The Chinese Ghost Month started last July 29, 2022, which is the first day of the seventh lunar month for this year. Various superstitions just can’t be avoided. I remembered growing up with not one, not two, but three different religions–Catholicism, Buddhism, and Taoism. It was something to have a Catholic altar and a Chinese altar, and the images of Catholicism, Buddhism, and Taoism tend to be mixed into one altar. I remembered attending Catholic masses and praying in Buddhist temples and Taoist temples. It wasn’t surprising to see an image of Mother Mary on one side and an image of Mother Guan Yin (referred to also as Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit, Gayatri in Hindi) on the other. Some people may have had an image of Sto. Nino (Child Jesus) at the center while Fat Buddha was on the left (sometimes called Maitreya) and the Chinese earth god (Tu Di Gong) were at the left and the right. Even more disturbing is that a Buddhist and a Catholic rosary are on the same altar. Some Taoist interpreters attend masses in a Catholic parish, have a Catholic devotional, and a family altar can have a Catholic Bible, a Catholic prayer book, and a Buddhist prayer book.
The Chinese Ghost Monthy is pretty much the belief that Purgatory (or Hell) is opened allowing ghosts some temporary relief. However, they are hungry and many superstitions abound. I started to remember why we weren’t allowed to go to the beach for the entire ghost month. There was the superstitious belief that restless spirits (or those with unfinished business) may cause people to drown. Some people do drown in the ghost month but I refuse to acknowledge it (at times) that was caused by restless spirits but by other causes. Though, I believe (at times) that Satan and his demons may purposely carry it out to get people trapped in superstition. There are Chinese Catholics who practically practice triple religions–Catholic, Buddhist, and Taoist. What happens is that it becomes an entirely crazy ideal to practice all three religions. The Bible is not the Vedas nor the Tao Te Ching.
I was thinking about various pagan mumbo-jumbo during Ghost Month. Offerings for the souls they believe are in Purgatory are given. Roadside offerings are placed. Prayers are being said but it’s a mixture of several prayers. They could say a Catholic novena followed by Buddhist prayers. The offering may have some Taoist charms mixed with a rosary. The belief that their deceased loved ones are roaming is there. Some may advice to never kill insects that enter the house because they might be their ancestors. Some advice not to move into a new house (unless necessary). If one has to really move to a new house–they would need to perform some forms of exorcism. It becomes quite a show when a Catholic priest, a Buddhist monk, and a Taoist medium were called for the ritual. A Taoist medium made sure the Feng Shui was right. For all we know, the appointment with the Catholic priest was predetermined by Taoist divination. The Buddhist monk may be called to perform a Buddhist prayer after the Catholic prayer is finished. It’s really ver confusing.
It just reminds me of how some Chinese funerals take place. A prayer box chanting “Amitabha” was near the deceased. A special Taoist altar for the earth god Tu Di Gong was also placed. Visitors were required to offer incense for the deceased. A Catholic priest would show up in the wake to perform a mass for the dead. After the novena, it becomes customary to have a prayer service in a Buddhist temple. The very sad thing is that even after the novena, even after the Buddhist prayer service–the soul of the unsaved person still remains in Hell. The person may be humanly speaking, a good person. However, Isaiah 64:6 says our righteousness is comparable to menstrual cloths. Romans 3:10-10 says none are righteous and we’re all guilty before God. James 2:10-11 says that whosoever tries to keep the whole Law but offends at one point is guilty of all. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we’re never saved by our effort but by the grace of God.
I was thinking it was much to be saved from–triple religion. I tried to be a full-time Catholic. I got discouraged by Catholicism I wanted to become either a Muslim (that’s before I developed a taste for Middle Eastern cooking) or a full-time Buddhist. I could say now that I resisted the Gospel of Christ more than once. I could say I was mad at God over my circumstances. I’d say now that God had to call me first in all my filthiness before I could even believe in His Son, the Lord Jesus. I had no capacity to believe on my own. Now, thank God I’ve been freed from these multiple (and often contradicting) superstitions that had long enslaved me.
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