Eating with idols

[Oblio]

Would you eat in a restaurant with a Buddist statue ?

We eat often at a nice little Thai place (especially during fasts ). Prominently displayed on a shelf in the center of the dining area is a small statue of Budda, along with what appears to be a offering of food or drink.

Thoughts ?

 

[Orthodox Andrew]

Would you eat in a restaurant with a Buddist statue ?

We eat often at a nice little Thai place (especially during fasts ). Prominently displayed on a shelf in the center of the dining area is a small statue of Budda, along with what appears to be a offering of food or drink.

Thoughts ?

If I was trying to bring Christ to them, yes. But if I was just going there to eat, nope. Plus, why would I want to give money to people who are always feeding the Buddha? I'm telling you, it just can't be any good for his health to be that obese.

 

[Philip]

Excellent question. Not sure.

The idol itself would not bother me. The presence of sacrifices might be another matter. Certainly we should not participate in or partake of the sacrifice. The possibility of the offering being a portion of the food being served is bothering me.

 

[Oblio]

LOL !

You found me out, I just didn't want to share my food with Buddha.

It is a serious question though.

 

[Philip]

BTW, this makes me glad that the local Vietnamese restaurant is run by a Catholic family.

 

[Rilian]

Would you eat in a restaurant with a Buddist statue ?

Yes. Who'se buying?

 

[Oblio]

You found me out, I just didn't want to share my food with Buddha.

I was replying to Andreas

I hadn't thought of that Philp, now I am a bit concerned ...

 

[Philip]

Both the Council of Jerusalem and St Paul admonish us not to partake of food sacrificed to idols. Of course, this was to avoid becoming (or at least appearing to be) part of the body of worshippers of that idol. Would anyone in the restaurant understand the implications?

I think there is a fine line here between the teachings of the Apostles and Legalism. This question is probably beyond me. Probably one for your spiritual father.

 

[Reader Nilus]

I would not have any qualms at all.
Jeff the Finn

 

[Alfred M]

I guess I would have to say this. Jesus sat down to eat with tax collectors and was a friend to others of ill repute...not only to be a witness to them, but also to show that He did not place himself above them from a social standpoint. I would think then it would be quite alright to eat at that restaurant...as long as you did not participate in the "making" of that idol...(an idol being only material substance until it is activated by human participation).

To avoid everything such as this we would become near isolationists. Do I not shop at the local jewelry store owned by a mormon family because of the picture of Joseph Smith displayed...there is also a very good doctor in town that is also mormon...there is also a gay individual that purchases advertising from my wife for his furniture store...should she not do business with him? I mean the possibilities could be endless and we could wind up in too harsh a position of judgement. Would love to hear more input and comment as this is a very good topic for disussion.

Just some thoughts,

In the love of our Saviour,

Alfred, the lowliest of sinners

 

[Suzannah]

No it would not bother me at all. If the idol is served a portion of the same dish from which my own dish came, it is without my knowledge and therefore I have not "partaken" of the sacrifice. It would bother me however, if while I was eating/sitting there, some sort of ceremony began...then I'd have to go for "take out"....

 

[Basil]

I guess I agree with the general concensus that as long as you don't knowingly give or suspect a portion of your own food is going to budha's binge then you're okay.

It would be good to frequent the 2 or 3 restaurants run by Orthodox Christians in my city more, but when you crave sesame chicken where do you turn?

 

[Moros]

This is America. We cannot avoid multiculturalism even if we try our hardest. Just ignore it. I frequently eat at a Chinese buffet run by Communists.

 

[Photini]

Make the sign of the Cross over the food before you eat it.

 

[Orthodox Andrew]

"Orthodox Christians, surrounded by and already swimming in a sea of humanist-worldly philosophy and practice, must do everything possible to create their own islands, in that sea, of other-worldly, God-oriented thought and practice."
- Blessed Hieromonk Fr. Seraphim Rose

 

[walking.away.123]

Dear all,
I live in Taiwan which is a heavily Buddhist/Daoist country (though it's a different sort of Buddhism than Tailand, not too unlike Protestants and Orthodox). In many of the shops there are statues of gods, often the Chinese god of wealth. Many of the retail shops on certain days will set offerings of food out infront of their shops. I think that is often to feed the 'ghosts' so they will not give bad luck to the business. The food is then eaten later by the family that runs the shop (one of my students told me her family would always choose 'ghost food' that they liked best). This food, and the food presented for the gods, isn't considered 'holy' food or consecrated for the gods. Maybe there's a fine line of difference between that and 'sacraficing' the food. But while Paul tells us not to eat food that we know had been sacraficed, he didn't say stop eating meat from the markets all together though those Christians knew there was a possibility it could have been offered in sacrafice. I don't know about the Tai, but Chinese people don't offer things to their gods that you would eat in a resturant so I don't think you'd be getting any 'offerings' in your meal. It wouldn't bother me to eat in the presence of a statue, either. No more than it does for me to visit a friend who keeps one in their home or to go jogging in a park towered over by a huge, beautiful Daoist temple. gods of wood and stone (and I've seen plastic here) can do us no harm.
ShiFuBill

 

[Moros]

Make the sign of the Cross over the food before you eat it.

Finally, some reason!

 

[Matthias]

Nope, no problems with it here. In fact, I encourage it, if anything. If you were to avoid going to one, you are obviously a very shallow minded person. How many Buddhists do you see shopping in stores owned by Christians? Religion means nothing; if the food's good, then eat it for crying out loud, Buddhist or not.

 

[Michael G]

Make the sign of the Cross over the food before you eat it.

The sign of the cross is a powerful prayer which is sure to overcome any suspicions one might have about the intent of the cooks in the restaurant.

 

[Matthias]

Just because they are Buddhist, people seem to suggest they have bad intentions! They are only human, just like us.