Is having Pagan Statues Idoltary?

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Buck1900

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So my Father took two trips to Bangalore for business and on both occasions he brought back gifts for myself and my family. Two were statues of a Hindu god. One of them is small and wooden and I have no problem tucking it away in a cabinet but the other is much larger and made of Glass and glows at night. It is very beautiful and was actually a gift from one of my Fathers co-workers. Obviously I don’t worship Hindu gods but is it idoltay to have the statue on my bookshelf? I don’t want to waste the charity of someone by getting rid of it but don’t want to sin either.
 
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Don’t just tuck them away, get rid of them completely!

It’s possible that those can bring about, or prompt, demonic activity. That’s quite serious.
 
if the intent of the statue was to be a depiction of a pagan deity (e.g., demon)…
 
You cannot accidentally worship something. We are not forbidden to have objets d’art nor souvenirs.
 
I mean it isn’t a demon tho…I’m not worshipping it or anything it’s just a well done glass carving, I haven’t really thought anymore of it then that
 
it’s really up to you if you want a glow-in-the-dark glass depiction of a pagan deity in your house.
 
It is only idolatry if you worship it.

Appreciating beauty is a wonderful thing.
 
They 're presents of your father, just keep them as decoration. Statues do not possess any power, the thought alone is ridiculous
 
It’s fine to keep them.

There’s a statue of Mary in a Roman church with a body that used to belong to a depiction of Hera.

(edit) The statue is at Santa Susanna
 
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It seems that there’s two radically different schools of thought here…either it’s fine to have as a decoration or it’s demonic, which seems odd to me
 
It can only be idolatry if you worship the statute as a god, otherwise it’s a decoration. I have a collection of statues from my travels, which include pagan gods.
 
The Vatican has mythological art.
You may keep it as art.
You may not reverence or worship it.

But you’re also not obligated to keep it.
You’re free to discard it, no worries!
 
I’m not sure about them if they are new…I had one little one from India,and a small bone mask from Africa and decided to toss them out.They were older and had been used before.I’m glad I did.
 
Do whatever your conscience tells you. If you feel attracted to worshiping it then discard it. If you just appreciate art and good beauty, as I do, then keep it. I have admired many pagan statues at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I didn’t worship any of them, though I felt great reverence while viewing Christian art while there. Let your conscience be your guide.
 
A good question to ask is “What does this say about me as not only a person, but as a Christian?” Is this statue doing good on your mission to bring others to Jesus?
 
If you’re just using them for a decoration and not worshipping them, it’s fine. I have a Kwan Yin that I bought because she looked peaceful. I do not venerate the statue, although it does remind me a little bit of an Asian conception of Mary because of the peaceful look and the association with compassion and mercy. Please note that I do understand Kwan Yin is NOT Mary, so I do not need a lecture on this.

My mother got kind of hyper about me buying it. She was always worried I’d go off and practice some other religion (I never did). But like I said, I have statues and pictures of Our Lady of Grace and other traditional Blessed Mothers that I actually venerate, so Kwan Yin is just for decoration, like if I bought a sculpture of a peaceful looking woman.
 
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It’s just a piece of metal. It’s only an idol if you think it’s a god, which you obviously don’t.
 
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