"Paganism Within the Church"
Hopefully, the reader will understand just how delicate a subject is this one. As a minister of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, duty demands that I stand unflinchingly for the right. Even if this is not politically correct. My dilligent study of the Bible has led me to believe that we are living in the last days or 'the time of the end' as God's Word puts it. The Scriptures plainly show that there is to be a revival and reformation that is to take place within the church. For centuries, God's people have been lulled into a sleep as it were; really a complacency; a lethargy if you will. Before the second coming of Jesus, there has to come a revival, an awakening. Whenever there is revival, reformation follows close behind.
Today, we live in a world where it is not "politically correct" to be negative about anything. There are few preachers who will stand in the pulpit and call sin and wrong by it right name. Is this the way you want it? Would you have me to fulfill the prophecy of Paul in (2 Timothy 4:3-4) "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." Or would you have me to preach the truth regardless of how it might step on our toes? The real question is this: "DO YOU LOVE TRUTH?"
As we begin this subject, please consider the words of this Christian writer: "The greatest want of the world is the want of men-- men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall." Just as the compass always points to the North, the Christian minister should always point to the truth!
Having been brought up in a somewhat Christian home, we attended church pretty regular; we believed that the Bible was the Word of God; and we were taught respect for God's law. I grew up in an evangelical "Protestant" church and spent most of my life not daring to question anything. Really, I didn't care one way or the other. As a young adult, I became a Christian. I began to fervently study the Bible and have been amazed to find that the church doesn't always follow the Bible. I had always assumed that what the church did must come from the Bible.
One of the areas where the church has failed to do what the book says is in the area of paganism. I am keenly aware that many will see this as a fanatical view. I would ask that you please continue to read the information, and then pray about it. If the Lord leads you to change something in your life, you will know it. I remember as a child, my mother had many trinkets sitting around on the tables and shelves. In general, I don't think there is anything morally wrong with these trinkets. But I remember that she had a statue of buddha sitting on the coffee table. I never thought much about it back then, and I certainly don't think that my mother bought that buddha because she believed in buddhism. I do think that it is terribly wrong to own and display such an item. That statue of buddha came from a country where they believed in and worshipped it as a god.
I also remember an aunt having a "TIKI" god statue sitting on her book shelf. Again, I don't think for one minute that she had it for anything other than a decoration. But what bothers me is how our Loving Lord must feel about such objects. I know Christians who have native American items on display in their homes such as the totem pole or the dream catcher. Some of my African American friends have relics of their native religions as well. Are these things acceptable in God's sight? Some will reason that it is not the item, but what we use the item for which counts and I can certainly agree that this is very important. But I still don't believe that these items are pleasing to God. In fact, I think that they defy His commandment. Don't you want to please God?
What does this have to do with paganism within the church? The church is the foundation of the community, and the home is the foundation of the church. Therefore the church will only be as strong as the several family homes which make it up. But what about the paganism within the very church building? Take time to read the story of Elijah in the Bible. In Elijah's day, there was a very wicked King on the throne of Israel. He was the leader of God's chosen people, but look at what the Bible says about him: "And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him." 1 Kings 16:32-33. Baal was the ancient Pheonician sun god. This king had taken away the worship of the true and living God of heaven, and replaced it with the worship of the false god of the sun. Jezebel, his queen, had caused most all the prophets and priests of God to be killed, and they had been replaced by 450 prophets of Baal, and another 400 prophets of the groves (see 1 Kings 18:19).
Elijah was used of God to deliver a very important message to God's church. This message is summarized in verse 21: "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." You should take time to read this story, it is a wonderful story of triumph for God's truth. But let me direct you attention to another prophetic statement in Malachi 4:5: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:" Do we expect the prophet Elijah to literally come back before the second coming of Jesus? NO. We understand that this prophetic statement refers to the message, not the messenger. In short, Malachi's prophecy tells us that before the end of the world, there will be the need for this message again. This indicates that pagan idolatry will exist in the church at the end of time.
The ten commandments plainly tell us: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou 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 generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:4-6). Even as He finished giving the people the ten commandments, God instructed Moses to instruct the people: "Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold." (Exodus 20:23). In reading this, you can see just how important this subject of pagan idolatry is.
Did you know that the Catholic church in its' official catechism changed the ten commandments? They completely removed the second commandment concerning idol worship. Why did they do this? If you have ever been inside a Catholic cathedral you would know why. Their churches are filled with pictures and statues; IMAGES! Not only are there statues of Jesus, Mary and the apostles, but there are pictures of completely pagan symbols all over the place. You will find that there are certain of these symbols which are present in many different cathedrals and basilicas. Pictures such as the sun, the fish, the crescent, the disk, the serpent, the pine cone, the globe, the solar wheel, the triangle and the eye, and the myriad of crosses. If you are not familiar with the Catholic church, these things will sound very strange to you, but what about the Protestant chruches? Do they participate in these kinds of idolatry?
I'm happy to say that the answer is NO, at least not to the kind of degree that we see in the Catholic church. But there are indeed many of the idolatrous practices that have slipped into even the Protestant churches. The use of crosses, steeples and spires have come to us directly from paganism through the Catholic church. What about the fact that most Protestants worship on SUNday? More and more we see the pagan symbol of Dagon, the fish god, used to symbolize Christianity. My mother-in-law has a statue of Mary on her book shelf, and she has no Catholic background at all. But millions worship Mary as being the mother of God, and this alone is enough for me to think it wrong to possess a statue of Mary.
And what about the various festivals that the Catholic church has founded, none of which are given in the Bible? We could spend many pages of text telling about the pagan origin of these festivals, but will instead direct you to some well documented articles on other websites instead. And we will limit even these to the more prominent of these festivals which are celebrated among the Protestant churches.
I pray that the reader will take time to investigate this subject and follow God's leading in the matter. Christians should not be people who just take everything for granted and believe things just because of their pastor, church, or family believes them. Hosea 4:6 says: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." God wants people who can think for themselves and who are not afraid to live their lives according to His Word. The apostle Paul put it this way: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15).
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO CHECK OUT THESE SITES: Please use your browser "BACK" button to return to this page
"The True Origin
of Christmas and Other Holidays"
"Christmas and Sun Worship"
"Christmas and the Suns Birthday"
"Christmas, The Date and Origin of"
"Christmas, The Development of"
"Christmas, Pagan Parallels to"
"Easter"
"Halloween"
"Halloween, Celebration of Evil"
"Halloween, A Christian Perspective"
"Halloween, The Origin of"
"Pagan Holidays"