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Author
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Topic: Have you heard of this???
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Robby
Advanced Member
Member # 448
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posted
As one who has studied the world history of cultural arts, I felt a bit of sadness when the Buddhas were destroyed, however...
The reality is that beyond only worshipping the Lord God Almighty and not creating idols, the Lord also taught us not to lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. The Lord told us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Furthermore, all things will pass away (even as the Word of God endures) and there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth.
Ultimately, it will not be Buddha, or Muhammad, or the Pope, or Dalai Lama, or Sun Myung Moon, or anyone else that everyone will bow the knee--but it will be Jesus Christ. Everyone will acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior regardless of whether or not they were in favor or against Him.
Posts: 364 | Registered: Sep 2002
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RioLion
unregistered
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posted
An idol may not always be something of the heart. There are certain artifacts that are commonly recognized as idols. For instance, that Buddha you may have purchased overseas as a souvenir or a kachina doll often used in worship by Native Americans in the Southwest, would be considered idols if you asked someone in the know.
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Disciple4Christ
Advanced Member
Member # 1838
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posted
My take on idols is....which ones do people serve or idolize?
That's what makes an idol. Idolatry is worshipping any thing other than God.
Pastor E.V. Hill said it best:
"Anything that you have to JUSTIFY to YOURSELF is IDOLATRY!"
Amen, Brother Hill!
This brings to mind an experience we had a year or so ago. I was out of town on business, but in the Sunday night prayer and praise gathering we normally host at our home, one of the regulars saw a metal candle holder on our wall in the den.
My Mom had actually bought this trinket at a gift shop somewhere, for my son for Christmas, a few years ago. When he moved off to school, he left it here. It was an antique-finish, cartoonish-looking sun, with little sticks of metal protruding out to represent the suns rays. There was a cute smile on the face of the sun. It was totally harmless. I had forgotten it was even on the wall, as it had been there for a couple of years. We never looked at it.
The fellow who pointed it out to my wife, said, in a very overly-concerned way..."That is an idol!" She kind of chuckled, but said..."It is?" He said..."Yes!' So she said, "well...okay." And she immediately threw it in the trash can.
She told me about it when I returned home the next day, and I laughed at first, and said, "I don't care, it was just a cheap metal candle holder." - "Amen!...No problem, I'm glad you threw it away!"
But when I got to thinking about it later, I then contemplated..."What makes it an idol to us?"
And "idol" is something you choose to worship, and idolize. It is something that wrongly takes any place in your heart which should be totally filled up, and owned by God alone.
That cheap metal candle holder was not an idol to us...because we didn't ever think about it in the least...much less "idolize" it or "worship" it.
So our friends' actions were just one more example of kooky misguided religious legalism.
On the other hand, an idol, being something that is idolized or worshipped in one's life, could be their shiny new Lexus or BMW, sitting proudly in their garage.
If it takes a place of prominence in their hearts and lives, and hinders them from serving God and man in love, in any way, and it is more important to them, than the lost and unsaved people in this world...then...THAT is idolatry!
It is a heart issue.
A Christian could have a tacky pink flamingo statue in their front yard, and the only thing they would be guilty of is maybe poor taste...but not idolatry...unless they went out at the third hour of the day, and bowed down to worship it.
Idolatry is a wrong attitude of the heart which is not fully devoted to God alone...not an inantimate object sitting around your house.
Think about the idols of wood and stone that men made in the Bible. Why did God hate these idols in mens lives? Because they worshipped and served these false gods...which were not gods, but dead religious works of wood and stone, made with their own hands.
God didn't hate the wood and stone objects...but the fact that the people worshipped the works of their own hands, and failed to give their hearts wholly to Him in true worship.
They excluded God from their worship, and instead trusted in themselves, and what they could do.
Their hearts were corrupt.
If you love your beautifully paneled house more than God's House which lies in waste, you are guilty of idolatry.
Examine God's anger aroused at the Israelites, who "ran to their ceiled (paneled) houses, while His House lay in waste" in the book of Haggai.
Their own pretty homes, and lives of comfort were more important to them, than His House, and His Kingdom. They stopped building the Temple, and instead put their hearts, time, and resources into building themselves fancy paneled houses to live in.
They were idolatrous!
A person's job can become an idol to them if it takes a place of prominence in their heart, and God's purposes suffer in their lives for it.
That's idolatry!
The Bible says, "You are that one's servants to whom you present your members (your body, and life) to obey."
Once again...it all comes down to..."God looks at the heart."
Who do you worship fully in your heart? Hopefully, it is Jesus and Him alone.
If there is any place in your heart which is not fully devoted to him? Then your heart needs to be changed.
My pastor and his wife, had a dream for 20 years to build a dream home up in the Idaho mountains, with a couple of horses, and a river nearby. After 20 years of scrimping and saving, they finally had built their home. It was their full-time residence, and was paid in full, with no mortgage.
They had a fairly long commute to Church during the week. They spent a few days a week at the cabin, and the rest of the time in a small and crude utility shack outside of the church, so they could be here to serve the body, and the pastor could preach the Saturday night service, three to four services on Sunday, and be here for the teaching of the Wednesday night Bible study.
They serve a congregation of nearly 4,000 precious souls. They have given their hearts and lives to serving God and man, and their fruit is more than evident to all. Praise God! \o/
However, several months ago, our Pastor was speaking at a 3-day Men's Retreat, which I attended in the Idaho moutains. His testimony, was that God had been speaking to his heart, and said to my pastor,
"I own every area of your heart and life, which you have layed down and freely given to Me except one...and that is your "dream."
He knew what the Lord was talking about..."His dream home."
He went on to say,
"I want to fill every bit of your heart, not just parts of it."
So, our Pastor and his wife talked about it, and from the love in their hearts, together...chose freely to sign-over the deed of their dream house to the Church, for a prayer and retreat center for the congregation to use freely year-round.
Pastor confessed at our Men's Retreat.."I hate living in apartments, but we are now searching for an apartment in the city. But I love God and people, more than living in those mountains."
He hates living in the city, and loved being in those mountains.
But, praise God, he loves God and the people of the city more than his own life. The Lord showed him there are still so many unsaved people in this valley of dry bones, and that He still has so much for him to do here, for us to reach our city, nation, and world for Christ.
That is a right heart before the Lord.
Who among us could do what my Pastor did, as Jesus Himself said in Luke 14:33,
"Unless a man forsake all that he has, he cannot be my disciple."
Our Pastor started this church in an old abandoned building, above a bar on main street, 20 years ago with 6 people, and no money.
They were determined by faith to preach the Gospel, and teach the whole Word of God.
20 years later, the LORD has built a house of 4,000, with ministries to every people-group in need in the community, and has raised up an incredible outreach ministry in India, where many souls have been saved, an orphanage or two have been built, a bible college/discipleship training center or two raised up, and the Gospel is being preached in the heart of the Hindu/Muslim world...with disciples of Christ suffering much persecution for the Gospels sake.
"There is no greater love than this; than a man would lay down his life for his friends."
All glory be to God! ![[clap2]](graemlins/clap2.gif)
In Christ's Love, ![[Cross]](graemlins/cross.gif)
mark
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His Grace abounds.
Posts: 68 | From: These United States | Registered: Jul 2003
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barrykind
Advanced Member
Member # 35
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posted
That would be my take on the matter..
Rebuilding another "god" would be to enflame a "Jealous" God *YaHWeH*, i would think that one born from above, would real from conviction in just making that statement.
Whether Ms. Bush is a christian or not i do not know..But she surely is treading ground that God clearly forbids..
Let us surely pray for her and the leaders of this country.. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
amen
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The HEART of the issue is truly the issue of the HEART!
John 3:3;Mark 8:34-38;James 1:27
Posts: 3529 | From: Orange, Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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helpforhomeschoolers
Advanced Member
Member # 15
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posted
I agree with you Salti 100% idols come in many shapes and forms! Amen!
My issue had little to do with it being Art or the money being spent, but with one who professes Christianiity even considering being involved in something like this because I see it as support of a pagan religion. Yes, I too liken it to the Oresiden't praise of Islam. As I see it there are only two sides in this war.. God's & Satan's. You cant drink from the cup of both; you cant support both. You either gather or scatter. I cant see this as gathering.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
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KJV MAN
Advanced Member
Member # 1905
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by Salti:
I am guessing she simply sees them as art and nothing more. I believe that she is a Godly woman, but I cannot defend her actions here.
I fully agree that it is not an acceptable thing. I don't believe in wasting money on such things, whether it be of Buddah, or of George Bush Himself.
However, let me challenge your thought for a moment. Money is wasted on "art" all the time. Art that honors a false God, or no God at all. Is the fact that these statues are of Buddah any more a problem than if they were of something else? Anything that does not honor God dishonors Him.
Scripture warns against the worship of angels, or giving them a high place as had been the case in Colosse. Yet today, many Christians decorate their homes with pictures of angels. Believers might get outraged over the Buddah statues, but have no problem with staues of angels.
I say all this with the following question in mind. Why is it that you feel this is wrong? Because it is of Buddah? Or because it is a waste of money? Our society worships prestige and success. The statues errected to worship such are not things you quickly notice. But they are there. We speak out when a false god is honored in a way such as this because it is something we ourselves are far from being involved in.
Yet, many of us give money or support the giving of money to other false gods with little thought given. It is a way of life. Having the right car, the nice house, the right clothes, all may be statues of a false God.
Whether these statues are art or not , this would be promoting a false religion. In Israel when a godly king would take control , the first thing they did was to tear down the alters , images and anything else associated with paganism. They didn't give them a grant to refurbish their idols. If they want to rebuild , they can. I just wish our country wouldn't choose to help.
This is something that bothered me after the attack on our country. I love President Bush but during one speech he refered to Islam as being a good faith. I felt he was compromising to keep from offending voters and I feel as Christians we shouldn't compromise to anything that is not truth!!! Regardless of who it offends.
You are speaking truth when you said that lots of people are so materialistic they consider wealth as their god and I know people whose money has consumed their spirit. I am thankful I don't take this approach to the world. I wouldn't have a problem of sending money to these people for food ,medicine,clothing or shelter!!! But to send them money to set up their idols , I won't be making any donations for this cause!!! GOD bless!!
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BIBLE-Basic Instuctions Before Leaving Earth!!!!
Posts: 81 | From: Tennessee | Registered: Aug 2003
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4Hislove
Advanced Member
Member # 265
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posted
You know, all these years and not one person in that white house has to yet to figured out that we need to fix our own problems here in the USA. Why are we so busy giving away money we DON'T have to GIVE, fixing Problems we can't fix when we have far more problems of our own right here in AMERICA that we seem to just ignore thinking they well just fix themselve if we leave them be??? That is the exact impression I get from every president I have ever seen in office.
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Your Sister In Christ,
Christine
Posts: 50 | From: Bloomfield, Ky. | Registered: Aug 2002
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RioLion
unregistered
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posted
I would think that the restoration of the Buddha shrines would further aggravate the fundamentalist Islamics in Afganistan. It would not be a good idea from a political standpoint to rebuild the destroyed shrines at this time. We are already having problem rebuilding their country's infrastructure and it would be foolish to spend money on other things at this time. I wonder that if one were to investigate this story further, we would find that a few prominent Buddhists have merely requested that the shrines be restored and that hopefully nothing will come of it.
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Goldman01
Advanced Member
Member # 1955
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posted
AMEN Salti!!! I don't think that could have been stated any better! Good for you!!!
God Bless!
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Acts 2:38
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Posts: 24 | From: Southern IL | Registered: Aug 2003
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Salti
unregistered
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posted
I am guessing she simply sees them as art and nothing more. I believe that she is a Godly woman, but I cannot defend her actions here.
I fully agree that it is not an acceptable thing. I don't believe in wasting money on such things, whether it be of Buddah, or of George Bush Himself.
However, let me challenge your thought for a moment. Money is wasted on "art" all the time. Art that honors a false God, or no God at all. Is the fact that these statues are of Buddah any more a problem than if they were of something else? Anything that does not honor God dishonors Him.
Scripture warns against the worship of angels, or giving them a high place as had been the case in Colosse. Yet today, many Christians decorate their homes with pictures of angels. Believers might get outraged over the Buddah statues, but have no problem with staues of angels.
I say all this with the following question in mind. Why is it that you feel this is wrong? Because it is of Buddah? Or because it is a waste of money? Our society worships prestige and success. The statues errected to worship such are not things you quickly notice. But they are there. We speak out when a false god is honored in a way such as this because it is something we ourselves are far from being involved in.
Yet, many of us give money or support the giving of money to other false gods with little thought given. It is a way of life. Having the right car, the nice house, the right clothes, all may be statues of a false God.
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Goldman01
Advanced Member
Member # 1955
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posted
I totally agree with KJV MAN! That's a "Christian" in a leadership role saying that pagan worship is not only acceptable, but they're going to help rebuild the idols for them. Kind of takes you back to the story about the golden calf! I really hope that doesn't happen!
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Acts 2:38
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Posts: 24 | From: Southern IL | Registered: Aug 2003
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KJV MAN
Advanced Member
Member # 1905
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by helpforhomeschoolers:
Have any of you heard about this. I just read this and was shocked. This is old news; but I never heard of this. Do any of you have any more on this???
FIRST LADY TO SPEARHEAD REBUILDING OF BUDDHAS
Afghan art objects also need attention.
Paris - 5.16.2002 -
First lady Laura Bush said that she would hit up wealthy friends in Texas for money to help
restore Afghanistan's two towering Buddhas
blasted to rubble by the Taliban last year. "I know a number of philanthropists in Houston who probably would be very generous in donating to a restoration of the Buddhas, and I think that's very important." Laura was at an art exhibit in Paris when this conversation took place. [ TTT* 5.16.02 ]
Wow!!! That would really be a waste of money!!! AND to use it to rebuild a pagan idol???? I hope this isn't true!!!
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BIBLE-Basic Instuctions Before Leaving Earth!!!!
Posts: 81 | From: Tennessee | Registered: Aug 2003
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helpforhomeschoolers
Advanced Member
Member # 15
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posted
Have any of you heard about this. I just read this and was shocked. This is old news; but I never heard of this. Do any of you have any more on this???
FIRST LADY TO SPEARHEAD REBUILDING OF BUDDHAS
Afghan art objects also need attention.
Paris - 5.16.2002 -
First lady Laura Bush said that she would hit up wealthy friends in Texas for money to help restore Afghanistan's two towering Buddhas blasted to rubble by the Taliban last year. "I know a number of philanthropists in Houston who probably would be very generous in donating to a restoration of the Buddhas, and I think that's very important." Laura was at an art exhibit in Paris when this conversation took place. [ TTT* 5.16.02 ]
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
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