Christmas in Vietnam was different than what I expected. There was a lot of decorations - trees, wrapped gifts, Santa costumes, and even religious music playing over the loudspeakers! (Yes, in English). That part reminded me of the U.S. But most Vietnamese don't celebrate Christmas the way we do. Few people actually swap gifts. From what I saw, it was just a regular work day - except for the marketing.
Some Vietnamese friends invited me to attend church with them. It turned out to be quite interesting. First of all, the church was about 1 1/2 hours from Hanoi - more like a village than a city. The service started at 9:30 and was over by noon. Then we ate dinner and talked for a couple of hours. So what's the big deal?
The Pastor told us about a situation that happened last month. A young Vietnamese woman was sent to a mental hospital in Hanoi, but the doctors could not treat or control her. Seeing no solution to her "problem" they gave up hope. So the family members called the pastor out of desparation. The woman was possessed by evil spirits, so he and others prayed and cast out the demons. It worked. The pastor, family members, and even the doctors said it was divine intervention. I only saw the woman once, so I have no basis of comparing her "old" vs. "new" self. All I can say is that she acted perfectly normal.
Why is it so hard for Americans to believe this story? Because we need proof, cause-and-effect relationships, and scientific explanations for phenomenon, not to rely on myths or hearsay.
It made me realize how poor in spirit Americans are. Faith has taken a back seat to science in our society - to such an extent that our capacity to believe in the supernatural has been diminished. If we experienced a miracle (and talked about it later), then we would be sent to the mental hospital. So tell me again why we celebrate Christmas? Americans often make fun of countries whose belief systems are "backwards." It makes me wonder who is going to have the last laugh.
Faith and miracle are some things that I wouldn't dare to violate or not-believe, I believe they exist but yes everything happens for a reason I need to say that too. I like your articles very much. I might be a secret reader who never give comment to you but your articles are very impressive and inspiring. Keep writing!!
ReplyDeleteKhane