The Cross: A Symbol Of Faith Or Rank Paganism?

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The hymn “Onward Christian Soldiers” portrays the cross as the identifying sign of everything for which Christianity stands and around which Christians should rally in their fight against the forces of evil.

Throughout the world, people universally regard the cross as THE symbol of Christianity. Churches have crosses atop their steeples, on their walls, windows and doors. Catholics and Protestants wear crosses on necklaces, bracelets, rings, pendants, keychains and items of clothing. People in some churches “cross” themselves by touching the forehead, breast, and then each shoulder to form a symbolic cross in carrying out certain religious rituals or in blessing themselves or others. Some think the sign of the cross to be effective in warding off evil spirits and for generally protecting believers from harm.

So is it okay to wear a cross as a symbol of our personal faith? Is it OK to assume that the early Christian Church revered the cross as part of its religious observance? Check any encyclopedia or historical reference work on this subject. It makes for an interesting study for those who are not afraid to face the truth.

The cross, in many shapes and forms, was used centuries before Christ by abject pagans! Notice a few of the many examples:

• In the British Museum is a statue of the Assyrian king Samsi-Vul, son of Shalmaneser. Around his neck is an almost perfect Maltese cross. On an accompanying figure of Ashur-nasir-pal is a similar cross.
• The ancient Greek goddess Diana is pictured with a crosses over her head, in much the same way that the “Virgin Mary” is represented by many medieval artists.
• Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, is often pictured wearing a headdress adorned with crosses.
• Different types of crosses were used in Mexico centuries before the Spaniards arrived.
• The Egyptians used cross symbols in abundance, as did the Hindus.

The shape of the two-beamed cross had its origin in ancient Chaldea and was used to represent the god Tammuz. Tammuz is the deified Nimrod, the first man to lead the opposition against God after the great Flood. He founded the city of Babylon, and along with his mother/wife Semiramis, founded the pagan Babylon mystery religion—the origin of all false religion today. The Egyptians used crosses in abundance, as did the Hindus.

The surprising thing is that the Christian use of the cross did not begin until the time of Constantine, three centuries after Christ. Archaeologists have found no Christian uses of the symbol before that time. According to one writer, “By the middle of the third century A.D. the churches had either departed from, or had transvestied, certain doctrines of the Christian faith. In order to increase the prestige of the apostate ecclesiastical system, pagans were received into the churches apart from regeneration by faith, and were permitted largely to retain their pagan signs and symbols” (W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, article “Cross“).

“In the papal system, as is well known, the sign of the cross and the image of the cross are all in all. No prayer can be said, no worship engaged in, no step almost can be taken, without the frequent use of the sign of the cross. The cross is looked upon as the grand charm, as the great refuge in every season of danger, in every hour of temptation as the infallible preservative from all the powers of darkness. The cross is adored with all the homage due only to the Most High; and for anyone to call it, in the hearing of a genuine Romanist, by the Scriptural term, “the accursed tree,” is a mortal offense. To say that such superstitious feeling for the sign of the cross, such worship as Rome pays to a wooden or a metal cross, ever grew out of the saying of Paul, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”—that is, in the doctrine of Christ crucified—is a mere absurdity, a shallow subterfuge and pretense. The magic virtues attributed to the so-called sign of the cross, the worship bestowed on it, never came from such a source.”

“The same sign of the cross that Rome now worships was used in the Babylonian Mysteries, was applied by paganism to the same magic purposes, was honored with the same honors. That which is now called the Christian cross was originally no Christian emblem at all, but was the mystic Tau of the Chaldeans and Egyptians—the true original form of the letter T, the initial of the name of Tammuz—which, in Hebrew, radically the same as ancient Chaldee, as found on coins, was formed as in No. 1 of the accompanying woodcut (below), and in Etrurian and Coptic, as in No’s. 2 and 3. That mystic Tau was marked in baptism on the foreheads of those initiated in the Mysteries, and was used in every variety of way as a most sacred symbol. To identify Tammuz with the sun, it was joined sometimes to the circle of the sun, as in No. 4; sometimes it was inserted in the circle, as in No. 5.” (The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop, page 197).

There is an enormous body of evidence proving that the cross is not a Christian symbol but has its roots in rank paganism. Some will argue, however, that we may use the sign of the cross because it represents the manner in which Jesus Christ died, or that they are not using it today to worship a pagan deity. However, using it as a Christian symbol is a product of syncretism, (the blending of pagan traditions and methods of worship with the true worship of God), something God strongly condemns.

Before entering the land of Canaan, God told the Israelites,

. . . take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you 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; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. (Deuteronomy 12:30-31)

Does the cross even represent the manner in which Jesus Christ died? I have argued against this in another article on this blog. The Bible does not specifically state which method the Romans used in the crucifixion of Christ, and as far as I can tell, no one has yet conclusively proven on what shape of instrument of torture Christ was crucified. Does it even matter? We have to consider if it is even appropriate to use the very tool that was used to kill our Savior as an emblem of our faith. If Jesus Christ had been killed by hanging, would we use a gallows or a noose as a symbol of our faith? If He had been beheaded, would we use a guillotine? It makes no sense to parade the instrument of shame and death before the world and be proud of it.

Satan the devil knew long before Jesus was born that Christ would die by crucifixion (Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14; Psalm 22:16). He has deceived the entire world (Rev. 12:9) into worshipping a false Christ by making the cross a popular symbol of worship.

Most importantly, God forbids the use of any item that takes the place of faith. He instructs His true followers to worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23), and forsake all of this world’s false religions, rituals and pagan symbols of worship. This includes the cross, which assists only to add to a dead, empty faith. As the apostle Paul exhorted, Christ’s true followers walk by faith, not by sight (II Cor. 5:7).

Leftism And The Collapse Of The United States

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Leftism is a belief system spanning from liberal socialist democracies all the way through totalitarian communism. It encompasses many divergent ideas, strategies, and tactics.

The left cabal almost universally despises things American. It has a hatred of country, paranoia, accusations of “right wing conspiracies,” and admiration for revolutionary icons. Leftists are concerned with, and are opposed to, economic and social injustice. Their systems are unified by a belief in the worker and the common people having the right to self-determination, as well as embracing the overthrow of the moneyed elites and the destruction of elitist power, culture and dogma.

Leftists are concerned with, and are opposed to, economic and social injustice. They propose ameliorating social ills through active intervention or charity, whether under the auspices of the State, NGOs, or other formal organizations.

They believe that human beings do not naturally get along, so they must be educated and encouraged to be cooperative. When all else fails, this can always be enforced by the State, through the sanctioning of some properly constituted legal institutions where they get to make most of the rules to be enforced. (insurgentdesire)

Their dream is a utopia of equality, justice and individuality for all, no matter who they are. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter was afflicted with this ideology, thinking Hamas was “an organization ready for peace.” And Bill Clinton neglected numerous chances to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. His tepid reaction to the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, and the attack on the USS Cole in Aden, encouraged America’s enemies.

Now we have President Barack Obama. In his bookbook: “The Case Against Barack Obama,” author David Freddoso says, “Many among the media and his followers have elevated him to nearly divine status. Barack Obama has escaped realistic appraisal and serious-minded critique more than any man (or woman) who has ever been elected to our nation’s highest office.

The real Barack Obama certainly is a man of hope: hope to govern America from the far Left. He cavorts with liberal ideological soulmates who like him believe in the redistribution of higher taxes, and a Supreme Court full of young judges enthralled by the notion of “living, breathing Constitution” that says pretty much whatever they want it to say. In addition to “stimulating” the stagnating economy, bailing out lending institutions, and providing financial relief for homeowners, the new administration also intends to spend trillions more on alternative forms of energy, universal health care and public education.

A historical shift to the left

Anyone who cannot see that we now have the most radically left leaning President in history, and with him the most dangerous time in history,  is either historically ignorant, intellectually dishonest or willfully self-deceptive.  And this has created a whole new set of problems. The world’s evils are mounting so quickly that they threaten to overwhelm domestic concerns! Your Bible has prophecies which show America will ultimately experience a state of terminal collapse, which we are beginning to experience now. Although this may sound foolish to people unaccustomed to critical analysis, it is clearly stated and can be proved in more than a hundred prophecies of the Holy Bible.

This book prophesies of a seventh resurrections, or resurgence, of the Holy Roman Empire (Revelation 17:10-12).  “And there are seven kings: five are fallen”—Justinian, Charlemagne, Otto the Great, Charles v and Napoleon—“and one is”—the Hitler-Mussolini axis, which was on the world scene when this prophecy first began to be understood—“and the other is not yet come”—but it is rising now—“and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.”

America is extremely inwardly focused because of its financial mismanagement—leading to being totally distracted by geopolitical events elsewhere. With America unprepared and reeling, the Holy Roman Empire grows in Europe unimpeded. Watch for a perilous 2009.

Week Days and Months: Are They Named After Pagan Deities?

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Scripture reveals the names and order of Biblical months, however, none of the customary names of months and names of days found in the Gregorian calendar can be found anywhere in the Bible.  On the contrary, a little research shows us that the name of the months and days in the Gregorian calendar are names of pagan sun gods and goddesses.

According to the Encyclopedia International article “Week,” the days of the week are named after the ruling luminary — the days were names for the sun, the moon, and the five visible planets, are represented in the modern Gregorian Calendar week and all are associated with pagan deities.

The names of the days of the week and their meanings are as follows:

Sunday became the first day of the week.

• Latin: translates from dies solis, or “Day of the Sun”.
• Roman myth, Apollo was the god of the sun and of healing, so sick people prayed to him. Each day he drove his chariot of fiery horses across the sky to give light to the world.
• Greek Mythology; Helios was the god of the Sun.
• Saxon: sunnandaeg – god of the heat and light ball in the sky.

Monday is the second day of the week. Named after the Moon.

• Roman Myth: Luna, or Diana was goddess of the moon. Diana’s twin brother Apollo was the god of the sun.
• Saxon: mona – god of the light ball in the night sky, and tide maker.
• Latin: dies lunae, or “Day of the Moon”.

Tuesday is the third day of the week, named after the planet Mars, in honor of the god Mars.

• Latin: dies martis or “Day of Mars”. This day is named for the day of Tiw, or Tiu, and old Teutonic (Anglo-Saxon) deity. They also called it Tiw’s day.” So Tuesday” comes from the name of this Saxon god.
• Roman Myth: Tiu identifies with Tyr, which was the Norse god of war and sky and translated to Mar’s day.
• Mars: named in honour of the God of War, father of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
• French: word for Tuesday is Mardi, as in Mardi Gras.

Wednesday is the fourth day of the week and named after the planet Mercury, and later named in honor of the Teutonic god Wedn or Woden.

• Latin: dies Mercuii, or “Day of Mercury.
• Old English: spells the word as “Odin” and refers to the planetary god of Roman mythology.
• Mercury: “the cunning God”, was the god of travelers. He had a winged hat and sandals, so he could fly and carried a staff with two snakes winding round it.

Thursday is the fifth day of the week and corresponds to the planet Jupiter. Later named in honor of the Teutonic god Thor.

• Latin: dies Jovis, or the day of Jove
• Norse god: The “Day of Thor”, “the Thunder god”

Jove compares to the Roman planetary god Jupiter, and the Greek god Zeus.

Friday is the sixth day of the week.

• Norse goddess: Frigg, or Frigga, names that day. Frigg was the wife of Wodin, or Odin, and the goddess of marriage.
• Latin: dies Veneris, or the day of Venus who was the goddess of love.

Saturday correspond to the planet Saturn, in honor of the Roman god Saturn.

• Latin: dies Saturni, or the “Day of Saturn”.
• Roman: The Romans had a mid-winter festival in honor of Saturn, called the Saturnalia. It lasted seven days, and there was much merrymaking. Public business was suspended and schools were closed. Parents gave toys to their children and there was a public banquet.
• Old father time: god of Time and agriculture and his weapon was a scythe. He ruled the gods before Jupiter.

Sources: Falk, Michael (1999). “Astronomical Names for the Days of the Week”, Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, 93:12

Astronomical

Day	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Luminary & symbol	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn
Latin	dies solis	dies lunea	dies martis	dies mercurĭi	dies jovis	deis venĕris	dies saturni
Italian	domenica (1)	lunedì	martedì	mercoledì	giovedì	venerdì	sabato (2)
Spanish	domingo (1)	lunes	martes	miércoles	jueves	viernes	sábado (2)
French	dimanche (1)	lundi	mardi	mercredi	jeudi	vendredi	samedi (2)
Welsh	dydd Sul	dydd Llun	dydd Mawrth	dydd Mercher	dydd Iau	dydd Gwener	dydd Sadwrn
Old High German	sunnuntag	mānetag	zeistag Ziu’s day	wodenstag Woden’s day	donerestag Donar’s day	friatag Freia’s day	sambaztag (2)
German	Sonntag	Montag	Dienstag	Mittwoch (3)	Donnerstag	Freitag	Samstag (2) or Sonnabend (“sun’s eve”)
Dutch	zondag	maandag	dinsdag	woensdag	donderdag	vrijdag	zaterdag
Old Norse	sunnundagr Sunna’s day	mánandagr	tysdagr Tyr’s day	óðensdagr Odin’s day	þorsdagr Thor’s day	friádagr Freya’s day	laugardagr (5)
Swedish	Söndag	Mândag	Tisdag	Onsdag	Torsdag	Fredag	Lördag (4)
Finnish	sunnuntai	maanantai	tiistai	keskiviikko (3)	torstai	perjantai	lauantai (4)
Old English	sunnandaeg Sunne’s day	mónandaeg	tiwesdaeg Tiw’s day	wodnesdaeg Woden’s day	þunresdaeg Thunor’s day	frigesdaeg Frige’s day	saeternesdaeg
English	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Luminary & symbol	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn
Day	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday

Source for graph.

But how did this planetary week come to be so commonly used in the professing Christian world? Hutton Webster, in his book “Rest Days,” provides the answer: “The early Christians had at first adopted the Jewish seven-day week with its NUMBERED weekdays, but by the close of the third century A.D. this began to give way to the planetary week …. The use of planetary names by Christians attests the growing influence of astrological speculations introduced by converts from paganism …. Thus, gradually a PAGAN INSTITUTION was engrafted on Christianity.” (Emphasis added. See pages
220-221).

This planetary week with its days named after pagan deities is not of God. God Almighty DID CREATE the week with seven days. But He merely numbered the days one through seven (Gen. 1; 2:1-3). The only day He named was the seventh day. He called that day “Sabbath” (Ex. 16:22-26; 20:8-11).

The names of the worldly months and their meanings are as follows:

Month                                                        From the Latin:

JANUARY                                                  Januarius, in honor of the Roman god Janus.
FEBRUARY                                                Februarius, in honor of the Roman festival of general expiation and purification.
MARCH                                                        Martius, in honor of the Roman god Mars.
APRIL                                                          Aprilis, which was derived from APERIO, a Latin verb meaning to open. So called
because it is the month when the earth opens to produce new fruits.
MAY                                                             Maius, in honor of the Greek goddess Maia.
JUNE                                                            Junius, in honor of the Roman goddess Juno.
JULY                                                           Julius, in honor of Roman emperor Julius Caesar.
AUGUST                                                     Augustus, in honor of Roman emperor Augustus Caesar.

The rest of the months — September, October, November, December — are derived from the Latin words for the numerals 7, 8, 9, and 10. They were the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months of the old Roman calendar.

Reincarnation: Myth Or Fact?

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Reincarnation is a concept which is common to many religious beliefs and spiritual practices. Those who believe in this theory teach that after death a person’s “soul” is reborn in a new body, which is sometimes referred to as the “transmigration of the soul” or metempsychosis.

The abundance of reincarnation myths around the world finds appeal in the idea that a fundamental part of themselves will live on after death, even though their bodies may decay.

The immortality of the soul doctrine (especially prevalent in the West) is basic to the belief in reincarnation. But, that doctrine is false! The classic inquiry “Who am I?” is being replaced by the puzzling question “Who was I?”. The Bible plainly shows that one’s soul is NOT immortal. Notice Genesis 3:19:

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust [not another body] shalt thou return.”

Also notice Ecclesiastes 3:19-20:

“For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast …. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.”

Psalm 146:4 states that when a man dies “his breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts
perish.”

We can further this concept for those who say the body is irrelevant to the concept of reincarnation by quoting Heb. 9:27, which states that  a man “is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. In other words, he is NOT reborn to die over and over again.

So if this belief is not biblical, how did it start?

What is reincarnation?

“Reincarnation, literally “to be made flesh again”, is a doctrine or metaphysical belief that some essential part of a living being (in some variations only human beings) survives death to be reborn in a new body. This essential part is often referred to as the spirit or soul, the “higher” or “true” self, “divine spark”, or “I”. According to such beliefs, a new personality is developed during each life in the physical world, but some part of the self remains constant throughout the successive lives.” [wikipedia]

Answers.com terms reincarnation as rebirth of the soul in another body. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia terms it as the doctrine of the rebirth of the soul in one or more existences. Oxford University Press expresses it as existence of a soul that is periodically reincarnated in a body. And Columbia Encyclopedia references it as occupation by the soul of a new body after the death of the earlier body.

The teaching of reincarnation (a religion of the east) is making heavy inroads into Western society today. However, it is important to understand that it is in no way a scientific or religious truth.

Reincarnation in Hindu art

The concept of this belief can be stated as follows: after death, the human soul leaves the body and passes into either 1) a plant body, an animal body, another human body, or even an extra-terrestrial body.

Belief in reincarnation has ancient roots. This doctrine is a central tenet within the majority of Indian religious traditions, such as Hinduism (including Yoga, Vaishnavism, and Shaivism).

It also appears in Jainism and Sikhism, two faiths that grew out of Hinduism and are still practiced in India. Jainism shares with Hinduism a belief in many gods. Sikhism, a monotheistic religion, combines some elements of Islam with Hinduism.

Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all began in India, where the idea of rebirth first appears in texts dating from about 700 B.C. They share a belief in samsara—the wheel of birth and rebirth—and karma—the idea that an individual’s future incarnation depends on the way he or she lived. People who have done good deeds and led moral lives are reborn into higher social classes; those who have not are doomed to return as members of the lower classes or as animals. Only by achieving the highest state of spiritual development can a person escape samsara altogether. (Mythencyclopedia)

The idea was further entertained by some ancient Greek philosophers, the Egyptians and Greeks,  among the Celts and Druids, and in various “mystery religions” of the Near East. It spread somewhat among the Hebrews, before the time of Christ, and has survived among various Hasidic groups in the world today.

Many modern Neopagans also believe in it, as do some New Age movements, along with followers of Spiritism, practitioners of certain African traditions, and students of esoteric philosophies such as Kabbalah, and Gnostic and Esoteric Christianity. The Buddhist concept of Rebirth although often referred to as reincarnation differs significantly from the Hindu-based traditions and New Age movements in that there is no unchanging “soul” (or eternal self) to reincarnate.

People apart from ancient Israel had no concept of a personal God,  so  reincarnation took hold as a way of explaining many of the mysteries of this life. The perpetual state of karma (as a primitive form of retribution) supposedly helps to  “expiate’ the sins of previous incarnations.

Does the Bible mention reincarnation?

While the Bible does not mention the term reincarnation, it does condemn it in context in speaking of John the Baptist. In the Gospel of John, Christ is asked about a blind man: Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind? In other words, he must have done something wrong in a previous life, or he wouldn’t have been born with blindness. To which the Savior replied: Neither he nor his parents sinned…but that the works of God might be manifest in him (John 9:2-3r).Jesus Christ here clearly refuted the idea that the existence of evil can be explained by reincarnation. Why? Because reincarnation undercuts the gospel message in three ways.

1. First, it assumes that God is impersonal and is therefore unknowable.
2. Second, reincarnation denigrates the Atonement of Christ.
3. Third, it denies the fact that Jesus physically resurrected from the dead.

You see, the law of karma is entirely incompatible with the teachings of the Bible. There is no mechanistic “wheel of re-birth” (as taught by Hindus, Buddhists, and their Western equivalents). Those who are now in the grave will NOT go to heaven, as “no one has gone up into Heaven, except He having come down out of Heaven, the Son of Man…., and neither will their consciousness leave the grave:

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28-29)

Esoteric foolishness

Still, many tell of crackpot esoteric experiences which seems real to them, but they conveniently throw out the Scriptures to go with their own impressions and subjective opinions. Such people are attracted by superficial and grandiose nonsense about hallucinatory “memories” of previous lifetimes-often gained through “regressive hypnosis.” That might make for some exciting storytelling, and if good enough, maybe even land them an appearance on Oprah and guaranteed a few book sales. But it doesn’t make for good reality.

...according to the idea of reincarnation, if one is “saved” at all it is only after many lifetimes of working out the consequences of one’s sins. This is the cold and dreary legalism of the pagan religions which was totally abolished by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. (Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose): The Soul After Death)

The term “Christian” has been rendered nearly meaningless now with people of every bizarre belief and teaching claiming that their views can comport with Christianity. Ignoring the word of God and therefore avoiding being moved by the Spirit of God, such people circumvent the entire process of Christian growth. There is no spiritual maturity, because there is no growing where there is no knowing (II Pet. 3:18).

Christ told us that the way was narrow that leads to eternal life. Anyone who denies the clear teachings of Scripture about the afterlife denies Christ by his rejection of the Word of God.

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The real nature of man is something few understand. The teaching of the immortality of the  soul is simply un-biblical and cannot be substantiated by scripture. Those who try do so with limited understanding or false pretenses.