I Went to the Jasjid Al--Huda Mosque on Van Brunt street. Was struck by the monolithic religious display of Friday afternoon prayer in this last week of Ramadan. We heard a talk on the greatness and mercy of the one god they believe in- and how he forgives the sins of those who work. Amazing contrast to the Bible- which says our work- when done in an attempt either to be forgiven or in some other God-ignoring way- is sin. The wages of sin (wages are what we receive for our work) is death (Romans 6:23) but the FREE gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Overall, I was reminded that we become what we worship. The Thais and other South East Asians worship a gender-less Deity- cold, dead, deaf, unable to walk or help them- and so often their hearts reflect these characteristics - even to the point of believing they can choose their gender- choose their sex. Today, however, we see the worship of a monad deity- and the community worshiping this deity is monolithic, robotic, almost like an army of Borg soldiers calling out "we are Borg- you will be assimilated!" This is uniformity- and Christianity's critiques often make the accusation that Christians are too robotic, similar, homogeneous. I wonder if these critiques have ever visited a mosque? Muslims have uniformity- that is evident, but they will never know true unity. They have no need for unity.
I believe it was Ravi Zacharias who said that in a cause and effect world, the only way we can find a world reflecting unity and diversity (not to be mistaken for coloring outside of God's moral boundaries, i.e. the sin of homosexuality) is from a First Cause Who existed as a unity in diversity- the Trinity. The very word universe and university means unity in diversity. E Pluribus Unum is not just a sentiment, it is reality.
We reflect the likeness of whatever we worship. Psalm 115:8 says "Those who make them (idols) become like them; so do all who trust in them." Today was a vivid picture of that truth. It is my prayer that we will worship Jesus, the Christ, God's Son, Who is in the image and glory of the Father. Worship Jesus!
