Like many of the world's major holidays, St. Valentine's Day is an annual observance with its roots entrenched firmly in pagan beliefs and customs. What would God think about Valentine's Day?
Answer:
Source: Photos.com
The ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, an annual three-day ritual believed to ward off evil spirits and increase fertility, was held on Feb. 13 to 15.
Lupercalia (also known as Februatio, which is where we get the name for our month of February) was popular among many of the new converts to the quick-rising Catholic Church, and as Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays notes, "Everywhere that [mainstream] Christians came into power they immediately adapted the holidays and customs of the people to their own creed” (Robert J. Myers and the editors of Hallmark Cards, 1972, pp. 50-51).
Such was their course of action with this festival of Lupercalia. While Pope Gelasius officially condemned the pagan Roman festival and banned its observance at the end of the fifth century, many of its accompanying practices quickly appeared in a newly established holiday added by him to the official church list of feast days in A.D. 496—St. Valentine's Day.
Soon, people were no longer looking to obtain fertility by being beaten with strips of animal skin called februa. Instead, they turned their focus to St. Valentine, the patron saint of "engaged couples and anyone wishing to marry" (Celebrations, pp. 48-49), whose actual identity is even murkier than what connection he bore to romance.
What amounted to a renamed, refurbished Lupercalia then picked up steam, gradually adapting itself into the Valentine's Day we know today, which included the added elements of Valentine cards and Cupid, the Roman god of erotic love.
Friendship and sending cards are wonderful things, and God is not opposed to romance at the right time in the right way. But does the pagan religious history of Valentine's Day taint the modern practices? What does God have to say about observing pagan traditions, renamed or not?
"When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess…do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods... Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:29-32).
Though the practices of Lupercalia have been repackaged and dressed up in the form of Valentine's Day, these verses indicate they remain just as detestable as they have always been in our Creator's eyes. Instead of pagan days and practices, our focus should be on the Holy Days God has given us in the Bible, which point us toward His amazing and incomparable plan for all of humanity.
Personally, I feel this interpretation is absurd. The scripture referenced outlines how we should not worship the gods of a foreign land if we move there. I have never heard, nor will I believe that God forbids us to promote a day of love, goodwill and kindness for any reason. The God I know wants nothing more for us to love one another and be charitable.
I can't imagine God detesting a day of love when love was all that Jesus taught us. Are we to shun any day not given to us as Holy in the Bible? If so, then the Catholic Holy Days of Obligation require investigation.
I believe God's instructions were very simple and often times over-complicated by man; honor God in all you do, obey his commandments, love one another.
I believe that if a person sticks to these principles that Jesus taught us, they will live a life that is pleasing to God.
Mike
Hi Speed,
I see your point.
And if it were up to you & me then I guess we could just do what we want.
But there is a God & your opinion & mine don't stack up to very much.
When we realize that, we want to find out what God desires.
In God's Word we learn that there are days we should keep and
days that are empty, hollow, or worse --
We are to stick to principles, but they should be of God, not men.