Dashain is the biggest festival in Nepal. Many Nepalis return to their families in the villages from cities and abroad. Dashain is synonymous to a happy time in Nepal. However, Dashain is also associated with Hindu religious belief which forces Nepali Christians to avoid it at any cost. It is because Nepali Christians do not want to betray their faith by involving in what is considered idolatry. Such avoidance keeps Nepali Christians away from family and social events that occur in society. They face criticism from their loved ones who still practice these traditional festivals, and also feel guilty about betraying their family during these important family times. (See, Norma Kehrberg, Cross in the Land of Khukuri, 159). Is there a way Nepali Christians be part of this national celebration of the family while being faithful to their commitment to Jesus? The answers to the question come in many dimensions. Firstly, does any involvement in the Dashain affair lead to idolatry? Second, Is there any Biblical precedence regarding this? Lastly, how can Nepali Christians fulfill their Christian duties such as fulfilling the great commission and so forth? The purpose of this post is to prompt Nepali Christian to think regarding Dashain rather than providing the ready-made answer to this problem.
The Question of Idolatry:
For Christians, worship of idolatry is strictly prohibited in the Bible. (Exodus 20, the Ten-commandments). However, if simple participation with family during Dashain is idolatry needs a second consideration. If a person has a complete commitment to Jesus Christ, he/she is not forbidden to be associated with non-christian for non-christian events. In the New Testament, idolatry is redefined. Our faith in Jesus Christ concerns the idolatry associated with the human heart than the idols of stones, woods, and other materials. In Ephesian 5:5 Pauls says “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” An idolater is the one who is immoral, impure, and greedy. Paul redefines the idolatry from physical activity to spiritual activity.
In another case, Paul even allows people to be associated with so-called idolatry in a physical sense.
1 Corinthians 8:1-8
Now about food sacrificed to idols:… So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live…Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
Paul is saying that people are not defiled by simply associating with the people who worship idols. Nepali Christians are free to worship idols and perform such idolatrous sacrifices, but they are not prohibited to have a cordial relationship with their non-believing neighbors and family members.
Many times Nepali believers experience pressure from their loved ones to be part of their family traditions during the occasions of Dashain. A Biblical record of Naman and Elisha in 2 King Chapter 5 shows some similarities with the case of Nepali Christians. Naman, a non-Jew, idol worship who came to recognize the God of Israel is the only real God in the world was allowed to be part of idolatry when he is compelled to do so under the pressure of the King. Naman was told not to be guilty for such acts. Nepali Christians who have Jesus int heir heart but think that they are compelled to participate in the activities of Dashain from their family should not feel guilty, because in their heart they fear, the real God, and the only savior.
2 King 5: 17-19
“If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”
19“Go in peace,” Elisha said.
Fulfilling Great Commission through Dashain:
Christians are called to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). For Nepali Christians, the world begins with their family and neighbors. Nepali Christians' stance to avoid any association with non-Christian family members and the neighbors close the door for them to enter the Nepali world.
Fulfilling the great commission includes more than verbally telling them about Jesus Christ. Acts. 1:8 asks disciples to be the witness of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the end of the world. Being a witness of Jesus is more than speaking about Jesus, rather it also includes living a life of love and forgiveness in the world. Nepali Christian should show to their family members and neighbors that they represent the self-sacrificing love and unlimited forgiveness in their lives, attitudes, and relationships. by avoiding family events such as Dashain, Nepali Christian show only their rejection of their family and stubbornness as a result they lose their opportunity to shows the real Christian life among them.
Since evangelism in Nepal is made difficult with the recently passed ani-religious-conversion law, Nepali Christian should opt for a method of evangelism which is less likely to be a confrontation but will witness the love that Jesus wants us to represent among others. In such a difficult situation, Nepali Christians should follow the path that Peter is asking among his readers who were under great persecution. Peter writes, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).
Presently, among non-believer Nepali people, Nepali Christians are known as the followers of a foreign religion. Such accusation becomes even more evident when Nepali Christians reject customs such as Dashain. God does not want us to be known just as the rejector of Dashain, or any traditional customs. The main thing God wants us to be known in the world as the people of Love. As the Gospel of John records Jesus’ last commandment to his disciples, he writes,
John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
Dashain in Nepal is a family time, where family members show their love and respect for each other. Rather than projecting a flat rejection of Dashain, Nepali believers should make most of the opportunity to show that we stand for love.
Hope during the upcoming Dashain, Nepali Christians will be able to share the love with their nonbelieving family members and neighbors.
- Pabitra M. Bhandari
