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Birthdays Celebrations vs paganism where is the thin line?

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mharrell08:

--- Quote from: olasupo jacobs on July 04, 2012, 02:26:52 PM ---remember Herod's b'day bash resulted in John the baptist death......
--- End quote ---


What does that have to do with celebrating birthdays? Everyday is filled with some type of evil, but yet, every day is someone's birthday. The two ideas have nothing to do with each other.

Keep in mind, it's the attitude behind the activity that either brings one praise or brings about their downfall.

Foxx:
celebrating one's birthday is not, in and of itself, wrong. However like many things in our culture the birthday celebration is not untainted by pagan rituals and practices. You should look up for yourself but the few thing I know of and have learned about is the fact that birthday celebrations were an important part to the creation of astrology and mysticism. The only time birthdays are mentioned in the Bible is in regards to the Pharoh or Herod.  The last thing I know of is about cakes. Honey cakes had candles placed on them (or torches were set up) in ancient times and people would blow out the candles and make a wish to the gods (roman or Greek or whatever) and if you blew out all your candles the gods would grant your wish.

so with all that said I suppose you can look it up for yourself and decide. These are things I have come across over the last year or so. You may find other things though.

Blessings!

indianabob:
Good morning Foxx,
As you say, we have many traditions and habits that come from paganism that we don't even think about in that regard. For example the names of the days of the week, sun-day, moon-day, thor's-day, saturn's-day and so forth. The error, if there is one to be concerned about, is whether we make any day or any tradition an idol of the heart that we place above our reverence for and worship of the true God.
As true believers and followers of our Lord Jesus we are to consider each of these things carefully and to make righteous judgments concerning how they may affect us in our personal walk with God.

Thanks for your comments, Indianabob

eggi:
Hi all, writing from vacation in Sicily. We just celebrated a birthday here. Not one who was present thought that blowing out the candles would cause some pagan gods to grant a wish. Nobody thought that the celebration was in praise of a pagan fertility god. Actually apart from the cake and the candles and gifts which actually can help make a very nice atmosphere there was nothing different about this party compared to an ordinary afternoon visit. We sang the birthday song. I think it's alright to do this. IF someone actually celebrated their birthday in praise of a pagan god I would think differently about it. This is the same as Christmas, Easter etc. All pagan, but for some people these are the only times of the year when they think about God. What's wrong with that? Should I be holier-than-thou and judge people and separate from family and friends because of my self-perceived holiness? Kill someone's faith before it's even started?

God bless you,
Eirik

Tanti auguri a te/Happy Birthday

Marky Mark:

--- Quote ---Good morning Foxx,
As you say, we have many traditions and habits that come from paganism that we don't even think about in that regard. For example the names of the days of the week, sun-day, moon-day, thor's-day, saturn's-day and so forth. The error, if there is one to be concerned about, is whether we make any day or any tradition an idol of the heart that we place above our reverence for and worship of the true God.
As true believers and followers of our Lord Jesus we are to consider each of these things carefully and to make righteous judgments concerning how they may affect us in our personal walk with God.

Thanks for your comments, Indianabob
--- End quote ---


Thanks Bob,I could not agree with you more.We should never exalt ourselves above that which is written.When we do so, we then put ourselves on the throne and condense Gods Word into idols of the heart, and in doing so, reduce Gods words into the traditions of men,which in turn take away the Rightful worship, that He so deserves.

We must always judge the spirit and not the person.In doing so, we can then have a deeper understanding of what the Word is conveying to all that believe,in Spirit and in Truth of His Word.

I myself try to never think above that which is is written 1Co 4:6. That for me is a high mark of attainment in my Spiritual journey,however hard that may be at times.The Word does not and can not lie...




Gal 4:10 You pay special attention to certain days, months, seasons, and years.
Gal 4:11 I am worried about you! Can it be that all my work for you has been for nothing?
Gal 4:12 I beg you, my friends, be like me. After all, I am like you. You have not done me any wrong.

Mat 15:6 And [thus] ye make void the word of God, for the sake of your tradition.

Job 1:4  And his sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one upon his day; and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
Job 1:5  And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said: 'It may be that my sons have sinned, and blasphemed God in their hearts.' Thus did Job continually.

Job 3:1  After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
Job 3:2  And Job spake, and said,
Job 3:3 Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.

Mat 23:12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Mar 7:8 Having, dismissed, the commandment, of God, ye, hold fast, the tradition, of men.
Mar 7:9 And he was saying to them—Well, do ye set aside the commandment of God, that, your own tradition, ye may observe;

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Col 2:20  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

Ecc 7:1  Better a name, than precious ointment,—and the day of death, than the day of one’s birth.
Ecc 7:2 Better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of banqueting, for, that, is the end of all men,—and, the living, should take it to his heart.


Peace...Mark

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