Before
I went to Taiwan, I always thought of idols in one of three ways. Either they
were gods worshipped in the distant past, they were modern pop stars as in
“American Idol” or they were things that Christians today put ahead of God, such
as money or having a good reputation. But after moving to Asia I realized that
idolatry, in the most literal sense of the word, is alive and thriving in many
places.
One
Sunday night at around 8:00 p.m., the street outside my house exploded. If I
lived anywhere else, I would probably have thought there was a gunfight. But in
Taiwan, I assumed that it was just firecrackers. The bangs were accompanied by
loud, raucous music. It was so noisy that I found myself putting my hands over
my ears to stop them from hurting.
Apparently
that was the night of a religious festival, probably a local deity’s birthday.
These festivals are usually celebrated with parades, and this one started right
outside my apartment.
The
parade featured people in elaborate costumes, which represent either deities or
protective spirits, that dance while music is played. People also carry the
statues of the deities, which normally rest in temples, through the streets.
These statues rest in elaborate boxes carried on poles by teams of people, kind
of like a sedan chair. Traditionally the carriers bounce the boxes to give the
deities a more enjoyable ride.
This
parade also had fireworks, not just firecrackers, as well as a truck that was
playing Western music, such as “Trouble” by Taylor Swift. (I wish that were a
joke.) As they were getting ready before it started, I also spotted a flat-bed
truck with a pole and a young woman who looked like she was going to be dancing
on it.
My
first reaction was frustration and anger at the noise. The sound was almost
causing me physical pain, and there was no way I could get anything done with
that cacophony outside.
But
then my conscience caught up with me, and I thought of God. It was as if the
Holy Spirit said to me, “How do you think I feel?” I realized that this parade,
which in my mind was nothing more than a nuisance that should be shut down with
a noise ordinance, was actually much more. It was an expression of a false
religion, an act of worship given to a god that cannot save. Moreover, in
worshipping this idol, the people there were despising and ignoring their
Creator, who I love dearly.
Acting
on impulse, I went downstairs to get a closer look. That was when I saw the
costumed people dancing and posing in the street. There was a police officer
directing traffic around the parade. And I saw a crowd of young men walk by,
carrying the box with the idol, my frustration at the noise began to fade. I
wondered what was going through their minds, whether they really believed they
were holding a god or whether they were just participating in a fun cultural
activity. I wondered the same about all the people in the parade.
Taiwan
is quite highly developed as a whole. It has great public transportation, some
very impressive buildings, and goods from all over the world. Almost all the
young people have smartphones, and they tend to act surprised when they learn I
don’t have one. And yet the country is still in the grip of superstition and
pagan religious practices.
I’m not
usually one to complain about other cultures. I’m all for experiencing and
learning about new kinds of food, music, clothing, art, etc. Finding out about
other countries can make our lives much more interesting. I also think Chinese
culture has a lot of values it can teach us in the West, such as the importance
of caring for one’s parents.
But
religion doesn’t fall into either of those categories. It isn’t a morally
neutral thing you can add into your life, like trying a new food or buying some
calligraphy to hang on your wall. It isn’t even a moral statement everyone can
recognize intuitively, accept and act on.
No,
religion is fundamentally a statement of the way the world works. And that
means if any religion is true, anyone who rejects it is believing a lie. I
think Christianity is true. (If I didn’t, I would not be a Christian.) And if I’m
right, these people are not only wasting their time; they’re actively insulting
the God of the universe by choosing to worship something else.
After a
few minutes, I turned away from the parade because I was choking up. The sight
of so many people so lost and confused broke my heart. It was humbling for me
to realize how little I cared about my Taiwanese neighbors. At first I didn’t care
what these people were doing, as long as they didn’t interrupt my quiet evening
at home.
But for
those of us who love the Lord, idolatry is not just a nuisance. It is a sin
against God and a tragedy for people. If we listen with the ears of Christ, the
sounds of the parade are really a cry for help.
