Pagan Christanity?

Our faith began free of paganism. From 30 A.D. to the 1st Century, Christianity flourished from Calvary to Corinth. The Holy Fathers, the Apostles fought hard to keep all apostasy and heresy out of the Church. St. Paul confronted Simon the Magician who wanted to take the power of the Holy Spirit for himself and use it in conjunction with his black arts. Simon was cursed with blindness for his bedeviled disposition. However, Simon's sorcery and infectious ideas would not die immediately. According to Eusebius, the Manichaeism Heresy and most of the apostasies that bleed into the 3rd Century came from that acolyte Simon and his disciples.

Satan has always tried to pollute and corrupt the truth. When God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Devil questioned God's decree by twisting it, "Did he really say you could not eat of the any fruit of the trees in this garden?" (Genesis 3:1). In a similar manner Satan has tried to seduce the Church with questions like "are icons really idols?" and "did Jesus say you could not keep your old traditions?" When Christianity sweep through Roman Europe, many pagan tribes labeled as Barbarians became believers. The first were the Franks, they adopted Christ as their God and became very fervent and devout. The Frank forsook their old traditions and embraced the Gospel. In stark contrast, the Viking tribes wanted to keep their paganism and embrace Christianity. This became a dilemma for the evangelistic Monks, their decision like Emperor Constantine would be fatal in the long run.

Viking

Emperor Constantine was heralded as savior of Christianity. When the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire saw the vision of the cross and thus adorned his armies' shields with the rood and won victory, he converted to Christianity. Constantine's mother, Helena had already been Christian and she helped encourage her son to follow the faith. However, the problem came when Constantine wanted to make Christianity the official religion of his capital Constantinople and his other domains. The faith was embraced, the Christian persecution was put to an end, but the Emperor refused to enforce the purging of pagan icons, articles, and beliefs. Constantine is famous for having said, "Those who have practiced their old beliefs have done so too long, they should not be burdened with forsaking the old for the new, let that be for the next generation." (Paraphrase). Well, that next generation never came.

Emperor Constantine

The successors to Emperor Constantine, the Byzantines kept the pagan statues and icons of Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and others. Within the great city of Constantinople you could see the Hagia Sophia, the largest domed Church in Christendom, and around it the ancient shrines to the pagan Roman gods. The refusal to remove graven images and the divided loyalty that Greeks and Romans held in their hearts would inevitably be the downfall of their kingdom.

Paganism found it's salvation in Holy Church throughout the Middle Ages. Sainthood, the veneration of saints became a new means for heathens to keep their ancient gods. The appearance of Mary Guadalupe would create the Cult of the Virgin Mary and deify the Mother of Jesus. Artemis worshipers, women who had been pagan found a means to continue their practices only under the guise of venerating Mary. Many saints that are not in the Bible bear striking similarities to gods, half'-deities, and other creatures. St. George, a patron saint of warriors has many similarities to Persus, Cetus, and Andromeda. He also has similarities to Horus from Egyptian and Phoenician legend. While George was indeed a real knight who slayed the last dragon, his canonization served a purpose for paganism and a means for warriors who followed Oiden, Thor, Aries, Baal, and other war gods to continue doing so through him.

Icons are another issue. According to the Ten Commandments given by God we are to not make any graven image. The first two commandments say, "You shall have no other gods before me," and "You shall not make for yourself any graven image of worship, not of the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, or the creatures that walk the earth." (Exodus 20:3-4). Does this apply to icons? From artistic standpoint icons are beautiful. The golds and use of pigment, tempura, fresco, and other mediums is something to marvel at. Is there anything wrong with having crucifix or images of saints as long as you do not worship the icon? This became a heated debated between Iconoclasts (those who rejected icons) and Orthodox believers. To this day the debate rages.

Icons

Using icons is old. The forerunners of our faith, the Jews used menorahs, horns, and other articles. It is said the Ark of the Covenant had two angels adorned on its golden lid. The Scriptures also mention that God orders the creation of the Ark, the Menorah, and other specifications of the Temple to resemble his temple in Heaven. However, the Lord was against the building of a temple in the first place, he said "who is man that he can build a house for me? Did I not go from tent to tent, tabernacle to tabernacle?" (Isaiah 66:1 NLT). Although the Tabernacle did have the articles like the Menorah.

Take the Star of David. A symbol of modern Israel that originated in the 3rd Century and yet is believed to have also been from the time of David, though not proven. The Star of David is actually rejected by Orthodox Jews because of its involvement in Kabala (Jewish Witchcraft). The star has roots in Egypt and was used by the acolytes there in B.C. If Jewish symbols and rites have pagan influences, could Christianity?

The answer is yes. Paganism has survived in the Church. Traditions of other religions are especially preserved in the Catholic Church. The rosary comes from Islam, the beads are a means upon which Muslims pray daily and the Church simply added a cross. The candles are connected to Norse worship, ancestral Asian cults, and Judaism. Icons are in almost every religion save for Islam. You can find old icons of Apollo and Osiris preserved in museums. But does Christianization work? Can one take something pagan and turn it to the service of Almighty God? The answer is yes and no. What I have mentioned above: the rosary, candles, and icons can be safely used in the service of Christ. Rosaries are not made to worship Allah, but to pray to Jesus and unfortunately Mary too. You can sanctify the rosary and use it. Candles never were wicked, they illuminate and have been used since time began to give light. Icons are fine if they do not become idols. If erecting a crucifix or golden symbols of saints does not tempt you into worshiping them but helps you follow Christ and inspires you to be like those saints in character, then there is no harm.

Rosary

However, there are unredeemable objects, symbols, and articles. The Pentagram and Pentangle are universal symbols of black and white witchcraft. They are associated with Satanism and sorcery. The goat head on the pentagram or other similar symbols are also tainted by the black arts. Owning icons of Apollo or any Greek, Roman, Norse, or other pagan god and creature is sheer folly! I know of a woman who came back from Japan with one of those Cat-o-Luck statues and she started having financial trouble. I know of yet another person who bought the Elephant god in India and brought it home for good luck and fidelity and she became barren! Pagan icons and symbols have power, because they invite and give the devils a right to be in your home. What is difficult is that there are Christianized pagan icons like Mary of Guadalupe (not the real Virgin Mother of Jesus) that will do the same.

For everything that you intend to bring in your home, pray and ask the Lord for discernment. Even Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Russian Orthodox symbols can be tainted by pagan rites and connections to the fallen angels. Crucifixes and crosses are fine to own, ware, and use, but beware of strange ones like the Coptic cross which is Egyptian and has ties to witchcraft dating back to Egyptian Times. Be inquisitive and look up each symbol you seek to bring into your home. Do not blindly bring it into your sanctuary, for spirits of darkness desire Christians to keep their symbols in their homes. It allows those demonic powers residence.

I am not endeavoring to instill fear, for "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7). But we should be aware and careful. Let me give an example of why we must be diligent. I am fascinated by the Crusades and was looking for a Templar tunic. I had to be extra careful because the Masons, a Satanic cult, use Templar icons, swords, and even outfits. The original Knights Templar were Knights of Christ. Their crosses were the pattee and its variants (see crosses below); but the Masons use a specific cross and sword that is thin like rapier but without the cage around the hand. You see, a pagan and even Satanic group took a Christian Military Order's symbols and traditions and made them their own. To this day I have to debunk the notion that Templars were masonic. The Free Masons started using Templar symbols in the 18th Century, long after 1307-12 when the Templar Order was destroyed.

 

  

Our world is saturated by symbols. Many are pagan in origin, while some are Christian. Starbuck's, the famous coffee chain uses a siran or mermaid for their symbol. The mermaid has crown on her head and is pointing to it. What does a siran have to do with coffee? This is obviously subtle homage to the succubus creatures who with song would run ships aground in the fog and seduce sailors. Then you have Lincoln, the car company which uses a cross in shield shape box.  Pay attention, everywhere you go there are icons and symbols about. Do not make any mistake, I am not saying give up Starbuck's coffee or refuse buying a car if it does not have cross upon it, but be ware and do not just ignore when you see something carved, printed, or attached to a wall, window, and etc.

Will we still be saved if we have pagan things among us? Yes. If your faith is in Christ Jesus and you love him, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 1:22). But the presence of pagan things can cause you pains and make following the Lord more difficult. You may buy a painting of Apollo in Venice because of its beauty, not because you worship him, but then you notice it is hard to pray to Christ in your house and give Him adoration. The problem is that God is a jealous god. He does not want anything to come between you and Him. The pagans from the Roman era to the Middle Ages to even the Renaissance of Michelangelo's days worshiped both Jesus and Jupiter: they followed God and the devil. This is apostasy, heresy, and grounds for possible damnation. Jesus said, "you cannot serve two masters, you will love one and hate the other.." (Matthew 6:24). You either love Jesus or love other gods. Most Christians today are not like the pagans of old, their hearts are in Christ, but they maybe surrounded by pagan things. This is different, they have not reached the discernment level to remove those things and since their heart is not follow other gods, they are not in deep spiritual peril, but I do argue they will have fallout and trouble in time with the spirits that come with those icons, busts, and sculptures of antiquity.

My urging is to be cautious and use discernment. Do not be bound by fear, but be alert. The enemy of our faith wants to plant seeds in our sanctuary. The devil is ever at work to deceive us and he will even use symbols of the Church that have old pagan ties to do it. Here is the two methods to use, if the symbol is Christian, a cross or something Catholic that is from the Scriptures, keep it, pray over it, and anoint it with oil. If the symbol or icon is absolutely pagan do not bring into your home. It is one thing to study pagan beliefs in school, to look at the busts and symbols of other gods in museums, and to do research online. But placing them in your home is different, it brings them honor and is not protected like research.

Exercise discernment and investigate! Do not blindly buy something that is foreign to you! Just because its pretty, does not mean its pure! "Be wise as serpents, but gentle as doves." (Matthew 10:16). Do not be disrespectful, but be discernful. Let the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit guide you. If you trust in Him, you shall not fall into deception.