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Incense and holy water - who likes it and who doesn't?

Elvira said:
There is no healing power in either...incense served it's purpose in times past, before Christ, but now, even that is no longer needed...
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That's BS - frankencense most certainly does have health benefits.
 
Incense-Burning Today

How is incense used today? In many churches of Christendom, incense is offered in ceremonies and liturgy. Among Asians, many families burn incense at temples or before household altars to honor their gods and safeguard the dead. In religious services, incense has been variously used to fumigate, heal, purify, and protect. Incense has recently enjoyed a revival even among those not professing a religion. Some burn incense in connection with meditation. One guidebook suggests using incense to reach “subtle planes” and “energies” beyond the physical world. To find solutions to life’s problems, it also recommends incense-burning rituals that involve contact with “supernatural beings.” Are such practices for Christians? Jehovah roundly condemns those who try to blend false religious practices with pure worship. The apostle Paul quoted Isaiah’s prophecy and applied it to Christians, urging them to keep free from the unclean influence of false religion. He wrote: “‘Get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah, ‘and quit touching the unclean thing’; ‘and I will take you in.’” (2 Corinthians 6:17; Isaiah 52:11) True Christians take care to avoid anything that is connected with false worship or the occult.​—John 4:24.

Does the fact that incense is used in religious ceremonies and in spiritism mean that all incense-burning is wrong? Not necessarily. Perhaps a person wishes to burn incense as a fragrance in his home simply to enjoy its pleasant aroma. (Proverbs 27:9) Even so, in deciding whether to burn incense, a Christian should consider certain factors. Would others in the area where you live associate the use of incense with a false religious practice? In your community, is incense often associated with spiritistic rituals? Or is it commonly used for nonreligious purposes? If an individual chooses to burn incense, his decision should take into consideration both his own conscience and the feelings of others. (1 Corinthians 10:29) The words of the apostle Paul to the Romans apply. He wrote: “Let us pursue the things making for peace and the things that are upbuilding to one another. Stop tearing down the work of God just for the sake of food. True, all things are clean, but it is injurious to the man who with an occasion for stumbling eats. It is well not to eat flesh or to drink wine or do anything over which your brother stumbles.”​—Romans 14:19-21.
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Incense-Burning—Does It Have a Place in True Worship? — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
 
Elvira said:
Incense-Burning—Does It Have a Place in True Worship? — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
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This is a pack of lies, as is all JW Propaganda. From the article:

The Law covenant, including the priestly decree to offer holy incense, ended when Christ inaugurated the new covenant in 33 C.E. (Colossians 2:14) There is no record that early Christians burned incense for religious purposes.
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From Wikipedia:

Incense has been employed in worship by Christians since antiquity, particularly in the Orthodox Christian churches, the Roman Catholic Church/Eastern Catholic, Old Catholic/Liberal Catholic Churches and some Anglican and Lutheran Churches. Incense is being increasingly used among some other Christian groups as well, for example, the Book of Worship of The United Methodist Church calls for incense in the Evening Praise and Prayer service.[2] The practice is rooted in the earlier traditions of Judaism in the time of the Second Jewish Temple.[3] The smoke of burning incense is interpreted by both the Western Catholic and Eastern Christian churches as a symbol of the prayer of the faithful rising to heaven.[4] This symbolism is seen in Psalm 141 (140), verse 2: "Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight: the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice." Incense is often used as part of a purification ritual.[5]

In the Revelation of John, incense symbolises the prayers of the saints in heaven - the "golden bowl full of incense" are "the prayers of the saints" (Revelation 5:8, cf. Revelation 8:3) which infuse upwards towards the altar of God.
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From the JW article:

“It is certain that incense was not used [by early Christians]. Indeed the use of it was a mark of paganism . . . A few grains of incense thrown by a devotee upon a pagan altar constituted an act of worship.”
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That claim of the "pinch of incense" is from the story of the martyrdom of Polycarp, wherein the proconsul of Rome asked Polycarp to just throw just a pinch of incense on the fire and say "Caesar is Lord" to show what a trivial sacrifice it was that would save his life.Polycarp refused.

Polycarp's greatest contribution to Christianity may be his martyred death. His martyrdom stands as one of the most well documented events of antiquity. The emperors of Rome had unleashed bitter attacks against the Christians during this period, and members of the early church recorded many of the persecutions and deaths. Polycarp was arrested on the charge of being a Christian -- a member of a politically dangerous cult whose rapid growth needed to be stopped. Amidst an angry mob, the Roman proconsul took pity on such a gentle old man and urged Polycarp to proclaim, "Caesar is Lord". If only Polycarp would make this declaration and offer a small pinch of incense to Caesar's statue he would escape torture and death. To this Polycarp responded, "Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" Steadfast in his stand for Christ, Polycarp refused to compromise his beliefs, and thus, was burned alive at the stake. Polycarp's greatest contribution to Christianity may be his martyred death. His martyrdom stands as one of the most well documented events of antiquity. The emperors of Rome had unleashed bitter attacks against the Christians during this period, and members of the early church recorded many of the persecutions and deaths. Polycarp was arrested on the charge of being a Christian -- a member of a politically dangerous cult whose rapid growth needed to be stopped. Amidst an angry mob, the Roman proconsul took pity on such a gentle old man and urged Polycarp to proclaim, "Caesar is Lord". If only Polycarp would make this declaration and offer a small pinch of incense to Caesar's statue he would escape torture and death. To this Polycarp responded, "Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" Steadfast in his stand for Christ, Polycarp refused to compromise his beliefs, and thus, was burned alive at the stake.
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All water is sacrosanct.


OM
 
I'm not a Catholic, don't even believe in organized religion, but that's for another topic.
For what it's worth, I have respect for what others believe in, their customs. However, incense makes me cough, so there is that.
 
Omega Man said:
All water is sacrosanct.


OM
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ADJECTIVE
If you describe something as sacrosanct, you consider it to be special and are unwilling to see it criticized or changed.

And we've been making tea and coffee with it and doing all sorts of things to it!
 
Holy Water May be Harmful to Your Health, Study Finds
Austrian scientists find 86 percent of holy water contains fecal matter.

Sept. 14, 2013— -- Despite its purported cleansing properties, holy water could actually be more harmful than healing, according to a new Austrian study on "holy" springs.

Researchers at the Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology at the Medical University of Vienna tested water from 21 springs in Austria and 18 fonts in Vienna and found samples contained up to 62 million bacteria per milliliter of water, none of it safe to drink.

Tests indicated 86 percent of the holy water, commonly used in baptism ceremonies and to wet congregants' lips, was infected with common bacteria found in fecal matter such as E. coli, enterococci and Campylobacter, which can lead to diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever.

Nitrates, commonly found in fertilizer from farms, were also identified in the water. If ingested, water containing nitrates over the maximum contaminant level could cause serious illness, especially in infants younger than 6 months, which could lead to death if untreated, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"We need to warn people against drinking from these sources," said Dr Alexander Kirschner, study researcher and microbiologist at the Medical University of Vienna.

The study, published in the Journal of Water and Health, also found that all church and hospital chapel fonts contained bacteria -- the busier the church, the higher the bacterial count.

"This may represent a problem that has hitherto been underestimated, especially in hospitals, since there a lot of people with weakened immune systems there," Kirschner said.

There have been advances made for the more hygienic use of holy water, including the invention of a holy water dispenser a few years ago by an Italian priest, while studies have also indicated that adding salt (at recommended levels of 20 percent) can help disinfect the water.

But Kirschner cautions that salt is not a reliable way to prevent infection and instead recommends priests regularly change the holy water in churches and erect signs to inform congregants about the dangers as well as of the history of the holy springs.
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Holy Water May be Harmful to Your Health, Study Finds - ABC News
 
I was not sure whether incense was exactly the same as frankincense
So I looked it up.
It seems that frankincense is one part of incense.

The English word frankincense derives from the Old French expression franc encens, meaning "high-quality incense". The word franc in Old French meant "noble" or "pure".

A popular folk etymology suggests a connection with the Franks (and often in particular Frankish Crusaders), who reintroduced the spice to Western Europe during the Middle Ages, but the word itself comes from the expression.
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Frankincense - Wikipedia
 
Lovebug said:
I'm not a Catholic, don't even believe in organized religion, but that's for another topic.
For what it's worth, I have respect for what others believe in, their customs. However, incense makes me cough, so there is that.
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It's pretty hard on singers.
 
zyzygy said:
ADJECTIVE
If you describe something as sacrosanct, you consider it to be special and are unwilling to see it criticized or changed.

And we've been making tea and coffee with it and doing all sorts of things to it!
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Adding tea to your water doesn't make water itself any less sacrosanct when it comes to our mortal dependence upon it.


OM
 
What do the experts say?
Experts have interpreted the research on incense smoke and its health risks. They recommend consumers take these risks seriously.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emphasizes that burning incense can indeed increase risks of certain health problems. This is especially the case if done indoors where smoke is most likely to be inhaled.

According to the EPA, the risks include:

cancer
asthma
contact dermatitis
The EPA didn’t say what amount and how much could contribute to this risk, or any limitations to research thus far.
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Is Incense Bad for You? Your Health, Cancer, Toxicity, and More
 
Omega Man said:
Adding tea to your water doesn't make water itself any less sacrosanct when it comes to our mortal dependence upon it.


OM
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Sorry, I assumed that you were joking.
 
In German the words for incense and holy water sound simular.

Weih-Rauch = holy smoke = incense
Weih-Wasser = holy water

and:

Weih-Nachten = holy night = Christmas

:tink:
 
Rumpel said:
Some Christians do not like it because they think it pagan. :)
And some atheists don't like it because they think it Christian. :mrgreen:
What about you?:cool:
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I like burning incense but the blend that the Catholic church uses stinks.

Holy water is just there in the fonts if you want to bless yourself as you enter the sanctuary. I hated when the priest would bless the congregation with the bucket and his sceptur on the high holy days.
 
Lisa said:
but the blend that the Catholic church uses stinks.
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It is a pity if you feel that way.
Or maybe the church where you went to used a bad variety.

I can only speak for myself, of course.
For me incense is a very pleasant part of a church service.
 
it's just me said:
Leave it to you.

The consecrated water we don't use is poured on the ground. You'd have to be a Priest to know that.
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Not true. I knew this, and I'm not a priest.
 
Logician Man said:
Not true. I knew this, and I'm not a priest.
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Exactly...and yet there are stupid people who do drink it or there would be no need for a warning not to...
 
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