THE KALU HOTEL SAGA IN ATHENS?

“Kalu Hotel” is small hotel in Viewland, Ukhrul, where people come to talk for hours and hours over a cup of tea. There is no limit for the topics talked about here. It ranges from a housewife getting scolded by her husband to, for instance, the policies of the UNO, President of the USA, NSCN activities, Love affairs, etc. In Athens too there was a place called AREOPAGUS, where, the Bible says, “All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas (Acts 21:17)” These people are the Epicureans and the Stoics who thought only they have the perfect knowledge of life and the universe and looked down all other nationals who are not Greeks (Acts 17:18).

The Epicureans believed “there are no souls,” life is just a “Material atoms, a composite entity that disintegrates causing the life to die. There is no life after death.” So, they were not afraid of death because when one dies, one will not know what had happened and more so, one is not there to even think of it. However, they believed in the existence of “God who is self sufficient and does not need man in any ways.” Were as, the Stoics believed in the existence of souls and their continual existence after death. They also believed in the existence of God but could not specify one. So they are inclined to pantheism and made idols of gold, silver, wood etc. But since they were not satisfied with the gods they worshiped, they raised an altar with the inscription of “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17:23).

Paul happened to happened to visit Athens and keenly observed all these. He seized this opportunity and used to attract the Athenian loafers attention and said to them, “So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you” and went on explaining about the Creator God and Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Paul taught about the futility of worshiping idols or gods made of human hands. He even quoted their own poets, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28) and said, “For we are also his offspring.” Paul clearly explained that the Unknown God they were worshiping is the Creator God and Jesus Christ whom God called “My Son” was sent to us whose death and resurrection brings about our salvation and we shall resurrect and live on with God in the ‘after life’ forever. Upon hearing this, some mocked Paul still, some said, “We want to hear more of it,” and some, no doubt, believed and saved (Acts 17:23-34).

The point intended for this piece is, KNOWLEDGE ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE’S BELIEVE AND ITS SYSTEM THE BEST TOOL TO COMMUNICATE TO THEM.
God bless you upon the reading of this piece!

By:

David L Shimray

M.A Ch. Education (USA)

M.A Philosophy (USA)