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From a secular perspective, the Mahabharatha is a fine piece of literature, and I enjoy its story quite a bit. Theologically speaking, it's only going to be useful to you if you want a lesson in idolatry and evil, so that you may reject the grace of the true and living God. Read it for fun if you're interested in ancient literature, but it is essentially a pagan devotional.
Theologically speaking, it's only going to be useful to you if you want a lesson in idolatry and evil, so that you may reject the grace of the true and living God.
You have a vary strange concept of evil.
Trust me he does. He accepts murder of infidels, rape, and human sacrifice in the bible, but he still manages to call Hindu idolatry evil. Very strange. Very strange.
Peace.
From a secular perspective, the Mahabharatha is a fine piece of literature, and I enjoy its story quite a bit. Theologically speaking, it's only going to be useful to you if you want a lesson in idolatry and evil, so that you may reject the grace of the true and living God. Read it for fun if you're interested in ancient literature, but it is essentially a pagan devotional.
Meh. I'm just happy to see that Arunma can at least enjoy the Mahabharata from a secular stand point.You have a vary strange concept of evil.
Meh. I'm just happy to see that Arunma can at least enjoy the Mahabharata from a secular stand point.
You have a vary strange concept of evil.
I believe that evil is defined by God and not man. Modern secular culture, as well as Hinduism, has a far stranger definition of evil than mine, since these philosophies permit individuals to define evil for themselves. The God of the church, however, has declared all idolatry to be evil. Because Hinduism is an idolatrous religion, God regards it as evil.
So why would God instruct the Jews to engage in evil idol worship:
Numbers 21:8, "The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."
Brother, do you even understand what you are talking about?
Thank you.
If I go against my better judgment and respond to your posts, will you promise to respond to my points and not ask me to answer irrelevant and lengthy questions?
In any case, you seem to have chosen a horrible example for your demonstration that God commands idolatry. The bronze serpent was a visible representation of God's grace through Jesus Christ, as is the Lord's Table to the church. As it says,
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. (St. John 3:14-15)
It was not God's intention that the Israelites should worship the serpent. In fact they did worship it at a later date, which is why God commanded King Hezekiah to destroy it. It says,
It is clear that the living God, who forbade idolatry, would never command it.
I really don't see why we have to turn this into a debate here. Arunma has said before that he finds non-Christian religions to be evil, and we always end up turning threads into debates because of that. None of us are really benefiting from these debates, the only thing that will happen here is that (as usual) the thread will most likely be locked. We are free to believe as we do, and Arunma free to believe as he does.
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Well I am so happy that you were able to figure this out. However, you are forgetting the fact that Jews resorted to the serpent only because of their ignorance. Are you telling me if they had instead looked up to the heavens after being bit by snakes, they would still die? I highly doubt that. God was testing them, and even though they failed the test, His grace let them live, not the maya of the snake.
However, God allowed them to fashion this idol in the first place. Exodus 34:17 says, "Do not make cast idols." This is obvious a contradiction, but of course God can do what He so pleases, correct? He commanded the Jews to fashion the ark of the covenant, and that was not a form of idol worship?
Now I do not condone idol worship because of it's maya nature, and this is exactly why God did not condone such a worship. It is simply not real just like the bronze serpent. Did the sepent save the people from death? Of course not, it was the will of God.
But He did command it, and this is what you do not see. Are you saying Moses fashioned the serpent because of his own free will?
Now according to Hinduism, idol worship is abominable even though in some respects it was practiced. Whether it was allowed or not in certain instances like the bronze serpent, I cannot say. However, Brahma who is the same as Yahweh instituted the Manu Law after the flood. This particular law is very similar to the OT laws. For instance:
Manusmirti Chp 3:152 says, physicians, priests who associate with idols, sellers of meat, and those who subsist by shopkeeping must avoid making an offering to Bhrama.
Therefore, your claims Hinduism is a paganistic and idol worshipping religion is not based on scripture. You only comment on what you see Hindus practice, but this is not what was intended to be. You are right, even the Jews fell victim to idol worship, and so do Christians who worship saints and bow down to crosses. However, as I said before this is not what God intended as true faith.
You know and I know, if Hindus refrain from idol worship and only revere the One who create them, then you will still condemn Hindus while also ignoring that Jesus is the Creator. It is obvious you deny God's universal nature.
But again you do not think when you say certain things because in many instances other religions are very similar to Christianity including Hinduism. This is the reason why you cannot answer my questions. I see the big picture, and as long as you see the small picture you will always be under the delusion my questions are irrelevant and too lenghthy. The bottom line is that you lack clairvoyance (irrelevance) and you do not understand God's unlimited (lengthy) Word.