I really enjoy getting out and mixing with musos here so I can tell you their story, for that’s what Phuket Music Scene is all about – raising the profile of live music here. One thing that surprises me is how many of them – shock horror! – are Christians.
Religions get a bad press these days. The trouble is that Christianity gets an unfair and undeserving share of any blame. The American philosopher and atheist Richard Rorty (1931-2007) was worried that Christian-promoted values of humility, honesty, compassion and forgiveness were being lost from society, causing increasing social division and other problems. You only need an hour on Twitter to see how badly social media is blighted now with the nasty, negative vindictiveness of the emotionally-damaged and jealous. There is to be no forgiveness or redemption with these people.
UK Comedian Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr Bean!) once described cancel culture as the “digital equivalent of the medieval mob, roaming the streets, looking for someone to burn”. New psychologically-damaged puritans and zealots are seeking new witches and heretics to crush to prove their goodness. It feels sometimes as if we are back in 16th Century Europe all over again, and I’m worried…very worried.
For no one seems safe. Not even Jesus, for his teachings about love for enemies and the need to forgive one another’s wrongs are a strong challenge to the Twitter mobs. He must make them feel uneasy, but he has proved a very difficult man for them to cancel so far, I’m glad to say.
So let’s hear it for Phuket’s Christian musicians! They deserve our respect and support at this time of year in a modern society with so many problems. Christian values are a solution, not a problem.
Happy Christmas and peace and goodwill to you all!
Andy Tong Dee