Thursday, November 12, 2009

Friday shoot out: Places of Worship



This church, the Auckland Baptist Tabernacle holds a special place in my heart, I was married here, baptised here, and held my baby son Andrew's funeral service here. But I won't have mine here as I have transfered to Mt Albert Baptist Church.


I was fascinated by St Alban Church. In summer, I did a post. It is what a church should be, sharing with other congregation who can't afford their own church.



This is part of the entrance of the Chinese temple in Paloh, Johor in Malaysia. Many of the Chinese there are predominantly Buddhist or Ancestor worship or a combination of both. I took a lot of photos but they are loaded in another camera. I shall do a separate post.

Two waves of Indians came to New Zealand. The older group more than a hundred years ago from Gujerat and Punjab. My short story Nadine was based on these Indians. http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2008/11/nadine-chapter-one.htmlRecently there is another group. There many many Indians in Auckland, and many stay at Sandringham. This is one of their temples.

The National religion of Malaysia is Islam. This mosque in Paloh is a very modest one. In rich place like Brunei, you will be in awe of the richness of the architecture.


The previous two old photos were of Mum and Dad, I am not sure if they are both temples in West Malaysia, or if one of them was in Thailand. This is a tribute to Mum and dad. Dad had a senior Government service position as the Divisional Education Officer. One of the perks was an subsidised holiday to the region for mum and two kids. We were a family of 9 kids. Back there, we had public exams when we were 12, 15, 17, 19. You could only progress to the next level if you pass the exams. As there were so many of us, inevitably, one of us would be taking a public exam that year. Mum and Dad did not go for their holidays so that they would always be home for us. Only once, did Dad and Mum take the four youngest siblings to Singapore, Malaya and Thailand. That last year before Dad retired, Dad took Mum for a round the world tour.

It used to be Malacca, now they call it Meleka. The Europeons came, first the Portuguese in 1511-1641, then the Dutch, and finally the English. They brought their religion while they colonised. There is still a Portuguese settlement, the descendants of original Portuguese.


http://mytownshootout.blogspot.com/
November 13 - Places of Worship


This week I picked places of worship because I was thinking that so many churches & synagogues (etc.), have such interesting architecture and symbolism both indoors and out. In addition, there is often much history surrounding the older buildings used for worship as well, adding to the interest. Whether simple or ornate they are often designed to speak to the soul. But by all means get creative and go beyond just buildings and architecture if you'd like!Image attached or link
Thanks, Becky

We do not need a fixed structure to worship God. Some people at Easter choose to go up the mountain, or at the beach. But it does help to reflect and have community with other fellow worshippers in a building, be it a church, a synagogue, a temple or a mosque.

Fellow blogger thomas said...

Ann,
The white pagoda is the Kek Lok Si buddhist temple in Penang Island.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kek_Lok_Si

and a beautiful photo of the temple i found on the internet
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee3/flsam_2007/Buddhism/KekLokSi1.jpg

17 comments:

Bagman and Butler said...

Thank you, Ann, for your choice of themes. Mine is a bit sparse this week but I loved your shots...the temples particularly.

Ensurai said...

Nice shots.

The best Easter Service I ever attended was the one (at 5 a.m.) at the Methodist School Football field.
It was so beautiful and the pastor's voice came over the pulpit just as the first sun rays caught our eyes. We were facing east.
I can still feel the coolness of the morning now.
Ambiance . Unforgettable Spiritual moment.

Unknown said...

All places of worship have very exciting architechture and I do love them all, esp the Indian temples here...a sure burst of colours and everything else. Happy weekend Ann. I am going to KLCC for an Indonesian handicraft exhibition..just gotta poke my nose around there hehe :) Love/m

Jama said...

Beautiful collection of photos you presented here, Ann. Will be posting mine soon.

Bengbeng said...

quite a comprehensive coverage of the theme. nice blog u have. i particularly liked the nurture vs nature post

Gordon said...

Ann. thank you for the heartfelt posting. I was particularly intrigued by the last shot of the red church, built over 250 years ago. As I clicked for a closeup I enjoyed the happy faces of your family, and also the "tricycles" parked outside the building. Thanks again.

Barry said...

A very touching post Ann, especially for those of us who have lost young family members. And your pictures show a wonder rage of worshipful architecture.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Thank you all for the comments. I was having computer trouble at the computer I was using, and I decided to wait till today to finish it off.

Gordan, many people like to visit those famous red buildings in Malacca. Those rickshaws are now tourist attractions. When I was little, I won't be seen dead in them.
But now, even in New Zealand, they have similar ones for tourist. It is GREEN.

Barry, Thanks. When I was suffering,the people who console me most were those who shared their personal tribulations, and tragedies. Those who never experienced this have no idea how one is hurting. They shy away, and worst still, they tell you to shut up. You, Linda and I share some thing so special. The Chinese say,"YU YUAN" loosely translated, have fate.

Unknown said...

very beautiful and interesting places of worship. love the detail and color.

A Scattering said...

Once again I start my weekend tour of the world with Ann is Auckland. Very interesting buildings and stories. Have a great weekend!

Mary said...

Such a wide variety. Thanks for sharing.

Emma said...

Beautiful, bright colors!

Patience-please said...

Ahhh, Ann. What a treat for me to get a peek at your world!

Your photos and writing are just wonderful.

all the best-
Patience

J9 said...

Ann,

All of these are so different from one another! I love them all!

Suburban Girl said...

Nice selection and variety.

Thomas Lee/Lee Lip Pang said...

Ann,
The white pagoda is the Kek Lok Si buddhist temple in Penang Island.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kek_Lok_Si

and a beautiful photo of the temple i found on the internet
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee3/flsam_2007/Buddhism/KekLokSi1.jpg

Thomas Lee/Lee Lip Pang said...

The illusive pagoda ends up to be from the once very famous Haw Par Villa in Singapore.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapsg/3886440562