From associate producer of photo and video Abigail Erickson: Growing up in Southeast Asia, I marveled at the beautifully designed skyscrapers and landmarks in Singapore that utilized principles of feng shui. There was something calming and natural about their design, like they were in harmony with their surroundings. I went to restaurants with names like “888” and saw water features in homes—cultural elements associated with superstition and luck, like a horoscope or a four-leaf clover.

In an article published today on feng shui, Asian Christian leaders are asked whether feng shui poses a spiritual danger or whether it is a harmless design practice. I’ve come to appreciate how principles of feng shui can help generate a certain flow through a well-designed space, but a spiritual focus on the energy in a space can also be a sign of an unhelpful attempt to control our lives.