Some Christians are discussing whether it is appropriate for believers to kneel down (kowtow) and bow at funerals and whether it diminishes the glory of God when they display pictures of deceased family members at home.
Pastor Shen, who has over 20 years of pastoral experience in a church in North China, shared cases he encountered in his ministry and explained how he helped believers navigate these "ritual disputes."
Kneeling down or bowing at funerals is not the same as idol worship. Pastor Shen pointed out, "An idol is something you idolize or deify. For example, some people believe that wearing a cross necklace can ward off evil or that placing a Bible by their bedside can prevent nightmares. These are acts of idolizing something and hoping to gain benefits from it, which fall into the category of idol worship."
However, if Christians kneel to show respect and filial piety for their deceased loved ones during a funeral, it does not mean they are worshiping them as if they are God. This does not constitute idol worship, he continued.
Pastor Shen also mentioned that wearing mourning clothes and displaying mourning symbols was a way to express grief and was not idol worship. But practices like burning paper offerings were indeed superstitious and idolatrous.
A male believer had a deceased family member, and according to their hometown customs, kneeling down during the funeral was a must. However, this Christian wanted to discuss with his family whether he could skip this ritual. But his family strongly disagreed and threatened to disown him, saying, "If you don't kneel down, we will kick you out and cut ties with you." In light of this situation, he sought Pastor Shen's help.
The pastor asked him, "If you are on your knees during the ritual without truly worshiping the deceased as God and you don't have a guilty conscience about it, then such a choice is permissible. This way, you can live harmoniously with your family and also bear witness to the word of God."
Pastor Shen also cited the story of the priest, Ahimelech, giving the consecrated bread to David. According to the law, the showbread was holy, and only the priests were allowed to eat it. However, God still allowed David and his followers to eat it. He said, "God judges people based on their motives."
Additionally, Shen mentioned that many believers had condemned those who chose to kneel down at funerals or keep pictures of deceased family members as a reminder, and some believers had even refused to associate with them. He added that many Christians who had experienced such situations had been hurt and tempted and eventually dared not go to church anymore.
"Everyone's experiences and understanding are different, and their lives are different," Shen said. "We cannot forcibly impose our own understanding and standards on others, nor can we condemn them. We should treat believers at different stages of faith according to their faith. If some Christians cannot reach your level of faith and do not have the same faith as you, we should accept them and not condemn them."
"Some Christians have deceased family members and do not want to kneel down. Therefore, it is excellent to communicate with their families first and seek their understanding and forgiveness. However, for some people who are afraid to discuss it with their families, cannot reach an agreement after discussing it, and ultimately choose to kneel down at the funeral, or some others feel compelled to follow customs, we should not condemn these individuals but should seek to understand them," he concluded.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
一些基督徒在探讨葬礼中跪拜、鞠躬是否合宜，基督徒在家里挂着逝去亲人的照片是否是亏缺了上帝的荣耀呢。
已经有20多年牧会经验的北方教会沈牧师谈起了自己在牧养中所遇见的案例，并讲述了自己是如何帮助信徒处理这些“礼仪之争”的。
葬礼鞠躬或跪拜不等同于拜偶像。“偶像，就是你神化的某样东西。”沈牧师指出：“比如，有些人觉得戴十字架项链可以辟邪，床头放圣经可以不做噩梦等行为。这些都是在把某样东西神化了，希望借此给自己带来好处，这属于拜偶像的行为。”
而我们若在葬礼中跪拜逝去的亲人来表达自己对他们的敬重和孝顺，并没有把逝去的亲人当成是上帝一样去拜，这并不属于拜偶像的行为。
当然，沈牧师也提到，披麻戴孝是表达哀恸，这并不是拜偶像。但是烧纸等行为的确是迷信和偶像。
有一位信徒家里亲人去世了，按照老家的风俗，在葬礼上一定是要行跪拜之礼的。可是，这位弟兄就想和家里人商量一下，看是否可以不用行跪拜之礼。但是家里人坚决不同意，并且威胁弟兄说：“如果你不行跪拜之礼，我们就把你扫地出门，并与你断绝来往。”为此事，这位弟兄打电话寻求沈牧师的帮助。
沈牧师问他：“当你行跪拜之礼时，若你并没有把逝者当作上帝一样跪拜，只是行一个礼而已，并且你没有良心的责备，这样选择也是可以的。这样可以和家人和睦同居，还可以给他们见证上帝的福音。”
沈牧师还引用了祭司亚希米勒将陈设的圣饼给大卫吃的故事。按照律法来说，陈设饼是圣物，除了祭司以外并没有人可以吃这饼。可是，上帝仍然允许大卫和那些跟从他的人吃了这饼。我们要清楚“上帝审判是看人的动机”。
此外，沈牧师还提到，有很多人因为选择了在葬礼上跪拜，或者家里挂了去世亲人的照片留作念想，而被弟兄姐妹们定罪，甚至不让其他信徒与他们交往。不少遇到这样事情的基督徒因此受伤、受试探，进而不敢再去教会了。
“每个人的经历和理解不同、生命不同，”沈牧师说：“我们不能把自己的理解和标准，硬生生地套用在其他人身上，也不可以给他们定罪。对待不同信心阶段的信徒要按照他们的信心来对待他们。若有些基督徒达不到你的高度，没有你那样的信心，我们要接纳，不要定罪。”
有些基督徒家里人去世了，他不想跪拜。因此，便先和家里人交流，争取他们的理解和原谅，这是非常好的。但是若有些人不敢与家里人商量，或是他商量了没有达成一致，他最终选择在葬礼上跪拜，或是迫于风俗跪拜了。那么，我们便不应该定罪这些人，而是要理解他们。
一牧会者谈如何面对和看待基督徒在葬礼中的跪拜和鞠躬
Some Christians are discussing whether it is appropriate for believers to kneel down (kowtow) and bow at funerals and whether it diminishes the glory of God when they display pictures of deceased family members at home.
Pastor Shen, who has over 20 years of pastoral experience in a church in North China, shared cases he encountered in his ministry and explained how he helped believers navigate these "ritual disputes."
Kneeling down or bowing at funerals is not the same as idol worship. Pastor Shen pointed out, "An idol is something you idolize or deify. For example, some people believe that wearing a cross necklace can ward off evil or that placing a Bible by their bedside can prevent nightmares. These are acts of idolizing something and hoping to gain benefits from it, which fall into the category of idol worship."
However, if Christians kneel to show respect and filial piety for their deceased loved ones during a funeral, it does not mean they are worshiping them as if they are God. This does not constitute idol worship, he continued.
Pastor Shen also mentioned that wearing mourning clothes and displaying mourning symbols was a way to express grief and was not idol worship. But practices like burning paper offerings were indeed superstitious and idolatrous.
A male believer had a deceased family member, and according to their hometown customs, kneeling down during the funeral was a must. However, this Christian wanted to discuss with his family whether he could skip this ritual. But his family strongly disagreed and threatened to disown him, saying, "If you don't kneel down, we will kick you out and cut ties with you." In light of this situation, he sought Pastor Shen's help.
The pastor asked him, "If you are on your knees during the ritual without truly worshiping the deceased as God and you don't have a guilty conscience about it, then such a choice is permissible. This way, you can live harmoniously with your family and also bear witness to the word of God."
Pastor Shen also cited the story of the priest, Ahimelech, giving the consecrated bread to David. According to the law, the showbread was holy, and only the priests were allowed to eat it. However, God still allowed David and his followers to eat it. He said, "God judges people based on their motives."
Additionally, Shen mentioned that many believers had condemned those who chose to kneel down at funerals or keep pictures of deceased family members as a reminder, and some believers had even refused to associate with them. He added that many Christians who had experienced such situations had been hurt and tempted and eventually dared not go to church anymore.
"Everyone's experiences and understanding are different, and their lives are different," Shen said. "We cannot forcibly impose our own understanding and standards on others, nor can we condemn them. We should treat believers at different stages of faith according to their faith. If some Christians cannot reach your level of faith and do not have the same faith as you, we should accept them and not condemn them."
"Some Christians have deceased family members and do not want to kneel down. Therefore, it is excellent to communicate with their families first and seek their understanding and forgiveness. However, for some people who are afraid to discuss it with their families, cannot reach an agreement after discussing it, and ultimately choose to kneel down at the funeral, or some others feel compelled to follow customs, we should not condemn these individuals but should seek to understand them," he concluded.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Pastor: Kneeling Down and Bowing by Christians at Funerals Is Not Idol Worship
