A recent interesting incident goes like this- I was busy cooking when I heard the doorbell ring. It took me a little while to open the door. As soon as I opened the door, the man on the other side stepped forward eager to talk. My gaze fell on the stackfull of what looked like some sort of posters. He picked the one on the top and offered it to me. Without accepting it, I first asked him what it was and what sort of message it carried. He smiled and said it was an invitation to join his family for an idol worship ceremony. I know that he is aware that I am a Christian. After couple seconds, I shook my head and backed it up with a polite but firm “No, I am a Christian.” He looked shocked. He shoved the invite back on the top and left.

Consider this- Matthew 14:3-4 ³For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. ⁴ For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

The focus of this blog is boldness- boldness to say “No” to what Holy Bible condemns. I admire John the Baptist for his stand against king Herod’s unlawful desire to marry his brother, Philip’s wife. Because of his open condemnation of king Herod, John fell from favour and earned the irk of the king. So much so, that the king wanted to put John to death. Another example is of three young Hebrew men Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who refused to bow down and worship the idol that Nebuchadnezzar had put up. They stood firm in their faith. Daniel chapter 3. I have taken from verse 8, but to better understand the gravity of the situation, please read the whole of third chapter of the book of Daniel.

At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. ⁹ They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! ¹⁰ Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, ¹¹ and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. ¹² But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” ¹³ Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴ and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? ¹⁵ Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” ¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual ²⁰ and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. ²¹ So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. ²² The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, ²³ and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

In the case of John the Baptist, Herod beheaded him because of John’s condemnation of the unlawful, sinful acts of king Herod. So, king Herod nursed a grudge against John and finally executed him and presented his head to the daughter of Herodias as a token of appreciation for the dance she did on his birthday. John could have remained silent and so saved his life… but take note of this- a compromised Christian life is worthless- it is like salt losing it’s saltiness.

An important aspect of Christian faith is condemning sin by being vocal against it– against practices like idol worship, caste system, mastrubation, sex before marriage, acts of divination- astrology, palmistry, horoscopes, tarot reading etc, consulting mediums or evil spirits like new age cults for problem resolution and so much more listed in Deuteronomy 18– Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, ¹¹ or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. ¹² Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. ¹³ You must be blameless before the Lord your God.

The intention of this blog is not to condemn or to judge others but to push us to search our hearts and thought patterns with the help of the Holy Spirit and to identify fear that pushes us to compromise with sin and stay silent or in many cases under the garb of peace/ love promote sin. In the modern-day view of tolerance, acceptance is not only a matter of respecting other religions, but also agreeing that they are true and right. However, accepting that these beliefs are right, which is the modern-day view of Christian tolerance, is a totally different thing and this is where we, as Christians, need to draw the line. Definitely, accepting the doctrines and beliefs of other religions as truth is something Christians should never do.

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen. Romans 1:25