Red Protection

Late last week, while I was walking along the river, I noticed a red shirt suspended from someone's fence on a hanger.



A few days later, a neighbor of ours hung a red shirt up on the fence by the gate to their property.



Then we noticed all over our village that red shirts were on display.







 


 







And, apparently, if you have no red shirt, you can use a piece of fabric.



What's going on here?  Did we miss a memo?

Turns out there is a local belief in the Isaan region regarding the Widow Spirit, known as Phee Mae My.  When an seemingly fit individual dies unexpectedly in their sleep, the Widow Spirit is suspected.  Two weeks ago, in a nearby province, it was reported in the news that in one village, 3 healthy men, aged 47, 23 and 60, all died within a week's time.  When this happened, two local men recalled strange things that happened just prior to that.  One reported seeing an unusual light in the sky at night.  Another reported having a scary vision of a tall dark-skinned person.  In other reports I've read, people have reported seeing this spirit as a beautiful young woman dressed in white.

The local name for these nocturnal deaths Lai Tai, an Isaan term which roughly translates unconscious sleep death. Technically it is considered a version of Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (SUNDS).

At any rate, there are several precautions that households will take to keep the men of the house from suffering the fate of Lai Tai.  The most common and obvious thing is to hang red shirts at doorways or gates to yards.  Some will put up signs saying, "there are no men here".  Villages or individuals may put up red-painted phallic objects.  People will restrict evening activities outside of the house so the widow spirit will have less opportunity to encounter men while they are out and about.

We've heard that there have been three or four people who have died in our village that has caused people of our village to be concerned about the Widow Spirit.  The red shirts we've seen in this area have been confined to a single village.  We've not seen the use of phallic objects or signs declaring that there are no men around.

The Bible also records an instance of things being painted red to avoid death at night.  The night that Israel escaped captivity to Egypt, the people painted their doorposts with blood so they would not suffer loss when God killed the firstborn of all people and animals in Egypt. We read in Exodus 12:7 and 13:

Then they shall take some of the blood (of the passover lamb) and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it...
The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. 

Red is still able to keep us from death.  The cross was stained red by the blood of Jesus.  He was the Passover Lamb that was sacrificed for us, as we read in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."

Because Jesus has been sacrificed for us,  we need not fear death. By his resurrection from the dead, Jesus has conquered death.

⁵¹But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! ⁵²It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. ⁵³For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
⁵⁴Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
⁵⁵O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"
     1 Corinthians 15:51-55 (NLT)

We who know Jesus also do not need fear the Widow Spirit or any other spirit.  For to those who believe in Jesus, He gives His spirit, which is greater than all others.

² This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God.  ³ But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. 
⁴ But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 
     1 John 4:2-4 (NLT)

We have authority over the spirits.  We do not need to be afraid of them.  We do not need red shirts to scare them away. We can go out at night without being afraid that we might inadvertently lead some demon back to our house.

¹⁹Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.  ²⁰But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.
     Luke 10:19-20 (NLT)

Praise be to God, because Jesus is enough...
     ...enough to free us from the power of death
     ...enough so that we need not fear the spirits.

Of Whom Shall We Be Afraid

What strikes you about this photo?

 

Is it the lean of the spirit house?
The gaudy green color?
The desecration of a natural area by a man-made object?

To me, one of the interesting things about this spirit house (and many others) is the presence of a ladder.

The spirit house is a structure built to make offerings to the land-spirit in return for using the land.   They are present in most yards and agricultural fields. Devoted worshipers will leave fresh offerings every day.

But why the ladder?

Does the spirit actually need a ladder to get in the shrine?

In a similar way, old traditional Thai house were built on stilts with a ladder to get in.  The ladder could be pulled up to keep the spirits from getting in the house.

I don't know about you but to me, a spirit that needs a ladder to get to the shrine does not seem terribly intimidating.

Mind you, I take the spirit  world seriously and don't want to trivialize their power or presence.
 
But whom shall we fear?

Jesus said: "I'm speaking to you as dear friends. Don't be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands." Luke 12:4-5 (MSG)

Many are those who go about their days without giving a thought to God.  They are concerned about things of this life: what to eat, what to wear, how to be safe, etc.  Concerned about their earthly existence, they buy car insurance and wear a seat belt.  But they neglect their soul.

Here in Thailand, people will make offerings at various shrines and temples, trying to placate a plethora of deities, yet not acknowledge the God who created us (though some may add an image of Jesus to their shrine as if to hedge their bets).

Of whom shall we be afraid.

King David wrote:

  The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?
  When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.  
  Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.  
  The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.  
  For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.  
  Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the LORD with music.
   Psalm 27:1-6 (NLT)  


Don't be afraid of the one who needs a ladder,
Fear the One who created the world on which it rests.

Spirit of Addiction

Betel Offering for the Spirits
Originally uploaded by SierraSunrise

Of the many offerings on the altar at the spirit house in our community is Betel chewing packs containing betel leaves, areca palm nuts (หมาก), tobacco and other ingredients that are chewed together. Which raises the questions:

Is this to keep the spirits addicted?

Or are they offerings to the spirits of addiction?

In any case it is interesting that it shows that these spirits have as much a problem with pleasure-seeking and gratifying the "flesh" as do humans.

Makes me glad that we serve a God who is above such things, who is able to help us who struggle with such things.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15-ESV)