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Author Topic: Ancestor Worship  (Read 746 times)

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Offline Darcy

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Ancestor Worship
« on: March 09, 2012, 09:37:52 PM »
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  • What does the Bible say about it? What does the Church say about it?

    Oh, first I should ask, what is it??

    I have saints in my ancestry. I want to pray to them. Will they listen to me special? Or am I just being prideful to expect it? Am I prideful to mention it?

    Is it in anyway akin to "ancestry worship"?


    Offline Vladimir

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    Ancestor Worship
    « Reply #1 on: March 10, 2012, 08:28:01 AM »
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  • It depends on what you mean.

    I'm not even sure that Chinese/Oriental "ancestor worship" could even be termed as worship in the same way the West thinks of worshipping a deity. Deceased parents and ancestors are beseeched for blessings. Rituals and sacrifices are offered to obtain peace for the parents' souls after death. In many cases it does degenerate into superstition.

    Due to the ambiguity of the language, there is little difference (if any at all) between the term(s) used to describe worship of a deity and the honor due to parents and ancestors. Hence, even in the translation of the Ten Commandments, one may be alarmed (needlessly) to see the commandment translated as "worship your father and honor your mother".

    If you have saints in your ancestry why would you be afraid to ask for their intercession? Probably everyone has saints in their family, since in the old days many children died before the age of reason.