I have a beautiful statue of Buddha in my house and a friend
recently questioned me, asking me if I wasn't worshipping a false idol. In answer I pointed out my collection of abstract
African art, all of which depicts human beings in some form or other, my statue
of a Japanese Samurai warrior and my vast collection of Egyptian artworks. I went on to explain that I have these things not because I'm worshipping them but because I find them beautiful. To me they are nothing more that simple decorations.
It reminded me though of the sad truth that if you look for the devil you will definitely find him. Whether it's in art, in statues, in songs or movies. He is everywhere. In fact, the Bible tells us he is
the Prince of this world. That doesn't
mean though that we have to look for him or fear him in human made things. God tells us that if we follow The Way and
are disciples of Christ then the devil cannot hurt us. That in fact he will flee from
us because we have Christ living within us.
The Bible teaches us to love our 'enemies', to do good to
them that hurt you, to turn the other cheek.
That is not so different from the Buddhist concept of Karma. Buddhism also teaches followers to 'do no
harm'. Sounds a lot like the teachings
of God to me. Why should I focus on the
differences between myself and my Buddhist brother when I could instead focus
on the common ground that we have and perhaps make a friend. This doesn't mean that I intend or advocate practising their faith, far from it. All God asks of us is that we respect people's right to think differently than we do. It is not our place to call people to God by trying to impose our will upon them. Simply speaking the Truth and living The Way is more than enough evangelizing.
You would be hard pressed at the present time to find two
greater enemies than traditional Christianity and Islam and yet, again, I find
many similarities to my Islamic brothers.
I hold to many of the tenants of Islam, like giving aid to the poor or
putting God's will above my own. These
are things that true disciples of Christ try to incorporate into their everyday
lives and so do many of our Muslim brothers.
We can, if we look, find God in Islam rather than the devil.
You will find, if you truly look, that we share many
similarities with those we consider 'different' and God tells us that it is
better for us to find those things we have in common rather than focus on the
things we don't. Paul tells us not to argue
amongst each other about doctrine. The
same can be said of our brothers and sisters of different faiths - don't look
for the devil, seek God in their beliefs and find common ground. You just might turn an enemy into a friend.
Satan is everywhere, you don't need to go looking for him
but I guarantee that if you do, you WILL find him.
You can find him in anything to the point where you become scared of your own shadow. Instead God would rather that you to concentrate on Him,
focus on the coming Kingdom and learn the ways of Jesus. We've already got plenty of things we could
argue about, why not be a little different and seek instead the things we can
agree on and remember the example set by Jesus.
He ate with 'sinners, women and tax collectors'. Jesus' love for those who were considered as outcasts by their society is our example for the way we should live our lives.
So I'll keep my statue of Buddha, and my Samurai warrior and
my African and Egyptian art. They are merely things of beauty, not items of worship. I'll
also keep looking for the things I have in common with those who are considered
different, be it a different faith, a different colour or nationality. I'll keep trying to submit my will to that of
God and keep trying to be a true follower of The Way.
In love,
Tracey
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