My parents and I have a question about how to honor my deceased grandpas.  We would appreciate it if you could please help give us some guidance on this.

 

I was raised in a non-christian family in China.  One of my grandpa's ashes is kept in a Taoist temple where all the Taoist gods are worshiped.  My other grandpa has a picture at a Buddhist temple where the monks pray regularly.  My parents and I accepted Jesus Christ a few years ago, but our grandpas' ashes and picture are still at the temples.

We are unsure how to continue to show respect and honor my grandpas without violating God's commandments.  In America, it is typical that the deceased have a grave, and the loved ones go there to present flowers to honor the dead.  However, in my case, I cannot go to where my grandpa's ashes are to honor him without entering the Taoist temple full of idols and false gods.  What should I do?  Can I go, ignore the other gods, but just put flowers there for my grandpa?  Should I not go at all?

We cannot move his ashes elsewhere either because my grandma (who is still alive) and all my other relatives are still not christians.  In addition, the spot for his ashes at the temple cost a lot of money when they purchased it.  They are not going to agree to relocating my grandpa's ashes simply because of my belief and my mother's.  Both of my grandpas never heard the Gospel in their lives.  They died never knowing Jesus.  What shall we do now to honor them?  Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Sincerely,
Temple Trouble

Dear Temple Trouble,

Every culture and country has unique issues that it presents christians with, but there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl 1:9).  Your problem is with appearances.  You know that the Buddhist and Tao gods are nothing at all (1 Cor 8:4).  You know this, but everyone else doesn’t, and therefore, for the sake of their consciences, you must be careful how you act (1 Cor 8:10).  Here are some things to consider:

1. Do people assume if you go to a Taoist temple that you are going to worship their gods?  If so, you cannot go.  Leave flowers outside the temple or give them to relatives to deliver when they visit, but make it clear that you cannot be seen as an idolater.
2. There are some religious sites that don’t give the impression that all visitors are of that religion.  For example, take the Sistine Chapel – millions of people visit the site every year, and many of them are not Catholic at all.  Visiting there does not give the impression you are Catholic; it merely gives the impression that you wanted to see the Sistine Chapel and its art.  If this is the case with visiting these temples, you may be able to go without giving the impression that you are worshipping their idols.  Only you can make this decision.  It is a cultural issue, and you must decide how people would view your visit.
3. Can you in good conscience visit your grandfathers’ memorials?  If we cannot do something in good conscience, for us it is sin (Rom 14:23).  A bothered conscience is a sign that you believe you are doing the wrong thing, and even if that isn’t true – you have to abstain for conscience’s sake.
4. There are many ways to honor our deceased relatives other than visiting their graves.  Putting their photos on our walls, writing memorials, re-telling stories of their lives, etc. are all viable ways of showing how much they meant to you.  When someone dies, they are no longer concerned with the affairs of this world; anything you do to honor them is for the benefit of the living, not them.

After considering both your conscience and the influence you have upon others, prayerfully make a decision and stick to your guns.  In the end, you serve God and not man (Acts 5:29).

I have a question about the end times.  I have been looking online, and I get a ton of websites or even videos that talk about what the Bible says are the end warning signs.  Most websites and videos agree that the end is very close.  Do you agree with this?  I know that no man will know the exact time, but I guess we could know about when if the signs are met.  I think that the world is getting so bad and that the end would have to be getting close, but I could be wrong. However, I do see the world getting worse and not better...and it scares me...

 

Sincerely,
Forecast: Unknown

Dear Forecast: Unknown,

There are a great many people – as you have noticed – with many opinions about when the world will end, but the truth is nobody knows because God doesn’t say.  God told the Thessalonians that the end would come “like a thief in the night” (1 Thess 5:2).  If anything, the one thing you can count on is that it won’t be when people say it is.  In truth, a christian shouldn’t worry about when the end will come… we should live every day like the end could be today.

Paul told the Thessalonians (who were quite fixated with the return of Christ) that they should live every day soberly, as if any day might be the day (1 Thess 5:4-6).

People have been using details from the book of Revelation to “predict” the end of time for centuries.  Unfortunately, the book of Revelation has nothing to do with the end of time.  Revelation is a book dedicated to what would “shortly come to pass” (Rev 1:1).  Specifically, Revelation dealt with the coming persecution that the church of the first century was about to face.  It is a figurative and symbolic book (Rev 1:1 – notice the word ‘signified’, that means ‘symbolic’) that God used to prepare those saints for the trials they had ahead of them (see our post “Left Behind” for more details).  Beware of anyone that uses the book of Revelation to “forecast” the end of time – they are using the book out of context.

The other thing that we must be aware of is that every generation and every individual (us here at AYP included) is convinced that things are getting worse.  Every generation has felt that things were getting so bad with the world that the end of the world must be soon.  God warns us about the habit of constant pessimism (Eccl 7:10).  There will come a time when the world is so wicked that God will destroy this earth, but that will only happen after He has given as much time as is needed for mankind to repent of their sins (2 Pet 3:9-10).  Since we do not know when that day is, let us live every day with holy living and godliness (2 Pet 3:11-12).

I was watching a special on Michael Jackson this weekend which prompts my question: is plastic surgery wrong?  Obviously, Michael Jackson appears to have had way beyond what most of us would consider a normal nip or tuck, but when does the pursuit of vanity become sinful?  What about changing your hair color, wearing makeup, or even getting braces to make your smile more pleasing?

Sincerely, Flummoxed Fashionista

Dear Flummoxed Fashionista,

It isn’t inherently wrong for a christian to change their appearance for beauty’s sake, but we do need to be careful. See the post “The 411 On The Bling Bling” for more details on the subject of wearing jewelry. Plastic surgery is a more extreme version of makeup or jewelry. It is precisely its extreme nature that should make christians wary of using it. Makeup and jewelry are intended to enhance someone’s natural appearance, while surgery is intended to permanently alter it.

Vanity is a sin. We are not supposed to glory in appearances (2 Cor 5:12). The most vivid Biblical example of the folly of vanity is Absalom who died because of his love of his beautiful hair (2 Sam 14:25-26, 2 Sam 18:9-14). Furthermore, we are supposed to be content with what God provides us with (Php 4:11), and that includes the body He has given us. Plastic surgery (if done for purely cosmetic reasons and not medical ones) smacks of being discontent with what God has designed. The more superficial our world becomes, the more christians need to remember what is truly important… not the outward flesh, but the inward man (2 Cor 4:16).

My dad used to say that the USA is and has been historically so blessed because we are a Christian nation.  Is this supported by the Bible?  Would the inverse be true then, that non-Christian nations suffer as a result?

Sincerely, National Interest

Dear National Interest,

All nations are blessed or cursed based upon their adherence to God’s will. Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah (Ps 33:12). God blessed Israel when it obeyed Him, and He cursed it when the people departed from Him (Deu 11:26-28). There are times when God raises up and blesses wicked nations, for a time, to do His bidding… but eventually, they too are destroyed if they remain wicked. Babylon is a great example of this principle (Hab 1:6, Jer 25:12).

When a nation puts God first, it receives blessings from His hand. When that nation sins against God, it is punished. Righteousness exalts a nation; sin is a reproach to any people (Pr 14:34). America was founded upon Bible principles, and many of the founding fathers are quoted placing their trust in God and the Bible. That trust and national loyalty to God are what exalted the United States over the past 233 years. Unfortunately, it is universally agreed upon that the America of today does not care about Bible principles as our forefathers did. Unless we repent, we will continue to suffer the reproach of becoming an ungodly nation.

God punishes nations that turn against Him in many ways. In Amos chapter four, God tells Israel several ways He disciplined them in order to get them to return to Him.

1. Famine and economic turmoil (Amos 4:6)
2. Natural disasters such as drought and flooding (Amos 4:7-8)
3. Disease (Amos 4:9)
4. War (Amos 4:11)

It doesn’t take long to see some of the parallels in our nation’s recent history. America, like all nations, will only find lasting peace and prosperity through serving God.

Why is it okay when christians kill and destroy, but it is not okay when other religions do the same?

Sincerely, Taking Up Arms

Dear Taking Up Arms,

It isn’t okay for christians to kill and destroy. In fact, it is strictly forbidden (Jas 4:2, Rom 1:28-32). Christ specifically states that His kingdom, the church, is a spiritual kingdom that doesn’t need soldiers to protect it (Jhn 18:36). Christianity was never intended to be spread by the tip of the sword. Throughout history, people have used the Bible and Christ as a reason to conquer nations and attack others, but that doesn’t make it right. People have done all sorts of stupid things in the name of religion. Just because someone says that it is okay for a christian to do this or that does not make it true. The Bible should be the final authority on all issues of right and wrong.

Any religious group that attempts to grow through violence is not from God… even if they call themselves christians.