Published already in Living Spring Magazine. Blessed Iwene Tansi Major Seminary Onitsha 2022 Edition
Introduction
In many cultural groups in Igbo land, there are animals they use for funerals. These animals include, pigs, horses, donkeys, cows etc. We are not going to trace the total history of some of these because of limited space, we are just going to give a little history and give the significance of this from the Igbo African Traditional Religion practitioners and bringing it to the Christianity of today in order to make the point clear on how it contradicts the salvation brought by Christ. This is widely accepted in Igbo land that funeral of a person must go with a significant animal. We are going to take cow as a case study for it is a widely accepted animal for the funerals more than other animals. Read More.........
The Place of Cow in Funerals in Igbo land
From an oral historian, this use of cow came into being in order to replace the use of human beings to bury prominent men. This use of human being was very common in the era of slavery in Igbo land; therefore, slaves were bought majorly for the purpose of burials and sacrifices. Other functions they do in the families are secondary. Because of the wickedness of human beings, people started using even those who were not slaves but their enemies for burials and sacrifices and with the advent of Christianity which condemns any human sacrifice and human beings being used for burials, alternatives had to be looked for. Different communities chose different animals they considered worthy of replacing the human sacrifice and that brought to the end of using human beings for burials and sacrifices (though some still do that in secret).
These animals play a key role in the life of the dead in the understanding of the African Traditional Religionists. These animals are taken as gateways to the cult of ancestors. They are regarded as the only thing that can guarantee a dead member of the family or community a happy repose. Anyone who is buried without funeral is considered not have rested in peace but is wandering and probably causing troubles. The spirit of a father or a mother can only rest if the children kill cows for them. It is believed that any child who does not do that is considered as a bad child and will not know peace. This one of the reasons people sell lands in order to buy cows for the funeral of their parents, sell other landed properties, and even borrow money for that. Putting this in post Easter language, they serve as salvation agents. They give salvation to human being just as Christians believe that Christ brought salvation to them.
The Place of Christ in our Salvation
Going through the Sacred Scripture from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we can actually see that Christ is the only redeemer that can give us a happy repose. He is the only one worthy to take the scroll and to open it (Rev. 5:2-8). He is the only one that has reconciled us to himself (2 Cor. 5:18). If that is the case, the position of Christians should be of a complete welcoming of the salvation brought by Christ and not by any animal. Christ is at the centre of our life and at the centre of our salvation. He has pain for our sins through his death on the cross (1 Peter 1:18-19). By his death and resurrection, he has set us free from sin and death (Rom. 5:10-11). He has conquered death through his own death and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:54-57 and Col. 2:15) and we also have died with him and risen with him through our baptism (Rom. 6:8-11). He is the only way, truth and life (John 14:6) and no one can go to the Father except through him (John 14:6). Our faith is in him that he has gone to prepare a place for us in his Father’s house and after, he will come to take us with him for where he is ,we shall be (John 14:1-3). All our hope is in him. Therefore, every Christian should know that the place of Christ in our salvation cannot be replaced by any animal or human being.
Neo-Paganism in Christian Funerals these Days
Majority has left the African Traditional Religion in practice but they have not left it in principle. They are now Christians in religion but not in their day to day activities and belief. This attitude reflects in almost every aspect of today’s Christians and they are seen more when it comes to funeral in Igbo land.
Many who claim to be Christians throw away their faith and belief when it comes to the funeral of a dead relation especially parents. Our today Christians do not believe in the salvation brought by Christ. They accept more the tradition of resting in peace with a cow than resting with Christ. For Catholics, no matter the number of masses offered for the dead and adorations without that cow, the person will not rest in peace and worst still; the person will be tormenting the family. In many occasions people are given Namas (hybrid cows) for the funeral of their dead ones and they will insist that they will buy Ehi (original cow and not hybrid) no matter how little the cow may be. That is the only one accepted by the gods and the dead.
Some Christians do borrow money to buy cows for funerals, they celebrate funerals of their dead great-grand parents even those that they never knew but they cannot borrow money to train their children in schools. Some sell landed properties for funerals but cannot do so to sponsor their children to have better futures. In some places that the church is fighting against this act, they will go in secret to do it so that the church would not know. These and so many other ways are means by which our today Christians are bringing in African Traditional Religion to our Christianity. Going deep, we certainly know that some rituals that are unchristian follow the killing and our Christians do all of them. Know it that this is quite different from inculturation.
The Position of the Church as Regards Cow in a Christian Funeral
The church has never said that killing cows in Christian funerals is a sin. The church is only against practices surrounding the killing and most importantly, the belief for the killing. Knowing full well that cow is a big animal that can give a wonderful number of meat that can serve all those that will attend the funeral, the church permits that you kill cows as many as you can afford bearing in mind Christian charity not to waste recourses when they can help the people at the margins of life, to serve your visitors during the funeral of a loved one. The church is vehemently against any type of ritual attached to the killing and the belief that the killing aids salvation. Salvation for Christians comes from Christ and not from cows. Any cow killed for the salvation of the dead is a contradiction to the salvation brought by Christ. Cows are killed for merriments and never for the repose of the souls of the dead as Christ and his church teach.
Conclusion
This problem may seem simple but it is not for some persons are afraid of the dead more than they fear God, that is why you will see someone who has promised God heaven and earth and has not fulfilled any will do anything possible to kill cows for the dead parents so that the dead will liberate him or her. Someone whose parents died at the tender age cannot gift a friend, wife or relation a cow because he has not killed cows for his parents who did not leave cows when they were dying. Let us wake up from this faith and spiritual slumber and embrace the salvation brought to us by Christ. He is the only one who can give us peace after this life and not cows. In him we live and have our being (Acts 17:28). Cows do not give life after death, Christ gives. Thanks.
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