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Chapter 3: Ancient paganism
and the dangers of compromise (Part
2)
The "Trinity":
Now let us study the "Trinity" and it's roots in ancient
pagan worship. The "Trinity" of Christendom, as defined in
the creed of Nicea, is a merging of three distinct entities
into one single entity, while remaining three distinct
entities. We are told to speak of the three gods as
one god, and never as three gods which would
be considered heresy (Isaiah 43:10). They are considered to
be co-eternal, co-substantial, and co-equal. However, only
the first was self existent. The others preceded from the
first. This Neo-Platonic philosophical doctrine has it's
roots not in the inspiration of God, but in ancient
paganism. Most ancient religions were built upon some sort
of threefold distinction. Deities were always trinities of
some kind or consisted of successive emanation in
threes.
In
India we find the doctrine of the divine trinity called
"Tri-murti" (Three-forms) consisting of Brahma, Vishnu, and
Siva. It is an inseparable unity though three in
form. Worshipers are told to worship them as one
deity. Such concepts posed no problem to the logic of a
Hindu worshipper since they were already used to worshipping
gods with the body of a man and the head of an
elephant(Ganesh), or monkey-faced gods (Hanuman), or gods
with six arms, and so forth. Remember, classical Hinduism
dates back to at least 500BC, with roots extending as far
back as 2000BC.
The Brahmas also have their trinity. In their trinity,
Vajrapani, Manjusri, and Avalokitesvara
form a divine union of three gods into one god called
"Buddha." The citizens of China and Japan also worship
Buddha, but they know him as "Fo." When they worship him
they say "Fo, is one god but has three forms."
Sir William Jones says:
"Very respectable natives have assured me, that one or
two missionaries have been absurd enough to in their zeal
for the conversion of the Gentiles, to urge that the Hindoos
were even now almost Christians; because their Brahma,
Vishnu, and Mahesa (Siva), were no other than the Christian
Trinity."
Bible myths and their parallels in other religions, p.
370.
The ancient Egyptians also worshipped a trinity. Their
symbol of a wing, a globe, and a serpent is supposed to have
stood for the different attributes of their god.
The Greeks also had their trinities. When making their
sacrifices to their gods, they would sprinkle holy water on
the altar three times, they would then sprinkle the
people three times also. Frankincense was then taken
with three fingers and strewed upon the alter
three times. All of this was done because the oracle
had proclaimed that all sacred things ought to be in threes.
Remember that the philosophy of these people (The Greeks) is
what was primarily responsible for defining the Christian
"Trinitarian" nature of God. This was done through the
writings of the Greek philosopher Plato regarding his
"Logos" ("word"). Further, remember that the Gospels of the
Bible were named the "Greek Gospels" for a reason: they were
written in their language and based upon their philosophy
(see chapter one).
As mentioned previously, T. W. Doane says:
"The works of Plato were extensively studied by the
Church Fathers, one of whom joyfully recognizes in the great
teacher, the schoolmaster who, in the fullness of time, was
destined to educate the heathen for Christ, as Moses did the
Jews. The celebrated passage : "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word Was God" is a
fragment of some Pagan treatise on the Platonic philosophy,
evidently written by Irenaeus. It is quoted by Amelius, a
Pagan philosopher as strictly applicable to the Logos, or
Mercury, the Word, apparently as an honorable testimony
borne to the Pagan deity by a barbarian ...We see then that
the title "Word" or "Logos," being applied to Jesus, is
another piece of Pagan amalgamation with Christianity. It
did not receive its authorized Christian form until the
middle of the second century after Christ. The ancient pagan
Romans worshipped a Trinity. An oracle is said to have
declared that there was 'First God, then the Word, and with
them the Spirit'. Here we see the distinctly enumerated,
God, the Logos, and the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost, in
ancient Rome, where the most celebrated temple of this
capital - that of Jupiter Capitolinus - was dedicated to
three deities, which three deities were honored with joint
worship."
Bible Myths and their parallels in other religions, pp.
375-376.
Trinities were not confined to these groups alone, but
the Persians, the Assyrians, the Phoenicians, the
Scandinavians, the Druids, the inhabitants of Siberia, the
ancient Mexicans, the Peruvians, and many others, all
worshipped "Trinitarian" pagan deities (among a great
multitude of other gods) long before the council of Nicea of
325 C.E. officially recognized this to be God's "true"
nature.
Christmas:
Let us now move on to the "birthday of Jesus," Christmas.
Jesus (pbuh) is commonly considered to have been born on the
25th of December. However, it is common knowledge among
Christian scholars that he was not born on this day. It is
well known that the first Christian churches held their
festival in May, April, or January. Scholars of the first
two centuries C.E. even differ in which year he was born.
Some believing that he was born fully twenty years before
the current accepted date. So how was the 25th of December
selected as the birthday of Jesus (pbuh)?
Grolier's encyclopedia says:
"Christmas is the feast of the birth of Jesus Christ,
celebrated on December 25... Despite the beliefs about
Christ that the birth stories expressed, the church did not
observe a festival for the celebration of the event until
the 4th century... since 274, under the emperor Aurelian,
Rome had celebrated the feast of the "Invincible Sun" on
December 25. In the Eastern Church, January 6, a day also
associated with the winter solstice, was initially
preferred. In course of time, however, the West added the
Eastern date as the feast of the Epiphany, and the East
added the Western date of Christmas."
So who else celebrated the 25th of December as the birth
day of their gods before it was agreed upon as the birth day
of Jesus (pbuh)? Well, there are the people of India who
rejoice, decorate their houses with garlands, and give
presents to their friends on this day. The people of China
also celebrate this day and close their shops. The pagan god
Buddha is believed to have been born on this day when the
"Holy Ghost" descended on his virgin mother Maya. The great
savior and god of the Persians, Mithras, is also believed to
have been born on the 25th of December long before the
coming of Jesus (pbuh). The Egyptians celebrated this day as
the birth day of their great savior Horus, the Egyptian god
of light and the son of the "virgin mother" and "queen of
the heavens" Isis. Osiris, god of the dead and the
underworld in Egypt, the son of "the holy virgin," again was
believed to have been born on the 25th of December.
The Greeks celebrated the 25th of December as the
birthday of Hercules, the son of the supreme god of the
Greeks, Zeus, through the mortal woman Alcmene. Bacchus, the
god of wine and revelry among the Romans (known among the
Greeks as Dionysus) was also born on this day.
Adonis, revered as a "dying-and-rising god" among the
Greeks, miraculously was also born on the 25th of December.
His worshipers held him a yearly festival representing his
death and resurrection, in midsummer. The ceremonies of his
birth day are recorded to have taken place in the same cave
in Bethlehem which is claimed to have been the birth place
of Jesus (pbuh).
The Scandinavians celebrated the 25th of December as the
birth day of their god Freyr, the son of their supreme god
of the heavens, Odin.
The Romans observed this day as the birth day of the god
of the sun, Natalis Solis Invicti ("Birthday of Sol
the invincible"). There was great rejoicing and all shops
were closed. There was illumination and public games.
Presents were exchanged, and the slaves were indulged in
great liberties. Remember, these are the same Romans who
would later preside over the council of Nicea (325 C.E.)
which lead to the official Christian recognition of the
"Trinity" as the "true" nature of God, and the "fact" that
Jesus (pbuh) was born on the 25th of December too. The pagan
emperor Constantine, who presided over the council of Nicea,
was popularly considered the "embodiment" or "incarnation"
of the this supreme Roman "Sun" god. Neither was Constantine
the first Roman emperor to be given this title, rather, many
or his predecessors before him were also promoted to the
status of the "incarnation" of the god of the sun.
Edward Gibbon says:
"The Roman Christians, ignorant of his (Christ's)
birth, fixed the solemn festival to the 25th of December,
the Brumalia, or Winter Solstice, when the Pagans annually
celebrated the birth of Sol"
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. ii, Gibbon, p.
383.
Christmas festivals today incorporate many other pagan
customs, such as the use of holly, mistletoe, Yule logs, and
wassail bowls. The Christmas tree itself is the most obvious
aspect of ancient pagan celebrations which were later
incorporated into church rites. Scholars believe that the
Christian celebration was originally derived in part from
rites held by pre-Christian Germanic and Celtic peoples to
celebrate the winter solstice. The Christmas tree, an
evergreen trimmed with lights and other decorations, because
it keeps its green needles throughout the winter months, was
believed by pre-Christian pagans to have special powers of
protection against the forces of nature and evil spirits.
The end of December marked the onset of a visible
lengthening of daylight hours - the return of warmth and
light and defeat of those evil forces of cold and darkness.
The Christmas tree is derived from the so-called paradise
tree, symbolizing Eden, of German mystery plays. The use of
a Christmas tree began early in the 17th century, in
Strasbourg, France, spreading from there through Germany,
into northern Europe and Great Britain, and then on to the
United States.
Christmas is not the only Christian festival which was
borrowed from ancient paganism and foisted upon the religion
of Jesus (pbuh). There is also Easter (see details in
chapter one), the Feast of St. John, the Holy communion, the
Annunciation of the virgin, the assumption of the virgin,
and many others have their roots in ancient pagan worship.
Since we can not get into the details here, therefore, the
interested reader is encouraged to consult the above
books.
Many people object to people who advise them not to
introduce new and innovative practices into their religion,
even if they were only to be festivals and celebrations.
They object "what could it hurt if I were to worship God and
thank Him for his blessings on this day when pagans
performed their worship? I am not worshipping idols." For
this we only need to read the very explicit prohibition of
God in this regard which He Himself emphatically declared in
the Bible:
"Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by
following them (pagans), after that they be destroyed from
before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods,
saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will
I do likewise."
Deuteronomy 12:30
There is a good reason why God commands us to do things.
Just because we do not know the wisdom behind a prohibition
does not give us the freedom to disregard it. Indeed, it is
exactly such willingness to "adapt" and "compromise" which
eventually lead to the loss of the message of Jesus, as seen
chapter one.
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