Tiki "god" souvenir gift?

[ClarionCall]

Hi everyone,

My brother just returned from Hawaii and brought us some souvenirs. He brought a Tiki "god" for me. When I got home and saw it I told my mom that it wasn't staying in my house. She told me I was being ridiculous. It's about a 5 inch tall carved wooden statue. I threw it in the trash last night.

What would you do? Did I overreact?

I know this, I had a Satanic attack in my dreams last night. I've got to get that trash carried out of my house!

[Shonsu]

Wood burns quite well!

[carol1948]

I did the same thing with a carved buda about the same size. IMO you were right to get rid of it.

[IbelieveinJesus]

I probably would have put it in a junk drawer, and it would have gotten tossed next time we purged our junk. But I don't see anything wrong with your reaction. It was an object you had an issue with, so you threw it out. Completely your right to do, and no one elses opinion should matter.

-Ted

[kboswell]

lol, reminds me of the post office commercial with the creepy little clown.

[icebear]

its just an object. it has no power.

[Verisimilitude]

Behind every false god and its image is Satan. Congratulations for not wanting a false image in your home! I've personally escorted asian gods of happiness figurines and a crystal and silver rosary to my garbagecan. Not only do I not miss them, it's made my spirit lighter.

It's true there's no power in a statue, image, figurine of any sort, but followers of the Living God are called upon to live different lives. Part of that difference is is to keep our homes free from anything used for or pertaining to false gods or anything that can be considered Satanic such as ouija boards. Speaking as a reactionary myself, I think you did great!!

[Lynn]

Clarion, you did exactly right. One time, many years ago, but after I was saved, a friend of ours gave us a 'mask' from Africa, and I knew that it was not right to have this, so I smashed it with a sledge hammer and then threw it away. Our two sons were younger and still at home back then, and they knew when 'uncle Fred' gave us that witch dr. (or whatever it was) mask, that it wasn't going to be staying. They were right, and it was a good example for them to see that we don't 'tolerate' any false gods or images thereof in our home, ever.
In your case, since it was wood, you could have burned it, but it was good that you disposed of it, for sure. I just wouldn't say much about it to anyone, since apparently others in your family have a different perspective on these kinds of things.

[ClarionCall]

Thanks everyone! I feel better knowing many of you share my opinion.

[IMSAVED]

I would not have wanted it around either.I would have thrown it away or given it away.

[Tiger Lily]

Clarion, you did good to throw it out rather than keep it or pass it on to someone else. I hope you got a chance to get it outside in the trash, too, or, preferably, burn it. The Lord was very clear about His rules against idolatry. Below are a few examples.

Keep Idols Out of Your House
Deut 7:26 Neither shalt thou bring an abomination* into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing. [*Strong's defines "abomination" here as: (1) a disgusting thing, abomination, abominable; (a) in ritual sense (of unclean food, idols, mixed marriages); (b) in ethical sense (of wickedness etc)]
Ps 101:3-4 I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.
Ps 119:37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
1 Th 5:22 Avoid every kind of evil.

Selected Verses on Destroying Evil Items
Ezek 20:7 And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”
Deut 7:25 The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God.
Acts 19:19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
Ex 23:24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.
Rom 14:13 . . . make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
Mat 18:6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."

Selected Verses on Idolatry In General
Ex 20:3-5 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Deut 4:15-18 You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below.
Deut 6:13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.
Deut 7:25-26 The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.
Deut 29:17-20 You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, "I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way." This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.
2 Chron 15:8 And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD.
Ps 16:4 The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. . . .
Ps 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
Ps 135:15-18 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
Is 44:17-19 From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god." They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?"
Is 45:20 . . . Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.
Is 57:13 “When you cry out for help, let your collection of idols save you! The wind will carry all of them off, a mere breath will blow them away. But the man who makes me his refuge will inherit the land and possess my holy mountain."
Jer 16:18 “I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols."
Ezek 20:7 And I said to them, "Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."
Ezek 20:30 "Therefore say to the house of Israel: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did and lust after their vile images?
Ezek 37:23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
Dan 5:23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.
Jonah 2:8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”
Hab 2:18 "Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.”
Rom 1:22-23 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Rom 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.
1 Pet 4:3-5 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do--living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
Rev 9:20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk.

[Acts5:41]

I had a Chinese mask, and some Tiki things in my house for years.

I eventually got rid of them, they were creeping me out.

If it was a gift, I would have offered it back to the giver; and said "I can't keep this, but thank you". I would be a little hurt if someone threw out my gift.

I do buy incense from a Hindu man, he has the full blown idol, altar, and everything. I just say "This is God's incense" when I bring it home. Never had a qualm about burning it, either. I like to do it during my God time.

[TimothyK]

Wood burns quite well!

'You brought me imported firewood for the end of the winter season? Thank you!'

[Shonsu]

'You brought me imported firewood for the end of the winter season? Thank you!'

[OneDayNearer]

We went to a Chinese restaurant that gave away little Buddha statues to each customer during their Grand Opening. I can't remember if I left mine on the table or threw it in the trash outside the restaurant but I do know it didn't come home with us.

[frankthomson]

I too recently threw away a 4" buddha statue I had since childhood.
I'm very sentimental, but it almost seemed to jump into the trashcan by itself.
Good on ya, ClarionCall.

[Genesis22]

I absolutely would have thrown it out too. I know that it can't do anything to you if you aren't worshipping it, it's just wood...the bible tells us not to fear false idols. BUT, I would feel like accepting the gift would be condoning it, and that keeping it in my house would make me a bad repressntative of Christ to anyone who saw it. I just feel like it's disrespectful to God.

[HikerLady]

I agree with the others, I would put it in the garbage. After I was born-again, I realized that I still had a book on my bookshelf about Astrology and one about witchcraft. I felt convicted to throw them away, and so I did. Although I was never heavily involved in either of those practices, I felt a kind of relief after they were gone.

[Tall Timbers]

I would have gotten rid of it. If it is wood, I have a wood stove, so I'd of thrown it in the stove.

[Biblecat2]

I'm sure your brother bought it for you out of love, but you did the right thing in throwing it out. Before we are saved, those things are "cute" or "unique", whatever you want to call it. When our eyes are opened, they take on a whole different meaning. Kudos for you, and your discernment!