Corpse Brides In Demand In China
A corpse bride can bring in as much as $20,000 in China. According to the staff writers at news.com.au:
This is the alarming reality facing rural families in China, who shockingly regularly discover the bodies of loved ones have gone missing. The practice is fuelled by a belief that a newly deceased bachelor must be buried alongside a woman.
According to the bizarre tradition, which was outlawed under Communism, elderly single men are given a “bride” to be buried with when they die, with some considering it bad luck to pass into the next life without a female companion.
Some believe a “ghost wedding” prevents their dead bachelor relative becoming restless and returning to haunt and bring misfortune to the family.
Ghost weddings date back 3000 years, but despite being stamped out by China’s ruling Communist party, the belief still exists, particularly in rural areas. The ghoulish ritual involves a corpse being reburied next to the dead man while drums are played in front of relatives.
These poor people suffer from an uninformed fear of death, seeking better "luck" to navigate its mysteries. And to make matters worse, they fear the dead themselves, seeking to placate them so as not to be haunted.
Ultimately, what this ancient culture suffers from is the lack of influence of the Gospel. Not understanding the joys and assurances that a knowledge of the Truth brings, the void has been filled with superstition and fear.
It is not a corpse bride you need by your side as you journey from life into death. It's The One Who conquered death itself. In Christ, and in Christ alone, death loses its sting.
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Additional Application:
What these bachelors need in death isn’t a dead bride, but a resurrected Groom!
“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” (2 Corinthians 11:2).
Nude Westerners Blamed for Deadly Malaysian Earthquake
A recent (6/5/15) 6.0-magnitude earthquake which struck Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu, killing 18 people, is not being blamed on seismic shift, plate tectonics, nor volcanic activity. No, interestingly enough, it is being blamed on … four nude young people!
Four foreigners were detained and charged with public obscenity for taking their clothes off atop the sacred peak.
It started with a challenge to see who could best withstand the wind and cold temperatures at the top of the mountain. Against the vehement complaint of their tour guide, two young men and two young women removed some or all of their clothing.
This, according to locals, was a personal offense against the tribal spirits believed to dwell on the mountain.
The pictures, taken a week prior to the earthquake went viral on the internet, causing widespread anger throughout the region. Government officials even weighed in on the incident. "This is very offensive behaviour and showed disrespect to the sacred mountain? [sic] This will certainly bring misfortune," said Sabah's deputy chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan, speaking for himself as well as other local officials.
The four plead guilty, showed genuine remorse, and begged the court’s lenience. In a country rife with tribal superstition, as well as fundamentalist Islamic values, they were very lucky to get off with time served, a $1330 fine, and deportation.
Do you ever fear that your difficult circumstances just might be the result of a recent misstep? It's natural for the guilty conscience to come to such conclusions. But despite our guilt, we as believers have the assurance of God's promise that, "there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Although tragic things happen in this life, the believer is given the biblical assurance that there is "no condemnation" involved. Because of this, we can face the trials of this life without guilt or shame, and even look forward to all the righteous judgments of God to come.
"Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity" (Psalm 98:8-9).
Don't Hold Your Breath
Waiting for some superstitious practice to save your from misfortune? Don't hold your breath!
USA Today reports:
Four people were hurt, at least one seriously, Sunday after a teen motorist holding his breath lost consciousness behind the wheel and set off a three-vehicle crash, Oregon State Police and others said.
The incident took place near Manning, Oregon, in a tunnel along Highway 28, police said. … Daniel Calhon, 19, of Snohomish, Wash., was driving a 1990 Toyota Camry westbound into a tunnel as he held his breath and then fainted … He then crossed the center line and crashed head-on into an eastbound 2013 Ford Explorer … Both vehicles then crashed into the wall of the tunnel, after which a third vehicle, a 1999 GMC pickup, crashed into the Camry, police said.
Fortunately, no one sustained life-threatening injuries. While the reason for Calhon having held his breath has not been definitively determined, police speculate it was related to a superstition game which claims it's bad luck to breath in a tunnel.
"Playing games while driving that are distracting can have tragic consequences and legal ramifications," Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Police told KGW-TV. "The tunnel is over 750-feet long and has little room for driving error."
"Don't play games on our roads," Oregon State Police said in a post on Twitter.
Calhon has since been charged with reckless driving, reckless endangerment, and assault in the fourth degree.
Young Daniel could also be charged with reckless theology! Our superstitions don't solve our fears but compound them.
"There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).
"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness" (1 Timothy 4:7).