Holidays

But what if these holidays are actually borrowed from pagans? What if they are disguised to look as if they are about God when in fact they pay honor to other gods?

If you are seeking to know God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, then the truth about this subject will be of great importance to you. If walking in His Word and pleasing Him is the intention of your heart, then you will search for the answer. On the other hand, if pleasing yourself is really your motivation, then you will dismiss the matter as trivial. You'll hang onto your "tradition" and maintain your "comfort".

EASTER
The churches are full on Easter Sunday. As a minister for several years in a non-denominational church, I remember extra seats being arranged for this "special day". Many people who normally did not bother with church, would make the effort for Easter. They would pour in through the doors in their fancy outfits; women with matching hats and dresses, men in suits, children looking especially adorable. The sanctuary that normally saw 750-800 people suddenly filled to 1,000 or more.

Easter is a big day in the Christian faith. Followers come to recognize the death burial and resurrection of their Savior. But who is really being honored? The truth may suprise you.

The name of this "holy" day comes from Eastre the goddess of the Saxons in Northern Europe. She has been reveared by other names by other people. In Cyrus , she was known as Aphrodite. In Phoenicia her name was Astarte. Assyria called her Ishtar, while in India they bowed to Kali. Indeed, Eastre has had a long and fruitful career as a false goddess.

Across the Mediterranean region, the spring equinox has been celebrated by most pagan religions. In Rome , around 200 B.C. , the mystery cults began emerging. The Cybele cult of Vatican Hill was the most notable. Within the abominations of this creed, the fertility goddess Cybele was greatly honored along with her lover Attis, a.k.a. Tammuz or Osiris.

The legend had it that Attis / Tammuz / Osiris, was born of a virgin, died and was reborn annually at the spring equinox. The grand celebration began on Black Friday with his death and culminated on Sunday, the glorious day of the Sun, with his resurrection.

As the followers of Messiah embraced more and more gentiles, many who clung to thier "rituals", worshipped with their fellow pagans and an amalgamation was birthed. This un-holy merger was later granted govermental approval under the pagan Comstantine. Later it would be formally recognized by the Council of Nicene in 325 A.D.

Over the years more and more of a blend developed. The symbols of the Norse goddess Ostara were the hare and the egg, both f which celebrated fertility. Easter lilies that wree reveared by pagans as a phallic symbol , later became the flower of the day. Even Easter Sunrise service is a tradition tarced to ancient sects that worshipped the sun and welcomed it at the vernal equinox.

CHRISTMAS
Most historians have agreed that the birth of Messiah did not occur in the winter, but was probably during the fall. So where do we get the date of December 25th? Did some one just pull it out of a hat and announce , "here we go, this is a good day to celebrate our Lord's birth". No , not at all. The observation of December 25th as a holy day has a long history and it dates back much further than the arrival of the Son of God.

In ancient Mesopotamia, the cheif god was known as Marduk. Some scholars believe that he was the diefied Nimrod. Remember that guy from Genesis? He greatly opposed God and was the designer of the tower of Babel. Well, Marduk's day was ... yeah you guessed it. December 25th.

Later we find this celebration in Rome. According to the Encyclopedia Romana, December 25th was a Roman holiday called Saturnalis. What? Good question. Saturnus was the god of seed and sowing. His celebration was one of great joy. Later this day took on the name Brumalia which comes from the the word bruma meaning winter. This continued until the 4th century A.D. when it was absorbed by pagan christians and became "Christmas". How did we get the custom of the tree? It was adopted from an ancient practice of honoring the sun god. As the long sleep of winter ended, pagans welcomed their god with a decorated evergreen. Touching , huh?

Does any of this matter? I mean really, if you are not worshipping Saturnus at Christmas or Cybele at Easter, but just borrowing some delightful heathen ways to please the Lord with, isn't that ok?

Read carefully Exodus 32. God's people, upset that Moses is taking a little longer than expected on the mount, quickly arrange for Aaron to fashion a golden calf for them. Then Aaron declares that they will take this pagan god to use in order to have a feast for The God. Here's what God had to say about it.

I share this with you , not to cause offense. The church is in desperate need of an awakeing. My prayer is that you will consider the facts given to you and that you will cling to God's Word.