[mfblume]

Originally Posted by Esaias

The issue isn't using pagan names for things like the days of the week. The Bible itself uses Babylonian names for certain months. Israelites occasionally were given and used names derived from pagan gods - like Mordechai (variation of Marduk) and Esther (variation of Ishtar), Belteshazzar (which includes the name Bel), etc.

The issue is taking pagan religious rites and trying to apply them to the worship of God, attempting to worship God by means of pagan religious rites, taking the core elements of heathen demon worship and trying to adapt them to the worship of God. That is explicitly forbidden by God.

In the case of Christmas, we have the pagan holy day of the Nativity of the Invincible Sun (Mithra, Helios, Baal, etc) being "adapted" to the worship of God in the form of a Catholic Mass feast day, which in itself is a variation on pagan religious rites (Mystery rites, especially of Mithra, the number 1 rival of Christianity in the first several hundred years after Christ). Protestants want to keep the Catholic tradition because "muh funz" but don't want to look all vatican-y so they strip out some of the overt catholic stuff but keep the core ideas along with the entirely secular "buy stuff" motif.

Pentecostals have taken stands against purely secular stuff like sports and tv and women wearing makeup and men's neckties and most don't bat an eye. But point a knife at the sacred cows of CATHOLIC AND PAGAN RELIGIOUS RITES and hoo boy watch the fur fly.

Really makes a person think. IF they're a thinking person, that is.

Amen! I agree that pagan rites should never be amalgamated with worship to the Lord. I never said different.