Fathers young, fathers old
Remembering good times are our gold.

Value earned through guidance given
Helping us go forth in living’.

Each father adding to our trove
A treasure chest of love untold.

Remembering father in our lives
Taking time to realize.

Fatherly love brings wealth to living
Remembering this we go forth in giving.

Fathers young, fathers old
We remember you all
As life unfolds.
Ragini

– A family in Murang’a was forced to bury a live calf in a grave next to their deceased relative’s grave to avoid a curse on the bereaved in a shocking and bizarre ritual.

The family members and villagers were compelled to bury alive the eight-month calf just hours before the body of 84 year old Elisha Mugucia Wang’era was buried next to it.

The deceased had insisted on the ritual saying his elder sister Mariamu Wanjiru had refused to give him one cow as part of her dowry that he was to receive on behalf of their late father Tiras Wang’era Mugucia.

“He said that my mother’s ruracio-dowry- had not been completed as one cow died along the way and as the son of his late father, he was to be given the animal to complete the dowry payment as per traditions,” said Mrs Louise Mungai a niece of the deceased.

He left strict instructions that the animal be buried alive and had to be buried hours before he was interred. Villagers and area assistant chief could only watch helplessly as the calf was lowered into the shallow grave with it legs tied.

“It is such a bizarre incident and we are feeling so bad because in our life we could not imagine that our uncle could make such a demand,” Mrs Mungai said.

“Yes it has given out a cry, the curse will not follow us and we can now be rest assured that we are safe!” A nephew of the deceased Samuel Kabuna exclaimed as the helplessly calf bleated out ‘fulfilling’ another condition the uncle had given.

Mzee’s burial ceremony was later led by Assemblies Christian Church, which distanced itself from the family’s earlier ritual, and was buried in grave next to ‘his calf’.

Satan’s Opposition

God is at War: The Spiritual Battle – Don’t Blame God series (2 of 4)

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[This article was taken from our book Don’t Blame God! A Biblical Answer to the Problem of Evil, Sin, and Suffering.]

Satan is a parasite and a counterfeiter. Thus he and his purposes are actually defined by a proper understanding of God and His purposes. Satan’s character and his purposes are diametrically opposed to God’s. The Devil especially tries to undermine man’s perception of God’s goodness by afflicting the righteous while prospering the ungodly. His deception is geared to obscure both God’s good works and his own nefarious schemes, and to confuse people as to the difference between good and evil (Isa. 5:20).

Remember that it works to the Devil’s advantage if he can confuse people about God’s goodness. Let’s take Mr. Noah Nuttin, who wrongly thinks that God is in control of both good and evil. Mr. Nuttin knows two people who sin in the same way (lying, stealing, adultery, etc.,— the type of sin does not matter). One of them suffers evil in his life and the other one suffers nothing, or worse, appears to profit from the sin. Is Mr. Nuttin confused about God? Absolutely. Does Mr. Nuttin think that God is a fair and righteous judge? No. Does Mr. Nuttin have an understanding upon which his faith (trust) in God can grow? No. Score another run for the Devil. Mr. Nuttin would not have been confused about the situation had he been properly taught what the Word of God says about the real cause of evil, sin and suffering.

One of Satan’s goals in his seemingly random affliction of people (and his corresponding distortion of God’s written Word) is to make it seem as if God is judging and punishing people now. He wants not only to blind people to God’s abundant goodness, grace and mercy, but also to convince them that God is unfairly, unpredictably and almost gleefully vindictive. From our perspective of contemporary Christian theology, he has pretty well succeeded.