Warning
Religious content, don’t read if you don’t want to.
For quite some time the economy has not been very good and as part of the management I came out with fresh new marketing ideas and attractive incentives for the sales team, but my boss is still not happy. So to improve business, he paid a feng shui master to come to have a look at the office and showroom. So apparently this third feng shui master contradicted the previous 2 feng shui master. Anyway, my boss took his to-improve-business advice by installing an altar and a buddha statue on top of our company’s logo in the showroom. Its not small, the base of the altar is about 1 meter. It did not stop there, he mentioned that after reading my face, his comment is that I am very superstitious and highlighted it to my boss! He is already so wrong, i’m anti-superstition!
So off they went to our warehouse and apparently something need to be installed under the entrance… Arrgghh… I can’t be bothered. I don’t believe in feng shui and I’m definitely against all this superstition! I’m so disappointed by my boss’s effort to-improve-business that I feel like quitting. Now with that religious object screaming in the faces of our customers who happen to be contemporary architects and interior designers, I just don’t want to know what they think. Even my sales staff joked and say that maybe we should install some Christian and some Muslim objects too, so that we have more gods helping us.
Now the feng shui thing is in our showroom for a few months now and the only regret i have is that I was afraid to create a scene by confronting it on the spot and not allowing it to be placed in our showroom.
I made myself a promise, should such feng shui things that camouflage themselves as good intentions come my way again, I will not let it happen again! Never! I will not allow my fear of confrontation or let feng shui or other gods be be installed for what ever reason as I do not believe that it works and do not wish to let people see and follow it blindly and be bounded by such oppressive beliefs and be robbed of the freedom that God wants to give us.
1 Corinthians 8 : 9 – 13
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.1 Corinthians 10 : 23
“Everything is permissible”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”–but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.1 Corinthians 10 : 31 – 33
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God – even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.2 Corinthians 3 : 17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.Galatians 5 : 1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.Matthew 15:3
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?”Matthew 15:13
…If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.
Now i’m constantly oppressed and trouled by this thing in my work place and other than the increase in monks coming in to ask for alms, i do not wish to be a contributor to such false beliefs.
Relatives have come to my place before and gave some feng shui comments before and adviced some subtle things to be palced in the house or how some things should be placed… IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN IN MY HOUSE! NEVER! I believe in God and rebuke such bondage and hope that people will come to realise the freedom they can have in God. I will not be afaird of confrontation again, because my fear of confrontation have cause me much torment in my work place and i do not wish to come home and be tormented again!
Its really sad to be bounded by false beliefs, traditions and superstitions, i hope everyone will come to know God and accept the freedom that he freely gives.
Amen!
may i pray for wisdom in descerning what to do next :)
But your belief in God is just another form of “Feng Shui” to other people.
You’ve been in Australia for a while in the past, you know how its like :).
who needs fengshui when we’ve got a God that provides exceedingly and abundantly over all that we can ever ask for? :)
i always remember what dr khameel said during leaders’ camp about how the world is looking for Christians who aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in, and not dilute those beliefs with world standards. So it’s wonderful to hear how you’re standing up, going against the flow, for what all Christians believe in… an uncompromising standard of excellence in Christ!
You have my support 100%.
>who aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in
that’s fine as long as we can also _respect_ the beliefs of other people.
the world went chaotic when one believe that other beliefs are wrong.
and we should start with ourselves, no matter what we believe in. there’s nothing wrong if other people believe in feng shui, after all, it’s their belief.
by following feng shui, it’s their form of “standing up for what they believe in”. sounds familiar?
hey…i soooo like your van-car…its so cool…anyway i will also feel darn opress if i had to look face to face with that altar
Having a boss that does not respect other people’s belief is a thorn in the flesh. It is just like a smoker that smokes in public and expect others to breath what they are breathing. That is also why government offices do not have such things.
in the same light, nick, what about those who go around proselytizing and telling others they will burn in hell if they do not believe in Him? your boss is abusing his authority and disrespecting the personal space of you and your colleagues, and for being overzealous in his approach. but there are others in your religion who do that too, as much as there are people in many other religions who become too fervent in their beliefs. please don’t think the situation is special only to yours- many others grapple with this every day too. just my two cents’ worth.
I am a Christian too, but I disagree with this statement
“Its really sad to be bounded by false beliefs, traditions and superstitions”.
Like I said in my previous post: to some others, Christianity is just another form of Feng Shui.
Like it or not, that’s the fact.
I don’t think there’s such thing as false belief.
Anyway, there are more important things to address other than differences on beliefs :).
I love you all no matter what you believe in :). And I won’t say you have false beliefs when they’re different than what I believe in.
I agree with you. I really do. It’s the sad truth of the world. And it’s all over singapore. The octagonal one dollar coins, the inward flowing fountain at suntec city… sometimes it’s staring right at our faces and we can’t do anything about it. So I guess we have to seize the opportunity to make a difference.
chill young skywalker… just look beyond the force and u will not be effect.
Hey… Read your post and just wanted you to know I support you all the way!
Jason said, “…Christianity is just another form of Feng Shui.”
Yes, our belief in Christ to non-believers is just like their Feng Shui is to us. But (pardon me) Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I don’t know how to say this – Yes, we should respect other’s beliefs and their religion – but we should stand firm in our beliefs because we *are*… right. The others are wrong. (Hope I don’t offend anyone)
I live in a multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious society and i appreciate the peace, tolerance and benifits of such a country. But i definately do not appreciate people who abuse such a wonderful environment and openly impress on others to an extent that one is obligated to go-with practices in their beliefs.
Jason i agree with you. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and should be allowed to practice their beliefs. Its just too bad i’m not the boss and do not call the shots in the office, but i’m glad i’m the boss at home and i call the shots there.
Sorry. I am offended. You can stand firm in your beliefs. But you have no right to say others are wrong.
Yes, I’ve got the same opinion as To ooo. NO one has any right to judge if another is right or wrong. In a situation, where i do not understand another’s belief, i’m more than happy to respect and understand. My understanding of “respect” is to acknowledge onother’s choice and not trying to change or influence it. I’ll definitely appreciate more folks like Jason Barker.
yes. feng shui isnt even a religion. Read up on your history before posting your bible up. telling the whole world how religious you are when you dont even get your facts right.
There is a big difference between placing color, mirrors and crystals in specific mapped out locations of space to create or control energy for good fortune and choosing to believe in one absolute truth.
I have struggled through out my life with temptations of pallmistry for insight and astrology or feng shui for attempting to create a brighter destiny.
I think it is too easy to be busy trying to control than to be still and surrender in such a fast-paced “do and dream, you can accomplish anything” society. I appreciate your words. Thanks for helping me to stay on track with what I choose to believe. Whatever faith someone follows, I simply believe it is our job to follow it to the best of our ability. We all are accountable to our beliefs.