Quote:
Originally Posted by Esaias
To be received by God as His child you MUST break off connection with the rites, ceremonies, customs, and practices of demon worship. You must have the attitude that doesn't even want to TOUCH that which God abhors as unclean and filthy. You CANNOT BE SAVED while continuing to maintain fellowship with demons, darkness, and idolatry.
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Does this apply to
every rite, tradition, decoration, practice, or observance originating from paganism, or just to Christmas?
For example, the Quakers used to note the days of the week as "First Day", "Second Day", "Third Day", etc. because the calendar days of the week as we know them are named in honor of pagan gods. They also didn't observe holidays or birthdays.
In addition, there are homiletic practices of rhetoric in most modern "sermons" that are Aristotelian in origin.
And then there is the "steeple" which is found on most houses of worship, which originated among the pagans as a phallic symbol above the temples of their fertility cults.
Even wedding rings are "pagan", as is birthday cake and birthday candles.
I could go on and on.
It's important to note that while many of these traditions (including Christmas traditions) originated from pagan peoples as part of pagan practice, a number of these things have evolved and changed through the centuries to the point that they have become far removed from any "pagan" practice.
For example, wreaths...
In the Greco-Roman world, wreaths were used as an adornment that could represent a person’s occupation, rank, their achievements and status. The wreath that was commonly used was the laurel wreath. The use of this wreath comes from the Greek myth involving Apollo, Zeus’ son and the god of life and light, who fell in love with the nymph Daphne. When he pursued her she fled and asked the river god Peneus to help her. Peneus turned her into a laurel tree. From that day, Apollo wore a wreath of laurel on his head. Laurel wreaths became associated with what Apollo embodied; victory, achievement and status and would later become one of the most commonly used symbols to address achievement throughout Greece and Rome. Laurel wreaths were used to crown victorious athletes at the original Olympic Games and are still worn in Italy by university students who just graduated.
Harvest wreaths, a common household decoration today, are a custom with ancient roots in Europe. The creation of harvest wreaths in Europe can be traced back to ancient times, and is associated with animistic spiritual beliefs. In Ancient Greece, the harvest wreath was a sacred amulet, using wheat or other harvested plants, woven together with red and white wool thread. The harvest wreath would be hung by the door year-round.
Harvest wreaths were an important symbol to the community in Ancient Greece, not merely to the farmer and his family. The festivals devoted to Dionysus, the Oschophoria and Anthesteria, included a ritual procession called the eiresîonę. A harvest wreath was carried to Pyanopsia and Thargelia by young boys, who would sing during the journey. The laurel or olive wreath would be hung at the door, and then offerings were made to Helios and the Hours. It was hoped that this ritual would bring protection against crop failure and plagues.
Pre-Christian Europeans began creating winter wreaths out of evergreen, a tree whose magic was believed to be able to withstand the bitter cold of winter, and so they represented eternal life. Holly was also a mystical symbol of immortality and was added to the winter wreaths. These were believed to hold the power to hold back the sickness and death that was so common in the bitter winter months of Europe. Mistletoe was eventually added to the winter wreath because it was seen as having magical properties that would increase love and fertility among couples.
As more and more Europeans became Christians, much of the symbolism behind these things were applied to Christ. It's important to remember that most ancient people didn't have a "Bible" like we do. They communicated the Gospel they heard through common cultural things. Newly converted Christians would communicate the Gospel through these things to their friends and neighbors by explaining that Jesus is the true "tree of life" who provides eternal life against the bitterly could seasons of life. The circular wreath was used to And so, the majority of Europeans who became what we know as Catholic today incorporated the wreath into devotional practice especially in relation to "Christmas" the time set aside to remember Christ's birth (I say set aside to remember Christ's birth because Christ's birthday certainly wasn't in December).
After the Protestant Reformation, Protestant Christians continued adorning their homes with wreaths during the holidays. And as Christians began to spread about the world through colonization, winter Christmas wreaths made their way into the Americas. Once in America, the wreath was admired not only for its spiritual meaning, but also its beauty. Many people in America, being capitalist, began to market the wreath as merely a "decoration". After several generations of this, most people in America today, including Christians, don't know the origins or history of the winter wreath. It is hung on doors, above fireplaces, and on walls as simply a festive winter, or "Christmas season", decoration. In addition, they are now made of nearly any material one can imagine and in as many styles as one can imagine. For the most part, there is no longer any religious association to the seasonal decoration. It's only hung on account of its aesthetic beauty.
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