By Scott Tibbs, May 14, 2010
If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. -- Martin Luther
The Dalai Lama is visiting Bloomington again, drawing significant coverage by the Herald-Times and the Indiana Daily Student. Since he is a head of state, it is appropriate to give him the honor that we would give any other head of state that visits our city. He is also the leader of the Buddhist religion.
And there is the problem. The Dalai Lama is the leader of a false religion. God the Father is the only true God, and those who worship false religions are actually worshipping demons. (See 1 Corinthians 10:20-21.) While it is appropriate to honor the Dalai Lama as a head of state and show solidarity with the people of Tibet as they are brutally oppressed by Communist China, it is in no way appropriate for Christians to honor the Dalai Lama as a "spiritual" leader. We are commanded to confess that the Buddhist religion is a lie.
This is not easy in a culture that worships "tolerance" and "diversity." Many people will marginalize us as "kooks" and accuse us of "hate speech" if we confess the truth of Scripture. But we need to ask ourselves where our loyalty lies. Does our loyalty lie with our heavenly Father who sent His only Son to die on the cross for our sins? Or does our loyalty lie with our own comfort and pride? Do we worship our Father in Heaven or do we worship ourselves?
See previous posts:
♣ Local Christian ministers deny Christ -- May 17, 2007
♣ Denying Christ, Part II -- May 29, 2007
♣ City of Bloomington elevates Buddhism over Christianity -- October 19, 2007
♣ St. Paul Catholic Center denies Jesus Christ -- October 25, 2007
♣ More on the Dalai Lama's visit to Bloomington -- November 27, 2007
♣ No, we do not all worship the same god. -- March 17, 2008
♣ When hatred pretends to be "tolerance" -- June 26, 2008
♣ When hatred pretends to be "tolerance", Part II -- July 15, 2008
