Being Religiously Clean

I find it ironic that here in Kuantan there is a stunning symbol of cleanliness in the Pahang State Mosque...

...yet people can't even keep the streets clean...

Yesterday we decided to have a clear-out of our home. Unnecessary objects were mercilessly piled up on the rubbish heap outside for disposal. We discovered our previous printer which we'll never use again. Four old, stained and dusty pillows that haven't left the shelf for over two years. An empty aquarium and pet cage hanging around doing nothing but creating clutter. A deflated bouncy castle with dirty patches that we will never blow up again. A pile of Christmas cards which we'll never re-read and which will be replaced with new versions each December. Empty cardboard boxes which once contained shoes.

They all took a dive into the bin!

The list went on and we ended up filling two shopping trolleys worth of rubbish which I carted down to the end of the block where the large bin sits. A Malay man began sifting through the mound of trash, stuffing his selections into a large, white sack.

De-cluttering the house is an annual event in our home, but I wish it would be a daily one. Each day, items enter our homes, whether they are newspapers, brochures, food, drink, gifts, toys, equipment etc. It would be much easier to screen these items or those they are replacing, on the day they arrive, than a year later when they've been stuffed into a dark and forgotten corner of the kitchen cupboard.

There is great inspiration in the Pahang State Mosque, as in all other religious temples and buildings, which display cleanliness, tidiness and order, both inside and out. They can become a model to base our own homes upon. However, judging by the littered streets in Kuantan, the effect of religion seems to play but a secondary role in life here, contrary to the fact that Malaysia is a multi-religious society.

Religion, of whatever kind, teaches cleanliness. Cleanliness of body, soul and mind. The great mosques, churches, temples, halls and synagogues are spotless, to invite a feeling of awe and reverence for God.

How then, can one justifiably claim to be a follower of God, and simultaneously live a life of littering?