When I was in the 6th grade, I had to do a report on the origins of each of the major holidays. From that time, I have known exactly what is pagan based. Do you? It is amazing to me that while history teaches us that almost all of our current day holidays are based on paganism….churches, Christians and others continue to celebrate them and try to tie them into religion.
February 14th: Established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. In ancient Rome, Lupercalia was observed on Feb 13 thru 15. It was an archaic rite connected to fertility. The church decided to celebrate Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to Christianize celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia.
Nimrod was the baal or sun god of the ancient pagans. Born on 1/6, winter solstice. 40 days after that, his mother was to present herself for purifications. That would be 2/15.
Lupercalia: Called the “hunter of wolves”.
Who was Saint Valentine:
Valentine of Rome, martyred about AD269
Valentine of Terni, martyred sometime after AD 197.
No romantic elements are present in the original early medieval biographies of either of these martyrs. Saint Valentine was not linked to romance until the 14th century. In 1969, the Roman Catholic Calendar was revised and the feastday of Saint Valentine on February 14 was removed for the following reason: “Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is knowon of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14”
Sending Valentines:
Did not start until 1847 when Esther Howland developed a successful business with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. Hallmark pushed that over the top starting c 1975. Today, one billion valentines are sent each year.
Candy: Not part of the traditions until the 1800s
Cupid: another name for the child Nimrod, meaning “desire”. The Book of Daniel calls him “the desire of women”. The son of Cush the Ethiopian. Later substituted with a “fair Cupid” of European tradition.
You can google each one of these and see that they are traditions steeped in paganism. Jesus did not celebrate it. Most of our own ancestors before the 1800s did not celebrate it. Yet it has become one of the biggest commercial holidays ever.
Wikipeda defines idolatry as worship of any cult image, idea or object, as opposed to the worship of a monotheistic God.
The word “worship” is derived from the Old English words meaning “worth-ship” – giving worth to something. So if you give “worth” to Valentine’s Day, you are worshiping the event.
The word “idea” means – whatever is before the mind when one thinks. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; ie. Images of some object.
So, if you give worth to the thought of Valentines, it is idolatry.
Look at Ex 20:4 –
“Thou shalt not make unto the any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, orthat is in the water underthe earth; thous shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generaton of them that hate me and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
The word “graven” means “strongly fixed”. I always thought it meant carved, shaped, formed.
What if…..this verse means that we are not to have any strongly fixed idea or give worth to anything not in direct reference to Jehovah?
What if we celebrate these pagan holidays, then will Jehovah visit the iniquity of the fathers upon our children, grandchildren great and great great grandchildren?
I have been studying the words repent, and regret this week.
Metamelomai – regret. Judas regretted his decision to betray Jesus. The only thing he could do was exactly what he did do – return the money.
Metanoeo – repent – you can repent from the way you are living, but you cannot repent from a deed done.
So, I regret that I have spent much of my life celebrating pagan holidays and I am repenting and changing my ways – I will no longer give these events any worth.
