Having pictures of deities in the car comes with many responsibilities, generally they are greeted in a very respectful manor, many are curious and many interesting conversations have arisen, Some have brought flowers, food and drink for them.

The plus side for me also means that when away from home I can still offer my food and have small programs whilst on the road.

However I am concerned that a recent new client is opposed to any form of deity worship seeing it as being unscriptural and demonic, to the point that his actions are and could be seen as directly offensive this is not an ideal situation but one I knew would come up at some point.

There is a firm view in many Christian faiths based on the Hebrew Scriptures and also on writings found in the New Testament based on the early Christian church against use of idols; which is fine but does not take into account time, place and circumstance we need to understand why this instruction was given,

We see how the Israelites took to making their own graven image in the form of a calf and started to worship it as God, this at the same time Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments being carved by gods finger into stone suggesting that god does in fact have form; a human like form and not that of an animal. Both Hebrew and Vedic scriptures describe animal sacrifice as atonement for sins but to worship an animal directly as god is seen as contrary in both Scriptures with animal sacrifice eventually being stopped due to its misuse.

I’m also remember that when the Israelites were being harassed by snakes and approached god what to do he instructed them to make a form of a snake posted onto a steak anyone who looked onto the form with faith and understanding would be saved, is this not idol worship? Or could it be that we simply have to follow Gods instructions? May be then we could find fault with the Hebrew Scriptures a contradictory advice, may be God is undecided?

NO! This was instruction construct and worship in this way the result will be this; but I am sure many would see it as God the snake saver of souls a faulty view but would not discount them from being saved from the clutches of death.

We see though that their was a need to correct as the construction of false idols was becoming the normal practice and so we see the following instruction given in Deuteronomy 4:15-18 stopping any worship of a carved image, the form of any symbol, the representative of any beast that is on the earth, the representative of any winged bird that flies in the heavens, the representative of anything moving on the ground, the representative of any fish that is in the water under the earth.

You could simply ask yourself this question what if someone made an image at random and told everyone that it was you, wouldn’t you protest and make correction? Or is this too simplistic?

The concept of time place and circumstance is thus lost that scriptural principles were in fact broken instructions on worship were clear and meant to be followed and so some correction was needed the best action was to stop any worship of idols.

But we see that the Israelites within the same Hebrew Scriptures are given instructions on not only the building of but worship and rituals appertaining to the arc of the covenant with gods presence represented by a smoke above the arc itself, we could say this is idol worship is a crude way but again over time neglected and so replaced.

The early Christians maintained this instructions on not using idols and again looking at time place and circumstances and the custom of making images of worship giving them God like qualities outside of Scripture was a common practice this refocused the individual to become God conscious.

Within modern day Christianity there is a division on even the portrait and reverence shown to the crucified Jesus and more controversial that of his Mother Mary. Some feeling that by showing reverence or giving obeisance’s by lying prostrate in front of them is idol worship making them God.

As the client is coming from a division of the Christian faith that does not allow images of Jesus Christ in any form his objection is understandable, but what to do?

The easiest thing would be to remove the images within the car, but this would upset many others who have become quite attached to them being their. So I am looking at covering them up in some way as to stop offences being made, however I am curious what other think?

And just as a passing thought he asked about my Japa bag and suggested that I should hang myself from them as God does not listen to the prays of chanting of his name by demons like me. Hum! Am I a BIG Demon? Cool where’s Krishna liberation here I come an end to material suffering Ya!