Can Catholics Have Statues of Buddha in Their Home?

GM writes: “My mother and I got into a discussion about idolatry a few weeks ago. She seems to think that having pagan artwork in the home isn’t idolatry, and I can’t help but feel like it is, although the extent of it is a rendering of a buddha by my sister, and a couple buddha statues in opposite alcoves in our entryway. What is Church teaching regarding this?”

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How to Deal with Scandal Caused by Some Catholic Writers

BB writes: “One thing that really puzzles me is that both the well-loved Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen were also known for their study and openness to some Eastern religion practices. How do you perceive their teachings?

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What Does the Book of Maccabees Teach Us About the Yoga Debate?

                                           The martyrdom of Eleazar

Today’s first reading was from the second book of Maccabees where a courageous man of God named Eleazar chose death rather than cause scandal by pretending to eat forbidden meat. What does this Scripture teach us about the heated debates surrounding yoga, mindfulness, centering prayer, and a variety of other practices that originate in non-Christian religions?

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Is it okay for a Catholic to display statues of Buddha in their home?

GM writes: “My mother and I got into a discussion about idolatry a few weeks ago. She seems to think that having pagan artwork in the home isn’t idolatry, and I can’t help but feel like it is, although the extent of it is a rendering of a buddha by my sister, and a couple buddha statues in opposite alcoves in our entryway. What is Church teaching regarding this?”

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Parents Outraged Over Halloween Programming

charlie brownParents around the country are expressing their fury at ABC for exposing children and unsuspecting families, who had just finished watching the It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown special on October 30, to graphic sex in the opening scene of the following program, Scandal.

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Renegade Priest Defies Vatican

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer

An Australian  priest accused of gross liturgical abuses, presiding over invalid baptisms and allowing a Buddhist statue to be erected in the parish church, is refusing to leave the premises even after the Archbishop of Brisbane issued a decree removing him from the parish.

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