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Why follow the world honoring Easter & Christmas

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by ituttut, Mar 9, 2008.

  1. ituttut

    ituttut New Member

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    These traditions of man have become so very important to all the churches, not just the originator of Easter, and Christmas, the Catholic church.

    The churches that came out of the Mother church tried their best to separate from her, but her influence, and the world, over the years is just too much.

    Did the Baptist in their beginning believe in Easter and Christmas? I don't think so. They didn't go along with the world.

    Who here can find Easter, Lent, and Good Friday in the Bible? God in the beginning tells what a day and night is, and three days in the earth tells us man is wrong again. Friday from 6PM to Saturday 6PM (1st day) to Sunday 6PM (2nd day) to Monday 6PM (3rd day) just will not cut the mustard as to when Jesus Christ arose.

    As to Easter, why in the world do we wish to be associated with the Babylonians, Phoenicians, and the Chaldeans who thousands of years before Jesus Christ had the Holy Days of their Spring festivals to praise and honor the goddess Ishtar? Ishtar, or Astarte, was their goddess of spring and rebirth. This is the way "rabbits" have entered into our churches.

    The Catholic church wanted more members, and they got them when they agreed to bring their pagan gods to sit beside Our God, and said we will honor the dates you worship your god's, thus began Easter and Christmas for the world.

    Can we find in His Word what so many have come to believe worthy of worshiping and honoring in our churches? Have we not turned to man to have two special Holy Days to worship as we please instead with the cup remember me as oft as your will?



     
  2. Justlittleoldme

    Justlittleoldme New Member

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    My former Pastor (called up to glory about 7 years ago) used to say, "If the world is willing to set a day aside to honor my Lord and Savior then I don't see anything wrong with taking advantage of that."

    At the time he was talking about the practice in our community of letting people have a few hours off on Good Friday to go to church or mass or whatever. Our church always had a Good Friday afternoon service and he encouraged our people to invite neighbors and coworkers to come.

    I don't see anything wrong with it myself.
     
  3. LeBuick

    LeBuick New Member

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    Your Pastor had a good point... :thumbs:
     
  4. Joe

    Joe New Member

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    We aren't associated with these groups, or praising a goddess named Ishtar imo, never heard of this before. I am probably in the majority.
    Alright. I don't see a problem.

    Easter- A celebration of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection from the dead for believers in Jesus’ Christ.
    Lent, in most Christian denominations, is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter.[1] The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where, according to the Bible, he endured temptation by Satan.[2] Different churches calculate the forty days differently.
    Christmas- Celebration of Jesus Christ's birth.

    Easter and Christmas are often the only two times per year people attend church.
    All celebrations honor our Maker. :saint:
     
  5. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    (Looks at calendar)

    Welllllllllldoggie...it is that time of year.

    (rings the bell)

    TIME FOR THE "EASTER FIGHTS!"

    :)rolleyes:...gets ready for Easter services)
     
  6. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    What are some ideas for a Maundy Thursday service? I would like to do something special this yr... Last yr we had a Tenebrae service.
     
  7. EdSutton

    EdSutton New Member

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    I got the perfect thing, for a "special" Maundy Thursday service!.

    Do the usual "Good Friday" service on Thursday; tell 'em there was no such thing as "Good Friday", and that this is really 'Passover', and that Thursday is the day the crucifixion had to take place, in order to fit all the Scripture!

    Then, sit back, kick up your heels, and watch the fun begin! :D

    Ed
     
  8. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    That might actually work!!!
     
  9. LeBuick

    LeBuick New Member

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    Strange as this sounds, I just might do it...

    Let's start a Good Thursday observance...
     
  10. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    The use of three days and three nights does not have to mean an exact 72 hour period. Unless you have an agenda.
     
  11. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    Why follow the world by honoring false gods by using the names that are assigned (in the English speaking world) to the days of the week?

    Sunday - the day of the sun
    Monday - the day of the moon
    Tuesday - Zeus day
    Wednesday - Woden's day
    Thursday - Thor's day
    Friday - Frieda's day
    Saturday - Saturn's Day

    Exodus 23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.​

    HankD
     
  12. Beth

    Beth New Member

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    Lol

    That does sound like fun!

    On a serious note, you guys should research Mandy Thursday before you celebrate it. I was somewhat surprised to see why it is celebrated. I think of concern to me, as an ex-catholic, is Mandy Thursday celebrates not just Christ's institution of the Lord's supper but that Christ also inaugurated a separate priesthood after Melchizedek...in otherwords a theology which legitimizes there being a priest class separate from the laity.

    http://www.catholicculture.org/library/dictionary/

    The "sacrament of the priesthood" was inaugurated on that day, according to Catholics.

    sooo...for me, I would personally ignore Maundy Thursday.
     
  13. Beth

    Beth New Member

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    agreed

    The argument of the pagan origin of our customs doesn't hold water. If you were to avoid all things "pagan", you would have to leave this world!

    Whether or not someone chooses to celebrate, in faith, a holiday is most definitely a freedom and conscience issue.

    I personally believe it is not so much a matter of WHAT you celebrate as WHY you celebrate it.
     
  14. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    Thanks, but since I beleive in the priesthood of the believer.... I don't see a problem stealing this doctrine, and setting it straight.

    I may use the information you linked here to design a service pointing to Christ as our High Priest, and emphasize that since we are all equal priests we can each come to the father. Since the Veil was torn, we all have access to the holy of holies...

    I beleive we need to take everything we can back from Satan.
    He stole stuff from us... it is time we take it back, clean it up, and use it for God...

    So what if Satan used Christmas, or Easter?... As Christians the meanings we put to them are what matters.

    And come October, the argument will be on Halloween too...

    This is the argument that never ends, It just goes on and on my friend Some people started fighting it, not knowing what it was, And they'll continue fighting it forever just because— This is the argument that never ends, It just goes on and on my friend Some people started fighting it, not knowing what it was, And they'll continue fighting it forever just because—
     
  15. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    AMEn... I can agree with that
     
  16. EdSutton

    EdSutton New Member

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    I have previously noted that 72 hours is not mentioned in Scripture, in other threads, and you no doubt noticed that I said nothing about 72 hours, here.

    Any mention of "hour" in relation to the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord is limited to about six usages, in Scripture, from what I'm able to ascertain, two of which are 'symbolic', if you will, as opposed to 'specific' times. "The hour is at hand..." (Mt. 26:45 cf. Mk.14:41), and a 'prophetic' and future usage referring to the coming crucifixion (Jn. 7:30; 8:20). The third usage of hour refers to the specific time of "now" ("from that hour..." when John took Mary to his own home, Jn. 19:27 cp. Lk. 24:33).
    The remaining three usages are the phrases, "third hour", "sixth hour", and "ninth hour", used in relation to the events on the crucifixion day, (Mt. 27:45,46; Mk. 15:25, 33,34; Lk. 23:44; Jn. 19:14) Incidentally, John is using "Roman time", here; the other three are using "Hebrew time", with the phrases.

    Ax an interesting aside, the word "hour" can be found very few times in the OT, at all, and there only in Daniel, in the NKJV at least, which is the version I use.

    I'm not willing to assign "an agenda" to all who use or refer to "an exact 72 hour period", although some, no doubt, do have such an agenda, IMO. I'm just not convinced in my own mind, that every such individual rates these nefarious motives. I do think that this shows the tendency of too many of us, and I'll include myself in this, to too often "take the easy way out", and take someone else's word, then repeat it again and again, until it becomes "canonized rhetoric". It's a lot easier to do that, unfortunately, than it is to 'be a Berean'. (Ac. 17:11)

    Ed
     
    #16 EdSutton, Mar 10, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2008
  17. EdSutton

    EdSutton New Member

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    I have not researched "Maundy Thursday" per se, I'll admit. But I have done some research into the Scriptures having to do with the events of the crucifixion week, and came to the conclusion that the 'day' of the crucifixion was, in fact, Thursday, more than 35 years ago. Incidentally, I came to this conclusion before reading or hearing that a single other person believed this to be true, although I had seen where some believed it was Wednesday. It did not take me long to discount Wednesday, as Lk. 24:21 completely eliminated that possibility, "right off the bat", IMO.

    So, I am being absolutely serious. Thursday 'is' the day of the Crucifixion, I believe.

    The "fun" part comes where most folks "don't have a clue." :D

    [Edited to add]However, I do have a slightly warped sense of humor, so I also found this amusing.

    Watch out! The Easter bunny might get you for this!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx147RAPYB8&feature=related

    Especially if you're Santa Claus!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsqrFRNXdfg&feature=related

    :laugh: [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Ed
     
    #17 EdSutton, Mar 10, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2008
  18. Beth

    Beth New Member

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    yes

    Tim, I definitely agree with the priesthood of believers.

    It is really interesting, is it not, how man will twist something to suit himself? Want to have a separate priest class, then make the Scriptures say something they don't!!!

    Good for you to emphasize that we are all kings and priests, Tim!

    your sis in Christ,
    Beth

     
  19. Beth

    Beth New Member

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    Ed

    Ed, don't get me wrong, bro, I am most definitely NOT disagreeing with you on this matter!

    I believe Christ was literally in the ground three days and three nights as per the sign of Jonah! Let's put it this way, I do not teach my children that Christ was crucified on Friday.

    your sis in Christ,
    Beth

     
  20. ituttut

    ituttut New Member

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    First let me say it is not my intent to judge anyone, only point out certain practices that have entered into the Baptist church, only in the last generation or so. There were reasons, biblical reasons, the Baptist church in time past refused to go along with the world.

    As you say most have no problem in this area. But you are associated with the pagan as the Holy Day/s is of origin from them, and we cannot deny this. This was brought into the Catholic Church, with the dates that the pagans (both our Easter, and Christmas) demanded Constantine to include.

    Please think this through, and check your Bible. Where are we told to follow what the world offers us? Does not Jesus Christ tell us how we are to remember Him? Why do we go outside of the Bible, and accept what should be unacceptable to we in the Body of Christ?
    Yes the churches do this, adding to the Word of God. Will this send the saved to hell? Of course not, but we will be judged on what we believe and practice.

    Where does the Holy Spirit come close to telling us to observe such a day? There is no possible way Friday could have been the day of our Lord's crucifixion, unless we believe man and not God that some days (of our choice) are made to be half days? When we accept Friday to be the day of crucifixion do we not call Jesus a liar? The churches observe error for they do and believe just as does the Catholic church.
    I agree with what you say, but what have we to do with those forty days that have to do with Israel? If you go back only 20 or so years, you'll find no Baptist church would ever go along with Lent. What in the world have we Christians to do with forty days? Christianity was not even known at that time. We are not to be put back, or try to go back under bondage.
    But December 25 is nowhere near the day Jesus was born. This is the date the Pagan's worshipped one of their gods. Are we not guilty of telling Jesus, we don't care when you were born, so we will move your birthday to be with a pagan god. Surely you won't mind setting next to this "god", for this is what we want.

    Easter and Christmas are often the only two times per year people attend church.[/quote]Does going to church save us?
    The celebration of May Day in Russia honors our Maker?
     
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