Can I Have a Buddha Statue as a Christian? Is It Idolatry?

Catherineanne · Jul 13, 2012

xhayatox said:
I am thinking of buying a little buddha statue for decorative purposes. Not to worship it or anything. Would that be sinful to do? Would it violate some christian commandment?

Go ahead. There is nothing wrong with that. If you put a picture of an oak tree on your wall, it wouldn't make you a druid, it would make you a Christian with a picture of an oak tree.

Ark100 · Jul 13, 2012

mattyoung said:
Just do it. Don't worry about everyone else's opinion.
Do what you want

And why should he worry about your own opinion then?
He was asking for advice. You seem to dismiss everyone else's opinion but think yours is the best and right one.
His conscience did not do it right away is why he asked on here, and if it bothered him to ask then why ask him to ignore everyone else's opinion.

At the end of the day he will do whatever pleases him but should we not give our advice and opinions based on what we knows and feel.

Ark100 · Jul 13, 2012

renewed21 said:
Is God against a pentagram? A stautue of Buddha represents unGodliness. Buddha is an idol, people do "bow before Buddha"

This is so true. How people actually forget that some people worship buddha is beyond me. Budhha is like a god to some, a little idol that they worship.
What would a christian say they want with a buddha statue. These little things may seem like they mean nothing but some people invite idols into their homes and lives unknowingly.

I would not buy it, would rather buy one of Jesus Christ.
Do what your conscience says.

Forealzchola · Jul 13, 2012

A lot of eastern religions carry demonic spirits . So I wouldn't anything from other religions can carry demonic spirits.

sunsong12 · Jul 13, 2012

I don't think it's a bad thing to have a statue of Buddha, nor do I think a non-human object can have a demonic spirit in it.

I think that we need to have respect and tolerance for other faiths, and this is accomplished by exploring and reading about other faiths, rather than labeling other practices besides the ones we accept as evil or demonic.

Angelfrog · Jul 13, 2012

I can only speak from personal thoughts on this one- but I personally wouldn't because, as others have said, finding something decoratively beautiful is one thing- but putting something that represents another belief system and which you know very well would, quite reasonably lead to visitors making assumptions about what you believe/ who you follow is another matter.

For example- my next door but one neighbours. The wife is a lovely lady- a Christian. She loves home decor, as do I, and has beautiful decorative taste. Their home is lovely.

Not long ago, they redecorated, having been inspired by a visit to a local show home. I was surprised to see a buddah statue and two other eastern religion figures in their living room. My very first thought was "But I thought you were a Christian"
It wasn't accusing- just I figured I must have got it wrong!

She told me that the statues were there because they looked 'peaceful' and went with the decor (the bronze goes perfectly with other features)- and she'd seen the idea in the show home.

They do look the part- and are very nice statues. But the fact that I had that reaction taught me something about what we have in our homes that I don't think I'd really considered before.

Maybe someone else wouldn't have noticed, or thought about it. But maybe some other Christian decided that this faith thing isn't so important that a Christian doesn't mind having icons of another 'god' or religion making statements about the family that may not be accurate.

Who knows?

Something like a tree or rainbow can also be associated with other belief systems, I know. But the majority of people would see 'tree' 'rainbow' rather than Aha! Druid/ pagan or New Age!

An actual representation of a very well known image indicating another faith isn't quite the same thing.

It's good to be made to think about these things, really.

mattyoung · Jul 13, 2012

renewed21 said:
Exodus 20:4-5

New King James Version (NKJV)

4 You shall not make for yourself a carved imageany likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Is this person going to carve the statue him/herself? No
Is this person going to bow down/serve the statue? No, it's decorative.
That verse does not apply.
I'm saying that there is no issue with getting the statue, IT IS DECORATIVE! It's not an 'idol' for this person!

strelok0017 · Jul 13, 2012

@OP: It's a sin. Why would a Christian keep something that represents an idol? It might not be a personal idol but it's still sinful. Remember those dudes in the book of Acts who burnt their magic books when they were converted. Keeping them stored in a basement wouldn't be a problem, right? Wrong. Apart from temptations, I wouldn't wonder if statues provoke devils to attack you. I am serious. Playing with statues is more than playing with geometric shapes. It has a spiritual aspect.

Also, the way of Buddha is definitely not the way of life. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He didn't come to give us truth and the way and the life, He came to be the truth, the way, and the life.

Puptart · Jul 13, 2012

xhayatox said:
Would that be sinful to do?

No.

Mediakira · Jul 13, 2012

renewed21 said:
Is God against a pentagram? A stautue of Buddha represents unGodliness. Buddha is an idol, people do "bow before Buddha"

Exodus 20:4-5

New King James Version (NKJV)

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Yep, You shall not have any God's or false God's alike before God. Therefore you have sinned.

Eyesee · Jul 13, 2012

mattyoung said:
Is this person going to carve the statue him/herself? No
Is this person going to bow down/serve the statue? No, it's decorative.
That verse does not apply.
I'm saying that there is no issue with getting the statue, IT IS DECORATIVE! It's not an 'idol' for this person!

1st Corinthians 10:23 said:
All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.

Just sayin'.

bsd31 · Jul 13, 2012

mattyoung said:
Is this person going to carve the statue him/herself? No
Is this person going to bow down/serve the statue? No, it's decorative.
That verse does not apply.
I'm saying that there is no issue with getting the statue, IT IS DECORATIVE! It's not an 'idol' for this person!

It is a stumbling block for many. Paul wouldn't so much as eat meat if it would cause someone in Christ to stumble or be offended. Don't you think an image of a pagan religion has potential to make someone stumble or to offend?

child0fg0d88 · Jul 13, 2012

Whether it is sinful or not, you want people to know you are Christian. With a Buddha statue in your house, many will seriously question your dedication to the Lord.

Like Pal Handy said, Buddhism and Christianity have conflicting ideologies. The Christian purpose is to bring people to Him, and it is hard for people to trust you if they question your beliefs because of some of the things in your home. Ever heard the phrase perception is reality? It definitely applies here.

On a side note, I have a couple statues of shi shi dogs from when I visited Japan. They are dogs people put on the outside of their homes and one of the dogs has it's mouth open to allow good spirits to come into the home, and one dog with it's mouth closed to keep bad spirits out. To me they are harmless, but seeing this thread and meditating on this issue made me realize that they can throw people who know I am a Christian off, so I am going to get rid of them.

BFine · Jul 13, 2012

As long as it's not used as an item of worship or had been used in worship
buy the statue for decoration.

Television Statistics
According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.

According to [url=http://www.csun.edu
54% of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV
and spending time with their fathers, preferred television.

There's an "idol" problem and it's not coming from having a massed produced
statue of some short fat guy that's being used for decorative purposes.

GarySneakers · Jul 13, 2012

Would I ? "NO".

7FlyByNight7 · Jul 13, 2012

Albion · Jul 13, 2012

There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but maybe you'd do best just to find some other decoration.

Amber Bird · Jul 13, 2012

xhayatox said:
I am thinking of buying a little buddha statue for decorative purposes. Not to worship it or anything. Would that be sinful to do? Would it violate some christian commandment?

Would you find it sinful to venture into an art museum?

SQLservant · Jul 13, 2012

While I am not swayed by the "don't do that; someone might possibly see you doing it and infer that you're sinning!" argument too much, this seems rather a different matter to me. You yourself say you would not be using it in any religious context, but I would consider if any you regularly come into contact with would be misled (not get upset, but be misled) by it. Prudence and prayer should probably be exercised.

That being said, I've always appreciated those T-shirts with a picture of a fat Chinese Buddha statue and the words "rub my belly for good luck" on them.

CounselorForChrist · Jul 13, 2012

Whether it is sinful or not, you want people to know you are Christian. With a Buddha statue in your house, many will seriously question your dedication to the Lord.

Then I'd say they are sinning by being judgemental. My egyptian vase has the eye of ra, but it doesn't mean I worship it. Its just artsy.

Better question is what if you take to Egypt to see the pyramids? Does this make you a sinner since the pyrimads were built by people who worshipped other gods? Of course it wouldn't be a sin! Your their for history not religious reasons.

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