When I was back in Malaysia, back in a small hometown church of mine, I used to hear a lot about this church called City Harvest in Singapore. People frequently commented on how great church was, how big it is and how passionate the members of City Harvest Church are for God. There was even times when the leaders of our church urged us to strive towards what City Harvest is. To us, City Harvest was like a role model, showing that even in the world today, you can still get thousands of people to love God. 

So when I first found out that I was going to further my studies in Singapore, visiting City Harvest was one of the items in my Must-Do-List-Singapore-Version. I have always wanted to see and experience what would it feel like to be in a 10 000+ people church. The atmosphere and energy would have been awesome, I imagined. In my mind, City Harvest was like the church everyone must attend.

When I first did my chance to attend City Harvest for a Christmas Celebration, only did I know how "different" this church is from the one I had in mind. I mean, I did enjoyed myself during the praise and worship session and also the drama presentation but when the pastor (Kong Hee, if I'm not mistaken) took the stage, that's when my image of City Harvest took a downfall.

From listening to his sermon, I gathered nothing about the message of love and salvation at all. But instead, all I heard was something to do with "You have to donate money to God in order to live long and prosper" that kind of message. I mean, on a Christmas day? Where there could people who would be hearing the message for the first time? I thought Christianity is about spreading God's love and not asking people to give you money.

And true to the message, a few years later City Harvest was investigated by the Singaporean authorities for money fraud. Sometimes it makes you wonder what kind of message we are sending out to non-believers out there. That we're a bunch of money loving thugs. Makes us no different from the pharisees of the past.

And just a few days before, I managed to chance upon this video made by Sun Ho, described as an "international pop star" who also happens to be the wife of pastor Kong Hee's, one of the founders of City Harvest church. (Details here). And here's the video:-





Let me reiterate, she is a pastor's wife. A PASTOR'S WIFE. Who sings about killing her husband in a music video. And I won't even talk about her dressing.

I'm not trying to be a moral police here but all my life, if I'm not mistaken. we're repeatedly asked to be good examples in the world, to be the salt and light, so to say, and to bring people to God. And what kind of message will you be sending when you happen to be one of the leader's of a mega church singing about killing your husband?

You may say that she's pursuing her dreams of singing as a counter but my question is, why sing songs like that? There are so many other types of songs that she can use her talent in (think Hillsong) and she chose the one that you just saw.

Which is why sometimes I am very disillusioned with the whole religion thing because in religion itself, you can find the most hypocritical people ever. On one hand they're telling you that you should do this, do that but on the other hand they're doing loads of shit behind your back. Like "Keeling" Bill or using your donation to travel for holidays.

And you just don't know what is right or wrong anymore. God bless us all.