Two weeks a ago the course at Mahula raised the question: How do new Christian converts interact with their relatives who are Tradition African believers? The issue comes up because when there is a death certain sacrifices are carried out. Sometimes the ceremony is postponed until an opportune time or until it involves more than one person. There was a ceremony held near here that was a huge affair because it involved seven people who had died in that family group. Many people spent two or three days in that compound. The issue for the new believer is involvement; not only in the ceremony but eating the food that is prepared. Some people thought that the food should be accepted but not eaten so as not to alienate the family. Others thought that all food should be refused upfront. After we pondered the question for a week and studied the pertinent passages we came back for further discussion. The two passages that stand out are I Cor. 8:1-13 and I Cor. 10: 14-32. In I Cor. 8 Paul gives no credit to idols in terms of defiling food but as is the case with new believers that is not yet understood. Therefore, in this passage Paul’s main concern is offending your fellow believer by not being careful about what you eat. In I Cor. 10 however Paul is concerned about food sacrificed to Satan. That is the main concern here as well. The animal is killed at the grave site; sacrificed in order to release the spirit of the relative. Food sacrificed to Satan we are not free to eat as Paul points out: Christians cannot eat and drink at the Lord’s Supper and participate in what is offered to Satan. The answer that we struggled with is as follows: We are to ask no questions if food is given to us by a traditional believing relative; if one is not told this food has been sacrificed at the grave site we are free to eat. But the new Christian and Christians in general must not participate in this spirit release ceremony and if they are told that the food brought to them was sacrificed at the grave site they must refuse it. This could also be an issue for Christians who buy meat in the market in this part of Nigeria because 99 percent of the time a Moslem Cleric prays over the animal before butchered. If we take Paul’s advice we ask no questions of conscience about the meat.
Heavenhigh 