Buddha Archives - Dennis Conrad Author

Idol Worship?

Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom for believers who want to reach those who spend their time worshipping images made with human hands.

Idols are real. Ever enter an Asian restaurant and see a stature of Buddha?

Psalm 115:4-8 (ESV) describes idols and makes a person wonder what their worshipers see in them.

“Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.”

Pray. If given the opportunity, share your faith with someone who worships an idol. Never underestimate the power of idols to replace the living God in your own life. Is there something or someone who has become more important than God? Pray.

Tell me what you think in the comments below.

From False Gods to Jesus.

I became fascinated with Asian religions while taking a high school religious studies class.

About that time, I stopped attending church. This was no small thing. I had been confirmed in the Lutheran church, attended Sunday school regularly for more than a decade, and even officiated during the first half of an actual church service. Others thought I would make a good pastor. I, too, considered becoming one.

Later, in a religions class at college, I was given an assignment to make up my own religion. I assume the teacher wanted us students to prove we could apply what was taught in class. I called my new religion “Universal Abstractionism.” My view was that all religious paths lead to the mountain top of enlightenment. I went on to receive a degree in Religious Studies.

Unfortunately, I believed the same lie as Eve – the false promise that I could become like God. Later, I started telling people, “I believe in Hinduism.” I wore a chain and medallion around my neck with an Om symbol. My goal was to be one with God. I thought this was possible if I worked and meditated hard enough.

For twenty years, I put my faith in false gods and even worshiped at the feet of an idol. I tried everything to fill what Blaise Pascal called the “God-shaped vacuum” in my heart. I danced at a Hare Krishna Temple, chanted the Buddhist chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, and practiced other forms of eastern meditation.

God saved me when Diane, whom I later married, gave me a small Four Spiritual Laws tract, and I prayed the short prayer written near the back.

God rescued me from a life of works-based religious bondage. I was free of trying to follow the lies that all paths lead to enlightenment, and that I could be like God. I put my trust in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You can, too.

Join me as we pray for wisdom in my daily prayer challenge.