Yesterday as I was doing my daily reading at the news web sites I frequent when I came across an article about an 11 year old goddess retiring. This sparked my curiosity because I only know one God and having studied His attributes take comfort in the fact that He will never retire because He is eternal. As I read the article this 11 year old goddess is part of the Hindu religion called a Kumari. In Nepal young girls are chosen to be Kumari's or living goddesses. The article I read said this "Selected as toddlers, living goddesses usually keep their positions until they reach puberty, meaning that Sajani (the Kumari who is retiring), at age 11, is retiring slightly early." So retirement was inevitable and apparently being a goddess is a short time gig.
So as I read this article I wondered how do you get this "job" of goddess? Do you perform miracles? Do you display some type of super natural ability? Do you have to prove you are a deity? Well the article I read said this about the process of becoming a goddess, "They are required to have perfect skin, hair, eyes and teeth, should not have scars and should not be afraid of the dark." Other than the dark skin that describes my wife (boy I hope she doesn’t read this, it would just affirm her feeling that she should be treated like a goddess). The thing that really got me about this is the whole "not afraid of the dark" thing. Geesh, I would sure hope my god or goddess wouldn't be afraid of the dark. I mean what kind of deity is that?
In this article it also spoke about how this goddess was stripped of her title last year because she came to the United States to promote a documentary on Nepal. A goddess was stripped of her title? How does that happen? Fortunately for Sajani she was more popular than a prom queen at a local high school, because the people forced a reversal of the title stripping and was made goddess once again. Man......phew......that was a close one......almost lost a goddess over her promotion of a movie.
The article I read said that Sajani had come of age and was no longer able to continue as goddess anyways. A quote from the article says this, "Jaiprasad Regmi, chief of the government trust that manages the affairs of the living goddesses, said Sajani is to be replaced because she had "come of age" and said the decision had nothing to do with last year's row." A manager of the affairs of "living goddesses"? Wow, how do I get that gig? Do you get to do shopping for them? Do you merely keep their appointments for them? Man what a job. I could just see introducing myself……”Hello, My name is Tom and I am the affairs manager for the living goddesses”.
As I read the article the thing that crossed my mind the most was "I am so glad that my God is an eternal, all knowing and sovereign God". I am so glad that I do not have to enter into contract negotiations with him to get Him to continue being my God. I believe in a God that knows all, is all and is everywhere at all times. I believe in a God that is 100% wrath and 100% love. I have a God that determines my fate, I don’t determine His. I take comfort in Psalm 139:
"O LORD, You have searched me and known {me.}You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. {Such} knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is {too} high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike {to You.} For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, {And} skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained {for me,} When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take {Your name} in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
As much as this idea seems hideous I feel compassion for these people. I pray that these people would have someone share the Truth with them. I pray that someone would be able to share with them the greatness of my God.
How sad that they turn to children to worship them....oh wait a minute we do that here to. You know this article can be us too you know. We may not give our kids the title, but we can surely treat our kids likes mini-gods and goddesses. Also the idea of supplanting your god. I do believe that in our culture we believe that god is who we make him. Since our culture does not accept an “absolute” truth then how can we accept an “absolute” God. It just makes me ask “Where is your focus Christian?” Is God central to your life or someone you renegotiate the terms of your deal with whenever He becomes to intrusive? Read Psalm 139 again and see what kind of God we have.
So as I read this article I wondered how do you get this "job" of goddess? Do you perform miracles? Do you display some type of super natural ability? Do you have to prove you are a deity? Well the article I read said this about the process of becoming a goddess, "They are required to have perfect skin, hair, eyes and teeth, should not have scars and should not be afraid of the dark." Other than the dark skin that describes my wife (boy I hope she doesn’t read this, it would just affirm her feeling that she should be treated like a goddess). The thing that really got me about this is the whole "not afraid of the dark" thing. Geesh, I would sure hope my god or goddess wouldn't be afraid of the dark. I mean what kind of deity is that?
In this article it also spoke about how this goddess was stripped of her title last year because she came to the United States to promote a documentary on Nepal. A goddess was stripped of her title? How does that happen? Fortunately for Sajani she was more popular than a prom queen at a local high school, because the people forced a reversal of the title stripping and was made goddess once again. Man......phew......that was a close one......almost lost a goddess over her promotion of a movie.
The article I read said that Sajani had come of age and was no longer able to continue as goddess anyways. A quote from the article says this, "Jaiprasad Regmi, chief of the government trust that manages the affairs of the living goddesses, said Sajani is to be replaced because she had "come of age" and said the decision had nothing to do with last year's row." A manager of the affairs of "living goddesses"? Wow, how do I get that gig? Do you get to do shopping for them? Do you merely keep their appointments for them? Man what a job. I could just see introducing myself……”Hello, My name is Tom and I am the affairs manager for the living goddesses”.
As I read the article the thing that crossed my mind the most was "I am so glad that my God is an eternal, all knowing and sovereign God". I am so glad that I do not have to enter into contract negotiations with him to get Him to continue being my God. I believe in a God that knows all, is all and is everywhere at all times. I believe in a God that is 100% wrath and 100% love. I have a God that determines my fate, I don’t determine His. I take comfort in Psalm 139:
"O LORD, You have searched me and known {me.}You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. {Such} knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is {too} high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike {to You.} For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, {And} skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained {for me,} When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take {Your name} in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
As much as this idea seems hideous I feel compassion for these people. I pray that these people would have someone share the Truth with them. I pray that someone would be able to share with them the greatness of my God.
How sad that they turn to children to worship them....oh wait a minute we do that here to. You know this article can be us too you know. We may not give our kids the title, but we can surely treat our kids likes mini-gods and goddesses. Also the idea of supplanting your god. I do believe that in our culture we believe that god is who we make him. Since our culture does not accept an “absolute” truth then how can we accept an “absolute” God. It just makes me ask “Where is your focus Christian?” Is God central to your life or someone you renegotiate the terms of your deal with whenever He becomes to intrusive? Read Psalm 139 again and see what kind of God we have.
1 comment:
Yup, I'm still waiting...
Your wife...
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