Will God be angry with these 3 guys ?

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I would like to share the stories of three guys I know. All three are Malaysians – 1 Iban, 1 Malay and 1 Indian. Let’s call them A, B and C. These are real people.

A is from a small village, an hour’s drive from Kuching. During his childhood, he was never really interested in religion. His family was then too poor to be bothered by organized religion. In his late teens, things changed and almost his entire village became Christians. Despite the cajoling by and to the great disappointment of his family, A simply wasn’t interested in religion. Even when he went to the university on a government scholarship, he politely declined all invitations by his well-meaning friends to attend church. In his mind, he had other more important things to do. When we met recently, A told me that the last time he went to a church was in 2006 – to attend a friend's wedding.

Over the past 15 years, A has been working with many remote communities in Sarawak, focussing his energy in improving the education of the rural children. Earning very little and living a very modest life, he conducts classes for poor children, motivates teachers posted to remote villages, and raises funds to buy books and equipment for rural schools in Sarawak. When he returns to Kuching a few times a year, it is always to raise money and support for the rural schools that he is trying to help. So focussed is he on his mission that he hasn’t got a girlfriend nor is marriage anywhere in his mind. In his own words “I have got no time for church, I have much more important things to do”.

 Will God be angry with him ?

Let’s now talk about B who has been my friends for over 20 years. B is from Muar, Johor. His father was an ustaz and his mother taught in a government primary school. His family was quite conservative and B was rather pious in his early years. Later in the university, B studied economics. It was at the university that B said he became “disillusioned” with religion – mainly because of the hypocrisy that he witnessed amongst his “religious” friends. B is now busy in Gua Musang. He will, of course, get into trouble if people knew that he has not been to the mosque for the past two years.

Why hasn’t he been going to the mosque ? Because he says he is busy in the Orang Asli villages in Hulu Kelantan. B works with the Temiar villages in the highlands of the Gua Musang district. He helps them protect their ancestral land, he helps them find funds for their children’s schooling, he helps them sell their produce, he takes them to hospital in Cameron Highlands when they are sick, he helps them deal with bureaucrats. Despite having been hit by malaria twice in the past 5 years (he almost died), B is persistent. He says he will continue helping the Temiars as long as he is able. God, he says, “can wait”.

Will God be angry with him ?

Now, it C’s turn. C is a childhood friend who is now a very successful doctor / professor specialising in hepatology. C, who grew up in a Hindu family, says he didn’t believe in religion. He doesn’t pray nor does he go to any temple. He told me that once he was chased out of a temple because he questioned the priest’s methods. He gets very very annoyed if people preach about religion and thinks that all priests, imams, monks, etc are con-men.

C is a big name in his field – and has been the brains behind many ground-breaking research work in Malaysia and also in Singapore. He lives, eats, sleeps, walks and shits hepatology. Many of his pioneering work has helped the medical fraternity develop better treatment methods – and of course saving many lives along the way. C is also a great teacher / mentor – simply loves teaching and has mentored many doctors who have become successful in their own right. His patients love him. The nurses adore him. His colleagues have the highest respect for him. And despite his extremely tight schedule, C is also an active social worker – working with two orphanages in the Kelang Valley. He also donates quite a bit for charitable causes as long as it is not for any religious cause.

Will God be angry with him ?

A, B and C – despite coming from different socio-economic and religious backgrounds – have some things in common. All three are committed to improving the lives of their fellow humans. All three serve selflessly. All three have made the world a better place. All three could not be bothered with religion. All three do not go to mosques, or temples or churches to pray.

Do you think God will be angry with them ? I don’t think so.

What say you ?

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Monyet King says
I actually posted this article about 6 months ago. This evening while having my teh tarik, my cat Lulu told me to post this article again. Hope you liked reading it again.