Letting Go of Easter

We know the world loves holidays.  We also know we, as Christ's followers, are NOT to love what the world loves….so what about Easter?

Well, despite common beliefs, the term Easter does NOT mean “Jesus is risen”, “Resurrection”, or “He lives” (I know, I was surprised too).  Easter is actually a name. .  . of a fertility goddess.  

Easter (also known as Eostre, Ishtar, Astarte, Venus, Aphrodite, or Ashtoreth) was a self-declared sun goddess (in the times of Nimrod- a few generations from Noah) who created an entire pagan religion focused on the ritual worship of fertility. She married her own son, dreamed up a colorful story about being born of the moon by a giant egg dropped in to the Euphrates river, dubbed herself the “Queen of Heaven”, ordained her children to be demi-gods, and started a great majority of the Babylonian religions and pagan holidays (including Christmas) that are still celebrated today.  In honor of the “Queen of Heaven” the spring season was dedicated to the celebration of new life and fertility. This time was marked by ritual practices using symbols such as eggs, birds, and bunnies (now known as Easter) and a time of fasting and mourning for her son Tammuz (now known as Lent).  

The Babylonians, Canaanites, Greeks, and Romans each knew her by a different name and tagged on their own creative additions to her story to suit the politics of their day.  When God’s own chosen people worshipped this pagan deity, they evoked the righteous wrath of their Creator: “ The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger.” –Jeremiah 7:18

When the Roman church hi-jacked the spring season and carefully tied it to Passover, titling Jesus’ resurrection as Easter Sunday, they officially declared Easter a holiday (or holy-day). Through the years (and Hallmark’s clever marketing strategies) the line has been blurred. History has been rewritten. The wrath of God has been forgotten.

But, be not ignorant, brethren:  If a hot cross bun for the queen provoked God to anger then (and He is unchanging and eternal) I think we know how He feels about Ishtar egg hunts on church lawns or pagan baskets full of trinkets from Lifeway stores.

The title “Easter” is irrelevant to Christ’s victorious resurrection. In fact it is outright blasphemy to tie the two together at all.  Easter belongs to the the devil. It always has.

Put the chocolate bunnies away.

Let's celebrate Christ’s victory! (and we don’t have to wait until spring).

 "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." - 2 Corinthians 6:2

For more info on the origin of Easter:

Should Christians Celebrate Easter?

The Truth of Easter

For more info on Christ’s victory:

The Gospel according to John

 

Letting Go of Birthdays

 

 

 

"Our object should not be to have scripture on our side but to be on the side of scripture; and however dear any sentiment may have become by being long entertained, so soon as it is seen to be contrary to the Bible, we must be prepared to abandon it without hesitation."
William Symington

 

When the Lord first led us to the truth behind the pagan traditions known as “Christmas”, we abandoned them without hesitation (Letting Go of Christmas).  Shocked that we would forgo participation in this “Christian season”, friends and family honored our stance last year, mostly believing we would “come to our senses” by this year and light up the old Christmas spirit! When that didn’t happen, we were encouraged to honor the season with a birthday party for Jesus by friends and church peers.

Well, we had already half-heartedly abandoned most of the traditions associated with birthdays anyway.  We rejected the idea of the “all about me” day, with “all about me” plates, napkins, and party favors.  We rejected gift giving and the expectations it fostered.  We rejected the world’s ideas of celebration, but we fell somewhere in the midst of a compromise.   We concluded that the best alternative to all the hoopla would be “a nice letter to the birthday person…praising their accomplishments for the year, showing affection and appreciation for your relationship with them, and wishing them well”…..yah, basically a Hallmark card.

This year, after the push to host or attend “birthday parties for Jesus”, we were drawn back to dig deeper on the subject.

Not surprisingly, the honoring of birthdays has its roots in pagan practice.   Birthdays were kept and celebrated surrounding astrology, mythology, and folklores.  So much has already been written about the history of these customs, it wouldn’t be prudent for me to try to rewrite it all.  Instead, I will use the information I have found to answer a few basic questions.  I encourage you to follow the links at the end of each quote to learn more for yourself.  These are some of the questions my husband and I asked in search of truth.

Does the Bible talk about birthdays?

“We find that there are birthday celebrations mentioned in the Bible. The first account is Genesis 40:1-23. Here we read of the Pharaoh’s birthday which resulted in the baker’s death. Another time a birthday is mentioned is Herod’s birthday (Matthew 14:3-11) which resulted in the death of John the Baptist.– Should Christians Celebrate Birthdays?  

 Why/When did man begin to keep birthdays?

The introduction of the Egyptian calendar became linked to astrology and fortune-telling. The keeping of birthdays, then, was important in ancient times, essentially due to the fact that the date of one's birth was directly related to the casting of a person's horoscope (Linton, Ralph and Adelin, The Lore of Birthdays, p. 12).”  – History of the Birthday Celebration  

Why Wasn’t Anyone’s (Even Jesus’) ACTUAL Day of Birth Recorded in the Bible?

 "Our (Roman) calendar is not Christian in origin. It descends directly from the Egyptians, who originated the 12 month year, 365 day system. A pagan Egyptian scientist, Sosigenes, suggested this plan to the pagan Emperor Julius Caesar, who directed that it go into effect throughout the Roman Empire in 45 B.C. As adopted it indicated its pagan orgin by the names of the months-called after Janus, Maia, Juno, etc. The days were not named but numbered on a complicated system involving Ides, Nones, and Calends. It was not until 321 A.D that the seven-day-week feature was added, when the Emperor Constantine (supposedly) adopted Christianity. Oddly enough for his weekdays he chose pagan names which are still used (Sunday, Moonday, Tiwsday, Wodensday, Thorsday, Friggasday, Saturnsday.)" (From "Journal of Calendar Reform," Sept. 1953, footnote p. 128. Italics ours.)

God's sacred Calendar committed to the Jews for preservation to our time has three months that vary in length from 29 to 30 days after a rather complicated pattern.  God 's people certainly knew the date of their birth, but they kept track of their age by calendar years, not birth dates.” – Attached to This World 

What Traditions are Associated with Birthday Celebrations?

“Long ago, people believed that on a birthday a person could be helped by good spirits, or hurt by evil spirits. So, when a person had a birthday, friends and relatives gathered to protect him or her. And that's how birthday parties began.

The idea of putting candles on birthday cakes goes back to ancient Greece. Artemis was the goddess of the moon. The Greeks celebrated her birthday once each month by bringing special cakes to her temple. The cakes were round like a full moon. And, because the moon glows with light, the cakes were decorated with lighted candles.

The reason for birthday spanks is to spank away any evil spirits and send them scurrying far into the distance. Punches, thumps, and pinches, the harder the better, are supposed to do the very same thing.

Party snappers, horns, bursting balloons, firecrackers, and other noisemakers are just one more way of trying to scare off any bad-luck spirits that may be hovering about.” -The Surprising Origin of Birthday Celebrations 

 

Does it Matter to God if we Observe Cultural Traditions?

Here is what God commands: “Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the heathen are dismayed by them. For the customs of the people are vain” (Jer. 10:2, 3).

After God freed Israel from slavery, He clearly instructed them, “After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein you dwelt, shall you not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, where I bring you, shall you not do: neither shall you walk in their ordinances” (Lev. 18:3). God commanded that they not defile themselves with the practices and customs of the surrounding nations (vs. 24-29). “Therefore shall you keep My ordinance, that you commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that you defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your God” (vs. 30).

This is an emphatic command from God. He does not want His servants dabbling in the customs of this world.”  -Are Birthday Celebrations “Christian”? 

 

How Can Birthday Parties Help or Hurt our Spritual Growth?

 “If our purpose is to build godly and holy offspring and loving, giving, godly children, then we should want to do NOTHING that would hinder this godly purpose – put no temptations in their pathway – do nothing to encourage them to think too highly of themselves in pride and arrogance. Rather, we should teach them to give, to serve, to be humble, to revere God and His Word, and to love others and seek to help, serve, and honor them. “ -The Surprising Origin ofBirthday Celebrations 

IN CONCLUSION:

What About Jesus’ Birthday?

The Bible does not document the day of Jesus’ birth, nor does the Lord command that it be remembered and celebrated annually.  When the angels wondrously announced the Lord’s birth, it was in celebration of his arrival, prophetic fulfillment, and the hope He brought in to the world.  Making cupcakes with little nativity scenes and singing “Happy Birthday to Jesus” hardly evokes the reverence and understanding necessary to fully appreciate His miraculous birth.   The devil (originally assisted by the Catholic church and now by ignorant Christians) wants to keep Jesus as a baby…helpless…wrapped in swaddling cloth…and laying in a manger.  The world puts him there every year and calls it Christmas. They pull Him out of glory, back from victory, and lay him back in the manger – before the blood was shed- helpless and new. And if the nativity scene on a church lawn wasn’t already patronizing to an infinite and awesome God, the world wants us to don party hats and sing to a “baby” in a manger, while our true Lord and Savior watches from His throne.

What About Our Birthday?

Surely, if a day set apart to honor one’s birth was not commanded by scripture for the Lord himself, how could we partake in such self-worship.  The social expectations of gifts and praise, and the participation of left-over pagan customs seem to condemn the practice anyway.  Although, we must track our age and acknowledge the annual passing of time,  a day to “celebrate yourself” for a people called to “deny [yourself] and take up [your] cross daily” seems contradictory and smells suspiciously like the world.  As for our family, our consciences can only be cleared by walking away from birthdays all together. 

Wednesday's Words - Veggie Tales Nativity

Yesterday my husband and I were flipping through a cooking magazine to find some recipes and because it was a December issue, it was filled with "holiday gift ideas" and other novelties.  One of the pages had a picture of the Veggie Tales Nativity Set.  Our three year old daughter looked at the picture and turned to us with her nose scrunched up. With a dissapointed sigh she said, "Daddy....Jesus is NOT a carrot." 

"And said unto him, Hearest thouwhat these say ? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read , Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" - Matthew 21:16

READ MORE HERE: AN HONEST WORD ON THE VEGGIE TALES

Searching Through Christianity to Find Christ - An Honest Word on St. Nicholas

 

Some Christians justify their annual mingling with the world during the holiday season with these false declarations: "Santa is harmless." "It's just good fun." "My kids know the difference between fantasy and reality." and, of course: "It's okay, because St. Nicholas was a Christian!"

*mounting soap box for official address*

 
St. Nicholas: 

Stories of a 3rd century born man named Nicholas have been carefully twisted in to nostalgia and magic over the last 16 centuries.  No recorded document holds the truth about this man. All we know (or have been convinced to believe) is based on legend and tradition: “According to tradition” Nicholas was persecuted and imprisoned for his faith. “According to tradition” he was released by Emperor Constantine in 324 AD. “According to tradition” he was a compassionate bishop who cared for the children. Sometime during the Middle Ages, Nicholas was canonized as the patron saint of charitable fraternities and children, and legends upon legends were perpetuated about him within the Catholic church. After the Reformation, these deviant legends of St. Nicholas were put to rest everywhere except in Holland. However, when the Dutch Reformed Christians immigrated to the United States, they brought the traditions of "Sinterklaas" with them….and round and round we go.    If Nicholas truly was a saint (a member of the body of Christ, a Christian) he would be disgusted with the idolatry and false traditions surrounding the legend of his deeds.   If his benevolence was truly wrought in humility and in submission to the Holy Spirit’s calling, he would want nothing more than to give glory to God and remind us of Jesus’ rebuke in Mark 7:9… "And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."

 

Santa Claus: 

The acknowledgement of Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Pere Noel, Singerklaas, the Christkind, Kris Kringle, Joulupukki, Babbo Natale, Saint Basil, and Father Frost is no less brazen in its declaration than the worship of Mother Earth, Father Time, Mother Nature, or any other pagan deity. If we, as saints, are to teach our children about someone who is omniscient (knows if you’ve been naughty or nice, knows if you’re sleeping or awake), omnipotent (can get in to your house even if you don’t have a chimney, and can make animals fly) and omnipresent (can visit every child on earth in one night)….that someone should be GOD!

 

In Conclusion:

Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa…and he was concocted by Lucifer himself to become a distraction and idol to those seeking temporal delight.  Don’t fall prey to the devil’s devices.  Seek truth and focus wholly on Christ alone.  Flee from the ways (and traditions) of man and seek the kingdom of God. There is no Nice or Naughty List, Virginia. But, there is a Book of Life and I pray that your name will be written there.



READ MORE: Letting Go of Christmas
7 Questions Christian Parents Should Ask Before Putting an Elf on the Shelf

Holidays or Holy Days - Does it Matter Which We Celebrate?

7 Questions Christian Parents Should ask Before Putting an Elf on the Shelf:

 

 

1. Do I want my children to believe truth, know the importance of honesty, and have the blessed assurance of salvation someday?

2. Am I prepared to compromise that possibility with a lie about Jolly ole St. Nick and the promise of temporal joy for every girl and boy?

3. Am I prepared to cement that lie as I add a secondary falsehood (with a little felt hat) on my mantel piece?

4. Can I commit to perpetuating these lies daily by moving the doll around the house and encouraging the children to share their dreams and wishes with the enchanted tattle-tale?

5. How do I feel about teaching my children to conjure up magic through their own authority and action (naming the elf or touching the elf)?

6. Am I okay with persuading my children to “behave” through means of dishonesty and controlled paranoia rather than training them up in the way they should go?

7. What will happen to my children’s hearts (and all the the truths I shared about Christ) when they find out it was all a lie?

 

 

"The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” – Proverbs 20:7

*READ MORE HERE:
Christmas and Cultural Paganism
An Honest Word on St. Nicholas

 

 

Searching Through Christianity to find Christ - An Honest Word on the Veggie Tales

So, you victoriously talk your child out of purchasing a Batman video by convincing him that these Veggie Tales DVD’s are “just as cool”…and “they’re Christian!”.  You sit contently in the other room, feeling all fluffy inside thinking, “at least he’s learning something good”, as your child watches, listens to, learns from, and instantly adores a concept, a creation, a carefully constructed cast of edible characters…harmless, right?  Over the next few weeks, your child talks endlessly about  Jim and Jerry Gourd or sings silly songs while he is supposed to be brushing his teeth…and you smile and think, “Oh, good...it’s sinking in.”  So, you let your child pick a few more Veggie Tales videos  like “St. Nicholas” (Which is full of subliminal Santa Claus propaganda) and “The League of Incredible Vegetables” (which promotes the modern world’s pagan deities: super heroes) and you let him watch them back to back before dinner. When your child sees Junior Asparagus on a commercial, in a toy store, or on a t-shirt, he beams with joy, as though seeing a long-lost friend…tied securely through heart strings and the genuine trust of a child.  You pat yourself on the back, proud that your parenting has led him to such a righteous bond and buy him a Veggie night light, lunch box, and underwear.  You stop reading Bible stories with him so often, because you figure Bob and Larry have that covered.  His Sunday School teacher explains that he interrupts her reading with confident interjections like, “No. That’s not how it goes. It was the French peas…” believing her version to be the mixed up tale, rather than the animated “truth” you lovingly allowed him to memorize every day during naptime, and you laugh, amused by his loyalty.   One day he sees a Veggie Tales pirate ship with all the movable characters.  His eyes glaze over and he stares longingly at the box (ignorant to the evil history associated with pirates and the demonic symbol displayed on the ship’s sail) he does not politely request the idol-adorned item as Laura Carrot would do, but instead demands it loudly.  When you refuse, he digs his heels in with the most logical argument he has, “but, Mom….it’s Christian.”

There is no greater opportunity for the devil to dress himself in sheep’s clothing than when we mindlessly accept something because “it’s Christian”.   The title “Christian” is defined in the book of Acts as a “follower or believer of Christ” and was used specifically and pointedly for those who chose to follow after Jesus.   “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” – Acts 11:26

According to this New Testament definition, our modern version of the word Christian seems to be way off base. If a Christian is a person (a soul) that chooses to follow Christ…then how can something (an inanimate object) BE Christian?  It can’t.  Just as a book can not BE Jewish.  It can clearly promote Jewish doctrine, but it can not BE Jewish.  And so, a cartoon (or bracelet, toy, t-shirt, or cd) can not BE Christian.  Only those who confess Christ, are saved by grace through faith, and submit to following Him, can be called Christian.  Those clever creations from Big Ideas Inc. are witty, amusing, entertaining, and catchy…but they are not “Christian”.    In fact they are a subtle indoctrination in to the wonderful world of lukewarm Christianity.

For those of you who believe your children get a lot of “Christian teaching” from Veggie Tales… you’re right.  Your children are taught much about Christianity through these talking vegetables (and fruits).  Mostly they learn the following:  Christianity is funny….it’s silly….sometimes it doesn’t make sense….Christianity has weird stories that sound similar to the ones from the Bible, except way better….Christianity keeps up with modern culture by doing witty spoofs of familiar worldly idols…Christianity uses humor to mask the seriousness of old testament truth ….it cares not for the gospel and the fundamentals regarding salvation…Christianity doesn’t have much to do with Jesus….but, it promotes consumerism and idol worship through the marketing of cleverly advertised merchandise at the Christianity store …you can even buy Christianity candy and Christianity T-shirts! 

And, really….what else could you possibly want your children to learn about Christianity?

Now, if your intentions are to make sure your children enjoy their childhood, are entertained rather than educated, are amused rather than convicted,  have no sense of biblical truth, but at least learn a little morality, then the Veggie tales (and other ridiculous “Christian” paraphernalia) are perfect for you…carry on and forget I mentioned anything at all. No sense getting in your way (or should I say the devil’s way).

But, if your intentions are to act in responsibility to the stewardship you have been given as a parent, to train your child up in the way they should go, to teach truth, to live faithfully, and to prayerfully guide your children to salvation…then you have no business mingling with the world’s idea of Christianity.  Your children, especially, who have not developed filters, discernment, or self-restraint…have no business amusing their flesh with Laodicean compromise.

There is only one gospel.  Paul did not sing, and dance, and announce, “Boy, have we got a show for you!” before speaking of salvation.  He very boldly, and very reverently spoke the truth.  Which is what we, as Christians (proper use of the word) are called to do.  And we, as parents have an obligation to protect our children from anything less than that.

Even Phil Vischer himself  - founder of Veggie Tales – has rebuked the use of these videos (books, cds, action figures, backpacks, socks…) for Christian education and has started a new ministry with videos called, "What's in the Bible" ( I have not reviewed these yet).  Knowing how closely he played with fire according to Proverbs 30:6 (“Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”) Phil gave this statement:

“I looked back at the previous 10 years and realized I had spent 10 years trying to convince kids to behave Christianly without actually teaching them Christianity. And that was a pretty serious conviction. You can say, ‘Hey kids, be more forgiving because the Bible says so,’ or, ‘Hey kids, be more kind because the Bible says so!’ But that isn’t Christianity, it’s morality.” –Phil Vischer, founder of Veggietales

But, what’s wrong with morality?  Nothing.  Morality is the fruit of the spirit.  Aesop’s Fables and the Brothers Grimm can teach morality….but  nobody is pretending they’re “Christian.”  The danger in Veggie Tales (and most of what is sold in a “Christianity Store”) is a false sense of security.  Don’t let the devil catch you with your guard down. This is warfare. Your children’s souls are the bounty.

Of course, one mystery still remains:  Before cartoons, illustrated Bible Stories, and talking vegetables, how did children ever learn that “God made them special and He loves them very much?” 

….Somebody must have read them the Bible.

Searching through Christianity to find Christ - An Honest Word on Christian T-shirts

I saw someone wearing a t-shirt the other day that said, “Hardcore Christian” and I wondered what statement they were trying to make. I saw someone else wearing a t-shirt that said, “shut the f--- up”. I still haven’t decided which one is more offensive.

I can’t help but ask questions like, Why is there no evident difference between a believer and a nonbeliever, unless I read their shirt? Why is W.W.J.D stamped on a rubber wristband rather than our hearts? Why is Christianity a cheap novelty? Where is Christ in that?

Over the last 50 years we have allowed Christianity to be marketed through slogans and trinkets, rather than testimony and witness.  When the world wonders what it means to be a Christian, we shouldn’t be surprised that they look to the tangible items available.  But, it is a disgrace to know Christians are leading this parade.  So, what does it mean to be a Christian? In Ephesians (5:8) Paul says we are to “walk as children of light” as we are granted the “light of life”(spoken of by Jesus in John 8:12). The Lord addresses our role and our responsibility at the sermon on the mount:

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.Ye are the light of the world.–Matthew 5:13-14

When I hear a young girl say, “My mom is making us do everything Christian….Christian books, clothes, music… everything. I mean it’s okay to do Christian stuff sometimes, but we need a break, you know. We can’t be Christian all the time…”  I know we have lost our savor.  How shameful. And where is our light?  Is it in the cross necklaces around our necks? Is it in the fish stickers on our car bumpers? Is it on our t-shirt, bracelet, backpack, paperweight, or wind chime? Or is it nothing but a flicker…striving to shine through clever merchandising and lukewarm religion?

I know a popular “Christian” bookstore chain that sells T-shirts that read: “You need Jesus. I’m just sayin’.” Although it makes no apologies for the truth (everyone does need Jesus), it excuses the need for convicting evidence and truth spoken in love in order to send anyone seeking.  Cowardly declarations like these that reflect the ignorance of a current generation rather than the courage and truth of the gospel are damaging to our testimony as a whole.  When I saw that t-shirt, I thought, why wear that shirt when you could wear one that says: “I just made an assertion, but I am not going to back it up with anything....I am a judgmental coward that has no idea what I am talking about, but isn’t my t-shirt funny?”  But, where is Christ in that?

There is such a lack of reverence in modern Christianity. It really is embarrassing.  Somehow, growing up (in the church)  I got lost in the idea of fluffy Jesus…Jesus my friend….Jesus my pal….Jesus the go-to guy….Jesus the long haired hippy who loves all the red, yellow, black and white children of the world. These distorted concepts were driven by media and merchandising rather than Biblical truth.  Clearly I had never met Jesus my Savior (saving me from sure and eternal damnation) or Jesus my Lord (to reign in my life) or Jesus my Rock (the foundation of everything I think, decide, and act upon) or Jesus my Redeemer (who paid my ransom with his own blood). So, how could I claim to be a Christian? The same way everyone else did: with a necklace, a bumper sticker, and a clever t-shirt.  Where is Christ in that?

Hardcore Christians give their lives over to God in full service. They live sacrificially, sometimes in foreign environments, facing danger of persecution, torment, and death.  They spread the word of God, sharing the gospel with friend and foe, facing martyrdom with praise and thanksgiving.  They live in acknowledgement and repentance of their daily sins to maintain fellowship with the Lord. They seek the will of God in all endeavors and wear the whole armor of God as they fight a spiritual battle with Satan and his legions, fasting and praying without ceasing. They hide scripture in their heart so they may not sin against their Heavenly Father. They shine the light of life in this dark world. They are savory salt.  They DO NOT wear Christian T-shirts!