I thought she belonged to the latter type, I did not answer her question.

Yesterday I noticed that someone had judged the comment of mine and voted against it. I'm not sure whether the person is a he or a she. I can only imagine he or she must be a member of the AAU (Aggressive Atheist Union).

Baby It's You
-- The Beatles (John Lennon on lead vocals)

I remember my mum telling me

2008-03-31T14:49:00.003+01:00

a story from her memories about my childhood. She said, "You had such compassion for every living thing that you even tried to rescue a fly from the cruel attack of the unmerciful grown-ups in our house. Do you remember?"

I'm not sure whether I then replied to her, "All I can remember, Mum, is watching that horrible film called THE FLY."

It is true that I still have a reverence for all that is called life. The animal known as Man's Best Friend has been my best friend ever since my childhood days when I would fly joyfully like Peter Pan in my secret garden. Now I know a fly may not deserve my innocent compassion (if I still have any), yet I will perhaps hesitate to kill any living thing.

My mum's memories went on. She said, "A TV scriptwriter once asked me to tell him about your unusual love for animal life. He talked about your fly rescuing mission later at a lecture meeting. The audience burst out laughing. He then said: You may well laugh at his childish behaviour, but I have a dream that if the majority of the grown-ups had the same heart as his, we human beings would be walking together on the planet towards the future where there is no more war."

I don't think of my self-image very like that of Gandhi actually. I only suppose that I, as a Christian, cannot justify any war to kill human life if a wee young boy, who does not know Jesus Christ yet, has compassion for all that is called life.

BBC Blue Peter 1964
-- Freddie & The Dreamers

Years back when I was

2008-03-21T17:16:00.026Z

an honourable member of the so-called good-looking young fellas, I came across a bit shabby-looking old book entitled Basic Christianity in a club room at my university. I was an atheist at the time, probably being proud of myself as a pacifist like Bertrand Russell, who was the author of the book called Why I am Not a Christian.

So there was quite a bit of a miracle when I took the book out of the shelf and then with it in my hand, sat back in a nearby chair. You may think the word "miracle" seems quite exaggerated, but I can't say a better word. Why? Not only because I read it through as though I had never seen a more fascinating book in my life, but also because I found myself, a few days later, to have become a Christian.

Some years ago on this day (March 21), I was baptised at an evangelical church near my college. I think I made the same confession on a Christian forum the other day, but I have to say it here again. I confess that I've not been so good a Christian as I've been a good crazy dog lover all these years.

Here is a quote from Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744):

"Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends."

Quite so, I totally agree. My dog Toby (British golden retriever) has been a better gentleman than me (Japanese bloke). If I may, I would dare to say he was a true Christian indeed. He was always gentle to everyone, whether humans or animals, as if he had kept the command of Jesus: "Love one another."

He passed away last month. All that I could do in the sorrow was to pray and pray to God for his everlasting life. I just wanted to see him again in heaven.

An American entertainer called Will Rogers (1879 - 1935) said:

"If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."

Apparently the quote sounds not very Christian-like to the Christian ear. But I felt almost the same whilst praying alone in my room. Yes, I admit I am such a crazy dog lover. Is God disappointed in me? I kept reading the Scriptures to know His answer. And I knew the biblical truth that the Lord loves all His creation, whether humans or animals, wishing them to have perfect salvation in His new heaven and new earth.

"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Rom 8:19 - 21)

Thus says the Bible. Would God reject the hope of His creation? It is not easy at all for me to imagine His rejection, nor to imagine heaven without dogs who are man's best friends.

I am now reading a book written by the same author (that is, John Stott) of the book I read in that club room. This book Why I am a Christian was first published in 2003 by Inter-Varsity Press, which is the same publisher for that book Basic Christianity -- a book which came into life in 1958 and many years later, changed my life.

Tears In Heaven
-- Eric Clapton (at Madison Square Garden, 1999)

When I see the sorrows of the world,

2008-03-19T13:26:00.007Z

I think of Jesus Christ being in anguish for the tears of the helpless. The Bible says, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). Indeed, He died for me, sinner as I was. I had not realised what I really was until I knew the love of God. Although I often feel I am still weak and sinful, I know I'm not helpless any more as the Lord is with me wherever I go.

Early in the morning today, I saw some photos of the children killed by the US & UK bombing campaign in Afghanistan. Their faces, though some of them had lost their original shapes, looked so helplessly innocent that I could not help but say to myself, "Why does God allow war?"

US President Bush seems as though he is so proud of his holy war. People might echo his voice, shouting "War on terrorism!" Sure, I do hate terrorism. Sure, I can't accept the Muslim religion. But I must say Jesus Christ did not die for us to justify war.

When I see the sorrows of the world, I feel so weak. "What can I do for them?" I ask to myself, and begin to feel weaker still.

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not be lost. I am weak but He is strong. He walks with me here on earth, this sorrowful world. O Lord, help me to pray. Give your peace to the helpless children. Wipe every tear from their eyes. And lead them to heaven, with your amazing grace, into your Kingdom where there is no more sorrow.

Abide With Me

The worst sin of Imperial Japan

2008-03-12T19:15:00.007Z

was that she compelled the entire nation to worship the Emperor Hirohito as god. There was no exception allowed. Even Christians were forced to have the same faith. Surprisingly, some of the church leaders visited national shrines to worship the Emperor. Of course, there were Christians who resisted the compulsion. Some of them were persecuted to death indeed, but they were only a little flock.

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Lk 12:32)

If the leaders of Imperial Japan had had wisdom, they would have admitted, even before the bombing of Tokyo, that there was no hope for Japan to win the war. On the contrary, they had still kept the faith that Imperial Japan as god's empire should never be defeated. Sadly, they had never been awakened from the dream of their religion until they were compelled to acknowledge their defeat after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

I Dreamed a Dream
-- Hayley Westenra

The Bombing of Tokyo in WWII

2008-03-10T12:02:00.002Z

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was the primary aircraft in the US firebombing campaign against Japan in the last months of World War II. On the night of March 9 - 10 in 1945, 279 B-29s dropped 1,700 tons of bombs on the city of Tokyo and some 100,000 people (most of them civilians) are said to have been killed.

I am ashamed of the cruel history of Imperial Japan. So I will never judge the American people for the bombing of Tokyo, nor will I ever for the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I just wonder, as a Christian, why even some of the church members in the USA seem able to justify war.

With God on Our Side
-- Joan Baez & Bob Dylan

If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war...

Fact is

2008-03-06T20:17:00.003Z

I don't feel like speaking in English today.