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Re: Should Christians celebrate Mithra - the birth of the sun god?
[Re: dedication]
#159636
12/27/13 12:41 PM
12/27/13 12:41 PM
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SDA Chaplain Active Member 2022
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,364
USA
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Many churches and Christians have focused on the Christian aspects of Christmas.
In 1957, a Lutheran congregation developed what they called a Chrismon Tree. It is an evergreen that is decorated only with Christian symbols.
This has been taken up with many congregations and individuals.
Google "chrismon tree" and "chrismon" and you will find a lot of information. I should be of interest to you.
Gregory May God's will be done.
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Re: Should Christians celebrate Mithra - the birth of the sun god?
[Re: dedication]
#159639
12/27/13 02:03 PM
12/27/13 02:03 PM
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OP
SDA Active Member 2024
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Interesting how you suggest we should not take seriously certain versions of the scripture because the Vatican had hold of them, but yet at the same time, when the Vatican promoted the Christianization of a pagan holiday, you say embrace fully!
Again you mix apples with grapefruits. The Bible is God's Word to us, and we want the true word. It's not the fact that the Vatican "had hold of them", but what happened to the manuscripts. It wasn't the Catholic Church that "gave us the true scriptures". Nor do I "embrace the pagan" or the "mass" of Christmas. Catholism didn't give us the true picture of the incarnation of Christ either. I see the Christmas Season as a time to focus on Christ's birth, and for some family togetherness. After all it's a time when we all get PAID time off work and can get together -- which we will do next week. I'll be cleaning and cooking tomorrow in preparation. Maybe I do mix apples with grapefruits. On the one hand the Vatican helped preserve the scriptures. Whether they changed some of it, has yet to be proved. But with Christmas, it was entirely instigated by the Vatican. So you shun the part where they had only partial influence, if any, and fully embrace what the Vatican created.
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Re: Should Christians celebrate Mithra - the birth of the sun god?
[Re: kland]
#159690
12/28/13 03:41 AM
12/28/13 03:41 AM
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Global Moderator Supporting Member 2022
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Canada
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If the Vatican had it's way, we would not have the scriptures. And why do you misrepresent -- What the Vatican created, is not what I embrace. This is -- Christmas--a Time to Honor God.--By the world the holidays are spent in frivolity and extravagance, gluttony and display. . . . Thousands of dollars will be worse than thrown away upon the coming Christmas and New Year's in needless indulgences. But it is our privilege to depart from the customs and practices of this degenerate age; and instead of expending means merely for the gratification of the appetite or for needless ornaments or articles of clothing, we may make the coming holidays an occasion in which to honor and glorify God. {AH 480.3} Christ should be the supreme object; but as Christmas has been observed, the glory is turned from Him to mortal man, whose sinful, defective character made it necessary for Him to come to our world. {AH 480.4} Jesus, the Majesty of heaven, the royal King of heaven, laid aside His royalty, left His throne of glory, His high command, and came into our world to bring to fallen man, weakened in moral power and corrupted by sin, aid divine. He clothed his divinity with humanity, that he might reach to the very depths of human woe and misery, to lift up fallen man. By taking upon himself man's nature, he raised humanity in the scale of moral value with God. These great themes are almost too high, too deep, too infinite, for the comprehension of finite minds. {AH 481.1} Parents should keep these things before their children and instruct them, line upon line, precept upon precept, in their obligation to God--not their obligation to each other, to honor and glorify one another by gifts and offerings. {AH 481.2}
While sinful amusements are condemned, as they should be, let parents, teachers, and guardians of youth provide in their stead innocent pleasures, which shall not taint or corrupt the morals. Do not bind down the young to rigid rules and restraints that will lead them to feel themselves oppressed and to break over and rush into paths of folly and destruction.
Christmas is coming. May you all have wisdom to make it a precious season. Let the older church members unite, heart and soul, with their children in this innocent amusement and recreation, in devising ways and means to show true respect to Jesus {RH, December 9, 1884 par. 9} But you tell me inviting my children home at this time and making home a pleasant place where we can enjoy family togetherness at a time when we focus on Christ's birth -- is embracing the Vatican fully?????? You aren't just speaking against the wrong practices linked with Christmas, you are condemning what we are told by God's messenger to do.
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Re: Should Christians celebrate Mithra - the birth of the sun god?
[Re: dedication]
#159779
12/30/13 01:53 PM
12/30/13 01:53 PM
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OP
SDA Active Member 2024
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Midland
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But, do you do as God's messenger says?
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Re: Should Christians celebrate Mithra - the birth of the sun god?
[Re: kland]
#159780
12/30/13 02:02 PM
12/30/13 02:02 PM
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OP
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NOTE 4. PAGE 316. THE ISRAELITES, IN THEIR ADORATION OF THE GOLDEN CALF, PROFESSED TO BE WORSHIPING GOD. THUS AARON, WHEN INAUGURATING THE WORSHIP OF THE IDOL, PROCLAIMED, "TOMORROW IS A FEAST UNTO JEHOVAH." THEY PROPOSED TO WORSHIP GOD, AS THE EGYPTIANS WORSHIPED OSIRIS, UNDER THE SEMBLANCE OF THE IMAGE. BUT GOD COULD NOT ACCEPT THE SERVICE. THOUGH OFFERED IN HIS NAME, THE SUN-GOD, AND NOT JEHOVAH, WAS THE REAL OBJECT OF THEIR ADORATION. {PP 760.1}
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Re: Should Christians celebrate Mithra - the birth of the sun god?
[Re: kland]
#159826
12/31/13 01:32 PM
12/31/13 01:32 PM
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OP
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Eze 8:13 He also said to me, You turn again, and you shall see greater evils that they are doing. 14 And He brought me to the opening of the gate of the LORD's house, toward the north. And behold, women were sitting there, weeping for Tammuz. 15 And He said to me, Have you seen, O son of man? Turn yet again, and you shall see greater evils than these. 16 And He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and behold, at the opening of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they bowed themselves eastward to the sun.
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Re: Should Christians celebrate Mithra - the birth of the sun god?
[Re: kland]
#159895
01/02/14 07:24 AM
01/02/14 07:24 AM
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Global Moderator Supporting Member 2022
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Eze 8:13 He also said to me, You turn again, and you shall see greater evils that they are doing. 14 And He brought me to the opening of the gate of the LORD's house, toward the north. And behold, women were sitting there, weeping for Tammuz. 15 And He said to me, Have you seen, O son of man? Turn yet again, and you shall see greater evils than these. 16 And He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and behold, at the opening of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they bowed themselves eastward to the sun. No I do not do any of that -- no bowing down to images, or worshipping the rising sun, not worshipping of trees either, or weeping for Tamaz or Mithra or any of those pagan myths. The Israelites were worshipping the golden calf and saying it "represented" God. That of course is wrong. If anyone were to worship santa saying he represents God, then that too would be totally unacceptable. That dimension can enter into Christmas and there the warning is appropriate. Unhealthful eating and partying -- should be avoided as well. However, people who refuse to go to church all December, because the subject and songs are focused on Christ's incarnation his birth, and why He came to this world as a human being, is going to extremes. Some seem to think worshipping Christ during December when the focus is his first Advent, is the same as worshipping the golden calf -- and that is plain unreasonable and strange. All most of us do, is have our family together sometime during the Christmas season, -- and enjoy each other's company. Another great thing is to invite people who don't have family to join, and be part of a family setting for the day. Makes me wonder -- do you even have family? Many who condemn even the innocent activities of Christians during the Christmas Season don't have families -- quite often it's people who don't have family or who lost family who want nothing whatsoever to do with the Christmas season as it is very much a "family time" -- a time that knits families together, but accentuates loneliness for those without family.
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Re: Should Christians celebrate Mithra - the birth of the sun god?
[Re: dedication]
#160110
01/07/14 03:18 PM
01/07/14 03:18 PM
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OP
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De 12:30 take heed to yourself that you do not become snared by following them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not ask about their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods that I too may do likewise?
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Re: Should Christians celebrate Mithra - the birth of the sun god?
[Re: kland]
#160111
01/07/14 03:34 PM
01/07/14 03:34 PM
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OP
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Halloween
Just like sanctifying the day of the sun, so the papacy sanctified Halloween. It was also, "Christianized", and urged that special masses must be said for the dead. Children went out to gather "offerings" of food from neighbors as that was easier than the alternative of fasting. These offerings were so departed souls could be released from their sufferings in purgatory sooner.
Some today dress their children up in Bible costumes in an attempt to "Christianize" the pagan holiday even more.
The custom of giving treats to kids who come by came from offerings to demons of things they liked, dainty food and sweets. This would help the humans to escape their persecutions. Or, humans could disguise themselves as one of them, and they wouldn't recognize them.
Don't forget to give an apple to the Roman goddess Pomona, to whom gardens and orchards are dedicated. The feast of Pomona, November 1.
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Re: Should Christians celebrate Mithra - the birth of the sun god?
[Re: kland]
#186233
03/19/18 02:19 PM
03/19/18 02:19 PM
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OP
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Here is the link to this week's Sabbath School Lesson Study and Discussion Material: Click Here
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