No Other Gods

Last Wednesday we went up to El Papal to have our monthly Bible study.  On the way there, we have to drive by one particularly high hill that we like to climb up on because the views from there are spectacular.  You can literally see for miles and miles in any direction, and the three giant volcanoes you can see from up there look like specks off in the distance.  For me, it's like looking up at the night sky--it makes me feel very small and gives me the tiniest glimpse of the grandeur of God. There's one thing about that hill though that tears me up:  it's dedicated to the worship of false gods.  You can see evidence of it in the picture at the top of this post. The two dark spots you see in the foreground are where a Mayan witch has performed ceremonies to invoke the favor of their gods by sacrificing various things in fire, among them chicken eggs.  You can see the remains of the shells there on the ground. Sometimes we can see where offerings of food and flowers have been left in the cleft of the jagged rocks up here, like in the picture on the right. I can't go up there without thinking of Elijah on Mt. Carmel showing up all the prophets of Baal by calling on the one true God.  I always like to pray up there, just to spite the devil.

When we speak of idolatry in the American church today, we define it as anything that isn't God that takes the #1 spot in your heart, be it money, your career, another person...and that's true. But somehow as a kid, I got the idea that actual physical idols don't really exist anymore other than maybe Buddha.  Being in the highlands of Guatemala and seeing the worship of actual idols with my own eyes really blew my mind. It literally makes me sick to my stomach to see it; I can feel the presence of evil.  It makes my skin crawl.  Maximón is one of the worst.  Here he is over on the left. You can tell how people worship him just by looking at the offerings left at his feet. Maximón is a bully that people do not wish to anger.  They feel that prayers for revenge or success at the expense of someone else are likely to be granted by him.  What's worse is that this wickedness has infiltrated some of the catholic churches here.  When the Spaniards conquered Guatemala, they brought catholicism with them.  In an attempt to pacify the Mayan people, they blended some aspects of the two religions.  You'll find a statue of the virgin Mary in the same room with Maximón, with the same sorts of offerings being given to her. In Chichicastenango, you will always see a Mayan witch in the door of the catholic church burning incense. (see pics at very bottom) In turn, the Mayans have incorporated the cross and the dove in their worship (see pics of Mayan priest. Note: The 2 photos of the Mayan priest are pictures of pictures. I didn't take the originals.). So now what we have in Guatemala, especially in the more rural areas, is a wicked mix of witchcraft and catholicism--a system where the gods have to be appeased and can be called on to invoke curses or bring blessings, depending on which god you're talking to in the moment.  This idolatry and witchcraft can be seen all over the place here.  Even people who claim the name of Christ have been known to consult witches because it's just engrained in them.  For many, it's how they grew up, and leaving that practice behind can be very difficult. I can't begin to explain the deep sadness that seeing this with your own eyes brings to your soul.  

Such devotion...and all for nothing. 

The Lord is God; beside Him there is no other.

1.  A statue of the virgin Mary found in the same room with Maximon.  Money stuffed in between her fingers.
2.  A Mayan ceremonial altar incorporating the Christian cross.
3.  A Mayan witch in the door of the catholic church with her fire and incense.