Good on you Steve. Most parents are probably too afraid to speak up as they would be called racist. Fantastic that you are bringing it to the attention of parents
I was just talking about this three weeks ago to a to a secondary school teacher who is a good friend of mine. He teaches music and the Maori language at a Secondary school in Invercargill. He asked me what I thought of people praying to the 'old Maori Gods.' He knows I am a non-denominational Christian, and part Cook Island Maori. I told him a true story about when the Christian missionaries first arrived on the island of Mangaia. They murdered the first man to step on the island and 'they' rejected Christianity, the ship left and went on to convert many other islands to Christianity. Not long after the ship left there was a sudden disease outbreak and 70 local people died. The islanders of Mangaia got word to the ship and invited them back. When they eventually returned, the island largely accepted Christianity. However, some people who were superstitious went and hid many of their idols deep in caves just in case this new God wasn't loyal. The island now realises many of these 'old gods' represented by the carved idols of wood and stone are actually the same old gods all cultures worshipped in the past. They know these idols represent the 'old fallen gods,' and the demonic entities of old. I asked my Maori friend, do you think when you call upon your own ancestors, do you actually believe you are conjuring up the spirits of your old ancestors? ...or are those spirits something else? He took a long pause before he replied, eventually saying in a solemn tone, 'they are something else' Many staunch Maori still know the truth about who 'the gods of old' represent. The fallen ones of old.
I run an event company and often there are Māori prayers at the start of all kinds of events. I wonder what would happen if somebody stood up and said ‘Excuse me, no disrespect but this is a secular meeting, we don’t need prayers to any gods.’
It would be a very heavy moment but I think we should start doing it.
Good on you Steve. Most parents are probably too afraid to speak up as they would be called racist. Fantastic that you are bringing it to the attention of parents
I was just talking about this three weeks ago to a to a secondary school teacher who is a good friend of mine. He teaches music and the Maori language at a Secondary school in Invercargill. He asked me what I thought of people praying to the 'old Maori Gods.' He knows I am a non-denominational Christian, and part Cook Island Maori. I told him a true story about when the Christian missionaries first arrived on the island of Mangaia. They murdered the first man to step on the island and 'they' rejected Christianity, the ship left and went on to convert many other islands to Christianity. Not long after the ship left there was a sudden disease outbreak and 70 local people died. The islanders of Mangaia got word to the ship and invited them back. When they eventually returned, the island largely accepted Christianity. However, some people who were superstitious went and hid many of their idols deep in caves just in case this new God wasn't loyal. The island now realises many of these 'old gods' represented by the carved idols of wood and stone are actually the same old gods all cultures worshipped in the past. They know these idols represent the 'old fallen gods,' and the demonic entities of old. I asked my Maori friend, do you think when you call upon your own ancestors, do you actually believe you are conjuring up the spirits of your old ancestors? ...or are those spirits something else? He took a long pause before he replied, eventually saying in a solemn tone, 'they are something else' Many staunch Maori still know the truth about who 'the gods of old' represent. The fallen ones of old.
Keep up the good work Penny.
Ancestor worship,… Really?
Yes, really !
Just like many other cultures.
Some believed they were descendants of gods. They believed they could summon spiritual strength etc through ritual.
It shouldn't be that surprising if you are aware of the legends and the pagan religious practices of old.
All cultures had similar practices at one time or another. We are more the same than we are different in that regard.
Five times a day!!!???
I run an event company and often there are Māori prayers at the start of all kinds of events. I wonder what would happen if somebody stood up and said ‘Excuse me, no disrespect but this is a secular meeting, we don’t need prayers to any gods.’
It would be a very heavy moment but I think we should start doing it.