I'm trying to get in
shape for my trip to India.
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Christ said to go into all
the world and preach the gospel
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to every creature.
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The problem is we
have no idea who they are.
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How are we supposed to
effectively communicate
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the gospel to a people we know
nothing about; how they think,
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what kind of pressures
they have in their daily lives.
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Come with me and lets
meet India Face to Face.
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Welcome to the
Hindu city of Palani.
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It took us about eighteen
hours to get here from Madras
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by train and bus.
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When we got here we found a
city dominated by a Hindu temple
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on top of a big hill.
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Despite the warnings, I
couldn't help but grab my camera
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and wander around
like a silly tourist.
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Did you cut her hair?
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Up there?
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Okay.
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Are you going to
climb all the way up?
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Wow, strong legs!
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I kept thinking that
somebody was going to get upset
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and kick me out of
here, but I just kept smiling
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and wandering around.
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I really wanted to climb up to
the top, but I didn't think that
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was even possible.
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But in spite of the warnings
I thought I'd wander over to the
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entrance to the
stairway up to the temple mount.
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Macomb curiosity
seemed to be driving me.
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I'd read so much about ancient
Israel's fascination with this
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kind of stuff.
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About one sixth of the earth's
population today is Hindu.
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That's about a billion people.
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The majority of them live
here in India, but Hinduisms
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teachings and philosophies
are becoming popular in Western
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societies also.
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Why did God dislike
idol worship so much?
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Well, here we go!
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The entrance is lined
with old kings that have died
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and become deified with
their wives standing dutifully
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behind them.
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The first thing you see
on the inside is this giant
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steel peacock, the
vehicle of the god Mérida.
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Concession stands line the
walkway, even though this is
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the off season.
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I can't believe I
actually made it in!
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They even invited me!
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Of course, I had
to take off my shoes.
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I think the Lord wants me here
so we can see just what we're
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calling these
precious souls out of.
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Idol worship has a super
powerful grip on the people
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that is not easily broken.
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And we're about to witness just
how strong this grip can be.
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But I have to warn you before
we go any farther that you're
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in danger.
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You may not believe in a
devil, but that doesn't mean
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he's not real.
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And you're about to witness
the manifestations of his spirit
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in this video.
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So please quickly
claim the protection of Jesus
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to protect yourself.
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These dear people have very
little protection from the evil
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spirits attacking them.
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Just about anyone can hire a
sorcerer to send a demon into
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someone's life and ruin them.
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They think if they can do
something to appease the god's,
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if they can get some sense
of forgiveness, then the god's
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won't bother them.
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But Jesus Christ has died to
give them just that forgiveness.
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And he's the only one that is
willing and able to protect them
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from those evil spirits.
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Don't they
deserve to know about it?
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Here's a procession coming along
similar to the one that woke me
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up this morning.
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There are two instruments here,
that obo thing and the drum.
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This is worship music and is
designed to bring the spirits
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into the hearts
of the worshippers.
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They stop every so often
along way, listen to the music,
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and head on up the stairs.
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It's obvious that some people
are into it deeper than others.
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They all, however, feel
that this is a holy place.
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If I told them that these
gods they worship are devils,
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they would be really insulted.
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Better to just
present a better way.
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Okay, notice the
lady on the left.
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The one with the dreadlocks.
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You'll be seeing her
again in a few minutes.
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Those are peacock feathers
because the god Mérida uses the
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peacock as his
transport vehicle.
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The thing he is carrying
is shaped like a mountain
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reminiscent of when this
mountain was carried by Saba
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on his shoulder.
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Check out this guy.
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His load's so high that he
had to wait for somebody to come
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and lift that rope
that's going across the walkway.
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How are you this morning?
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Morning.
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We're coming up
to a little shrine.
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This priest thinks
he's going to get a big tip.
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I brought no money.
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I actually did leave all
my money in my hotel room
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Even the idea of cleanliness
is a Christian principle.
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Wow!
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Very good.
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I didn't bring any money, Sir.
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Thank you.
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What?
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Thank you.
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Hello.
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The bell is supposed to
wake up the god and let him know
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that I'm here.
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That's a little strange.
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How can he help me if we have
to tell him that I'm even here?
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I don't know.
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I don't have any money.
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I didn't bring any money.
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But see, I don't... I didn't
bring... I left it in the hotel.
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Sorry, sorry, sorry.
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Thank you.
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These guys seemed a little bit
disappointed that I didn't come
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up with a large offering.
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Many people in America
today do not believe in a devil.
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I'd like to take them to India
where the Devil has had free
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play for
centuries, and isn't masked by
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intellectual skepticism.
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Contrast the look on this ladies
face with the Bible verse that
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says the fruit of the
spirit is love, joy, and peace.
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We're approaching the top now.
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I'm not quite
sure what to expect.
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I'm thinking it'll be a really
huge idol or something up here.
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Instead I find this policeman.
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He points me off to an office.
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I didn't take any video in that
office, but this guy that sat
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behind a big desk
just completely ignored me,
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so I walked out.
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Hi, I'm John.
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John.
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I'm Regis.
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Regis?
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Glad to meet you.
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And your name?
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Sunnu
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Sunnu.
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Very good.
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Kevin, glad to meet you.
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Acheron.
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Okay, alright.
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One of the advantages of not
going with the big tour group
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is that you get to meet
people like these young college
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students out on a field trip.
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Only English man!
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Alright!
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Thank you.
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Good to see yah.
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Have a good trip.
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See you again.
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Okay.
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See you again someday.
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The first thing I find
on top of the mountain is a
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large open courtyard...
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Oh, very cute.
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surrounding a temple
complex in the center.
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One thing I appreciate about
India is the love and pride they
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take in their children.
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Notice the sacred thread
tied around this man's torso.
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He's from the
highest caste of Brahman.
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This lady is performing
a specific act of penance
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proscribed for her in the Hindu
writings in order to atone for a
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specific misdeed
that she has committed.
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This is one of several
shrines placed in the courtyard.
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In a sense, these dear people
are buying their way to heaven.
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Instead of being dependent
on God, they depend on their
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performance of a
whole list of tasks.
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So instead of peace
there is only tiring labor.
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Here's the big sign that we
saw from the hotel last night.
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The green letter is Om, which
means god, and the red letters
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say Durga, the name of
the god that lives here.
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That big red thing is a weapon
of defense, and is the symbol
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for Hinduism like the cross
is the symbol for Christianity.
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Beneath it are images of gods
and rulers that became gods.
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On the top is this dragon
like creature that is everywhere
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in Hindu art.
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I've gone nearly all the
way around the courtyard,
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and here's the
entrance to the temple.
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Let's go in.
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That gold thing is
over the most holy place.
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I don't have the heart to go in
there today, so I'll just stay
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out here with the monkeys.
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As I was leaving I wondered,
who will tell this boy?
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Who will tell these young
hopeful girls of the better life
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to come?
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Must the millions
perish without a hope?
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Well, here we are at
the big temple in Palani.
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This is the seat of
Hinduism in this entire state.
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I've been able to go all of the
way inside and come back out.
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They actually invited me.
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My people here said that there's
no way I could take a video
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camera in; I might get beat up.
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But being a silly foreigner,
I guess they gave me free rein.
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So it's been great.
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It's been interesting.
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And it's hard to believe
that people would accept this
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as for real.
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Hello.
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So why does God
hate idol worship?
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Maybe because it takes so
much away from the people,
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and gives them
nothing in return.
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