Hindus' Milk-Nipping Idols
7 Sep 2006
In 1995, Hindus began rushing to their temples in response to the news that idols of their gods were miraculously drinking milk. Not only were milk sipping Shivas reported in India, but also in Europe and North America. Granted, milk drinking is no big deal; after all, even newborns nurse. Still, reports of manmade idols of nonexistent gods doing anything at all, even something done by infants without fanfare or difficulty, is big news.
It appears that Hindu idols are at it again. Having overcome an apparent eleven-year bout with lactose intolerance, idols are once again supping milk from sacred cows in Hindu temples all over India. Reportedly, more than a few Hindu gods are now sporting white mustaches, including the elephant-headed Ganesh, who I would think preferred peanuts to milk. So far, however, no Hindu god has been weaned from the bottle and taken solid food.
Before being accused of insensitivity toward Hindus, let me remind you of how the prophet Elijah poked fun at the false god Balaam on top of Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:27). Furthermore, permit me to point out how the Bible repeatedly condemns the idiocy of idolatry, as well as the stupidity of all who practice it (see for example: Psalm 115:4-8; Isaiah 40:18-20; 44:6-23).
To persuade adherents of false religions of the folly of worshipping false gods, we need not pay homage to their nonexistent deities or respect to their ridiculous beliefs, as is demanded by today’s politically correct world. Instead, we must boldly and unapologetically expose the folly of false faiths and the foolhardiness of all who follow them, as was exemplified by the Apostle Paul (Romans 1:21-23).
Such bold tactics in the war for souls should never be miscued as callousness towards the captives of false religion. To the contrary, they are necessary to rescue men from “the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:26). Only by pointing out the indefensibleness of their doctrines, the ridiculousness of their rites and rituals, and the nonexistence of their gods, can we hope to deliver the adherents of false religions from their Shivas and Krishnas.
Far from being insensitive or indifferent to the plight and eternal peril of today’s Hindus, I, as a follower of the resurrected Christ, am moved to tears by the spectacle of hundreds of thousands of Hindus flooding into temples in hopes of catching a glimpse of a milk-nipping idol. What's more, I find the realization that our world, not just India, is filled with people who have substituted the powerless idols of imaginary gods for the omnipotent Christ heartbreaking indeed.
Don Walton
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