OK, things just keep popping up!

[malachi_a_serva]

My Mother (devout Catholic) is retired and volunteers at a Catholic Old Age Home (ST._______ Old Age Home). Anyway, they had a volunteer appreciation dinner for the volunteers etc…door prizes and gifts were exchanged.

Well she has this prize that she received and wanted me to let one of my sons have. I looked at it and it was some sort of “Budda” magic board game. It was shaped like Budda - like that image we always see.

I said to my mother, this is a false God, Budda. She said she never really thought about it, but she guessed I was right, it might be inappropriate.

Is this just me or is this just the silliest thing you heard. A Catholic Old Age Home gives a false GOD Budda game? Is that alright?

I guess where I am going is, does this not Offend our God The Father?

 

[John_Henry]

malachi_a_serva:

My Mother (devout Catholic) is retired and volunteers at a Catholic Old Age Home (ST._______ Old Age Home). Anyway, they had a volunteer appreciation dinner for the volunteers etc…door prizes and gifts were exchanged.

Well she has this prize that she received and wanted me to let one of my sons have. I looked at it and it was some sort of “Budda” magic board game. It was shaped like Budda - like that image we always see.

I said to my mother, this is a false God, Budda. She said she never really thought about it, but she guessed I was right, it might be inappropriate.

Is this just me or is this just the silliest thing you heard. A Catholic Old Age Home gives a false GOD Budda game? Is that alright?

I guess where I am going is, does this not Offend our God The Father?

It is my opinion that the gift was in poor taste. It’s not that Buddha is a false god. He isn’t a god, and so far as I know, never claimed to be one. As far as I can tell, it seems to be a philosophical system that seeks to escape suffering by denying the reality of things (open to correction on that). There is much about Buddhism that is contrary to the faith. Hence, the gift is in poor taste. However, a Catholic old age home is not the Catholic Church. And I am not sure to what degree they are required to stick to Church teachings, or to what degree bishops have oversight of them.

Of course, there is a lot of this type of nonsense going on these days in the Church, especially, it seems, among the dying religious orders. A form of syncretism that indeed is offensive to God.

 

[malachi_a_serva]

John_Henry:

It is my opinion that the gift was in poor taste. It’s not that Buddha is a false god. He isn’t a god, and so far as I know, never claimed to be one. As far as I can tell, it seems to be a philosophical system that seeks to escape suffering by denying the reality of things (open to correction on that). There is much about Buddhism that is contrary to the faith. Hence, the gift is in poor taste. However, a Catholic old age home is not the Catholic Church. And I am not sure to what degree they are required to stick to Church teachings, or to what degree bishops have oversight of them.

Of course, there is a lot of this type of nonsense going on these days in the Church, especially, it seems, among the dying religious orders. A form of syncretism that indeed is offensive to God.

Well put.

 

[JaneFrances]

Hey Malachi. . .

Your post made me smile. This reminds me of a similar situation in our family!

My grandmother-in-law, a very pious Christian woman–non-denominational, is a collector of sorts. She reads Scripture every day. She is a constant subscriber to Christianity Today (I think I’m getting the publication right). Regular Pat Robertson and Billy Graham watcher/listener. You get the picture.

Well, recently she was going through some things and found an item that she wanted my husband’s brother to have. My husband’s brother is a pastor in a Baptist church. The item was a jade budda!

I think the budda was graciously recieved and promptly sold at the next garage sale.

Who KNOWS what goes through some people’s minds!

 

[Thal59]

Tsuzuki:

Buddhism is a beautiful religion, and there is much that a Catholic can gain from studying the philosophy. That said, having the Buddha on a board game is a bit odd.

You and I can create a hundred different religions of our own. We can invent a hundred different false Gods to be the focus of each faith. And, if we have a felicity of expression and a gift for composition, we can write a hundred different “Holy Books,” one for each faith - each one of which would have something beautiful in it.

But the fact remains… They are false man-made faiths with false man-made Gods. Embellishing them with an occasional pretty thought or word does not make them acceptable.

Thal59

 

[John_Henry]

Tsuzuki:

Anything that reinforces the greatest commandments in Christianity is okay in my book.

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Correct me if I am wrong. Did Buddha deny the existence of God?

 

[John_Henry]

Tsuzuki:

No. He taught union with the Divine, the same as Christianity does. Nirvana and Theosis are very similar.

See, I did a quick google search on “Buddhism God”, and the first thing I found was this:
buddhistinformation.com/buddhist_attitude_to_god.htm

Buddhism is unique amongst the religions of the world because it does not have any place for God in its soteriology. Indeed most Asian religions (with the possible exception of some extremely devotional forms of Hinduism) are essentially non-theistic, in that God does not occupy the central place that is accorded to him in monotheistic religious traditions. But Buddhism goes beyond most of these other religions in that it is positively anti-theistic because the very notion of God conflicts with some principles which are fundamental to the Buddhist view of the world and the role of humans in it (see section “The God-Concept and Buddhist Principles” below).

So again, it’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s that I don’t know what to make the apparent contradiction.

 

[Fidelis]

Tsuzuki:

No. He taught union with the Divine, the same as Christianity does. Nirvana and Theosis are very similar.

Not quite. Nirvana is sometimes explained as either passing into nothingness (i.e. anihilation) or as a kind of “absorption” into a great divine all-in-all state. In any case, individualism is lost or subsumed.

Christianity, on the other hand, teaches that in even the closest union with God, even in heaven, we will retain our individuality–we will always be us.

For more info, see the attached Catholics Answers article:

catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0505fea1.asp

 

[coyote]

You know what? If someone gave me a jade Buddha, or a crystal Shiva or a brass Ganesh, I just might be thrilled. They are statues, sculpture, ART. And depending on the quality of the work, they might just be quality works of art. And that is just how I would appreciate them.

ART–not actual demons with powers to corrupt. Man-made objects. ART. Dust collectors.

And genuine jade? I wish I’d have been to your garage sale.

A fear of inanimate objects, even objects of art, (ie “idols”–Oh horrors) sounds more Puritan than Catholic.

 

[Thal59]

Tsuzuki:

Ookay… Looks like someone hasn’t studied Buddhism enough. I seem to recall Christ saying that these “pretty thoughts and words” were among the greatest commandments. Anything that reinforces the greatest commandments in Christianity is okay in my book. Nobody said you had to believe in reincarnation or anything.

I haven’t studied Buddhism at all. As a Catholic, I understand that the “fullness of truth” was given to the church and is maintained there by the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

Buddhism, Hinduism, Janism, Judaism, Islam etc., may all have some useful thoughts or expressions in them, but they do not contain the fullness of truth. Therefore one will be exposed to both truth and untruth in them. If I am following the path of full truth, why would I want to risk theological error by taking an alternate path?

Thal59

 

[doomhammer]

John_Henry:

it seems to be a philosophical system that seeks to escape suffering by denying the reality of things (open to correction on that).

I respect Buddhist approach. Some aspects of Buddhism are positive if you understand Buddhism more as a philosophy than a religion. Buddha’s atheism is kind of ”respectable”. Buddha realized the vanity of life, the tremendous misery of human condition, the pain of existence and futility of present life. He fought against the passions of the flesh. He lived a life of sacrifice and renunciation. He tried honestly to reach enlightenment…That’s ok. We can say that he was an atheist “in search of truth”. He did not intend to establish any religion. What happened after his death is another story.

 

[John_Henry]

coyote:

A fear of inanimate objects, even objects of art, (ie “idols”–Oh horrors) sounds more Puritan than Catholic.

To pretend that anyone here has expressed fear towards inanimate objects is a bit of stretch. We are discussing the appropriateness of giving them as gifts, especially by organizations associated with the Church.

 

[malachi_a_serva]

Tsuzuki:

If you ask me, it’s good that they’re being open minded.

I guess the reason of my post was that I was shocked. God manifested himself as man, dies, suffered terribly for us…and I believe such things are disrespectful to our Holy God.

Just was wondering about others and by the looks of it, some agree, some disagree. I know from the fundamental circles I travel in, such an act would not in any way, shape or form be deemed “OK”.