The Maintenance of Parents Bill, a law passed in 1995, allows elderly parents unable to support themselves to apply to the Courts to make their adult children provide financially for them. Some may wonder if this is an instance of a secular law being put in place to compel children to fulfil God’s commandment to “Honour your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12). I think not.
Relationships
Struggling with masturbation and wanting to be obedient
Is it sinful or spiritually unhelpful to masturbate, if I think only of my wife when doing it and if I only do so infrequently? I am struggling because while the Bible seems silent on masturbation, the Apostle Paul says we ought not be controlled by anything.
Annoyed by my cousin’s inconsiderate nature
Travelling with my cousin was a test of my patience. As a caring Christian, should I point out these inconsiderate habits of hers for her own good, or is God teaching me patience and forbearance?
Hope beyond division: A longing for family reconciliation
While in South Korea recently, I came across a story of human tragedy that is also one of resilience and hope—the story of dispersed families torn apart by war.
Conflicted because my boyfriend spends lots of time serving in church
My boyfriend and I are both Christians. However, he is more involved than I when it comes to serving the church. He spends 3-4 nights at church for meetings. We don’t get much time together because of this. I feel he may be better off dating someone with the same level of commitment.
How do I handle my non-Christian family’s religious rituals?
I’m a new believer and come from a family of non-believers. My parents are ok with me attending church services but are strictly against me getting baptised. They feel that if I get baptised, I’ll be unable to “account” to them and the family, especially in events like funerals or death anniversaries, because I am unable to partake in rituals. If I get baptised without telling them and carry out the religious rituals, will I be violating God’s commandment not to bow to idols? On the other hand, how do I honour my parents?
My daughter is getting pulled into feng shui practices
My daughter is a Christian but lately, she has been lured into feng shui practices. This year it has gotten more serious with her attending webinars by feng shui masters. Her obsession has led her to neglect her family’s needs and making big expenses in support of these beliefs, even changing her name.
How do I deal with my abusive mother?
My mum will get aggressive and yell at us mainly for reasons that are not our fault. Whenever we are in church together my mum will micromanage me by pinching or poking me over unimportant issues to make herself look righteous to others.
When siblings fight
As a family therapist, I have worked for many years on conflicts among family members. Conflict involving spouses, the young or the elderly often draw society’s sympathy and support but disputes between siblings generally do not get enough attention.
My co-worker has a boyfriend, should I still pursue her?
I admire my co-worker very much. We talk about everything, even our Christian faith. The tricky bit is she has a boyfriend, and I have been very careful not to cross any boundaries.
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