{"id":2686,"date":"2019-07-29T11:52:08","date_gmt":"2019-07-29T09:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/w3.sonofcarey.com\/?p=2686"},"modified":"2019-07-24T11:56:13","modified_gmt":"2019-07-24T09:56:13","slug":"multiculturalism-part-4-is-it-a-sin-to-learn-about-false-religions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/?p=2686","title":{"rendered":"Multiculturalism, Part 4: Is It a Sin to Learn About False Religions?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Do not learn the way of the nations\u2026 For the customs of the peoples are delusion.<br>Jeremiah 10:2-3<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>God commanded His people not to learn the unbiblical, foolish way of life produced by false religions (Jer. 10:2). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>This way of life is actually what we commonly call a culture. <\/li><li>The culture of the nations came from their religions. <\/li><li>Their religions and the cultures they produce are worthless. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So then how much should someone learn about false religion?\nHow can you evangelize someone if you do not understand their theology? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God orders His people not to learn their religion in Jer.\n10:2, but then\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>He explains their source of knowledge\u2014astrology\n(10:2). <\/li><li>He explains their art forms\u2014idols (10:3-5).<\/li><li>He explains their mental state\u2014foolish and\nstupid (10:8). <\/li><li>He explains their jewelry and clothing\u2014silver,\ngold, and fashions (10:9). <\/li><li>He lists the names of these gods\u2014Baal and Molech\n(32:35). <\/li><li>He tells where they worship demons\u2014the valley of\nBen-hinnom (32:25).<\/li><li>He lists some of their practices\u2014sacrificing\ntheir children (19:5). <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The command not to learn the way of the nations is not a\nsimple or absolute prohibition. It does not mean or prohibit certain learning.\nIt does not stop a Christian from learning the false religion\u2019s doctrines or\nthe culture\u2019s practices. Those disciplines can be very helpful in convincing\nthe sinners of their errors. We should study their theology so that we can debate\nand communicate like Paul did (Acts 19:8-9, etc.). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather the command addresses the affections. Do not learn\nabout the heathen culture so that you may imitate it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. <br>Lev. 18:3<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, \u2018How do these nations serve their gods, <strong>that I also may do likewise<\/strong>?\u2019 31You shall not behave thus toward the Lord your God, for every abominable act which the Lord hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. <br>Deut. 12:29-31<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The prohibition to learn is a warning about imitation. Study\ncarefully to refute so long as your heart retains its love for God and its\nhatred of sin. The Lord Jesus Christ was honored because He hated sin while\nloving righteousness (Heb. 1:9). Do not learn about the heathen culture in a\nway that would allow your mind to sympathize with it or learn to enjoy it.\nAlexander Pope captured the danger in his <em>Essay\non Man<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,<br> As to be hated needs but to be seen;<br> Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,<br> We first endure, then pity, then embrace.<\/em><br><em>An Essay on Man<\/em>, Epistle II, line 217<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>William Carey required his students at Serampore College to\nstudy the theology of Hinduism so that they could effectively answer the\narguments and evangelize. To learn about false religions so as to imitate or\nsympathize is a study forbidden to all believers because it tends to weaken our\ndevotion to Jehovah. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do not learn the way of the nations\u2026 For the customs of the peoples are delusion.Jeremiah 10:2-3 God commanded His people not to learn the unbiblical, foolish way of life produced by false religions (Jer. 10:2). This way of life &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/?p=2686\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[472,358],"class_list":["post-2686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-multiculturalism","tag-jeremiah","tag-multiculturalism"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3QrZa-Hk","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2686"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2687,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2686\/revisions\/2687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sonofcarey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}