Question：
請問一下，信了東正教後，還能到祭拜祖先或是拿香拜拜嗎？在我讀書的時候，我選修了一門基督教的課，那堂課總會找一些教徒來分享他們的見證，有一次，有一個教授說：「我在當兵的時候，部隊裡發生了意外，隊上的阿兵哥都覺得是在鬧鬼，所以就說要來祭拜一下，當時我心裡覺得很不高興，我是個基督徒，我怎麼可以拿香祭拜亡者？在心不甘情不願的情況下，我還是拿了香，為死者祈禱，後來，我就生了一場重病，我知道那一定是主耶穌在處罰我，那時我就祈求上帝寬恕我的罪，我絕對不會在拿香了，後來我的病就慢慢的好了。」
這堂無聊的課，就這一段我記得最清楚，這件事讓我覺得非常的疑惑，是不是信了基督宗教之後，就不可以拿香祭拜亡者或祖先了呢？
Answer：
謝謝你提出這個重要的問題。
ㄧ﹑讓我們先釐清一件事情，這個問題發問的重點應該是在於「祭拜儀式」或「敬神儀式」。
正教會認為，「敬拜上帝」和「祭拜祖先」是不同的，對此，正教會很清楚要如何作區分。
關於這個議題，我們在另一篇文章中，已經做了詳細的論述，歡迎你上我們的網站去閱讀，或許可以作為參考(參閱FAQ：我可以為我的祖先祈禱嗎?)。
除了這篇文章之外，網站上還有其它文章，都有提到相關的問題。
榮耀你的祖先是一個很重要的責任，然而，你的祖先卻不是上帝。「崇拜上帝」和「榮耀他人」是不同的，儘管有時候，從外表看來，這兩種不同的行為，卻有著相同的外在表現，但是，我們還是必須要謹慎的留意兩者的差異性。
二﹑教導這門基督教課程的教授，並沒有傳授給你們正確的知識。
正確的觀念應該是如此：我們相信的確有一些惡靈存在，或者是與魔鬼合作的靈魂的存在。
是的，他們可以帶來厄運，讓我來跟你分享一個故事。我來自阿陀斯聖山（Mount. Athos），那裡有一個古老的勞拉修道院 ，這個修道院興建於公元963年，當初，修道院的創辦人，選定了一個荒廢的古希臘神廟（在這裡，古希臘人曾經向眾神祇獻祭）作為創院的地點（甚至到了今天，這裡還保留了當初他們殺人的刑場）。這是一個魔鬼嚮往的地方，也曾是魔鬼中意的住所。
當第一批工人開始修築勞拉修道院時，他們的手就好像癱瘓了一樣，而且，他們建好的一切東西，幾天後就被破壞殆盡。St. Athanasios，也就是修道院的創始者，他知道這一切正是惡靈在做祟。
所以，他請工人用地上的石頭，以最快的速度，建起一間非常非常小的教堂，大概只花了幾個小時吧（現在，你依然還能在聖山找到這座小教堂）。然後，他們就開始舉行「聖禮儀」。「上帝的天恩，耶穌基督的大能，完全擊敗了惡魔的能量。自此之後，工人們就順利的完成了這座教堂，而且建得非常牢固。
過去，我在非洲工作的時候，也有過類似的經驗，我想跟你分享這個經歷。教會有一些特別的儀式，可以從人的身上，或是某些地方，驅除這些惡魔。但是，我們驅除惡魔的方式和中國拿香拜拜的方式有點不同。
從你的問題當中可以看出，那些士兵竟然崇拜這些惡魔，向他們獻祭，又「乞求」他們不要找麻煩，可見，他們十分認可惡魔的力量。
在正教會當中，依據耶穌的誡命，我們應該拒絕與這些惡靈交涉，因為，耶穌基督的力量，遠遠超越任何事物，可以驅除一切的邪靈。
我想，這才是那些士兵的錯誤所在。
至於，拿香的基督徒士兵之所以會生病，也許是來自於他內心對亡者的恐懼。耶穌是不會處罰他的，耶穌不是行刑者，耶穌是愛。當然，也有另一種可能，就是當他們在乞求這些惡魔離開並向他們獻香時，他們就接受了惡魔的力量。往往，都是我們自己給惡魔機會，使他們可以趁機進到我們的心中，控制我們，使我們生病。
上文中，我談了很多關於惡魔的事情。
但是，我想特別說明，那些亡者的靈魂，並沒有能力可以擾亂人類或是摧毀一個地方。他們只是靜靜的休息，靜靜的等待耶穌第二次的降臨以及上帝的最後審判。這種情形，就好像我們在等待入學考試的結果一樣。有時候我們因為通過了考試而感到快樂，有時候卻因為不及格而痛苦。所以，亡者非常需要我們的祈禱，我想，當我們拿起香拜拜時，應該要在心中默想：無論亡者生前是好人還是壞人，我都祈求上帝能夠祝福他們。
為了他們能夠得到更多上帝的祝福，我們有責任要向上帝獻香和祈求。
身為一位東正教徒，我們也會向上帝神聖的「畫像」獻香，在教會當中，你就可以看到我們如何向上帝獻香。除此之外，我們也會向教會內的「每一個人」獻香，因為，我們都是「上帝的肖像」，這樣做是在提醒我們，我們應該要像上帝那般神聖。當然，同樣的，我們也會向過世的祖先獻香。
Thanks for your very important question.
1.The main problem here is the worship. Let us clear the things.
The orthodox know how to distinguish things.
It is different to worship god, and it is different to worship ancestors.
We already explain this here , please read(參閱FAQ：我可以為我的祖先祈禱嗎?)。
And other places in this web site.
It is your obligation to honor ancestors, but they are not gods. It is different to worship god and different to honor people, even sometimes seem to have same movements or ways.
2. what your professor told you , is not quite correct.
Correct is that, yes there are evil spirits, devils, or souls which cooperate with devils.
Yes, they can cause bad things. I share to you, in mount Athos from which i come, the ancient monastery of Lavra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lavra_(Athos)
Built at 963ac.
But the place that the founder choose was a ruined temple of ancient Greek religion, where they had human sacrifices to the Gods (even today you can see the place they used to kill people) . It was a place
where the demons were happy , the demons used to like the place. When the first workers try to build the monastery, their hands become like paralyzed, and everything they built the other day was destroyed. St Athanasios, the founder, understood the evil influence. He said to the workers to built a very small church very fast, with stones, in a few hours. (you can see this today ) then they did liturgy. The Grace of God, the power of Jesus Christ, destroyed completely
the evil energy. The workers after this could work and very well. I could say to you a lot of similar cases from my experience when i was in Africa.
The church has special service to cast out the demons, from people and places.
The difference with Chinese is HOW we cast the demons.
The Chinese worship them, beg them , offer sacrifices to them , so recognizing the evil power. The orthodox church, ORDERS , does not nagociate, the power of Jesus Christ is above everything and can cast all evil power.
This is the wrong thing they did.
Your professor become sick, probably from some decease, or from his fear. Jesus did not punish him, Jesus is not punishing, is love. Or probably , when we beg the demons to leave, when we offer to them incense,
we accept their power and sometimes we give them the right to enter to us and control us and make us sick.
I speak about demons. Because the souls of the people who probably died there , they do not have this power to come and torture people or harm places. They are resting waiting the second coming and the last judgment of God. They
are resting like we expect the result of an entry examination. Many times we know we fail, we already suffer, other times we are happy we know we pass, we write well. But as i say in the link above they care for us, and they
need our prayer , as it is expressed by incense and prayers TO GOD for them, no mater they are good or bad. It is our obligation to offer incense to God for them.
We offer incense also to God images as -if you are orthodox- you see in the church. The priest offers incense to God AND TO THE PEOPLE, to each of the people in the church because we are IMAGES of God, and
doing this reminds us who we are and should be. And of course we offer in this way insence to our dead ancestors.
