Vegetarian Festival and Judgment

It is that time of year here in Thailand.  The time of year where for ten days the Thai people give up eating any meet, wear only white and attempt righteousness.  It's the time of year where they do everything they can to appease and please the gods.  This includes (but is not limited to) piercing themselves with sharp objects, inviting spirits into their bodies and large parades all over the country.  It is quite scary and a big reminder of the firm hold that Satan has on this country.  They call this the Vegetarian Festival.

Here are a couple of websites that explain the Vegetarian Festival more in-depth for those who are curious: 

http://www.thaifestivalblogs.com/thai-festival-blogs/vegetarian-festival-in-thailand.html

http://gill-hart.suite101.com/thailands-phuket-vegetarian-festival-a63001 

At our Sunday meeting this past week a discussion came up about the vegetarian Festival.  During the processions of the festival many people will invite spirits into their bodies.  Of course, some people who invite these spirits in really do become possessed while others merely pretend to be possessed.  

Someone in the meeting on Sunday brought up the fact that there really is no way to tell who is genuinely possessed and who is only faking it.  The discussion then turned to how true that is in the Christian world.  So many things are done in the name of Christ that are actually from Christ while other times people do things in the name of Christ that are not really from or of HIM.  And just like we can not tell who is faking possession by the spirits in the Vegetarian Festival and who is genuinely possessed, we should not try to say who is genuinely doing something that God told them to do and who is simply using the name of God as an "excuse".

Of course, there are obvious things that if someone were to say "God told me to do this," we would know without a doubt that God did NOT tell them to do that just based on what the Bible says.  But on matters that are not specifically laid out in the Bible, who are we to judge what someone else does in the name of Christ?




"Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." Matthew 7:1 and 2