November 17, 2001 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org) - For the last five days, the Hindus of Nepal and India and elsewhere celebrated the festival of Tihar, also called the Festival of Lights. Homes and stores and government buildings are covered with bright decorative light bulbs. At the heart of Tihar is the worship of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, but on each day of the festival Hindus worship something different.

On the first day, they worship the crow. This is based on the belief that the crow is the harbinger of death, and the worship is an attempt to placate him for the coming year.

The second day is the worship of dogs, and even the scraggly mongrels running the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal, were duly worshipped with garlands of flowers and red tika powder.

The third day begins with the worship of cows and ends in the evening with the worship of Laxmi. On this day houses and shops are scrubbed clean, the floors of traditional Nepali homes are supplied with a fresh covering of mud mixed with holy cow dung, all in preparation for the welcoming of the goddess of wealth, who allegedly circles the earth on that night, visiting the homes of those who have prepared in the proper fashion. As evening approaches, a pathway is prepared to guide Laxmi into the home or business, thus securing prosperity for the coming year. A pathway is made with two rows of candles and holy water is sprinkled in between, thus creating a runway leading directly to the family money box. Bank vaults are opened on this day, even though the banks are closed to the public, and Hindu priests perform elaborate ceremonies to secure Laxmi's blessing.

On the fourth day, bullocks and various household utensils and working instruments are worshipped in the morning, and one's own self is worshipped later in the day. This is done in the Hindu belief that god is within each person.

The fifth and final day of Tihar is brother worship day. On this day, every man and boy in Nepal is worshipped by his sisters, who thus receive his blessings for prosperity in the coming year.

Hinduism is the very grossest form of idolatry, and such blatant forms of pagan worship hold no attraction for Christians. Yet even born again children of God can become idolaters. Thus the Apostle John warns, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21). The very first commandment is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:30). Thus, to put anything whatsoever in the place of God in my heart and soul and mind and strength is a form of idolatry.

Christians are always in danger of losing their first love and backsliding into idolatry. Do not many professing Christians have more love and devotion and enthusiasm for things like sports and hobbies and pleasures and comfort the pursuit of wealth than they do for the things of God? There are many Christians who have no interest in studying the Bible and memorizing Scripture but who fill their minds with all sorts of sports trivia and Hollywood vanity. Do many not lavish their money more on the vanities of this world than on the things of God? Do many not give more to their retirement fund than to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ? Do many not care more about what their friends and relatives think than what God thinks? Do many not heap more passion upon their pets than upon the multitudes of lost souls who are dying without Christ? Do many not put their jobs and self interests ahead of their zeal for the work of God? Are many not more faithful to the things of self than to the house of God?

One day we will see that multitudes of Americans and Canadians and British and Europeans, living in Christianized lands, were idolaters just like the Hindus of darkest Asia. The people of Nepal have somewhat of an excuse (humanly speaking, of course). Most of them have never heard the Gospel and never even seen a Bible. What, though, is your excuse?

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21).