Ancestor worshipping

Some Christians are highly allergic to the mention of ancestors worshiping. I have heard of so many horror stories of how Christian converts ‘threw’ their ancestors tablet out along with the Chinese deities when they turned to Christianity. Sometimes, a whole gang of them will go to the house of the to-be convert and do the task

I personally find it offensive and I think that’s what deter me from the religion. For the longest time, I was always very ‘allergic’ to Christians because of this.

Personally, I think if you are a Chinese and came from the background of having parents who pray to the so-called statues, you do not have to be so afraid of being seen by other Christians as devil worshipping. Yet, sadly, some individuals do go to great length to quote Bible verses on how ‘sesat’ (lost) one is when one believes in praying to their deceased.

For me, it is just part of remembering our loved ones. Annually, I go to the Buddhist temple where my mom memorial tablet is kept. Annually, I also go to my parents-in-law, grandparents-in-law, uncle-in-law and my own parents’ grave to honour and remember them.

When I am feeling bored, and by that, it means when I am looking for something to do, I take a packet of joss-sticks, burned the whole bunch and place them at the urn near my mother’s memorial tablet. I place a little money as donation for the joss-sticks.

It is fun to see the smoke going up. I no longer see it as part of praying. I see it as an effort for me to travel to the temple, spend a few moments to ‘talk to her’ and just burn the joss-sticks because they are there.

Last week, on the first day of the seventh lunar month, I went to ‘visit’ my mother. For some strange reason, I was ‘talking’ to her in English in my mind. Usually, I ‘speak’ Hokkien to her in my mind. As an after thought, I find it funny because my mother now has to understand English in order to communicate with me.

Anyway, I ‘told’ her that her favourite grandsons (my two eldest sons) are now very big and grown up already. I asked her to protect and watch over them, be a guardian angel to her many grand kids and great grand kids and I hope she is proud of all of us. I ended with a short prayer, asking God for His mercy and may the people there have a place in His Heavenly Kingdom.

I personally find it cool to have some form of ancestor worshiping because they are after all, our loved ones and they deserved to be remembered in a traditional way they were used to.