Decor in Sisters House

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My sister and I are not close, we only see each other for Christmas and birthdays pretty much. She is having our fathers side of the family over for Christmas next weekend. (We have different mothers). She posted a picture on Facebook today of a table she has set up in her house with skulls and some other items I would never use to decorate my home. This is decor she keeps up year round. I showed it to my husband, and he refuses to allow our children to go there now. He said the decor is evil and not of God. I do agree, however is it against our catholic religion to go there for a couple of hours for Christmas just because of this display? I do not want to miss this small celebration because of this but I want to do right by God also. I could not attach the picture but it is mostly skulls and a Buddha statue with some tea lights.
 
Skulls are objects of contemplation, there are monastic orders where there is always a skull in the dining hall. We have an altar to remember the dead during November, right on the Nave, that has decorative skulls.
 
I’m literally wearing a skull ring for exactly that reason. I would hate to think of the assumptions some might make.
 
When I was a child, my aunt had a statue of St. Francis with a skull at his feet representing death, and a book of prayers to be used in the event of someone in the house taking ill and dying that had a skeleton on the cover reaching in for the dying person in the bed as the priest came through the door. As an adult I’ve been to the Capuchin bone church in Rome where the monks have created whole roomfuls of displays using the skeletons of deceased members of their order.

Unless your relative is doing voodoo with the skulls, there is nothing wrong with having a few for decoration. Obviously Buddha’s not Catholic but we did just have a thread about how he is regarded by some scholars as being a Catholic saint under the name Josaphat according to an old legend, so I wouldn’t call a Buddha “evil” as long as no one is making you or your family bow down to it.

In my experience, there are some Christian people (Catholic and Protestant both) who overreact to home decor. I don’t see a problem with your visiting for a couple of hours for the Christian holiday of Christmas.
 
Or He Man.

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I’m not actually sure what those intentions would be. Unless someone is intentionally worshiping a skull, I really don’t see the issue. It might not be what most people would consider tasteful, but tastes are not moral issues.

In fact I think even in secular meaning skulls can often be associated with good ideas. The understanding of human mortality and the ultimate shallowness of much of human society is a good thing. It ought to be regarded as fertile ground to turn people to God.
 
I’m not sure either. That’s why i said the intention behind the scull is important. Like why did she put the sculls on the table? We don’t know, but we should know
 
My evangelical Protestant family do not like my statues of Mary, however, they would not shun my home because of them.

I find the country kitchen decor of a relative to be very distasteful, I don’t tell them that.

A skull nor a Buddha will harm you. They can be decorative objects. I have a lovely Buddah, it is a souvenir.
 
I have a carved skull by a Native American artist made from a deer bone. It’s the size of a golf ball and it sits on a window sill. I call it my memento mori.
I did buy a tiny Anubis statue at a museum because it was pretty, and also because nobody worships ancient Egyptian gods anymore (aside from a few bored middle-class wannabes).
I personally wouldn’t keep a Buddha in the home because it’s not my religion, and because it’s still an active religion/philosophy in the world. I wouldn’t want people to think it was an endorsement.
However a Buddha statue in an otherwise Christian home wouldn’t be a deal breaking moment for me to visit them or not. Maybe they keep it for the art value.

Or you could tell your kiddos that’s not your religion. I had Jewish friends growing up and my parents weren’t worried I’d leave the church because I saw a menorah in their home.
 
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