Life & Faith

I've seen some friends who are non-believers fall sick and go to the temple to seek the advice of other gods (e.g. god of the tiger) about their sickness. The medium will talk in a way that is not his usual self and appear as if someone has entered his body. What is the Christian view on this? Is there really a god that can enter a person's body and give advice?

I've known Mr X for nearly 20 years and have seen him through two failed marriages. He is now a single parent with a young daughter, who I'm very close to. In our younger days, Mr X had expressed an interest in me but I made it clear that I was not keen in a romantic relationship with him; he respected my decision and so we remained platonic friends. Recently, his daughter asked if I can be her mummy, causing me to question my feelings for Mr X. We've matured together and have a comfortable relationship and I could see myself with him now, seeing this is a different kind of love and season. Should I talk to Mr X or keep my distance?

I find it hard to upkeep all my friendships. I have tried to reach out to my friends; however, the connection seems to have gone over the years. Even after trying, the friendships don't seem to grow. Some of these friends, including church friends, do not share the same interests, or do not want to put in the effort. Do I continue to upkeep these friendships or try to make new ones? Any advice for guys to develop friendships in their 30s and beyond?

I am an office worker in my 40s, in a four-member SME team. My boss resigned recently and one of my colleagues will be promoted to oversee the team. I am more senior and experienced than her and have been in the company for a longer time. I recognise that she will be able to fill the role of a manager but I am not sure if I am able to change my perspective from relating to her as a colleague to seeing her as my boss. I know that I should submit to the authority within the company structure but feel there is some unfairness in the promotion process and am not convinced she's the best person for the job. What should I do?

Why are Gen Zs unresponsive when older, more senior colleagues send messages to them on messaging platforms? Aren't Gen Zs digital natives? Why are they "ghosting" us? The older colleagues see it as somewhat rude and unprofessional. Please help us understand them!

I'm in my 80s. As seniors, we keep active, but there are moments when we reflect on our mortality. How should we face death which could come at any moment? What is heaven like?

I am a new Christian. My wife is not a Christian. However, she refuses to have sex with me. Is it a sin to masturbate as an outlet in my situation?

As someone who has been involved in the cause of ending violence in the family for more than 30 years, I am somewhat gratified to see and hear of more people speaking out against toxic masculinity. This version of masculinity— the way some men think about themselves, their roles, values, behaviour and, more importantly, how they relate to women—is toxic or harmful to others, the community and themselves.

CNY is when families gather, (re)unite and celebrate kinship bonds, like how my family used to over our reunion dinner. However, there's been a growing rift between my dad and sister, and they're hardly on speaking terms these days. My parents, both non-believers in their 70s, live with her and her family so it's three generations under one roof. They disagree on nearly everything since their values and priorities differ. I've been praying that CNY might be a good time and place to reconcile but am not sure how to go about this.

As far as I can remember, my parents had a difficult marriage. They never divorced but stayed together for the sake of their children. They would quarrel very often and complain about each other to my siblings and me. They would not speak to each other for many days and would ask us to pass messages on their behalf. As children, we did as we were told. However, the pattern continues today even when I am married and have moved out. My father calls me to vent his frustration with my mother and asks me to speak to her on his behalf. I have told him several times that this is a matter between him and my mother and not to get the children involved. However, I can see that he is very troubled and has no one else to vent his frustration to. By continuing to listen to him and trying to mediate with my mother, am I really helping the situation or encouraging a wrong pattern of behaviour? My parents are not Christian.

My husband and I have been trying to conceive but have not been successful. We have discussed assistive treatments and did two rounds of IUI to no avail. IVF seems to be the natural next step, which is aligned with my beliefs, desires and hopes, but my husband is not comfortable with the idea. As a woman, I feel that that denies me the opportunity to be a mother and the biological clock is ticking; as a wife, I'm called to submit. What should I do?

Our relationship with our daughter has been hostile for a decade now. Though the three of us are living together, my daughter has been avoiding contact and communication with my wife. Because of the strained relationship, my wife has ever considered evicting her. She believed getting her out of her sight altogether was the only way to deal with the stress of maintaining a fractured relationship. Adding to the problem is that my wife suffers from chronic migraines and IBS. My daughter has been out of a job since the end of last year. It has been a nightmare for me to be caught in between. My wife and I are believers. My daughter is atheist.