Reasons for members' participation in death rituals in Nchalo District, South Malawi Field

Abstract

The Seventh-day Adventist is one of the fastest growing churches in South Malawi Field where Nchalo belongs. The tendency of some baptized members of Nchalo in participating in death rituals that are contrary to Bible teachings prompted the carrying out of this study with the purpose of investigating the causes for this continued practice and develop a program to it. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, a survey in form of a questionnaire was designed to capture the desired information. The questionnaire targeted the Mang’anja and Sena people in Nchalo District. Furthermore, three couples of varying ages were picked for the interviews. The study reveals that some church members continue to participate in the death ritual called ‘kulowa kufa’ (removing death) even after baptism. The questionnaire revealed four main reasons for continued participation namely: fear of death, pressure from relatives, some see no problem in participating and some feel that it is a tradition that they have grown up with. Two years after implementing the program, three members who participated in the ritual after baptism resisted the practice when death occurred in their families. From the findings, it is concluded that there is need for men and women who are conversant with Adventist teachings to handle baptismal classes. This will help baptismal classes to produce Christians who are grounded in the faith. Finally, recommendations were made to Malawi Union Mission, South Malawi Field and those who would pursue the same study.