...Getting a running start at the discussion (with myself) about religion and spirituality, I decided today to take photographs of the artifacts Margaret and I have brought home from trips... things that have something to do with religion:

I got this icon depicting the crucifixion of Christ in Smolensk, Russia. It hangs on the wall above my computer.  It is one of the most troubling symbols of the Christian religion, one that I'm not at all sure
the historical Jesus would be pleased to have represent his thirty-three years of living and teaching and loving... 

 

The mask hangs with other masks and artifacts in my study.  It is Native American in origin, but I don't know which tribe or its significance.

The figures in this African totem have something to do with a creation myth. This one also hangs on the wall of my study.

I brought home this bell good demon from Indonesia.  It was designed to hang over a window or a door to scare away bad demons. The tongue is a clapper which makes a rude noise when the bell is hung properly and is moved by the wind. I keep this guy hanging over the door of the study.  It's actually facing the wrong way; however, I haven't been overtaken by even one demon lately, so it must be working.  If I were hanging it properly, it would be on the outside above the window.

I got this mask in Bali.  It's a representation of a character in the Hindu Ramayana story.

This wall hanging is supposed to have the same effect at the bell.  It's a good demon designed reflect back whatever is approaching, so evil will see its ugliness and be scared away.  The guy with the camera has become accustomed the threatening eyes and mouth...

The representation of the Rice Goddess is used in ceremonies to ensure a good rice harvest in Bali. Then handle is designed for a priest to hold her high at the front of a processional as a farmer's family walks around the rice fields at the beginning of planting season.

I won't forget the day I bought this Buddha head at Tōdai-ji, a large Buddhist complex in Nara, Japan.

We got this and several other representations of the Buddha when we lived in Southeast Asia from 1969 to 1973.  

I got both the Walking Buddhas in Thailand.  I like the obvious symbolism.

I got this Buddha somewhere in Japan. I don't remember exactly where. It was a long time ago.

Once a fundamentalist Christian who came to our house was afraid of this Buddha.  He said the signs on it were representations of evil.  I couldn't get him to look closely at the figure. He would have seen the serenity on the carved face of this figure... a serenity that is characteristic of all representations of the Buddha. Perhaps he was on to something; maybe the idea is that one must learn to be calm and serene even when terrible things are happening. I'll try to keep that in mind as I continue to try to figure out why Christians down through the ages have clung to the cross. 

This little bell used in Buddhist ceremonies came from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This very small figure of Lord Krishna as a baby was a gift from a friend.

Pachamama is the fertility goddess of the Inca people in the Andes of South America.  I got this one somewhere between Cusco, Peru, and La Paz, Bolivia.  Notice the turtle she is holding.  I got the turtle below, with the figure of another animal clinging to its back, on that same trip.  It also has something to do with creation.  I don't know its significance exactly.