Hands from hell

Some friends of ours went to a nearby city for a weekend trek. On the way, they saw a glimmering white temple off the main road. The Buddhist temple was beautifully white washed and ornate. Then they got up close and saw it as it truely is.



This is a picture of the guardian of the temple. They call them demons. In Buddhism, there are good demons and bad demons. Statues of them are in every buddhist temple that I have seen thus far. Though this image is mildly disturbing...



These are the arms and hands of those in hell trying to come back up into the world. If you look closely, you will see several disturbing and deformed figures.

After seeing these images, I realized something. We can whitewash evil and make it look all pretty, but in the end, it cannot be disguised. How often does western society do this exact same thing (though admittedly a little more subtle)? We cover over our sinful desires and cravings by making them seem to be not so harmful. When I see these hands, and think about some of the advertising and consumerism of the west, I can't help but think about how much we (and I am most certainly including myself in this "we") do not deserve the love of God. But He is rich in mercy! "Even though we were dead in transgressions, (God) made us alive together with Christ - by grace you are saved!" (Eph. 2:5)