Burning of Joss Paper
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hi one and all...lately as most of u know...people have been burning a lot of paper money...this is because of the hungry ghost festival...
i am a Christian...and i make no attempt to cover the fact...
however...i still feel that it's not about religion...i feel that regardless of religion...people should not be allowed to burn things just like that...y can't they go to temples and do their sacrifices there?
every time they burn these kinda things outside my home...i get headaches and feel dizzy...my contact lenses itch...
it's like the haze once again...except it's more intense...
if this burning of paper offerings is tolerable...den y do we even bother to make so much fuss over the forest fires in Indonesia? isn't it almost the same?
isn't it spoiling the environment? isn't it like smoking? (one person smokes and the rest of the people around him are affected)
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cadence -
Hi Cadence,
have a little sharing here but hopefully it wun spark off some religion thing or whatever.
U r a christian, and why do u believe in it? Obviously there's some certain reasons, just like when pple burnt joss paper, they believe that their beloved-late relatives will receives all this things, or that they will be 'safe' during this mnth. For whatever reason, i dun really know. I mean if they felt relief and good after buring these joss paper, why not? its far much better than to keep worrying everyday.
Why not go to the temple? hmmm.....cos the number of pple burning the joss paper are far too large for the temple to handle. Imagine every1 rush to the temple, i mean, its just not possible. Of cos, its diff from the forest fire in Indonesia, and i am sure u know it, can't believe u actually comapred them, heh... :p -
hello cadence...
some thoughts ovr ur message...
1. have u seen the size of indonesia's forest fires? if yes, do u think pple are burning a forest here. we will be alarmed when pple start 2 burn acres of joss paper lor..
2. u ask the pple 2 go temples 2 burn the joss paper..if they can't go, why don't u be a little more accomodative by locking urself in an air-con room? pple will have their reasons 4 burning in the open. say, we all can't stop where the smoke and ash wanna go. if they decided 2 land near u, make u all teary, so be it! unless god decide 2 change the wind direction or something
3. have some religion tolerence. this is the basis of s'pore's society..u wouldn't wanna disturb the peace, don't u?
by the way, the hungry ghost festival is not a day where ghosts come out 2 roam earth...in Buddhism, it's an auspicious period...Ullambana Festival. to remember filial piety
be a patient christian..guess ur god will be happy and proud 2 have a follower like u
regards.. -
true that i should be tolerant in fact if u haven noticed, i am...
i just do not appreciate the fact that this burning is polluting the environment...
y do we save the trees? y do we clean up the rivers? so that we live in a better place...burning these things jus reverse all our efforts to keep S'pore a green country -
indeed u 've been very tolerant and not let ur religion down
efforts 2 save trees and clean up rivers are carried out thru'out the year, year in year out...we have been doing well in fact..look at our greenery, our water courses, our natural habitat..
i do not say if burning joss paper is right or wrong, i just feel that the 1-month burning of joss paper will not reverse our "save-the-earth" efforts. it may affect but only to an insignificant extent...
imagine: if by simply burning of joss paper during this time of the year will make all our govt efforts go down the drain...wouldn't out govt be very busy then, always trying 2 save trees and clean up rivers...we got other impt things at hand too, dun 4get
green peace efforts are so wide and extented and intensive....surely some joss paper won't kill, rite?
hope all our minds are like a parachute...works when it is open. -
well it's true that a little bit of burning is okay...
but wat if everyone thinks the same? wouldn't that amount to a lot of burning (which i have been observing)?
just like a 5cent coin which is almost worthless now...just one coin is worthless...but wat about, say a thousand 5cent coins? that accumulated sum of 5cents now becomes $50...is $50 small?
our environment is clean...true...but the govt is doin so much and we are not doing our part... -
first of all, i dun think everyone will think the same as those folks who burn joss paper n etc. So dun even worry dun everyone here will start burning things.
Also, the govt. is doing its part n WE are oso doing ours by not burning these stuff. U dun expect everyone to hv the same mindset rite? Just as the govt. is promoting a crime free Singapore but why are there still creeps that lurk around in the nite to rob people?
There is a limit to what we can do. NO ONE on Earth whether divine, sagely or human can control our environment.
SO I think for the moment, we can only voice out and create awareness that the fumes from the josspaper is causing pollution and of course, be more tolerant and understanding -
first of all, i dun think everyone will think the same as those folks who burn joss paper n etc. So dun even worry dun everyone here will start burning things.
Also, the govt. is doing its part n WE are oso doing ours by not burning these stuff. U dun expect everyone to hv the same mindset rite? Just as the govt. is promoting a crime free Singapore but why are there still creeps that lurk around in the nite to rob people?
There is a limit to what we can do. NO ONE on Earth whether divine, sagely or human can control our environment.
SO I think for the moment, we can only voice out and create awareness that the fumes from the josspaper is causing pollution and of course, be more tolerant and understanding -
first of all, i dun think everyone will think the same as those folks who burn joss paper n etc. So dun even worry that everyone here will start burning things.
Also, the govt. is doing its part n WE are oso doing ours by not burning these stuff. U dun expect everyone to hv the same mindset rite? Just as the govt. is promoting a crime free Singapore but why are there still creeps that lurk around in the nite to rob people?
There is a limit to what we can do. NO ONE on Earth whether divine, sagely or human can control our environment.
SO I think for the moment, we can only voice out and create awareness that the fumes from the josspaper is causing pollution and of course, be more tolerant and understanding -
From what I saw from the postings.
People were saying that burning of joss papers and incenses pollutes the environment.
I think that,The point is not totally valid.
How can burning of joss paper on a small scale pollutes the environment that it becomes an environment issue?
Think about it, which causes more pollution.
The amount of exhaust that is released by all the vehicles in Singapore in a day and the amount of smoke that is produced by the burning of joss papers in a day.
(Remember end product of burning papers is carbon dioxide, soot, and etc, but the exhaust of the cars?)
Burning on a small scale doesn't pollutes the environment as much as our other human activites(If it does then we must be living in a highly polluted environment since the days Man discovered how to make use the fire, and have since been burning stuff then.), it does not cause depletion of the ozone layer, neither will animals die because people are burning paper on a small scale, compare to the burning of forest in Indonesia)
<WE are oso doing ours by not burning these stuff. U dun expect everyone to hv the same mindset rite? Just as the govt. is promoting a crime free Singapore but why are there still creeps that lurk around in the nite to rob people?> --- Baby
Um I think that your description of having same mindset isn't very apt, Burning of joss paper during the seventh month is to appease the spirits who has no kin to make offerings for them.(According to my knowledge on the hungry ghost festival) How can you compare it to thieves and acts of crime? But I do get your point just that the way you describe it is not very appropriate.
For me, I don't burn joss papers as well but not because that it will cause pollution(compare to the amount of CFC we human are generating into the atmosphere, it's nothing)
But because of the inconviences it causes to my fellowman and also because my religion doesn't require me to do that, I can understand what cadense is going thr since I have a sensitive nose.
So people let's tackle this issue matter of factly, burning of joss papers in the public isn't appealing to most people(including me that's why i said that your point is not totally valid and not your point is not valid). But we must practise tolerance, and at the same time, put our ideas forward to the people who burn joss papers without any form of control and let the ashes and soot go flying around in public, because that is just plain irresponsible.
This post is not targeted at anyone, so please for those who reply, don't target the religion aspect of this issue but instead on the issue itself. Just my humble opinion, so for those who do not share my views. Please put your views across peacefully and not just flames ok? Thanks
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To obtain peace, We have to fight for it, but then do you really call it peace if we have to fight for peace? -
As mentioned, temples will be unable to handle the huge crowd coming in and this might cause some injuries, etc.
Ppl dun burn offerings for the whole one month but only on certain days...
It is true that other factors like CFC, etc is more harmful to the environment then the buring of joss papers.
It is also part of the religon, we can't really change the customs that have been laid down just like that.
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