On Saturday, my wife and I toured a Hindu Temple here in Louisville. It was a truly interesting experience. Neither my wife nor I had much knowledge about Hinduism so it was an eye-opening experience.

The Reader's Digest condensed version of Hinduism is that Hindus are seeking the Divine (read "god") in the world around us. They believe that the Divine has visited earth in human form on several occasions -- Vishnu, Ganesh, Shiva, Rama, and even Jesus of Nazareth. These human incarnations -- called avatars (not to be confused with the cartoon on Nickelodeon) -- are "god's" way of reaching out to his creation. Families may choose to worship one or more deities, individuals choose their own personal deities (which may or may not be their family's deity).

The temple itself was a medium-sized building in which were housed shrines to various Hindu deities. Priests went about the business of performing rites and ceremonies for worshipers as well as maintaining the statues and temple facilities.

While I cannot of course agree with Hinduism, I do greatly admire their devotion to spiritual pursuits. Their search for the Divine reminds me very much of Dallas Willard's concept of "the Kingdom Among Us." I believe, as a Christian, that as we search for the spiritual presence of God we will become more and more in tune with His spiritual nature and, therefore, more able to submit ourselves to His Kingdom Will.

A good time was had by all.