Idols

In trying to connect the idea of idolatry in the Bible to life, the following questions might come to mind: What is my idol? What desires might I be prioritizing above my pursuit of God? Interesting questions, but, do we ever think of the evil power that might be at work behind idols or in places of worship of other religions...?

While I have an impression that many people today might tend to view Buddhism/Shinto beliefs more as a cultural practice than a deeply engrained faith, perhaps I'd been complacent in not seriously taking to heart the supernatural power that might be at play and the grasp it might have on peoples' hearts. Look at this picture.



Who are they praying to? Do they know? Do they mean it? Is it wishful thinking? Is it a belief in a power that they MIGHT have seen revealed in their lives? Is it simply custom/culture, or is there at least a bit of a belief in the supernatural as well...? If they do believe in a god(s)/supernatural power, do they believe it has any connection with idols?

On the surface it might seem 'silly' to believe in idols. Exodus 32 holds the story of the golden calf. When Moses didn't come down right away, the people asked Aaron to make gods. What? Make gods? Why would they even think such a thing? Why would they possibly lose faith in God or maybe believe in Him and other gods? After all God's done...

Last Saturday I was talking about idolatry with a friend, and she brought up the idea that there is or might be evil spirits behind the idols. I think she reminded me of the time when the Egyptian magicians converted their staffs into serpents, but that "Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs" (Ex. 7:12). So maybe evil spirits do unleash their power in connection with idol worship and in other spiritual settings.

Perhaps evil spirits are working behind idols and in temples and shrines, and may have a grasp on many hearts. Good thing the one true God is greater and more powerful than any other power out there...

"A long way gone: memoirs of a boy soldier"

Simply...wow. A sobering reminder of the atrocities many of us know little about. This book details the account of the thoughts and experiences of a child solider, as well as life before and after his experience as a soldier, in Sierra Leone...

Thoughts:

Ishmael's thoughts seemed to be a haunting fear he tried to escape or avoid. Drugs, brainwashing, revengeful anger, and survival seemed to be a motivation for becoming a child soldier. After the war, the process of rehabilitation for the child soliders included violent outbreaks. They would be told that their bad post-war behavior wasn't their fault. They were treated kindly in the rehabilitation process. I am reminded of my dad, even though his situation was of course different. I thought I heard he had a hard time after coming back from Vietnam. Probably there are a lot of people who after coming back from war are traumatized in ways that their loved ones and associates know little to nothing about. When Ishmael went for an interview somewhere, he was unfamiliar with the operation of an elevator. What aspects of daily life might be hard for refugees to adjust to? What sorts of images, memories, and thoughts might haunt their minds?

In a post a few days ago, I briefly touched upon my time in Malaysia.

Here is a picture of where an Asli man led us...


And here is a picture of the Cameron Highlands. Doesn't do its sheer beauty justice, though:

Invisible Children Clips

Invisible Children

I think it's common for hearts to not be pierced with matters relating to others' pain in another part of the country or world if a face/heart/story isn't attached to the suffering...one way to increase awareness of suffering is for people to become acquainted with the faces and human stories behind the suffering. (That being said, I think it can also be easy to ignore, or lack attentiveness to the inner pain of a friend or loved one. )

If you'd like to catch a glimpse of the situation of the child soliders of Uganda, if you know me and aren't too geographically far, feel free to borrow an Invisible Children or World Vision DVD that touches upon that situation...or feel free to watch the Invisible Children video on the following website:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3166797753930210643

You can check out the Invisible Children movement at:

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/