Question:

I have a question regarding dream catchers. Is it okay for a disciple to own a dream catcher? Even if they believe it has no superstitious meaning now and view it purely in a artistic sense.

Answer:

This is a gray area, but in my opinion it is a very light shade of gray.  In other words, it is debatable, but to me it seems a rather big stretch for someone to think that this might be sinful.  This is a bit similar to the issue Paul dealt with regarding the eating of food sacrificed to idols (Romans 14:1-23, 1 Corintians 8).  To some, because the food had been sacrificed to idols, to eat that food was, indirectly, to participate in or to condone the idol worship.  To others, meat is meat and the fact that someone had sacrificed it to a god that is not even real means nothing.  Paul agreed with the latter group, but he advised that each should be led by his or her conscience and we should not judge on matters on conscience such as food sacrificed to idols.  In the Romans passage, the one who would feel that dream catchers are sinful is called the “weak” believer, but Paul admonishes those who are strong to not look down on the one with a sensitive conscience.

Similarly, I suppose someone might be bothered by a Christian having a dream catcher, because someone somewhere uses this in a kind of pagan worship.  However, if the believer is simply using a cool looking crafty thing for decoration and is not using it for worship or even to show support for those who use it this way, it is hard to see how this would be sinful or harmful to faith.  So….   in the spirit of Paul’s advice, I say that if a Christian wants to have a dream catcher as a decorative device, and if they do so to honor the culture (not the religion) of Native Americans, I say go for it, but we should realize that some just might possibly be bothered by this.  Like Paul says, both those who eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols and those who do not for conscience sake should respect the other and honor their convictions.

By the way, I, personally, would not have a dream catcher in my car or office or probably even my home, not that I think anything about it one way or another, but on the small probability that someone might find it odd that a Christian teacher would have such a pagan symbol displayed.  So, I agree with Paul that this is a non-issue, but I also agree with Paul that if the eating of meat will cause someone else to stumble, then I would be willing to become a vegetarian for the sake of Christ.

I hope this helps.

John Oakes