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Post by Elizabeth on Jul 1, 2015 7:20:40 GMT -8
Any suggestions on how to properly discard of these types of items? I have a crucifix and a Cathilic prayer book I don't want in my house. I also have an NIV Bible that I am considering removing. The Lutheran church relies a lot on this translation in my experience and it was very misleading for me. I don't want my kids to have to deal with it. Any advice on how to do this without it being even more disrespectful?
On a related and even more humbling note; I have a ring found years ago that I never tried to return. Would it be even worse to donate it than to keep it? Would I just be implicating someone else? I know I can't make it right, but what to do with the ring?
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Post by alon on Jul 1, 2015 13:16:28 GMT -8
Any suggestions on how to properly discard of these types of items? I have a crucifix and a Cathilic prayer book I don't want in my house. I also have an NIV Bible that I am considering removing. The Lutheran church relies a lot on this translation in my experience and it was very misleading for me. I don't want my kids to have to deal with it. Any advice on how to do this without it being even more disrespectful? On a related and even more humbling note; I have a ring found years ago that I never tried to return. Would it be even worse to donate it than to keep it? Would I just be implicating someone else? I know I can't make it right, but what to do with the ring? theloveofgod.proboards.com/thread/3579/distinguish-holy-profaneThe above thread has some good information on disposing of items that were set aside, holy by their purpose or because declared so by God. While many items of worship in the Roman Catholic and many Protestant churches are pagan in origin and counter to God's laws, they were still used by people who, like yourself at the time thought they were worshiping God as they should. That in my mind makes them holy, kadosh, set aside. The NIV Bible especially is kadosh as it is a (bad) translation of the Word. Some Meshiachim would disagree with me about things like the Crucifix, however I think from your asking about it you are not comfortable in just discarding them.
The above referenced thread recommends burning or burying items which were kadosh but are no longer serviceable. I'd recommend a kind of a private ceremony where you burn the items you can (if this is possible for you to do) in a fire made just for the purpose. Burry those items that won't burn in a place that won't likely be dug up. Symbolically this would be like tevilah, burying/destroying that part of your past that you have repented of. If you can undergo tevilah (immersion in a mikvah) I'd do so soon after. However this is not a thing most Meshiachim can do; but you can do n'tilat yadayim before and after if it is your practice to do this. Otherwise just say a prayer of repentance and thanks that you were shown the errors that come with these items.
I'd pray about the NIV Bible. It is still the Word, although I agree with you it is one of the worst translations commonly on the shelf. Many mainstream churches are going to the NIV to the point it is replacing the King James as "the inerrant word of God" held up and worshiped by mainstream Christianity to the point of itself becoming an idol. I gave mine away to Christians that wanted them: they were going to buy one anyhow so at least this was one less sale for that version. But I agree your children should not have access to a copy of it until they are old enough to discern the truth.
If the ring has little value, I'd just throw it away. If it is valuable, then donating it would be preferable in my mind. This advice of course assumes you can't identify the rightful owner after time has passed.
I threw out many items as well that had a lot of monetary and sentimental value to me. Items from my time in the service which had graven images on them, and things like leather stamps which were themselves graven images and were used to make graven images on leather. I also cut off many of those images from leather items I had made and used, and still use though now defaced. These kinds of things I simply threw away.
I bet we all have a lot of baggage from our pagan past- even things like yours which had at one time some value in worshiping God as we knew Him then. How we properly and respectfully get them out of our life is a very good question.
Dan C
edit: I have a "geniza" basket which I use to collect things I am going to discard of as being kadosh: things I will later burry or burn. I put things like scraps from leather projects that are kadosh, papers with scriptures on them and even booklets of scripture or Bibles which have become unservicable. Scripture can be buried, although I prefer to burn it.
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Post by Elizabeth on Jul 1, 2015 16:21:00 GMT -8
Thanks for the guidance. It is very helpful!
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Post by garrett on Jul 3, 2015 6:56:09 GMT -8
That is a tough one for me too. I have a handful of Bibles that I really don't bother with due to the translation and some flat-out wrong commentary that accompanies each book. It's like reading revisionist history books, of which I'm not a big fan.
Same with anything crucifix related. To me it's approximate to having rosary beads or something that is unnecessary for worship and prayer.
Thanks for the input Alon
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