Sorry, I still don't see how the origins of a particular
practice leads to pagan practice today. For 2000 years, I'm sure
practices will develop (not change) to a certain degree,
especially when cultural influences are absorbed along
the way. So if people worship in English today instead of
Hebrew / Greek and build churches that look more local
rather than those in the early church, are they pagan??
But the most ironic part here is that despite all
these 'paganisation' as you call it, the Catholic church today
still most closely resembles the beliefs and the way the early
Christians worshipped, especially as seen in the book of Acts
and in the writings of the early church fathers.
For the facts on Easter's origins, pls read http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1999/9903chap.asp, so
please stop this illogical reasoning that "this
sounds like that, so everything about this
is equal to that".
About the Jeremiah passage, how do you know Jeremiah was
referring to Christmas trees and not a hundred other
possibilities? You mean Christmas trees existed in
Jeremiah's time and he was dutifully warning them against the
trees??
And about the Israelites at Mt Sinai, of course they brought
down the wrath of God because it's a golden calf! Again,
Catholics don't worship Christmas trees, Easter bunnies,
the sun, the moon or whatever else, except our Heavenly Father.
I already gave you an example, when Aharon made the golden calf
and worshipped it and called it the feast of Yahweh, it did not
stop Yahweh from being angry with that... so what makes you think
bringing pagan practices into the church and giving them a
different name is ok for Yahweh? Like one writer said, paganism
provided the rituals, and christianity the nomenclature... dressing
a wolf in sheeps clothing still makes it a wolf, celebrating sol
invictus or the brithdate of mirtha as the birth date of Yeshua
still does not make it His birthday and still does not make a pagan
ritual acceptable in the eyes of Yahweh. You do things HIS way and
not the way man thinks it should be done. Yet I know so many who
worship in english that are more like what the bible say we should
be than the catholic church will EVER be. Practices like christmas
and easter were NEVER entertained in the time of Yeshua and his
disciples, even in the book of acts, we do not see the disciples
celebrating easter or chirstmas. If Yeshua did not celebrate
christmas, and His commandment to us is obey/follow Him as He
obeys/follows the commandments of His Father, why are you
celebrating christmas and easter? GO through the whole of
the bible and find me the commandment to celebrate these two
critical feasts in the christian/catholic faith.
please!! how does the catholic church resemble the belief system
of the early believers. they were most certainly not "christian".go
back and read and UNDERSTAND your bible. just comparing with the
book of acts the church never existed and there was no such
terminology...the church is so FAR different that it defies
belief.
you claim to worship our Heavenly Father, so get rid of your
idols, get rid of your pagan imagery... but remember He is the G_d
of Avraham, Yitzak and Yakov. Not the G_d of the christian.
What do you do to a christmas tree? You put streamers around it
decorate with gold and silver balls etc..these practices stem from
the pagan rituals surrounding the christmas tree... yet the
admonition from Yahweh was FOLLOW NOT THE WAY OF
THE GENTILES(HEATHEN)... and what does the church do? exactly just
that!
you see what you want to see I guess... only one word describes
you... brainwashed.
I will refer you to this website... have a read of it for
yourself... http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usmo&c=holidays&id=13036
