Ancestor Worship

A. Many religions—particularly Eastern religions—often feature ancestor worship as a primary part of the observance.

B. Many of these families have house shrines where they leave food for their ancestors and burn candles as they pray to them for help and assistance. They believe that the ancestors will cause problems and bad luck if they are not fed and appeased. Some also believe that their ancestors can actually do things for them and help them in their daily life.

C. To the average American, the idea of ancestor worship often seems strange and weird; most Christians would never build a shrine to ancestors.

D. However, I think many Americans—and many Christians—are much closer to ancestor worship than they would like to believe.

I. Amercian ancestor intervention

A. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

B. The race driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is the son of the great NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt who died in a last lap accident in the 2001 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. claims faith in God through Jesus. Last year, Dale Jr. was involved in a fiery crash in Sonoma California and struggled to escape from the burning car.in a recent interview with Mike Wallace, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said that he did not know what happened during the 14 seconds it took him to escape from a burning car at a Sonoma, California, speedway but thought “his deceased father had a lot to do with his survival.”“I don’t have an explanation for it other than when I got into the infield care center, I had my PR man by the collar, screaming at him to find the guy that pulled me out of the car,” says Earnhardt Jr. “He was like, ‘Nobody helpedyou get out.’ And I was like, ‘That’s strange, because I swear somebody had me underneath my arms and was carrying me out of the car. I mean, I swear to God.” “And that was your dad?” Wallace asks. “Yeah, I don’t know. You tell me,” says Earnhardt Jr. “It freaks me out today just talking about it. It just gives me chills.”

C. Praying to dead parents, grandparents, or siblings for help in a situation some even pray for them to intervene to God on their behalf.

D. Trying to contact relatives through mediums; popularity of John Edwards’ “Crossing Over” program

E. Relatives and friends as guardian angels

F. In recent years, I have been to funerals where Christians said their departed loved one was now an angel taking care of them—a guardian angel. I have heard Christians attributing the strength they had to overcome a certain obstacle to a departed loved one—not that the loved one was an inspiration to them but was actively helping them.

II. What does the Bible teach?

A. I do not want to be insensitive and am fully aware of the depth of pain one feels when grieving a loved one, but to say that the dearly departed are working among us reflects an ignorance of God’s word and takes much deserved glory away from God.

B. Lazarus and the Rich Man – Luke 16:19-31

C. The Bible teaches that we sever our relationship with the world at death. The rich man wanted to return to earth to warn his brothers of the pain of torments but was told that it was impossible, v.26. Ecclesiastes 9:6 says the dead have no more part in the affairs of this world.

D. AFTER DEATH CHART

E. Gulf separating dead from life and Paradise from Torments Hebrews 9:27 – “…it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment,” Matthew 25:31-46 – eternal separation

F. Angels

G. When we die, we do not become angels. Angels are separately created beings distinct from man to serve God’s purposes: Hebrews 1:7, 14; 2:16. Men do not become angels nor do angels become people. To attribute a pivotal event to a dead friend or relative takes away the glory that God deserves for strengthening us in a time of weakness and His providential care.

III. Conclusion: The influence and lessons of good people who have died should live with us and influence us for good. However, some religions elevate good people—whom they call saints—to a position where one can pray to them for help. Eastern religions teach ancestor worship—appealing to ancestors for help. We need no mediator but Jesus who is more powerful than every generation of ancestors that have gone on before us.