Non-Christian Images in the Catholic Home

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edrubbra2

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I have been told by several devout Catholics that having non-Christian images or statues (such as a Buddha or Chinese money dragons) prevents Jesus from entering our home and gracing it. They told me that these inages only allow Satan to influence the home, and serve to keep God out.

They told me to destroy a pair of Chinese dragons I bought purely for decorative reasons and until I did so, our home would be under the influence of Satan and God would be kept out.

To be sure, we have had many adverse things happen to our family (domestic violence and terminal illness: my wife is ill with terminal cancer… and these things happened since I got these Chinese dragons.

Today I threw them out.

Is there any truth to what my friends are telling me about having non-Christian images in your home?
 
If you like an image for it’s aesthetic value then I don’t see why as a Catholic you shouldn’t purchase it. It is not as though you have painted a pentagram on the wall is it!!! The items you posses (or did til you threw them out) are not occult. They will not prevent Jesus from being with you and you don’t worship the god they represent, but rather find them ‘pretty’ to the eye. Jesus doesn’t live in your house, Jesus lives in your soul and therefore lives in your home within you. I would be more concerned about keeping my soul a fit dwelling place for the Holy Trinity than being concerned with harmless images that would have no bearing on this Divine indwelling .

You must have wondered why you have had such terrible things happen in your life and I am very sorry your family has and is suffering, but the ones who Jesus loves and has chosen He gives them a cross or a good few crosses because this is the sign He desires them to be united to His own Cross and walk with Him the narrow road to Calvary which leads to Heaven. It is because He loves you.

To think those items would cause such things is pure supersition and your friends are not helping you and your wife by making such comments to you even if they thought they were doing you a favour, still be kind to them they thought they were helping you. I have two Chinese dragon garden ornaments and whether I keep them or throw them out the cross will always come to me because I am a Christian, but they certainly do not invite satan into me or my home because I do not desire it and they have no such power to do so as they are not of satan.

My mum collects buddhas, they make her smile because they look cheerful, she is a very devout Catholic and very holy and satan hasn’t entered her or her home, but I only see Jesus in her lovely meek character and her abundant kindness.

I will keep you and your wife in my prayers for the crosses you endure presently and I hope you regain the Peace Christ desires for you. For you to have this peace consider having your home blessed by a Priest and mention your concerns to him about these items you have thrown away, he will reassure you there is nothing to worry about.

In my prayers for a miracle for your wife.
 
A story I once heard,

Two men are returning to London on a train from abroad. The one man notices a cage under the seat of the other man and asks him what’s inside it.
The man replies, “My brother drinks far too much than is good for him and sometimes sees snakes. So I got him a mongoose.”
The traveller perplexxed by this logic exclaims, “But don’t you know those are imaginary snakes?”
“Aha!” Replies our hero, “This is an imaginary mongoose.”

Hope that puts things into perspective.

emp.
 
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edrubbra2:
I have been told by several devout Catholics that having non-Christian images or statues (such as a Buddha or Chinese money dragons) prevents Jesus from entering our home and gracing it. They told me that these inages only allow Satan to influence the home, and serve to keep God out.

They told me to destroy a pair of Chinese dragons I bought purely for decorative reasons and until I did so, our home would be under the influence of Satan and God would be kept out.

To be sure, we have had many adverse things happen to our family (domestic violence and terminal illness: my wife is ill with terminal cancer… and these things happened since I got these Chinese dragons.

Today I threw them out.

Is there any truth to what my friends are telling me about having non-Christian images in your home?
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I think the question to ask is “Why do I want this in my home?”
If you are interested in oriental history and culture (art, music, etc.) and your home is a reflection of that, then I see absolutely nothing wrong with having the dragons or a statue of the Buddha (remember the Taliban destroying that priceless centuries old statue of the Buddha in Afganistan?). If you set flowers in front of it or a peach or a bowl of rice as offerings, that’s a problem.
 
Definitly objects are only sinful or evil if we use them for that purpose, if only for decorative purposes then what is the harm? That being said I do believe that our personal environment can affect our minds and our souls and just as we use Christian images to remind us of our Christian faith then maybe too many non-Christian images in our homes might not be a hindrance to our faith but certainly wont be inspiring either. I wouldnt let people however well-meaning project worry on myself through their superstitions. Just my thoughts.
 
Grace & Peace!

I have to side with blessedstar on this in particular and those who have given similar advice. There is nothing in this world (or the next) that can separate us from the love of God. Jesus is not interested in interior design and I do not think he would be offended by Chinese dragons any more than he would be offended by you having painted a room in your house chartreuse (though I, personally, would definitely be offended by the chartreuse room).

Of course these objects do have meaning apart from their aesthetic value. Even so, these meanings may enhance our appreciation of them. A statue of the Buddha may remind us to “Be still and know that the Lord is God.” I would not recommend putting a statue of the Buddha in your prayer corner or personal oratory, however, as this may prove distracting to your prayer life–not because Jesus will suddenly hate you (Jesus loves the Buddha too, after all). However, as Paul writes, nothing is unlawful for the man of faith, but not all things are profitable. The issue is individual discernment.

And Paul brings us, really, to the crux of the issue: you should not do anything that you believe to be wrong. If you believe it is wrong to have these items in your home, then don’t have them in your home–it’s as simple as that. Another Catholic Christian may have similar items in their home and not believe it is wrong. Their liberty in Christ is exercised differently, their walk with Jesus is their walk with Jesus, and what is appropriate for some is not appropriate for others. As Christians, therefore, we are called to recognize these differences and not enforce our own piety on another or assume that our liberty is acceptable to another. In all cases, we are urged not to be a stumbling block to another. I would suggest to you, in this regard, to read the relevant sections of I Corinthians in this regard: chapter 8 and chapter 10.

Under the Mercy,
Mark

Deo Gratias!
 
Thank you all, my friends for your helpful thoughts. However, my friend reminded me that the dragon in the Book of Revelation is named as Satan, and as I mentioned, this family has had a very tragic fortune since I brought these dragons into the house. The youngest stepson has been in jail for domestic violence, and the other two children seem to me to be lost to Jesus as they appear to have no spiritual life.

Then my wife ws diagnosed with inoperable cancer last year and is now terminally ill. There have been so many adverse crosses to bear that I wonder when our family will get a break from all this. It would be easier to understand if one believed that Satan had a foothold in our home. In any case, our parish priest has ben visiting to administer the Eucharist to my wife, and I will ask him to bless the home.

My other friend who warned me about having Buddhas in the house reported severely adverse happenings in her house until she got rid of the Buddha. Then and only then, she told me, did peace come into her house. My wife bought a small wooden Buddha from a friend about a year or so ago but I cannot find it.

Thanks again so much for your kind words and thoughts, but to me, pagan images seem to be a hazard for the Catholic home.

Mike
 
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edrubbra2:
Thanks again so much for your kind words and thoughts, but to me, pagan images seem to be a hazard for the Catholic home.
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Five years ago I went into the hospital with a common ailment that turned into a life threatening illness. I didn’t leave until 12 weeks later and missed 6 months of work. I ended up having numerous major surgeries.

A year later I was laid off at work. A year after that I had a relapse of the illness (thankfully only a weekend hospital stay). I could go on.

But we didnt’ have any Budda’s or Chinese religious figures (or any non-christian religious figures). In fact, the most prominently displayed figure in our house is a Madonna.

We can look for outword causes. But truth is, your stepson chose to commit domestic violence. The Buddah didn’t make him do it. I’m sorry your wife has cancer, but there are Buddah’s in houses all over the world where people don’t get cancer.

I pray your wife recovers.
 
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edrubbra2:
Thank you all, my friends for your helpful thoughts. However, my friend reminded me that the dragon in the Book of Revelation is named as Satan, and as I mentioned, this family has had a very tragic fortune since I brought these dragons into the house. The youngest stepson has been in jail for domestic violence, and the other two children seem to me to be lost to Jesus as they appear to have no spiritual life.

Then my wife ws diagnosed with inoperable cancer last year and is now terminally ill. There have been so many adverse crosses to bear that I wonder when our family will get a break from all this. It would be easier to understand if one believed that Satan had a foothold in our home. In any case, our parish priest has ben visiting to administer the Eucharist to my wife, and I will ask him to bless the home.

My other friend who warned me about having Buddhas in the house reported severely adverse happenings in her house until she got rid of the Buddha. Then and only then, she told me, did peace come into her house. My wife bought a small wooden Buddha from a friend about a year or so ago but I cannot find it.

Thanks again so much for your kind words and thoughts, but to me, pagan images seem to be a hazard for the Catholic home.

Mike
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If you’d already made up your mind, why did you ask?
 
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edrubbra2:
The youngest stepson has been in jail for domestic violence, and the other two children seem to me to be lost to Jesus as they appear to have no spiritual life.

Then my wife ws diagnosed with inoperable cancer last year and is now terminally ill. There have been so many adverse crosses to bear that I wonder when our family will get a break from all this. It would be easier to understand if one believed that Satan had a foothold in our home. In any case, our parish priest has ben visiting to administer the Eucharist to my wife, and I will ask him to bless the home.

My other friend who warned me about having Buddhas in the house reported severely adverse happenings in her house until she got rid of the Buddha. Then and only then, she told me, did peace come into her house. My wife bought a small wooden Buddha from a friend about a year or so ago but I cannot find it.

Thanks again so much for your kind words and thoughts, but to me, pagan images seem to be a hazard for the Catholic home.

Mike
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I lost my job in April, lost all but one customer from my small business, and just found out my apartment building is being sold and razed by new landlord.

I have a “prayer” room with shrine, and a 2 ft crucifix in livingroom. How did Satan get into my home? 😉
 
Isn’t entertaining superstition and attributing “powers” to objects sinful?
 
I collect crucifixes from all over the world. I have about 70. I have an image of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and one of the Most Immaculate Heart of Mary, as well as an image of the Divine Mercy.
In terms of the problems of life, it’s viscisitudes and sorrows, the only thing I’m safe from is vampires:D …unless I leave the house!
 
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JKirkLVNV:
If you’d already made up your mind, why did you ask?
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Simply because I have always had a weakness in the virtue of discernment. I don’t know if I am right or just plain wrong in my actions of having these statues in the home. I have made many, many wrong and disasterous decisions in my life that I would undo if it were possible.

To sum up, I want a consensus of opinion before I act. I could now remove the dragons from the rubbish bin and replace them if our parish priest gave the “OK” about having them in the home… but again, the warnings of my friends rinh warning bells for me as well

Mike
 
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coyote:
Isn’t entertaining superstition and attributing “powers” to objects sinful?
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Definately not!

Take the Ouija board. A simple board with letters and a planchette to allow it to be used in a seance. This is no mere superstition, but a true gateway to Satan. My own brother was brought undone permanenetly by using a Ouija board and managed to conjure up a demon of some sorts.

Satan is real and waiting for one of us to open the gate to him by whatever means; be it by other gods or by “superstitious” practices and beliefs… and perhaps by having Buddhas or Chinese money dragons in the home…remember that money is one of the great false gods.

Mike

Mike
 
What’s wrong with a dragon though? Dragons aren’t even real, they’re imaginary… how can an imaginary being that’s obviously not the object of any form or worship or veneration be dangerous?
 
If you do not worship or venerate them, there is no problem.

If you want to return the favor to your friend, tell them that some people worship money, so by their logic they must get rid of all their money.

P.S. if anyone want to give away all their money, I will take it.
 
Before I became Catholic I had collected, because they seemed amusing, various oddments that reflected ancient or heretical religions. They meant nothing to me in terms of worship. A Mexican sun-dial of some sort, an African goddess of fertility, these would be examples. However, also before I became Catholic, I became interested in meditation. There is little doubt that the various objects contributed to the general impression that one can meditate one’s way to truth, and that the truth is ‘a little bit here and a little bit there’. So yes I think that objects without a correct grounding in the true faith are a distraction and will make it easier for people to make the wrong choices. For example: Suppose you are a Catholic (not a bad assumption here) and that you have always had a Buddha around. One day you hear about these “Catholics” who like to pray whilst seated before a range of ‘religious objects’. Well, to you, who are comfortable with seeing a Buddha, such an idea may seem plausible. Yet it is not plausible. Comfort with everyday exposure to the object may indeed distract you from the true faith. So personally I recommend that such objects be put away.
 
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