Many Faiths, Many Journeys

This slogan "Many Faiths, Many Journeys" was posted on many billboards and postcards throughout India. I found it catchy, but kind of harrowing at the same time. At times, the stats below and the reality of the human situation was almost overwhelming. But it was encouraging to meet a few faithful Christians, all of whom had been beaten, disowned, or severely persecuted for their faith.

The faith breakdown of the 1 billion+ population:
Hindu: 80.5%
Muslim: 13.4%
Christian: 2.3%

Everyone you looked was an image of some deity or a makeshift altar. The stories of idol worship found in the Old Testament came alive right in front of me. Many rickshaw drivers had a picture of their personal god taped to the front of their vehicle. Flowers offered to images of stone lay randomly scattered around town. Every 100 yards, there seemed to be another temple, some large, like the monkey temple I've pictured here, and some small, like the picture below.

I am so grateful for grace, for the fact my God is alive, and that he is good. Which reminds me of a very relevant conversation between Lucy, Susan, and the Beavers.....

“Is – is he a man?” asked Lucy.

“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor- beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan, he is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion.”

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.”

Amen. He's the King, and he is so good, even when he's not safe.