Profound Philosophies from the Temple of Good Will

How's it going, guys?

It's awesome here in Brazil. We are having fun and are learning from the Brazilians as well as being an influence for the mission of Christ.

The third day we were in Brazil, we went sight-seeing in Brasilia with our translators to better connect with them. One of the main sights we went to was a temple in Brasilia. It was the Temple of Good Will. In the temple, they had such beauty and profound ideas. As we walked in, the greeter made the guys and girls who were wearing shorts put on sarongs (skirts) for modesty reasons. As we walked in, I realized that the people there had so much devotion. In the main temple, there was a maze made up of different colored tiles laid in a spiral.

Most of us sat down because we were tired. We watched the people take off their shoes and walk the spiraled maze. They meditated on different problems in their life as they walked the maze. When they reached the center of the spiral, they looked up and saw a crystal that you can only see if you are in the middle/end. According to the translators, the people believed that the crystal gave them energy so they could make it through daily struggles.

How often do we as believers look to God only when we have struggles? How often do we look to God at all? I pondered on these thoughts and others as I watched the people in the temple. I could see the devotion on their faces as they walked around hoping that the crystal would help them. Do I have that same devotion to Christ?

As I further walked in the temple, it seemed more like a museum of past heros than a temple. The translators said that these heros made it to heaven because they loved. Some of the "heros" they had portraits of were John Lennon, Jesus, Karl Marx, Bono, Pele, and others. It had their awards and achievements, but as I looked at the awards, they were faded and had dust. Won't my achievements be like that, as well?

The temple tries to combine all religions into one. The main emphasis was on love, and how we should love each other. Love and hope will bring us together and closer to "God". I saw their love, and wondered, do I have that same kind of love for people? How come they show more love to people than some Christians I know? Why do they show more devotion than some Christians I know?

How can I change some of this in my life? How can you change this in your life?

-Paul Larreau (and Katy, the secretary)