Veneration or worship

Christian &

Culture Series

The Christian & Chinese New Year

Tradition

Christian & Culture Series: 2010

etain

– Religious & Demonic

– Cultural & Beneficial

– Neutral

eject

edeem

• Reunion Dinner

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

• Reunion Dinner

• New Year visitation

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

• Reunion Dinner

• New Year visitation

• Ang Pow

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

• All forms of idol-worship • Superstitious beliefs &

practices • Sweeping floor • Opening business • Inverted “Fú”

2. Reject – Religious & Demonic

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial 2. Reject – Religious & Demonic

• Couplets (Dui Lian)

3. Redeem – Neutral

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

• Couplets (Dui Lian) • Yee Sang

3. Redeem – Neutral

2. Reject – Religious & Demonic

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

• Couplets (Dui Lian) • Yee Sang • Lion Dance

3. Redeem – Neutral

2. Reject – Religious & Demonic

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

• Couplets (Dui Lian) • Yee Sang • Lion Dance • “Shou Shui” • Family tradition

3. Redeem – Neutral

2. Reject – Religious & Demonic

Christian Response to

QingMing Festival

Christian & Culture Series: 2011

• Family gathering

• Memory of ancestors

• Cleaning of graves

• Repair of tomb-stone

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

• Ancestral worship – at home and at grave-site.

• Food offered @ ancestral worship.

2. Reject – Religious & Demonic

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

2. Reject – Religious & Demonic

3. Redeem – Neutral

• Filial piety

Food Offered to Idols

Christian & Culture Series: 2012

1 Cor 8:1-13

1 Cor 10:16-22

1 Cor 10: 23-33

Food offered to Idols

Conclusions from 1 Cor 8

1. Motivation of LOVE 2. Do not stumble others

Conclusions from 1 Cor 10

1. No participation in idol feasts.

2. Don’t question source of meat sold in market.

3. Eat whatever is served.

4. Abstain if informed.

Concluding Remarks

1. Non-essential matter Our focus in life is to honour God in

all areas. Teaching should be done. Do not judge & condemn others.

2. Do not STUMBLE others Christians Non-Christians

Chinese Funeral Practices: Our Christian Response

Veneration or

Worship?

Chinese Funeral Practices: Our Christian Response

Veneration: • Profound respect or reverence;

inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication or talent of a person.

Worship: • Act of religious devotion

directed towards a deity.

Chinese Funeral Practices: Our Christian Response

1. Theological Perception

2. The Practice

3. Our Christian Response

Chinese Funeral Practices: Our Christian Response

1. Theological Perception

Theological Perception

“Chinese Religion” – Blending / Amalgamation of:

• Confucianism

• Taoism

• Buddhism

• Shenism

Resurgence of “Pure” Buddhism

Theological Perception

“Chinese” view on DEATH & AFTER-LIFE:

1. Spirit world – continuation / mirror image of human world.

Need

2. Interdependence between the living and the dead.

Bless or curse

Theological Perception

3. Concept of the soul … 3 souls: Yin world

Ancestral tablet

Body of deceased

4. Shen and Kui

“Chinese” view on DEATH & AFTER-LIFE:

Theological Perception

5. Reincarnation (Buddhism) Death – transition from this life to next

Accumulated karmic forces activated

Transference of merits by the living

Rebirth @ end of 49 days

Ultimate goal Nirvana

“Chinese” view on DEATH & AFTER-LIFE:

Chinese Funeral Practices: Our Christian Response

1. Theological Perception

2. The Practice

The Practice

Encoffining one of the 3 souls: • Body is ceremonially washed. • Personal items placed in coffin. • Coin in mouth – bribe officials of Yin

world. • Grains of rice in mouth – never go hungry. • Pearl in mouth – light the way. • Mirrors, statutes of deities covered up by

paper.

The Funeral Rite

The Practice

Assisting the 2nd soul on its trip to Western Paradise.

• Lying in state, odd no of days, in proportion to respect accorded to deceased.

• Mourning period – 49 or 100 days, cloth patch, no bright coloured clothing.

• no marriage within 1-3 years.

The Funeral Wake

The Practice

The Funeral Wake • Volume of crying – professional

mourners hired.

• Immediate family members kneel to side of altar.

• Mourning clothes – “ranking” differentiated by colours.

The Practice

The Funeral Wake

• Visitors stand before altar, bow, offer incense & turn to bow to kneeling family members.

• “White gift”.

The Practice

Taoist rites and rituals – • Assist the deceased to escape from

hell, either reincarnated into a better life or enter the Western Paradise.

The Prayer for the dead

The Practice

Taoist rites and rituals • Family members, led by the eldest

son carrying a lantern, would have to circle the coffin 10 times.

The Prayer for the dead

• Levels of punishment in hell.

• Cross from Yin World to Western Paradise.

Hawpar Villa, Singapore

The Practice

Buddhist Rites • Reincarnation in 49 days. • Chanting (contemplation of life &

transference of merit). • Offering of dana to sangha

The Prayer for the dead

(community of priest) transference of merit.

The Practice

• Do not face the coffin… leaving the house, being lowered into grave

• Location of tomb… blessing & curses. • Feng shui practice.

Burial of the Dead

The Practice

• Buddhists’ preferred mode. • Ashes: • Scattered @ sea • Placed in urn in Temple • Placed in urn in columbarium

Cremation of the Dead

The Practice

• Return from cemetery or crematorium – cross over fire or pail of water with flowers.

Post Burial of the Dead

• Burning of the cloth patches – its superstitious meaning.

The Practice

• Rite to invite one of the 3 souls to inhabit the ancestral tablet after 49 days, or 7-7.

The Ancestral Tablet

• Incense urn & candles. •Daily burning of joss-sticks. •Offering on 1st & 15th of

each lunar month & festivals.

Chinese Funeral Practices: Our Christian Response

1. Theological Perception

2. The Practice

3. Our Christian Response

Our Christian Response

1. Should Christians attend Chinese Funerals?

You are the light of the world… let your light shine before men… (Matt 5:14, 16)

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting… (Eccl 7:2)

The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 Jn 4:4)

Our Christian Response

2. Should Christians participate in Chinese Funeral rites?

etain

– Religious & Demonic

– Cultural & Beneficial

– Neutral

eject

edeem

Our Christian Response

etain – Cultural & Beneficial

Veneration – Honour & respect. Proper & dignified “Farewell”. Memories of the deceased. Comfort to the living. Help the grieving process. White-gift.

Our Christian Response

– Religious & Demonic eject

Religious rites & practices. Superstitious practices. Worship of the deceased.

Our Christian Response

– Neutral edeem

Mourning & grieving. Family “order” – by differing colours of

mourning clothes. Ancestral “corner” – for photos of

dearly departed for ourselves & our future generations.

Our Christian Response

Family / Relatives • Be present. • Be intentionally & actively involved

in all preparations, except religious rites.

• Be financial contributor. • Be tower of strength.

Practical Consideration

Our Christian Response

Non-family, Friends • Be present, silent, bow in respect. • Do not hold joss-sticks. • View the body respectfully. • Comfort the family. • Pray with and for the family. • Be a testimony.

Practical Consideration

Our Christian Response

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…

• Do not criticize • Do not ridicule • Do not condemn

Our Christian Response

1. Establish early the Christian standard of living without compromise.

2. Show filial piety in non-religious or non-idolatrous ways.

Practical Steps

Our Christian Response

3. Honouring our parents while they are alive:

• As acts of obedience to scriptural teaching.

• Out of love and gratitude towards our parents.

• To discredit any who might try to accuse us of not being filial.

Our Christian Response

4. Remembering our parents after they are gone…. Passing on legacy to the next generation.

5. Share Christ with our loved ones… and pray for their salvation!

Veneration or Worship?

Our Christian Response to Chinese Funeral Practices

Conclusion 1. Honour our parents / ancestors. 2. Glorify God in every aspect of our

lives. 3. Bible: the basis of all

matters of faith & conduct. 4. Obey God rather than men.

(Acts 4:19; 1 Peter 3:15)

Veneration or

Worship?