Why all the technicalities?? Where is the actual substance?? Aiya…

The Chinese offerings at prayers are simply a symbol of rememberance for the loved ones to partake their favourite foods when they were alive.So that the living ones can feel the closeness. Whether the food were “consumed” by the dead, does not matter, what really matter is the gesture of rememberance. in this context, it is simply ridiculous to see offerings put up by the living kins foods that the loved ones did not bother to eat while they were alive, get it?? That’s why I say, ask your own conscience…. seek the actual substance.

I told him about my experience as a Christian celebrating Chinese New Year with the Thai side of my family in Malaysia and attending Thai funerals. All of that included holding joss sticks, bowing as respect to the deceased & eating food placed before ancestors. I do all that as respect for my ancestors/deceased, I tell myself it is not worship but respect. So that part of paying respects is quite OK with me since I know where my faith stands.

About the food placed in front of ancestors, I am also OK with that.

During this discussion with soon-to-be pastor said that eating that food is actually OK so long as it doesn’t become a stumbling block to other Christians. He quoted 1 Cor 8:

4So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

7But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

This guy, who is a Caucasian can actually understand my position as a Christian in a non-Christian family! Wow! He even goes on to say that since the ceremonies take place in a non-Christian setting, I’m not going to offend anybody! Double wow.

Christians can hold joss-stick in respect of descend.

I would like to share my very own story.Not all Christians willing to hold the joss-sticks or even knee down in front of their desend parents.

Last Nov when my mum in law pass away and to her will,we perform a Buddhist funeral and my brother and sisiter in law can’t even knee in front of their descend mum and can’t hold joss-stick.They both from famous Faith Bapst Church in singapore.

Been understanding and respect their belief and we need not even force them and try to make sure they feel comfortable with it. After 6months , it sad to perform another funeral for my dad in law. And again we perform a Buddhist Funeral for his wish.And again due to their belief and they can’t knee nor hold the joss-stick.

When i come across your blog and knowing that you are so wise to understand that it just a way to show respect to the descend the the culture of what they have.

I was very upset that they both hold such high education and can be so supersities and more over the descend were our mum and dad / in laws.

As what you say is right! When come to the share of the descend properity,they can have a share of it.can’t they just respect their parents last will and make them happy. As Buddhisum Funeral we try to minimis the traditional way to make them more comfortable over it jus to show respect to their beliefs. But their beliefs in still fear in them and they become blind faith and do not preach or practice their teaching in their daily lives.

Many thanks

Mark 7:1-23 basically echoes what lilian mentioned above. While the Pharisees were concerned of whether the food is clean or defiled, Jesus focused on the conditions of the heart that would tell whether a person is clean or defiled. So, food offered to other “gods” would not defile us, rather, nasty words that comes out from our mouth would.

Let’s look at this with another angle. Say, you are walking alone, and you happen to see a “prosperity cake” laid on the grass by the side of a big tree. You did not know if that cake was offered by some pagans to the “big tree god”, or in a more common term – “datuk kong”. There was a weak beggar 50 feet from the tree. Looking at the beggar, he has no strength to even crawl to the tree for food. To make matters worse, he’s so exhausted and weary that he might die any minute. What would you do?

Do you:
1. Go somewhere and buy “clean” food, and give to the beggar? (He might die when you are choosing the “right” food.)
2. Leave him alone?
3. Take the “prosperity cake”, and put it in the beggar’s mouth?

Jesus advised us to do #3. Read Matthew 25:31-45.