A strategy to Address the Fear of the Dead Among the Bemba People of the Kasama East Mission District in the Northern Province of Zambia

Abstract

Fear of the dead among some church members of Kasama East mission district is real and is expressed through death rituals they undergo after the loss of a loved one through death. A pilot program to address such fears was imperative among the people of the area so that they could be freed from these superstitious fears. A survey was conducted among the four churches and six companies to ascertain some cultural beliefs and practices which may have been the source of such fears. Interviews were conducted among people of different status in the society so that information on what they know on these beliefs and practices and the consequences of not adhering to them could be obtained. Under literature review, passages of scripture from both the Old and New Testaments about death and its rituals were investigated. The writings of Ellen G. White on the subject were explored and what others had to say on this issue were traced.The program was implemented over a four weeks period with three sessions on the first and last Sabbaths and two sessions each in the afternoons of the two Sabbaths in between. At the end of the project almost all members expressed their satisfaction on the program and their attitudes towards death and its rituals were not the same as before. This is supported by the responses obtained from members of Kasama main church at the end of the project. Question number 7 on the questionnaire, dealt with the issue of marrying or getting married to a known healthy widower/widow who was not customarily cleansed. During the general survey 296 of the total respondents were either unwilling or not sure and only 112 agreed to the proposal, but at the end of the program at this church 160 of 188 who attended the last session agreed to the proposal and only 28 refused. This shows that continued lessons on the subject can permanently change the attitude toward the dead and remove fear from the mind of church members.