When the children of Israel grew tired of waiting for Moses, they cried out to Aaron for a God for something to believe in… (Exodus 32:1-8) … He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. They said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” When I read that verse, I have to stop. God had already shown himself powerful to the Children of Israel in so many ways. Yet they turned their worship toward created things rather than the Creator.
On Tuesday, we spend a significant amount of time visiting two Hindu temples. In each place we saw gods made by human hands that were revered, respected and worshiped by Hindus. That’s strange enough… worshiping created things. But when Tim and I sat… for an extended time with a Swami at the larger temple and tried to follow his explanation of what they believe… it was all over the place.
The swami used a logo for his temple/mission to explain that their goal is to reach a point where they no longer have any personal desires. They are all about helping others and wanting things only for others. The hope to achieve this through… dedication, meditation, selfless service and wisdom. The conversation went on for a long time… Tim asked… “So when do you know that you’ve prayed enough?”
Great question! But no great answer.
We received great hospitality and had an unforgettable experience but left there knowing that there’s no truth in their philosophy. We finished the time by going into the temple with the Swami to see the gods… a statue of a man. I was amazed that they were worshiping a statue of a man. We then had an opportunity to share a simple gospel presentation with them using the evanga-card.
Pretty crazy- to be standing in a Hindu temple, with a swami, sharing Christ. But here’s the strange part. There are many Americans whose thoughts and understanding about how they plan to get to heaven/eternal bliss is just as flimsy as the swamis’….. Their faith is without substance and when you try to figure them out and understand what they really believe…. Or compare it to Truth…. It’s like nailing Jello to a wall.
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