Funeral Rites Participation and Sabbath Observance Among the Akan Adventists in Ghana: Towards a Theological Dialogue

Robert Osei-Bonsu, PhD And Daniel Dei, MA

Abstract

For the sake of the value placed on departed relatives in the Akan community and most tribes in Ghana, funeral rites are perceived to be very significant that no true child of the family of the deceased can afford to stay aloof in times of death. As a result, Adventists in these communities face a dilemma of a religious nature anytime death strikes. This situation becomes challenging in the instance of losing a non-Adventist relative. In this situation, fixing the funeral rites on Saturday, the Sabbath, becomes nonnegotiable. Though the Adventist church offers some directives on the issue of Sabbath observance and funeral participation on Şabbath, this study finds those directives too generalized to be relied upon by Adventists in communities such as that of the Akan. Through the method of a dialogue, this study reveals that the optimal thing to do in such circumstance is for the church to show comfort and sympathy to the bereaved members as well as to the entire bereaved family in a manner agreeable with sound biblical and missiological outlooks.