(LifeSiteNews) — A 90-foot-tall statue of the monkey-headed Hindu god Lord Hanuman has been erected in Texas, replacing Our Lady of the Rockies, a sculpture of the Blessed Mother in Montana, as the third-tallest statue in the U.S.
The pagan idol, dubbed the “Statue of Union,” was unveiled at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land on the outskirts of Houston during a “Prana Prathishta” ceremony from August 15 to 18. The rite is considered a consecration of a deity’s statue by which the presence of “divinity” is infused into a Hindu temple.
The statue of Hanuman is depicted with his palms facing forward, and his tail extends upward to create a kind of halo around the “deity.” The temple told Newsweek that “The Statue of Union stands as a testament to the rich cultural heritage shared by the Indian and American communities, and its inauguration has set a new milestone in both spiritual and cultural realms.”
While Hindus remain a small religious minority in the U.S. — only about 1 percent — the erection of the Hindu statue as the third largest in the U.S. and its outranking by size of a Catholic statue can be seen to represent the country’s decline in Christianity, which was once its overwhelmingly predominant religion.
According to Pew Research Center, the portion of Americans identifying as Christian has plummeted from 90 percent in 1972 to 63 percent in 2020. During the same period, those who identify as agnostic, atheist, or “nothing in particular” skyrocketed from 5 percent to over 30 percent. Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism have also grown in popularity among Americans, although to a lesser degree.
The pagan monkey-god statue in Sugar Land has been decried by many Christians as “demonic,” and without exaggeration.
Gigantic monkey statue of demonic Hindu god Hanuman has been unveiled in Texas, officially named ‘Statue of Union’ & unveiled by the local Hindu community. These Idol worshipping statutes will continue 2 pop up
Obama carries 1 in his pocket 🎥 in tweet👇 pic.twitter.com/e98xUzcvKW
— Lizzie N (@LizzyRevelation) August 21, 2024
The conservative website Not the Bee warned of the potential ramifications of erecting “demonic idols” in a piece about the statue: “Can we maybe not invite the wrath of the One True God by building massive demonic idols everywhere?”
Both the Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures affirm that the “gods” of pagans are in fact demons:
“For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils: but the Lord made the heavens.” (Psalm 95:5)
“They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known.” (Deut 32:16-17)
“What then? Do I say, that what is offered in sacrifice to idols, is any thing? Or, that the idol is any thing? But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God. And I would not that you should be made partakers with devils.” (1 Cor 10:19-20)
Paying homage to a false god such as Hanuman is therefore both a grave offense to the one true God as idolatry, and a spiritually dangerous practice. Famous exorcist and theologian Father Chad Ripperger has testified that even the Hindu practice of yoga, by representing Eastern deities with the body, can act as a gateway to possession.
Fr. Ripperger knows two women who became possessed through the practice of yoga, and people were already possessed and attracted more demons through yoga. This is especially significant considering that yoga is currently immensely popular in the U.S. among people of all faith practices.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama once shared during an interview that he carries a small statue of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman in his pocket, explaining that he turns to it when he is feeling “tired” or “discouraged.”