“But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens with his understanding.”
~ Jeremiah 10:12
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like to make choices? If you had to choose between eating a hamburger or a hotdog, would you choose a hamburger or a hotdog? If you had to choose between playing soccer or baseball, would you choose soccer or baseball? If you had to choose between going to school or to a zoo, would you choose going to school or to a zoo? If you had to choose between worshipping a scarecrow that is sticking up in a melon patch or a Supreme Being, would you choose the scarecrow or the Supreme Being? Jeremiah – in Jeremiah 10, makes reference to an idol that a guy had made by hand as a scarecrow. Have you ever seen a scarecrow? The purpose of a scarecrow is to scare off the birds that show up to get a free meal from ripening or ripened crops. A scarecrow is an inanimate object. An idol is an inanimate object. All objects are inanimate. An inanimate object does not have life. Something lifeless has no power – unless a guy or gal is convinced that an inanimate, inert object has some kind of power. Your Father God has given a fallen angel – Satan, permission to have some of his minions – such as evil spirits, infiltrate or permeate inanimate objects. Satan’s minions or gofers through inanimate objects – such as scarecrows, are able to influence guys, gals and kids to worship Satan. Guys and gals who do not know Who the Supreme Being is still know that there is a spirit world out there someplace that is dictating their fate. Guys and gals are attracted to the worship norms of other people group’s guys and gals – hoping that the worship norms of these other people groups of guys and gals will be the key to satisfy their spiritual hunger or starvation. Internalizing the worship norms of other people group’s guys and gals will lead guys and gals to a personalized syncretistic belief that incorporates mystical, animistic and religious beliefs into a fatal belief paradigm soup that is made up of poisonous ingredients. Feasting on this soup that has been made or is being made from the worship of inanimate beings or objects has just one outcome and that outcome is having to live in hell without hope for an eternity. During the years that your grandmaa and grandpaa lived in Bolivia, they oftentimes saw taxis and/or private vehicles parked in front of the Catholic Church that is located on the street next to the Santa Cruz, Bolivia plaza with a typical colorful blanket completely covering the hoods of the vehicles. The colorful blankets that are made by indigenous gals – such as the indigenous Quechuas and Aymaras who are living in Bolivia, have all kinds of different items placed on them. Some of the items that are often seen lying on a colorful blanket that is lying on the hood of a taxi or private vehicle are different kinds and mixtures of herbs and potions, different miniatures of different things – such as money, house, doll, car, etc. and invariably at least one dried fetus of a pig, lamb or goat among all the different things or objects that could be found on a colorful blanket that is lying on the hood of a taxi or private vehicle. One of the priests would sooner or later come out of the Catholic Church that was located on Santa Cruz’ central plaza to give a special blessing on all the objects that are on a colorful typical blanket that had been spread over the hood of a taxi or private vehicle. The Bolivian indigenous people groups of guys and gals use herbs or potions for all kinds of illnesses. The Quechua and Amaya guys and gals think that having a priest bless a miniature of something that they are really wanting to happen will happen – such as having a miniature of a doll blessed by a priest will have them have another kid. Your grandpaa is not sure why a dead, dried fetus had to always be included among everything else that the priest blessed.
Guys, gals and kids today throughout planet Earth have similar misguided worship norms that guys and gals had when Jeremiah was alive – which was over 3600 years ago. Guys and gals who claim Hinduism as their spiritual model are worshipping a fat, shiny, inanimate Buddha. Guys and gals who claim Islam as their spiritual model are worshipping a mindset that rewards killing infidels such as the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – who are known as Jews today, as well as heathen, horrible imperialists – such as guys and gals who live in the United States. Guys and gals who claim Catholicism as their spiritual model are genuflecting to objects such as what is taking place every day in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala where Mayan guys and gals take gifts every day to the visage of a cigar smoking, dirty old man called Maximón thinking that they are appeasing this inanimate visage from causing problems in their lives. Ask your dad if he saw on the news or read in the paper recently where the Catholic Church adherents someplace in Mexico are now worshipping the skeletal remains of a guy or gal – after having named the skeleton St. Death, thinking that this skeleton has already given special favors to some guys and gals.
So – have you chosen to worship an object that was cut from a tree and then shaped by a craftsman’s chisel into a . . . and then adorned or clothed with silver and/or gold and/or blue and purple material or have you chosen the Supreme Being Who designed the trees, Who is sending signs from the heavens and Who is allowing guys, gals and kids all around planet Earth to do inane things with inert objects. So – have you chosen to worship an object that was handmade by a guy or have you chosen to worship the Supreme Being Who is found in verse 12, “But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens with his understanding.” Your Father God has allowed and is allowing idol competitors to exist. These idol competitors even though they are accepted and worshipped by more guys, gals and kids than He is on planet Earth are really just testifiers of a living Supreme Being Who is in absolute control of all things. There is just one choice. The Supreme Being is the choice.
Jeremiah 10 (521)