Chinese good luck charms & statues

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Need your help. My wife who is Filipino and has been influenced by Filipino/Chinese friends and family, loves to collect “lucky” Chinese statues and statuettes. None are of an outright Chinese deity that I know of (according to my 'Net research), but we have little dragons, lucky fish, money trees, bags of money, cats with waving paws, smiling buddhas all over the house. Supposed to improve business, health, etc. Also typical of some Filipinos, she hangs grapes and mirrors by the doors etc. New Year’s was pretty crazy. Never felt right but have allowed them and we are both devout practicing Catholics. I kinda thought maybe God wouldn’t mind since I don’t put any stock in these and hope He would just ignore her collections. But re-evaluating my situation and certainly don’t want the Enemy to use these as some kind of foothold either!

I assume we shouldn’t have any of these but any gentle suggestions on how to get my wife who has a lot of these to remove them???

Appreciate any advice/suggestions.
 
katotohanan57 said:
Need your help. My wife who is Filipino and has been influenced by Filipino/Chinese friends and family, loves to collect “lucky” Chinese statues and statuettes. None are of an outright Chinese deity that I know of (according to my 'Net research), but we have little dragons, lucky fish, money trees, bags of money, cats with waving paws, smiling buddhas all over the house. Supposed to improve business, health, etc. Also typical of some Filipinos, she hangs grapes and mirrors by the doors etc. New Year’s was pretty crazy. Never felt right but have allowed them and we are both devout practicing Catholics. I kinda thought maybe God wouldn’t mind since I don’t put any stock in these and hope He would just ignore her collections. But re-evaluating my situation and certainly don’t want the Enemy to use these as some kind of foothold either!

I assume we shouldn’t have any of these but any gentle suggestions on how to get my wife who has a lot of these to remove them???

Appreciate any advice/suggestions.
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You are devout Catholics.
Forget the dolls.
I tell you a story. The missionaries arrived in China and saw the Chinese in Chinese New Year make the Kok Kung and bow before the tombs. Jesuits said it was OK. Dominicans went to the Pope and said that it was adoration, which is only for God. So, the Pope forbade the Chinese Rites, and expelled the missionaries from China. That was a huge setback for Christian Mission in China.
Now, 400 years later, the Chinese Rites are allowed.
So, beware. Do you think she is “adoring” or “venerating” those things?
I dont think so.
Female friends of mine say that they see the horoscope everyday for fun but they do not believe one word of it…
You know, women are hard to understand…
 
It’s idolatry.

I know Catholic people who use Catholic statues for good luck charms. They hang rosaries from their rear view mirrors for good luck.
It’s superstition and a violation of the 1st commandment.
 
If she just likes their looks, and nobody thinks she’s a pagan, and nobody thinks she’s superstitious, then there’s no problem.

If she really believes these things bring luck, as opposed to just being festive or pretty, there’s something of a problem.

If you’re just feeling uncomfortable about all this stuff, for any reason, you can always ask her to cut back a tad on the display. It’s your house too.

However, there have been plenty of Catholic art collectors (and kitsch collectors, too) who have collected actual worship statues of pagan gods, studied pagan religions, etc. without any harm to their souls. The Vatican has a museum full, and the Tomb of Peter was hidden among pagan tombs full of pagan pictures of various Roman gods.

As Christians, we do not have to fear empty idols, and can keep what is beautiful about them (their appearance) around the house with no problem.

The Bible says of idols, in the book of Baruch: “Fear them not.” Baruch 6:21-22 even points out that “Owls, and swallows, and other birds fly upon their bodies, and upon their heads – and cats in like manner. Whereby you may know that they are no gods. Therefore fear them not.”

If anybody misunderstands how you and your wife live, make sure you explain to them that it’s only decoration, not anything real.
 
Buck_Crosswhite said:
It’s idolatry.

I know Catholic people who use Catholic statues for good luck charms. They hang rosaries from their rear view mirrors for good luck.
It’s superstition and a violation of the 1st commandment.
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That does happen unfortunately. It is one thing to hand a Rosary in order to be reminded to say some prayers while you are driving, it is another to think it is “good luck” but one never prays with that Rosary.
 
I have a blessed statue and/or crucifix in each room of my home. It helps me to remind me of the Presence of the Lord, and to say a brief prayer when I focus on the blessed saints statues.

I have been to the Vatican museums and saw the statues and carvings, and I believe that they are there to portray what other peoples believed in.

This is only my opinion, but a large collection of superstitious images would make me very uncomfortable.
 
I think what-nots are harmless. I do think if it makes you uncomfortable though, or if there are statues of deities to get rid of them. I would approach it very cautiously though. Sometimes when someone has a strong tradition from their culture they perceive you rejecting their trinkets as you rejecting them. If you do decide to broach the topic, be very careful to do so with guarded words. Be honest, but kind.
 
I’m slightly biased on this subject, since I come from a Pagan background, but I would say get rid of them. Such things can make you place your faith in vague “energies” or “luck” instead of in God.

“Oh, this lucky cat will bring wealth to my home!”

There are two issues with this kind of thinking. The first is that you are imagining that a silly little cat toy is going to have an influence one way or the other in your life. The second is that you shouldn’t be so concerned about bringing in wealth and “good energies” anyway. If you’re living a good and devout life, what more can you ask for? Pray to God if you need something, and work for it yourself, but don’t image that a smiling Buddha is going to make your life happier.

Once I started my conversion and realized how flawed my thinking had been, I got rid of everything remotely new-agey or Pagan from my house. Tarot cards, “lucky” statues, charms, candles devoted to “magical” purposes, everything. Out to the thrift store it went. And I don’t miss it one bit.
 
katotohanan57 said:
Appreciate any advice/suggestions.
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I have a dear friend who was born in the Philippines. Her house is full of all the things you mentioned. New Years Eve is like a fire drill as she runs around re-arranging them in the proper order for the new year. Same thing when the Chinese new year rolls around. She’s also more Catholic than I am. It’s harmless.
1ke said:
Ever seen the troll doll line-up at Bingo?
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Maybe you should have lined the trolls up on top of the TV during the football game.

37 - 20…ouch.
 
Wow! Thanks for all the feedback. A variety of answers. I guess I have to be cautious and not make her feel like I am rejecting her. She absolutely thinks they are all lucky but does NOT venerate or worship them at all. More than art for her. Some of the things are cute but still uncomfortable but we have so many now! Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh

And yes New Year’s Eve was a fire drill! Everything from throwing money on the floor in each room, taking out the trash before midnight, setting 13 round fruits on a table, hanging grapes over the front door, etc.

Was thinking of telling her to ask God (aka Santo Nino) what He thought of all of these things when we next go to Eucharistic adoration. My hope would be she gets some kind of message then! Good approach or too chicken? :confused:
 
katotohanan57 said:
Wow! Thanks for all the feedback. A variety of answers. I guess I have to be cautious and not make her feel like I am rejecting her. She absolutely thinks they are all lucky but does NOT venerate or worship them at all. More than art for her. Some of the things are cute but still uncomfortable but we have so many now! Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh

And yes New Year’s Eve was a fire drill! Everything from throwing money on the floor in each room, taking out the trash before midnight, setting 13 round fruits on a table, hanging grapes over the front door, etc.

Was thinking of telling her to ask God (aka Santo Nino) what He thought of all of these things when we next go to Eucharistic adoration. My hope would be she gets some kind of message then! Good approach or too chicken? :confused:
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You have gotten the message, ask the Holy Spirit how to act upon it.

It is mentioned above that you think she does not venerate or worship these things. Then you mention all the things that were done on New Year’s Eve.

It is a spiritual work of mercy to “instruct the ignorant” . Ask a holy priest for advice.
 
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