(The same article can be written about Christmas and the pre-christian Celtic culture.)
The bottom line to all this "legalism" and condemning The Church and Christian culture for retaining some of the GOOD things of the pre-christian world - after all not EVERYTHING in the pre-christian world was bad . . . the legalism that calls such "LIBERTY" compromise, is the failure to grasp the True Liberty of the Gospel and the Liberty taught by the Apostles.
Saint Paul said:
1Co 3:17ff "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men.( NOW READ CAREFULLY) For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
The Apostles and their successors, the Church Fathers took this to mean that Christians are not "world rejecting" in the sense of viewing Creation and all that is in it as EVIL - you know the philosophy, "nothing here worth saving, we are just holding the fort until the Lord returns" That is a total distortion of the Gospel, robbing it of every ounce of evangelical reality. What is the true evangelical reality? That EVERYTHING may be redeemed, renewed, restored by the revelation of the sons of God. So the fact that EASTER has become a word sacred to Christians, is a VICTORY over a pagan god, NOT a compromise to paganism.
I'm looking forward to the day when the Church establishes a celebration of all the gentle monks, who have renounced violence, refused to eat red meat, who have sacrificed everything of "normal life" to live lives of work and prayer, where everywhere in the world The Blessed Trinity is adored at each second and each moment of every day, and it is known as Buddha Monday. And some fundamentalist will then scream - don't you know Buddha was a pagan?! And few if any remember that fact, since the name Buddha would have become renewed, regenerated, having once borne the image of the earthy, came to also bear the image of the heavenly, but not just the heavenly but HIM, Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven . . . I hope millions of those monks still wear orange and sit in the lotus position to pray and meditate, and chant oooommmmm in the name of Our Lord.
Want to know the origin of so-called "fertility cults" where today we say, "it was about hedonism and celebrating sex" and sure some degenerated to this. But the religion of Adam and Eve, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham was a fertility "religion" not a cult. They and many after them followed the FIRST COMMANDMENT of God, given before and following the fall in the Garden of Eden.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Recently people were shocked at the news that at an ancient archaeology site their primitive fertility god was discovered to be named Yahweh. Why should this be shocking? Do we really believe that God had prophets ONLY in Israel? And that the way in which he related to Israel is the only way God related to his creation in ancient times? Luk_1:70 "As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began." From the beginning to the time of Israel was a long time, A VERY long time.
Gen_1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
Gen_1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen_8:17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
Gen_9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Gen_9:7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
Gen_28:3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
Gen_35:11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
The bottom line to all this "legalism" and condemning The Church and Christian culture for retaining some of the GOOD things of the pre-christian world - after all not EVERYTHING in the pre-christian world was bad . . . the legalism that calls such "LIBERTY" compromise, is the failure to grasp the True Liberty of the Gospel and the Liberty taught by the Apostles.
Saint Paul said:
1Co 3:17ff "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men.( NOW READ CAREFULLY) For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
The Apostles and their successors, the Church Fathers took this to mean that Christians are not "world rejecting" in the sense of viewing Creation and all that is in it as EVIL - you know the philosophy, "nothing here worth saving, we are just holding the fort until the Lord returns" That is a total distortion of the Gospel, robbing it of every ounce of evangelical reality. What is the true evangelical reality? That EVERYTHING may be redeemed, renewed, restored by the revelation of the sons of God. So the fact that EASTER has become a word sacred to Christians, is a VICTORY over a pagan god, NOT a compromise to paganism.
I'm looking forward to the day when the Church establishes a celebration of all the gentle monks, who have renounced violence, refused to eat red meat, who have sacrificed everything of "normal life" to live lives of work and prayer, where everywhere in the world The Blessed Trinity is adored at each second and each moment of every day, and it is known as Buddha Monday. And some fundamentalist will then scream - don't you know Buddha was a pagan?! And few if any remember that fact, since the name Buddha would have become renewed, regenerated, having once borne the image of the earthy, came to also bear the image of the heavenly, but not just the heavenly but HIM, Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven . . . I hope millions of those monks still wear orange and sit in the lotus position to pray and meditate, and chant oooommmmm in the name of Our Lord.
Want to know the origin of so-called "fertility cults" where today we say, "it was about hedonism and celebrating sex" and sure some degenerated to this. But the religion of Adam and Eve, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham was a fertility "religion" not a cult. They and many after them followed the FIRST COMMANDMENT of God, given before and following the fall in the Garden of Eden.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Recently people were shocked at the news that at an ancient archaeology site their primitive fertility god was discovered to be named Yahweh. Why should this be shocking? Do we really believe that God had prophets ONLY in Israel? And that the way in which he related to Israel is the only way God related to his creation in ancient times? Luk_1:70 "As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began." From the beginning to the time of Israel was a long time, A VERY long time.
Gen_1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
Gen_1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen_8:17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.
Gen_9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Gen_9:7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
Gen_28:3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
Gen_35:11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
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