As I reflect on our tour of the Buddhist temples, one question comes to my mind. What is the cost?
I often wonder why it is so hard for people to accept Christianity when it seems like they will so eagerly accept any other idea of philosophy that comes along. What makes Christianity so hard to swallow for most people?
I pondered on this for a few minutes, and what I came down to is the cost. Christianity is the only religion that has almost global persecution attached to it. I’m not talking about the extreme persecution like beatings or killings. I am talking about the everyday judgment of people we know or don’t know.
There is a stigma attached to Christianity. People, especially western people, are likely to be open minded about anything but that. Why is that? I think the obvious answer is because it is the only “religion” with a real enemy.
Think about it. If other religions are false, and not of God, then they are of the devil. If they are of the devil, it would not make sense for him to fight against his own cause. There are no demons whispering in people’s ears telling them that these religions are crazy. In fact, there are probably demons enticing people to these religions.
Now, we all know that there is a lot of fighting between religious groups, but that is not what I’m talking about. I am talking about intellectual rejection and criticism. Christianity is not taken seriously. People have this general idea that you must be a fool to believe in Jesus, but Buddha sounds like a neat guy.
There is such a draw to Eastern religions or New Age religions that are in fact really old. But Christianity is largely avoided and condemned. Or at least it seems to be.
There is a cost to becoming a Christian. It means going against popular opinion and sometimes being rejected by people you care about. Especially in countries that do not approve of it. Here, people take a real risk of being rejected by their families if they choose to follow Christ. In other places, your life may be at risk because of it. The cost is sometimes very high.
Of course, to those of us who do follow, we know that the rewards are even greater. But to somebody on the outside, it looks like a big price to pay. Of course, the devil and his demons are hard at work keeping that idea alive in people’s minds. He will do all that he can to keep people from knowing the rewards that follow. He also works hard to keep people from seeing the high price they are already paying to follow other gods, or simply trying to live without God.
The thing that stood out to me the most today, was the tourists. They went to the temples and followed the lead of the locals, trying to get a taste of the culture, or perhaps looking for some answers themselves. I saw western men with eastern girlfriends, learning how to pray to Buddha. I saw lots of people just going with the flow, completely oblivious to what they were actually doing and to whom they were actually praying. They do not see Satan behind the big gold statues and beautiful architecture. They don’t realize they are flirting with evil. It all seems so innocent to them. They are just tourists, but they don’t realize they are in Hells playground.
I also saw the kids. Kids being taught by their parents to trust in this process of trying to please the gods so they will have favor in their next life. They are beginning this hopeless ritual of earning merit for bringing offerings to the temples. They kneel and offer flowers and burn incense. They drop coins into countless buckets all around them. They ring bells and say prayers. All of this to earn merit, hoping that when they die, their god will be in a good mood and save them.
It is hard to comprehend the hopelessness of this religion and it’s bondage. It’s hard to break into the traditions and bring this new idea of grace and unconditional love. It just isn’t a concept they understand. Only the Holy Spirit can confirm it in their hearts, but we need to bring the message. As we get to know people and learn more about the culture here, I hope to better understand how their religion affects their lives. It is so ingrained that it is part of everything they do.
