Retail Therapy Vs. God

It looks like we might be coming out of the dark political tensions in Thailand. Over the last two months we've had mass demonstrations by a largely rural, largely poor movement. We've seen bully tactics (from both the demonstrators and the Government). We've seen shopping districts and parks occupied. We've seen gun battles on expressways and grenades on public transit platforms (rumored to be fired from a hospital!). We've seen a hospital shutdown. In order to get to church in the evening the last few weeks, we've had to pass hundreds of heavily armed soldiers and riot police.

It looks like that might be ending. Perhaps even this weekend.

It's been interesting. One of the most interesting things has been following developments through social media. The tensions have created real division among Thailand Twitter community. I have to admit that I've had to turn away from some friends facebook postings to avoid creating a conflict. :)

Here's the thing that's been most interesting. When I read posts about the tension there are two consist themes. (1) Pray for Thailand and (2) Get the Redshirts out of the shopping district. Sometimes it's the same people posting both kinds of thoughts.

I think this highlights two of the most common coping mechanisms with tension. GOD and RETAIL THERAPY. The question I want to ask is: can they go together? Or is one so offensive to the other that they must be separated or one gets sacrificed?

Dick Staub has an interesting paragraph on the God of Retail.

The largest companies in the world are spending billions of dollars (and baht) to drive a diversionary, mindless, celebrity-fuelled popular culture down the highway of new technologies and into our lives in order to sell us stuff we don't want or need.They don't care about us, what we believe or how we want to live. The ads and products regularly reduce women to sex objects and men to voyeurs and predators. They are unconcerned with what is in our best interest spiritually or intellectually, and in fact, it is in their best interest to keep us spiritually desensitized and dumb. They play to our unhappiness, magnifying the feeling that we are missing something essential and that if we had this something they offer, we would be fulfilled. They then encourage us to shop, convincing us that shopping will do today what it failed to do yesterday-fill what French religious philosopher Pascal calls the God-shaped vacuum.

Interestingly (I think) the true God (of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, incarnated at Jesus) could be described as the exact opposite.

God spends no money and refuses to bully or manipulate anyone. He's not trying to "sell" us anything and is generally understated and a bit shy.God cares deeply about us, what we believe or how we want to live. God upholds the dignity of all human beings. He is deeply concerned with what is in our best interest spiritually or intellectually, and in fact, it is in their best interest to keep us spiritually vibrant. God plays to our best intentions and hopes. He then encourages us to love, hope, worship, seek justice promising us relationship and eternal, abundant life.

 Let me encourage those of you who are torn between God and Retail... choose God. You'll be glad you did despite what our world is bombarding us with.