The origin of the St. John's Day Festival (or Midsummer Day).

[hobie]

I was studying this festival when I came across some other festivals tied to it. But lets start with this festival, St. John's Day is celebrated on June 24. For some it includes singing songs and dancing until the sun sets, telling tales, searching to find the magic fern blossom at midnight, jumping over bonfires, greeting the rising midsummer sun. It is nominally a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of John the Baptist.

The Nativity of St John the Baptist is one of the oldest festivals, being listed by the Council of Agde in 506 as one of that region's principal festivals, where it was a day of rest and, like Christmas, was celebrated with three Masses: a vigil, at dawn, and at midday.

The Nativity of St John the Baptist on June 24 comes three months after the celebration on March 25 of the Annunciation, and six months before the Christmas celebration. They line up with the days related to the solstice.

The Nativity of John the Baptist are in fact more related to the celebration of midsummer which are themselves remnants of pagan midsummer festivals. The Midsummer Day festival was a pagan festival held on June 24 of each year, and Midsummer is one of the four pagan solar holidays, and church leaders wanted to Christianize the pagan solstice celebrations and for this reason advanced Saint John's feast as a substitute.

The four pagan solar holidays are Solar festivals which are the Winter Solstice (Yule) which is the shortest day, Summer Solstice (Midsummer) which is the longest day. The Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox mark the time when hours of light and darkness are equal.

The Winter Solstice (Yule) festival is celebrated as the rebirth of the great god, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun, and was the winter festival celebrated around the bonfires. It also is the pagan Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, the Sol Invictus ("Invincible Sun") was the official sun god of the later Roman empire which was picked up from pagan worship of Mithras. 'Sol ivictus' or better said as ';dies natalis solis invicti' is known as the festival of the unconquered sun. Since earliest history, the Sun was celebrated by pagans at the winter solstice when sun began it's journey into dominance after it's apparent weakness during winter. The origin of these rites, followers of Mithras believed, was a proclamation at the dawn of human history by the god Mithras commanding His followers to observe such rites on that day to celebrate the birth of Mithras, the Invincible Sun.

The Spring Equinox festival was characterized by the rejoining of the Mother Goddess and her lover-consort-son, who spent the winter months in death and has been connected to the goddess Eostre (Ishtar) the "goddess of sunrise" so we get the festival of Easter. In Deutsche Mythologie, Jacob Grimm speculates on the nature of the goddess....

"Eástre seems therefore to have been the divinity of the radiant dawn, of upspringing light, a spectacle that brings joy and blessing, whose meaning could be easily adapted by the resurrection-day of the christian's God. Bonfires were lighted at Easter and according to popular belief of long standing, the moment the sun rises on Easter Sunday morning, he gives three joyful leaps, he dances for joy...Water drawn on the Easter morning is, like that at Christmas, holy and healing.. "

The Summer Solstice or Midsummer Day was a festival celebrated as we saw by singing songs and dancing until the sun sets, telling tales and jumping over bonfires.

The Autumn Equinox festival was the marking of one of the points in the year when hours of light and darkness are equal but the dark is overcoming the light. It is also the time when leaves are falling from the trees, greenness is turning to brown as 'life' appears to be leaving the land. At this time many of the Pagan legends and myths are associated with descent into the Underworld.

Now we see how easily paganism crept into the church, the leaders allowed it and renamed the the pagan solstice celebrations to bring them in...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...celebration-facts-longest-day-year/721004002/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/wintersolstice.shtml
https://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/litha-pagans-celebrate-summer-solstice
https://www.learnreligions.com/about-yule-rituals-2562970

 

[atpollard]

I can’t speak for the Early Church and paganism, but New Beginnings Life Center, where I gather with the Saints, loves to get together and will accept any excuse to come together and enjoy one another ... we celebrate just because it is the Third Thursday of the Month!

Perhaps early Christians just liked to get together and have fun and the Longest Day of the Year was as good of an excuse as any.

 

[hobie]

I can’t speak for the Early Church and paganism, but New Beginnings Life Center, where I gather with the Saints, loves to get together and will accept any excuse to come together and enjoy one another ... we celebrate just because it is the Third Thursday of the Month!

Perhaps early Christians just liked to get together and have fun and the Longest Day of the Year was as good of an excuse as any.

Well nowhere in the Bible is the solstice a time "to get together and have fun", its origin was not Christian, need to research it....

"You've probably heard of the Spring and Fall Equinoxes (times of equal-length day and night) and the Summer and Winter Solstices (longest and shortest day, respectively) before. In current usage these each define the official beginning of a season -- for example, summer ``begins'' around June 21st. However a less-used parallel system holds that June 21st is actually Midsummer's Day, which then requires the start of summer to be in early May. This date and three others like it are known as the Cross-Quarter Days, because they are evenly spaced between the fundamental Quarter Days of the Solstices and Equinoxes.....

All eight of the above-listed Days were observed as pagan holidays of one sort or another; a few, like Halloween, have survived to modern times in (somewhat) recognizable form. What is more interesting is the number of supposedly modern holidays which lie in close proximity to the same dates. Christmas (Winter Solstice) and Easter (Spring Equinox) are two obvious examples; one may make the argument that these holiday times were inherited. Others are quite surprising -- like Father's Day (Summer Solstice)! "
https://www.naic.edu/~gibson/cal/

"Almost all Pagans celebrate a cycle of eight festivals, which are spaced every six or seven weeks through the year and divide the wheel into eight segments....
The other four festivals are points in the solar calendar. These are, Spring Equinox, Autumn Equinox, Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice." https://druidnetwork.org/what-is-dr...l-festivals/celebrations-festivals-holy-days/

"The Solstices, Equinoxes, and mid-points between - - also known as the Cross Quarters - - have been celebrated by a variety of Nature peoples around the world and across the ages. Today, Wiccans and other Pagans often blend together ancient as well as contemporary approaches to celebrating these seasonal festivals."
https://www.circlesanctuary.org/index.php/celebrating-the-seasons/celebrating-the-seasons

"The Wheel of the Year is a representation of the eight pagan holidays or Wiccan Sabbats. These holidays honor and celebrate the seasons and cycles of life for those who practice paganism or Wicca."
https://exemplore.com/paganism/Wheel-of-the-Year-The-Eight-Pagan-Holidays

"The summer solstice arrives in the northern hemisphere on June 20, 2016, bringing with it the longest day in the year — which means lots of extra sunlight for festivities. The day is considered to be sacred by many pagans around the world who celebrate the solstice among their other yearly holidays....

The summer solstice is one of four solar holidays, along with the autumnal equinox, the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. The other major pagan holidays are Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh...

One of the biggest pagan celebrations occurs at Stonehenge in England, but others take place among indigenous Latin and South American communities, and in Russia, Spain and other countries....

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-...QM3GOw1GpUDUUMCy4Y9T8doX2V9xSlapEOgqw7CXRltMC

Etc..etc..etc...https://www.ancient-origins.net/hum...e-rituals-and-events-mark-sacred-cycle-007888
https://paganfed.org/index.php/paganism/pf-wheel-of-the-year
https://www.ancient.eu/Wheel_of_the_Year/


Its very clear its origin is not Christian much less scriptural...

 

[Lamb]

Celebrating a day because God made it is not forbidden. Who cares if Pagans enjoyed a certain day...don't deny Christians a day to celebrate what God has given to us because of someone else's beliefs.

 

[sunshinemama91]

Celebrating a day because God made it is not forbidden. Who cares if Pagans enjoyed a certain day...don't deny Christians a day to celebrate what God has given to us because of someone else's beliefs.

The Bible warns us not to adapt pagan celebrations, rituals, beliefs, etc. Humans aren't denying "the fun" God is for our own protection and spiritual well-being. I'm pretty sure He makes it very clear not to regard any day higher than another.

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk

 

[Albion]

I was studying this festival when I came across some other festivals tied to it. But lets start with this festival, St. John's Day is celebrated on June 24. For some it includes singing songs and dancing until the sun sets, telling tales, searching to find the magic fern blossom at midnight, jumping over bonfires, greeting the rising midsummer sun.

I have never met a Christian who does that; and I know of no Christian church which has a festival as you described to commemorate St. John's Day.

 

[sunshinemama91]

I have never met a Christian who does that; and I know of no Christian church which has a festival as you described to commemorate St. John's Day.

I think the Catholic church might

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk

 

[Lamb]

The Bible warns us not to adapt pagan celebrations, rituals, beliefs, etc. Humans aren't denying "the fun" God is for our own protection and spiritual well-being. I'm pretty sure He makes it very clear not to regard any day higher than another.

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk

I'm glad you brought this up (welcome to the forum, btw). We need to examine the INTENT of the people. Pagans celebrate certain days with the intent of something and that intent is extremely different than a Christian celebrating a day because the Lord made it. Do you see? We do not celebrate "Pagan" rituals as Christians because we do not have the same intent as they do. If we decide to turn a day into something that points to our Lord, it should not be forbidden...the intent is not evil.

 

[Albion]

I think the Catholic church might

It doesn't.

 

[sunshinemama91]

I'm glad you brought this up (welcome to the forum, btw). We need to examine the INTENT of the people. Pagans celebrate certain days with the intent of something and that intent is extremely different than a Christian celebrating a day because the Lord made it. Do you see? We do not celebrate "Pagan" rituals as Christians because we do not have the same intent as they do. If we decide to turn a day into something that points to our Lord, it should not be forbidden...the intent is not evil.

Having been a Pagan previously and taken part in occultic practices, the terms "intentions are everything" were used with great frequency. I've come to believe intentions mean nothing when the action is against God's written word. I try not to be legalistic about it, but the conviction not to celebrate pagan holidays retitled as Christian ones is pretty extreme- Christmas, Easter, Halloween or all Saints Day etc... all have adopted pagan traditions that the Bible warns us pretty explicitly about. Perhaps if we took out the tree, the eggs, and all of the pagan symbolism and like put on sack cloth, fasted, and prayed instead and then feasted in the name of the Lord, but very few people actually celebrate the way that would be Biblically appropriate.

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk

 

[Lamb]

Having been a Pagan previously and taken part in occultic practices, the terms "intentions are everything" were used with great frequency. I've come to believe intentions mean nothing when the action is against God's written word. I try not to be legalistic about it, but the conviction not to celebrate pagan holidays retitled as Christian ones is pretty extreme- Christmas, Easter, Halloween or all Saints Day etc... all have adopted pagan traditions that the Bible warns us pretty explicitly about. Perhaps if we took out the tree, the eggs, and all of the pagan symbolism and like put on sack cloth, fasted, and prayed instead and then feasted in the name of the Lord, but very few people actually celebrate the way that would be Biblically appropriate.

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk

Since you were involved previously in Pagan practices then for you I can see where it might lead you back toward those dangerous beliefs...but as for me, I will celebrate holidays like Christmas, Easter and All Saints Day because I do so in honor of the Triune God and celebrate HIM. All praise to God alone.

 

[Albion]

Having been a Pagan previously and taken part in occultic practices, the terms "intentions are everything" were used with great frequency. I've come to believe intentions mean nothing when the action is against God's written word. I try not to be legalistic about it, but the conviction not to celebrate pagan holidays retitled as Christian ones is pretty extreme- Christmas, Easter, Halloween or all Saints Day etc... all have adopted pagan traditions that the Bible warns us pretty explicitly about. Perhaps if we took out the tree, the eggs, and all of the pagan symbolism and like put on sack cloth, fasted, and prayed instead and then feasted in the name of the Lord, but very few people actually celebrate the way that would be Biblically appropriate.

The logic is reasonable, but you have to put some facts behind it if this is to be taken seriously (and that would be good advice for you as well).

If something is an imitation of pagan practice, that would be open to question. However, I'm not seeing any of that here (just as it never seems to be shown whenever someone else gets onto this same topic).

 

[sunshinemama91]

The logic is reasonable, but you have to put some facts behind it if this is to be taken seriously (and that would be good advice for you as well).

If something is an imitation of pagan practice, that would be open to question. However, I'm not seeing any of that here (just as it never seems to be shown whenever someone else gets onto this same topic).

What facts are missing? The easter egg hunts, calling it Easter in general, Christmas trees, Santa, presents, etc, and all around Halloween (I have no idea how all Saints day is celebrated) and all of it being wrapped around what it is, Pagan days celebrations and traditions is self evident, and there is scripture that VERY specifically warns against such things. What more do you need?

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk

 

[sunshinemama91]

Since you were involved previously in Pagan practices then for you I can see where it might lead you back toward those dangerous beliefs...but as for me, I will celebrate holidays like Christmas, Easter and All Saints Day because I do so in honor of the Triune God and celebrate HIM. All praise to God alone.

I'm not too concerned about falling back into prior beliefs, I'm pretty grounded in God's Word and His truth. But His conviction alone drives me to stop the celebrations that include Pagan traditions and either find fully Biblical celebrations and celebrate them the way He alone commands if there even are any still relevant since Christ. And also to have this conversation because this is actually really important. I believe we all stumble somewhere and all of us are wonderers to one extent or another but awareness of the issue and conviction to, at the very least, take a deeper look at what we are doing whether intentional or unintentional, can make all the difference in the world. I intend to give God all the glory and celebrate Him daily- you can guarantee I fall short every time.

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk

 

[sunshinemama91]

I am always willing to admit that I'm wrong, I could very well be. Could be a gross misinterpretation and misunderstanding of everything or taken totally out of context. I'm happy to own that, but I don't think I am on this one in particular. All I know for certain is the Lord is God.

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk

 

[Albion]

What facts are missing? The easter egg hunts, calling it Easter in general, Christmas trees, Santa, presents, etc, and all around Halloween (I have no idea how all Saints day is celebrated) and all of it being wrapped around what it is, Pagan days celebrations and traditions is self evident, and there is scripture that VERY specifically warns against such things. What more do you need?

Well, let's see.

The church does not use Easter eggs in its ceremonies, worship, or teachings,. Society does, but it's not part of Christian imagery or teaching. The same for Rabbits. Of course both of those represent to the average person, new life, and that's what the Christian feast day called by the religious terms Pascha or Resurrection Sunday is all about, isn't it? The pagans certainly were not commemorating Christ's rising from the grave.

Christmas trees were not used by the pagan tribes of northern Europe. They used huge deciduous trees, so when the first Christian evangelists reached them, they used spruces, etc. as a teaching point--saying that the pagan trees drop their leaves and seem dead all winter, but our God cannot die, much like the evergreen that remains green all winter. The origin of the Christmas tree, then, is an evangelistic effort to one-up or trump pagan practice! Which, by the way, is why Christmas is in late December also.

Presents? Do you not know that the Bible records that the three wise men brought gifts for the newborn king? We commemorate that when we give presents at this season.

Halloween (Hallowed evening) isn't pagan at all, but as you mentioned is the eve of All Saints Day in the church.

There isn't much in all of this to support a claim that Christians simply copy pagan practices.

 

[sunshinemama91]

Well, let's see.

The church does not use Easter eggs in its ceremonies, worship, or teachings,. Society does, but it's not part of Christian imagery or teaching. The same for Rabbits. Of course both of those represent to the average person, new life, and that's what the Christian feast day called by the religious terms Pascha or Resurrection Sunday is all about, isn't it? The pagans certainly were not commemorating Christ's rising from the grave.

Christmas trees were not used by the pagan tribes of northern Europe. They used huge deciduous trees, so when the first Christian evangelists reached them, they used spruces, etc. as a teaching point--saying that the pagan trees drop their leaves and seem dead all winter, but our God cannot die, much like the evergreen that remains green all winter. The origin of the Christmas tree, then, is an evangelistic effort to one-up or trump pagan practice! Which, by the way, is why Christmas is in late December also.

Presents? Do you not know that the Bible records that the three wise men brought gifts for the newborn king? We commemorate that when we give presents at this season.

Halloween (Hallowed evening) isn't pagan at all, but as you mentioned is the eve of All Saints Day in the church.

There isn't much in all of this to support a claim that Christians simply copy pagan practices.

Perhaps I stand corrected. It seems we have two different versions of the history of these holidays that do not correlate and both cannot be correct. My history could be very warped still because it came from Pagan "tales" of what things are and how they became rather than Christian origins of holidays. It's rather hard to regain trust when past experiences and information define present beliefs and understanding. I could be wrong about everything.

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk

 

[hobie]

Well, let's see.

The church does not use Easter eggs in its ceremonies, worship, or teachings,. Society does, but it's not part of Christian imagery or teaching. The same for Rabbits. Of course both of those represent to the average person, new life, and that's what the Christian feast day called by the religious terms Pascha or Resurrection Sunday is all about, isn't it? The pagans certainly were not commemorating Christ's rising from the grave.

Christmas trees were not used by the pagan tribes of northern Europe. They used huge deciduous trees, so when the first Christian evangelists reached them, they used spruces, etc. as a teaching point--saying that the pagan trees drop their leaves and seem dead all winter, but our God cannot die, much like the evergreen that remains green all winter. The origin of the Christmas tree, then, is an evangelistic effort to one-up or trump pagan practice! Which, by the way, is why Christmas is in late December also.

Presents? Do you not know that the Bible records that the three wise men brought gifts for the newborn king? We commemorate that when we give presents at this season.

Halloween (Hallowed evening) isn't pagan at all, but as you mentioned is the eve of All Saints Day in the church.

There isn't much in all of this to support a claim that Christians simply copy pagan practices.

We have to think that one through, as its so vast, what comes to mind is 'missing the forest for the trees'....

"Historical evidence suggests that Jesus, the person, was born in the springtime — but that Christian missionaries adopted Yule celebrations in order to appease and convert pagans who were deeply, spiritually attached to their own holidays. Early Christians were also fascinated by the rural, rustic pagan traditions.

“Christians of that period are quite interested in paganism,” says Philip Shaw, a researcher of early Germanic languages and Old English at Leicester University. “It’s obviously something they think is a bad thing, but it’s also something they think is worth remembering. It’s what their ancestors did.”

The two most notable pagan winter holidays were Germanic Yule and Roman Saturnalia. Christian missionaries gave these holidays a makeover and they are now known to us as Christmas."https://wearyourvoicemag.com/culture/christmas-pagan-roots-winter-holiday

The 25th of December, which we celebrate as Christmas, was the commemorative day of the birth of the sun god.
"Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means 'birthday of the unconquered sun' and was held on December 25th (when the Romans thought the Winter Solstice took place) and was the 'birthday' of the Pagan Sun god Mithra. In the pagan religion of Mithraism, the holy day was Sunday and is where get that word from!"...https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/25th.shtml

Now about the Christmas tree....
When Nimrod was destroyed, he was symbolized as the tree that was cut off. To this day, his rebirth is celebrated as the new branch (Christmas tree) that sprouts from the sawed-off stump through the life-giving power of the serpent. The ancient practice of celebrating the birth of the sun god through the fir tree is found in most ancient pagan religions.

In England, Christmas is celebrated by throwing the Yule log into the fire, representing the destruction of Nimrod. The Christmas tree was then decorated, symbolizing the rebirth of the sun god.

Santa Claus has virtually replaced Jesus Christ as the main feature of Christmas. Santa rides across the skies in his reindeer-drawn chariot. He is made acceptable by his friendly appearance, but he has the same characteristics as the ancient sun deities:

The birth of Osiris, the Egyptian sun god, coincided with the day of solstice, and on this day he would ride through the heavens in his chariot. The Greek sun god Helios would ride through the sky in his sun chariot drawn by horses as depicted in the great fountain of Versailles. In the Hindu culture, the Sûrya and his charioteer Aruna rides across the sky in a horse-drawn sun chariot. In other cultures, animals such as the goat (Zeus) or the reindeer pull the chariot.

"It cannot seriously be denied that most of the features of advanced Catholic1 ritual have little
or no direct warrant in the New Testament. It is frequently urged in support of such ritual that
it can be traced in unbroken sequence back to the fourth century. “No sooner did the primitive
Church emerge from the centuries of persecution, and acquire freedom from external
repression, than it gave full and wonderful expression to its devotional spirit in elaborate and
beautiful Symbolic ways.”2 Antiquity, however, is no guarantee of apostolic authority,
especially as there is a gap of nearly three centuries between apostolic days and the
introduction of the greater part of these ritual practices into the Church. Indeed, far from our
being able to find Scriptural authority for these practices, all the available evidence on their
provenance goes to show that they were taken over into the Church from the various Mystery
cults which were so popular throughout the Roman Empire in the early centuries o£ our era.
The appeal to the Fathers cannot take the place of an appeal to the Apostles. “....https://theologicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/babylon_bruce.pdf

 

[Albion]

We have to think that one through, as its so vast, what comes to mind is 'missing the forest for the trees'....

I didn't have to read very far to see that that material is nonsense. Complete fiction. I really wish you would open your mind to all that the people here can teach you -- or at least engage in discussion -- instead of thinking that you have some mission to load up the board with this kind of worthless stuff.





.

 

[Andrew]

We have to think that one through, as its so vast, what comes to mind is 'missing the forest for the trees'....

"Historical evidence suggests that Jesus, the person, was born in the springtime — but that Christian missionaries adopted Yule celebrations in order to appease and convert pagans who were deeply, spiritually attached to their own holidays. Early Christians were also fascinated by the rural, rustic pagan traditions.

“Christians of that period are quite interested in paganism,” says Philip Shaw, a researcher of early Germanic languages and Old English at Leicester University. “It’s obviously something they think is a bad thing, but it’s also something they think is worth remembering. It’s what their ancestors did.”

The two most notable pagan winter holidays were Germanic Yule and Roman Saturnalia. Christian missionaries gave these holidays a makeover and they are now known to us as Christmas."https://wearyourvoicemag.com/culture/christmas-pagan-roots-winter-holiday

The 25th of December, which we celebrate as Christmas, was the commemorative day of the birth of the sun god.
"Dies Natalis Solis Invicti means 'birthday of the unconquered sun' and was held on December 25th (when the Romans thought the Winter Solstice took place) and was the 'birthday' of the Pagan Sun god Mithra. In the pagan religion of Mithraism, the holy day was Sunday and is where get that word from!"...https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/25th.shtml

Now about the Christmas tree....
When Nimrod was destroyed, he was symbolized as the tree that was cut off. To this day, his rebirth is celebrated as the new branch (Christmas tree) that sprouts from the sawed-off stump through the life-giving power of the serpent. The ancient practice of celebrating the birth of the sun god through the fir tree is found in most ancient pagan religions.

In England, Christmas is celebrated by throwing the Yule log into the fire, representing the destruction of Nimrod. The Christmas tree was then decorated, symbolizing the rebirth of the sun god.

Santa Claus has virtually replaced Jesus Christ as the main feature of Christmas. Santa rides across the skies in his reindeer-drawn chariot. He is made acceptable by his friendly appearance, but he has the same characteristics as the ancient sun deities:

The birth of Osiris, the Egyptian sun god, coincided with the day of solstice, and on this day he would ride through the heavens in his chariot. The Greek sun god Helios would ride through the sky in his sun chariot drawn by horses as depicted in the great fountain of Versailles. In the Hindu culture, the Sûrya and his charioteer Aruna rides across the sky in a horse-drawn sun chariot. In other cultures, animals such as the goat (Zeus) or the reindeer pull the chariot.

"It cannot seriously be denied that most of the features of advanced Catholic1 ritual have little
or no direct warrant in the New Testament. It is frequently urged in support of such ritual that
it can be traced in unbroken sequence back to the fourth century. “No sooner did the primitive
Church emerge from the centuries of persecution, and acquire freedom from external
repression, than it gave full and wonderful expression to its devotional spirit in elaborate and
beautiful Symbolic ways.”2 Antiquity, however, is no guarantee of apostolic authority,
especially as there is a gap of nearly three centuries between apostolic days and the
introduction of the greater part of these ritual practices into the Church. Indeed, far from our
being able to find Scriptural authority for these practices, all the available evidence on their
provenance goes to show that they were taken over into the Church from the various Mystery
cults which were so popular throughout the Roman Empire in the early centuries o£ our era.
The appeal to the Fathers cannot take the place of an appeal to the Apostles. “....https://theologicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/babylon_bruce.pdf

Every symbol possible has been used and abused by pagans but it doesn't mean that the symbol itself is pagan nor does it imply that using them means we are pagans.. a dove reminds me of grace and the Holy Spirit, an evergreen tree reminds me of everlasting life, daily bread reminds me of life giving fuel, wine reminds me of the persecuted blood that is the NT Gospel... Halloween I admit does nothing for me, neither does easter egg hunts but as for Christmas I honestly see as a fruitful holiday where the majority of the west behaves a little more polite to each other even though I believe that in Christ the effect is year long
Jesus celebrated a winter holiday btw