It is a custom in Africa to cover mirrors in the home of the deceased and turn pictures to face the wall. The reason? Some claim that the dead must not see themselves! As Jehovah’s servants, we certainly do not believe any myths or take part in any practices that promote Satan’s lies!​—1 Cor. 10:21, 22.

Francisco, who lives in Mozambique, writes: “When my wife, Carolina, and I learned the truth, we told our family that we would no longer worship the dead. Our decision was tested when Carolina’s sister died. The local custom is to bathe a corpse ceremonially. Then the closest relative must sleep for three days at the place where the bathwater was poured out. These customs are supposed to appease the spirit of the deceased. Carolina’s family expected her to carry out the sleep duty.”

¹⁶ How did Francisco and his wife respond? Francisco explains: “Because we love Jehovah and want to please him, we refused to participate in the custom. Carolina’s family became very angry. They accused us of disrespecting the dead and said that the family would no longer visit or help us. Since we had earlier explained our beliefs to them, we did not discuss the matter with them while they were angry. Some relatives even defended us, saying that we had already explained our position. In time, Carolina’s relatives calmed down, and we were able to make peace. In fact, some have even come to our house to ask for Bible literature.” May we never be ashamed of the stand that we take in defense of the truth about death.​—Read Romans 1:16.