Why Easter Is Pagan
But in English-speaking countries, and in Germany, Easter takes its name from a pagan goddess from Anglo-Saxon England who was described in a book by the eighth-century English monk Bede. “Eostre was a goddess of spring or renewal and that’s why her feast is attached to the vernal equinox,” Professor Cusack said.
Bible Verses About Pagans
Deuteronomy 18:9-12 – When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.”
Exodus 20:1-26 – “And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ‘You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,'”
Ezekiel 13:18 – “And say, Thus says the Lord God: ‘Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive?'”
Dr Tim And Mrs Noreen Muehlhoff
Dr. Tim Muehlhoff is a professor of communication at Biola University in La Mirada, California where he teaches classes in family communication, interpersonal communication, apologetics, gender, and conflict resolution. Tim and his wife, Noreen, are both on staff with Biolas Center for Marriage and Relationships where he is a co-host of The Art of Relationship podcast.
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How Do We Celebrate Christmas Without Practicing Paganism
So, what should we do as we approach the most wonderful time of year? By keeping the mindset of Christmas all year. That doesnt mean you are playing Christmas music, wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, and wishing people a Merry Christmas all year long.
What it means is to spread the excitement and joy that many feel during Christmas with sharing the good news of Jesus. It means sharing Gods love with all you meet and telling them about what Jesus has done in your life since you open the doors of your heart to Him.
Christmas is a time people enjoy for the memories they bring, as we partake of delicious food, times with others, and those long-awaited presents. With 2020 being a year of trial, probably more people are looking forward to the lighthearted mood Christmas brings.
For some, Christmas can be seen as something that doesnt bring attention to Christ. Instead, they view it as being a pagan holiday coated in twinkling lights and secular traditions.
But Christmas isnt about what we get under the tree but who Jesus is in our lives and what his birth meant for us centuries after his resurrection. Its the yearly reminder that he sacrificed his life so that we could be reunited with our heavenly Father, where the excitement of Christmas can be felt eternally.
Is Christmas Really Jesus Birthday
But was Jesus really born on December 25? The short answer is no. It is not believed Jesus was born on the day Christmas is globally celebrated. Instead, Christmas was chosen as a convenient celebratory day on the same day of a pagan holiday that celebrated the winter solstice, according to The History Channel.
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Understanding The Root Of Your Child’s Misbehavior
Often, children act out because they are used to getting attention through bad behavior. Dr. Kevin Leman offers advice to help parents transform their childs behavior. He discusses the benefits of allowing your kids to learn from real-life consequences and describes the importance of understanding your childs temperament based on his birth order.
It Cannibalized The Competition
Christianity succeeded in large measure because it required potential converts to make a decision that was exclusive and final. If they chose to join the church, they had to abandon all previous religious commitments and associations. For the Christian faith, it was all or nothing, so as it fed its own growth, it devoured the competition.
That may seem unusual by contemporary standards, since in todays world we normally understand that someone who becomes Baptist cannot remain Buddhist a Muslim is not a Mormon. But we ourselves accept exclusive religions precisely because the early Christians convinced the world that this is how it ought to be. Personal religion is one thing or another, not bothor severalat once.
The pagan religions didnt operate like that at all. Since pagans all worshiped many gods, there was no sense that any one God demanded exclusive attention. Quite the opposite. Within pagan circles, if you chose to worship a new godsay, Apollothat didnt mean you gave up the worship of another, such as Zeus. No, you worshiped bothalong with Hermes, Athena, Ares, your city gods, your family gods and whichever others you chose, whenever you chose.
Christians, though, maintained there was only one God, and if you followed him, you had to abandon the others.
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We Dont Need To Make Up Our Own Rules
In Wicca, each follower is told to do as she wills. Their only standard is that no one should do harm. In other words, there is no absolute truth. But this presents several problems. First, how can one be sure that no harm is being done? Is there any way to know all the consequences of an action? No! And arent personal feelings a wishy-washy method of determining right and wrong?
Alex Sanders, a well-known Wiccan who died in the 1980s, wrote, A thing is good for me until I feel it is not right for me. Another witch named Stewart Farrar elaborated, The witchs own conscience must be the final arbiter.9 What if a witch one day feels that incest or murder is the right thing to do? Is there anything to stop him? Even though most Wiccans would say that these things are wrong, they have no firm basis for saying so.
A powerful authority
Christianity, on the other hand, provides a powerful authority for denouncing racism, crime or any other moral wrong: Gods holy character and His Word, the Bible.
The Bible says:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Good work
On the other hand, the Bible tells us that no amount of good work can earn us eternal life. Through Christ alone we are saved.
The Bible says:
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Claims Of Parallels In Pagan Myths Confuse The Historical Claims Of The New Testament With Later Christian Practices
Whats more, proponents of these parallels consistently conflate later Christian traditions with whats found in the Gospels. Its true, for example, that Pagan festivals occurred around the time when Christians later celebrated Christmasbut the New Testament documents never suggest a date for the birth of Jesus in the first place! The identification of a date to celebrate Christmas occurred centuries after the time of Jesus Christians probably arrived at a date near the winter solstice because of an early tradition that Jesus was conceived on the same date that he died, and nine months after Passover landed the birth of Jesus in late December. In any case, since the New Testament makes no claims regarding the date of Jesus birth, the celebration of Christmas is irrelevant when it comes to a discussion of whether the New Testament description of Jesus birth is rooted in real historical events.
Likewise, later Christian art incorporated both Egyptian and Mithraic motifs, especially when depicting Jesus and his mother. Yet later depictions of such myths in Christian art has nothing to do with whether the events in the New Testament actually occurred. It simply means that Christians artists could have been a bit more creative when choosing sources for their inspiration.
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Why Do People Think Christmas Is Pagan
Even with the change of ringing in Christmas with eggnog and time with family, instead of with alcohol and mayhem, many see Christmas as a shroud for participating in pagan activities. It is noted the Bible makes no mention of Christmas, and many pointed out, especially Puritans, that Jesus was born probably in the spring due to shepherds more than likely watching their flocks by night in warmer temperatures. Easter was seen as the only true Christian holiday worth recognizing by the early church.
However, Pope Julius I set December 25 as the day to celebrate Christmas, which many believe was to coincide with the Saturnalia festival happening at the same time. It was called the Feast of the Nativity and was soon celebrated in Egypt in 432 and England by the end of the sixth century. The term pagan is actually Latin for field and was considered people who lived by certain local and/or regional religious creeds. They were also found in more rural locations instead of in cities or heavily populated areas.
The Pagan Parallels Arent As Parallel As Some Proponents Claim
In the first place, its important to be aware that most of these supposed parallels arent nearly as parallel as the skeptics suppose. When the actual sources behind the myths are closely examined, the supposed parallels have little in common with the New Testament narratives.
For example, there are dying and rising gods in some pre-Christian mythsbut these deities died and arose each year, certainly not the same pattern as Jesuss once-for-all sacrifice for the sake of others. And the myths of miraculous births are closer to divine impregnationa mortal woman conceives a child as a result of sexual relations with a godthan to the virginal conception described in the Gospel According to Matthew and Luke.
To exemplify how these supposed parallels arent nearly as parallel as the critics claim, lets take a look at one particular mystery-cult myth thats often presented as a predecessor to the New Testament, the myth of Mithras.
According to some reconstructions of the ancient sources that describe the birth of Mithras, Mithras was birthed from solid stone. Some skeptics connect this birth to the birth of Jesus in a stable, since caves were sometimes used to shelter animals. A few critics have even referred to this birth of Mithras as a virgin birth!
But referring to this rescue of Mithras from stone as a virgin birth seems to me to be somewhat of a stretch.
Lets take a quick look at a few of the supposed parallels between Jesus and Mithras:
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Paganism: View Of Jesus
One of the tests of a lying spirit is what it professes about Jesus:
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also .
Many pagans believe that Jesus did live at one time and was skilled in magical arts, which he passed on to his disciples, but thats as far as most pagans take it. Ultimately, the answer to the question who is Jesus? would invoke a variety of opinions depending on the pagan you talk to . For the most part, Jesus hardly appears on the paganism radar screen. He is not part of their belief system. But I must ask, How can He be so ignored by so many pagans? The American statesman Daniel Webster wrote, All that is best in the civilization of today, is the fruit of Christs appearance among men.28 And Webster is not alone in recognizing the significance of Jesus Christ:
I find the name of Jesus Christ written on the top of every page of modern history. 29
I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history. 30
As the centuries pass by, the evidence is accumulating that measured by its effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet. 31
All history is incomprehensible without Christ. 32
Concepts Of The Divine
Pagans worship the divine in many different forms, through feminine as well as masculine imagery and also as without gender. The most important and widely recognised of these are the God and Goddess whose annual cycle of procreation, giving birth and dying defines the Pagan year. Paganism strongly emphasises equality of the sexes. Women play a prominent role in the modern Pagan movement, and Goddess worship features in most Pagan ceremonies.
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When Family And Friends Object
Okay, now on to the serious part. What happens when its a close family member, like a parent or a spouse, who thinks your belief is evil?
In that case, you can still speak out on your own behalf, you just have to be slightly more diplomatic about it.
If youre a minor, or someone who still lives in your parents home, and theyve got objections, there may be some compromising required. This doesnt mean you need to compromise your beliefs, but you may have to scale back on actual practice. A key factor here is actually talking to your parents. Find out what their concerns are, why they have those concerns, and then counter them with rational and logical argument.
Focus on the positive aspects of your belief system, rather than talking about what its not. If you start the conversation with, “Now, it’s not devil worship” then all anyone will hear is the “devil” part, and they’ll start worrying. You may even want to recommend a book for your parents to read so they can understand Wicca and Paganism a little better. One book aimed specifically for Christian parents of teens is When Someone You Love is Wiccan. It does include a few sweeping generalizations, but on the whole it provides a useful, positive Q& A format for people who are concerned about your new spiritual path. You might even want to print out this article and have it handy for them: For Concerned Parents.
Dont Try To Contact Or Control Supernatural Forces
Magic and spells depend on what Wiccans call a psychic link. Psychic development can involve training in divination the attempt to obtain information about the past, present or future by occult means or ones own psychic abilities.8 The Bible is very clear that divination and any other form of supernatural contact is forbidden, since it relies on a supernatural power apart from God. In other words, there is no such thing as white magic.
The Bible says:
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you.
Do not practice divination or sorcery.
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Who Is In Charge In Paganism
Neo-paganism has no single authoritative book like the Bible. Therefore, they have no written creed, or standards acceptable to all pagans, which dictate what they do. This is an important distinction between paganism and Christianity. Unlike Christianity, paganism makes few absolute truth claims, but there are some basic beliefs that most pagans would generally hold to. One key view is the postmodern belief that truth is relative .
Pagans prefer situational ethics to moral absolutes. What might be right for one pagan could be wrong for another. An example of this would be in the diets pagans follow. Some are strict vegetarians while others are not. Some are heterosexual and others homosexual. Many are dedicated feminists others are not. Paganism delights in personal choice and diversity. Oddly enough, pagans tend to think that the lack of written dogma unites them more than a universal statement of beliefs. It gives birth to self-expression, and pagans love to borrow techniques from one another. The more learned are still quick to teach the beginners the pagan way.
Some Wiccans also hold to a three-fold law that basically teaches that whatever you do will come back upon you magnified many times over. This is close to the Hindu concept of cause and effect stated in the law of karma.
Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same .
Why Christmas Is A Lie
When Jesus and the Samaritan woman struck up a conversation at the well, she asked Him about the differences between her Samaritan beliefs and the Jews beliefs. The Samaritans worshipped God on Mount Gerizim , while the Jews believed that worship must be centered on Jerusalem .
Jesus then told her that what God is most concerned about is how He is worshipped. Jesus said God demands to be worshipped in spirit and truth .
Christians should base their worship of God and Jesus Christ on what the Bible revealsnot the pagan traditions of ancient cultures.
This is the key. Worship is not considered legitimate to God just because its done with sincerity and passionit also must be based on truth. Christians should base their worship of God and Jesus Christ on what the Bible revealsnot the pagan traditions of ancient cultures.
Jesus taught that Gods words are truth, and we should live by every word of God . Years after Jesus resurrection, the apostle John wrote that no lies should be mixed with the truth that comes from God .
But Christmas is literally riddled with lies. Consider the following:
- Nowhere in the Bible is the date of Jesus birth identifiedthough it does contain clues that His birth was almost certainly not in the wintertime.
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