The irony of some men in a temple or church

Learning Point No 408

Men often have strange ways. When they want to lose weight, they can still take interest in food. They then ask why they don't lose weight. When they want to put on weight and should whet their appetites, they lose interest in food and their diet is blend. 

Such is the ironical approach of men in society. But the same irony is displayed in a temple or church. 

When men take interest in a temple, they should have rightly some spiritual interest and devotion. They should show that they care and live up to the teachings of the temple saint. 

But in the temple, some do behave as though the temple saint is not there. They dwell in pursuit of money, status and women in the very temple of the lord. They might as well not be in the temple or church.

They go for worldly standing to get the land to bestow knighthood award for them so as to be a nobility of sorts. Why go to a temple or church for that? 

They run away to a temple to get away from such desires and societal trappings. But they still end up going the mile for the same and for that, in a temple or church.

Instead of being celibate or at least faithful to their spouse and even till death do they dread to part, some men of a temple may even find it somehow opportune to have illicit relationship and they have no qualms about this. 

Even some monks on eve of being monks patronise call girls and face consequence of venereal disease as monks. That is absurd but it happens. 

Some men of temples may even love their brother's wife, their wife's kin and yet be leaders of men in the temple of a heavenly saint. Some may even divorce their old wife of decades and go for a bar girl or a young girl barely yet old enough to be of legal marriageable age. 

Yet they act noble, take up leadership positions and hold their heads high and proud as spiritual leaders without remorse for the wrong they commit and while still actively upholding the spiritual tenure of being the appointed ones by heavenly saints to help others. They sat the saints speak through them. 

Some men of temples may accept the precepts of the temples but yet break the precepts or tenets so readily and without even a second thought. They should be upholders of the precepts, more so if they take up leadership roles. 

Some may rise against the pastor or temple elder who have done good in setting up the temple or church and expel him ungraciously to wilderness. They may send them to Siberia or Batam. 

Some have no respect for elders, just because they want to get them off their backs and find them boring, nagging and intolerable. They eye the status and positions of these temple or church elders. 

Some men of temples and churches may decry that more men give up jewelry and wealth but they are the very ones who horde more of such. They can do it but we cannot. When asked and confronted, they say that these belong to their spouses and not to them. 

How is it that some men go to a temple or church and yet do not live up to the purpose of being in a temple or church? They are so near to God and saints but yet far. 

What have heavenly saints to say about them? Plenty! Here are some ....

Lord Bo Tien says that we can learn from their good and bad points and be wiser from the learning. 

Jesus says that we judge not lest we be judged. See not the dusts in others' eyes when we cannot see those in our own eyes. 

Blame not the flower for insects coming to the flower. This too did Lord Bo Tien say. 

He also said that the near may be far and the far near. But near and far are dear to God and saints. 

No one is condemned however wrong they may be but if this is indeed rightly so, then why must some temples expel members they do not fancy.

The irony of some men in a temple or church is that they may be inapt role models, but their folly enables us to learn from their mistakes. Then we will wake up and be wiser even if they fail to make good. 

That way we will be counted by God and saints as those who stand a better chance to make good.