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Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

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  • Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

    Let me explain why I ask this quetion..I own a restaurant called the tiki terrace..in this restaurant there are tons of hand carved tikis, I love carving them! Now, I was raised Christian and do believe in one God. My mother, who is very active in our chicago based halau, enjoys chatting with a few of the Hawaiian women in our church. One of these woman found out her son owns the tiki terrace. She simply went up to her and said tell your son to get rid of the tikis, they were worshiped as false idols and it is wrong, and walked away. being a mamma bear whose instinct is to defend her cubs walked after her and said he doesnt worship or set time aside for these tikis......
    Now, I'm not looking for any re-affrimation of waht I believe..I believe what i believe period. But I am interested a to what others think of this? Im really interested to see what people with Hawaiian blood think of this.
    I'm of the mind set, that yes...they were worshipped as false idols, but you cant generalize like this woman did. Only God knows your paticular heart and thoughts. I enjoy them becasue they are one of many things that represent Hawaii and are a part of Hawaii's history. This may be extreme BUT I know there are a lot of people that worship money..its the most important thing to them they live and die for it...does that mean we should get rid and not use money? How about food....some people love food more than life itself..should we stop eating? How about cars..I dont even have to get into some people and there cars so should we drive? Now i know this isnt the same worship as people did tikis. they're not bowing up and down in front of them and chanting or whatnot, but if theres one person out there who is does that make it sinful to own what they are worshipping........i dont think so.
    Ok i talk too much...
    sigpicKalua Pig is where the heart is......
    www.thetikiterrace.com

  • #2
    Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

    "Wrong" is telling people what to believe in, and what they should do with their own lives.

    First off, your restaurant looks amazing. If this was near me I would go there all the time. You carve really well, those are great looking tikis, and the food looks delicious. This pagan, antichrist devil worshipping tiki-phile would be your best customer.

    Seriously, in my opinion. organized religion is the root of all evil. Pitting one group of people against another simply because they believe in a different god or scripture causes more wars and violence than any other one cause.

    Tell that woman to go eat at the Friggen Olive Garden....sheesh!
    http://tikiyakiorchestra.com
    Need a place to stay in Hilo ?
    Cue Factory - Music for your Vision

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    • #3
      Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

      Pretty massively judgmental and full of herself if you ask me. Guess she was directed by gawd to get the word out. Why gawd uses ass*oles to spread his msg is beyond me. We have a tiki authority here on HT. Tikis are a part of the Hawaiian culture that can be appreciated by those not within the culture. If you are carving tikis yourself, then to me, these have a higher value than a tiki any one of us here in Hawaii can buy simply by walking into a Waikiki ABC store. It's amazing! You can get a tiki on a key chain or as a beer bottle opener. Do they divert you from worshipping THE ONE? Maybe, if your gawd is brewed from hops. Thank the idjit and tell her to say a prayer.
      Aloha from Lavagal

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      • #4
        Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

        Im 12 hours from your restaurant.... makes me wanna take a drive LOL

        and I second what tikiyaki and lavagal said the woma needs to get a grip an take her godly self somewhere she'll be appreciated... just keep her away from me I'll end up kicking her in the shin
        Last edited by kaneohegirl; February 15, 2007, 10:33 AM.
        Support Lung Cancer Research

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        • #5
          Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

          I am Christian, I grew up in a home where it was wrong to play cards, listen to music, wear pants, cut your hair, wear makeup, own jewelry, look at any wooden carvings, show your ankles, and even for women to speak unless spoken to.

          People pick and choose what extreme they take it to.

          I am not praying to the Tiki and frankly I don't care who does. Who am I to say what people should or should not do in their own faith or anti-faith?

          I don't think that woman was from a "christian" perspective, I think she was from an EXTREME perspective. Maybe even from just plain fear.
          You have a good head on your shoulders. Don't take it to heart. I am sure you do not.
          Since when is psycho a bad thing??
          Sharing withother survivors...
          www.supportandsurvive.org

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          • #6
            Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

            That's a lot of animosity directed at someone none of you knows. I basically agree, and as I've said here before, I'm pretty much a full-on, worshipping, Sunday-school-teaching evangelical Christian.

            The thing is that like any symbol, a tiki only has whatever significance its targets give it. This woman should probably choose not to dine in your restaurant and leave the entire thing alone. She clearly did not grow up somewhere as religiously diverse as Honolulu, where fellow believers I know have to sort of struggle with much more serious issues, like participating in Buddhist funerals (most of them eventually reconcile it the way I would: just do it out of respect). The original poster is correct in that money, television, and fame are all idols that I'm sure this woman doesn't shun.

            So yeah. She's wrong to judge you. I'd ask, though, that you avoid judging her in turn, as that never does anyone any good. Tolerance needs to move in both directions.
            But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
            GrouchyTeacher.com

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            • #7
              Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

              Originally posted by scrivener View Post
              So yeah. She's wrong to judge you. I'd ask, though, that you avoid judging her in turn, as that never does anyone any good. Tolerance needs to move in both directions.
              Good point. I'd have to agree with you although it's extremely difficult to not judge when pretty much being victimized by her judgemental action. I'd be offended and be quite defensive honestly.

              As for me, I have Tikis at home. I also have a Santo Nino. I'm born and raised Catholic but I consider myself to be more of a spiritual person than anything. I belive in God and I like to think that there are spirits that help God in protecting his children. Like tikis... or Saints. My belief... not everyone else's.
              -kp!

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              • #8
                Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

                As a non-believer, if I got offended every time I saw a symbol of someone's religious faith, current or ancient, I'd have a hard time functioning in the world.

                But of course, ki`i are not a representation of YOUR faith - so you may have to explain your use of them as decor to those who do consider them sacred.

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                • #9
                  Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

                  Tikis that are decorative are different from tikis that have a religious significance. I don't see anything wrong with having "fake" tikis as decor, but I would be highly offended if sacred tikis carved for cultural purposes (the ones representing Ku, for instance) were uprooted from their home in front of a heiau in Hawai'i and plunked down in some Mainland restaurant.

                  But a tiki without any cultural or religious significance attached to it is like the ikaika: a nice decorative piece that reminds people of Hawaii and Polynesia.

                  Miulang
                  "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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                  • #10
                    Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

                    tiki is kitsch. But is derived from the ki'i, which are in the images of our ancestral gods. The former has no mana. The latter is the being of my people.

                    You show me a smiley tiki, and it doesn't bug me.

                    You show me one in the image of those of Honaunau, and I am offended to the bone.

                    pax

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                    • #11
                      Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

                      Maybe I should open up a restaurant and have Jesus as my Tiki. Yes...come get your Jesus Tiki burger. Buy a Jesus Tiki burger and you get free Mohammed fries.

                      *the grass is green....the sun is warm*
                      Last edited by PoiBoy; February 15, 2007, 11:57 AM.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

                        Deleted out of courtesy to individual named in original comment. Please forgive - meant with respect and appreciation.
                        Last edited by Leo Lakio; February 15, 2007, 12:31 PM.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

                          Originally posted by PoiBoy View Post
                          Maybe I should open up a restaurant and have Jesus as my Tiki. Yes...come get your Jesus Tiki burger. Buy a Jesus Tiki burger and you get free Mohammed fries.
                          Maybe MakaP could carve a tiki in the likeness of Jesus and give it as a gift to the woman.
                          “First we fought the preliminary round for the k***s and now we’re gonna fight the main event for the n*****s."
                          http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/review...=416&printer=1

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                          • #14
                            Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

                            mahalo Leo, and I know you meant well, but please don't say things like that. It makes me extremely uncomfortable.

                            pax

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                            • #15
                              Re: Are tikis wrong- from Christian perspective?

                              There is a difference between tiki kitsch and Jesus kitsch. The latter is always implied as an action of scorn towards a pan-world religion; the former is one of harmless indifference, which to me is worse.

                              Nobody checks out Landoverbaptist.org and sees it for being other than the political/socio/religious parody that it is. How many people go into a tiki bar with the intention of making or reveling in a similar parody? Nobody. They go into one to chill. Its just decor.

                              And isn't that the defense of this thread?

                              pax

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