Pagan culture is different from Christian culture.
Think of the pagan cultures of history and today. Think of the values and morals: Temple prostitutes, male and female, were considered normal. The view of sex and family was definitely different. Today we are seeing the culture become more violent and ugly. Much of it runs in tandem with the breakdown in sexual mores as we move toward paganism.
Infanticide was the order of the day. Whether it was the followers of Moloch throwing their first born into a furnace or the Romans leaving their unwanted girl-children on the paving stones of the forum to die, children were expendable. If they were a burden they could be disposed of.
This attitude was extended to the rest of life. In many pagan cultures if you murdered someone you could buy your way out of punishment. I am not talking about justifiable homicide, I am talking about first degree murder.
Women have always been looked at as part of the flocks in the pagan world. In the ancient Middle East the Jews were the only ones that gave their women any status. The veil that has been adopted by the Muslims was common for respectable women in ancient cultures.
Much of the change going on around you is a result of a resurgence of paganism. Homosexuality is becoming accepted by those who don’t believe in the God of the Bible. We have a mantra of “its for the children” and yet abortion is common. Child abuse is growing. We are accepting suicide and euthanasia. Drugs are rampant. Government officials think they are justified in doing anything so that liberty is dissolving. Slavery, in the form of government control, is back. Lies are accepted.
Think about how George Washington or Clara Barton would respond to almost any popular TV program or movie. They would probably call for the local law enforcement to deal with the perverts and sadists that were putting on what we consider normal entertainment.
The changes are happening. They may be so slow you haven’t noticed, but they are happening.
To be finished...
homo unius libri
Yes, they're obvious everywhere. My wife and I can barely stomach MSM anymore, including Disney. As for buying your way out of murder, only have to look at the selling of induldences to see that it has entered EVERY facet of society, though it may be better disguised these days.
ReplyDeleteThe response to indulgences was the Reformation. I still believe that we could also have a revival. Real revival would bring its own changes.
DeleteGrace and peace.
As someone with a love for Jesus Christ, but a seeker in pagan traditions as well, I cannot but hint towards the fact that not all pagan traditions are perverts. The perversion that is the bane of modern society, and the reception of nature and sexuality has nothing to do with modern concepts. While you are right that in the prechristian pagan Germanic societies there was such a thing as "Wergild", paying one out of a murder, this was subject to a legal process and decided by the tribal community. Therefore, this was as much a social feature as in our times, and murderers were also sacrificed to Odhinn or Thór, if the Thing, (predecessor of a legal court) decided so. At least in Celtic and Germanic traditions, a veil was common for married women, as in Christian tradition also.
ReplyDeleteSexuality was treated in many traditions as holy, for it led to pregnancy and life was seen as a sacred gift.
I do not want to offend anyone, and you know that I love Jesus for what he is, was and could be. He is as well a very big part of my belief as the belief in the powers of the Universal Mother (The virgin mother) and this sacred creation. But let´s speak the truth, and be humble enough to mind the fall of the tower of Babel and the confusion of all human language, speech and ideas afterwards.
There is no traditional spiritual paganism involved in the processes of our society, in my opinion. It is something very, very old and very, very new; a primeval Evil that bears no name and many. It is even more evil than the Satan of the Bible, for he is but a fallen angel, and can never be more than a mild annoyance to the Deity. This Evil, however, is neither black nor white, but of neither colour. It is utter void, and its disciples more than just nihilistic.
To fight it we can but join forces and try to pray for deliverance and enlightenment. I will.
So many interesting statements. I could see a lot of great discussions over coffee. Let me just respond to your first sentence. I rejoice that you have a love for Jesus. I can see how a lover of Jesus could seek to understand pagan traditions. The Pythagorean theory is true and useful. Plato has much to teach us. I would hesitate to call myself a "seeker" though. I hope that doesn't mean you put pagan truths on the same level as Biblical truths.
DeleteThanks for the response.
Grace and peace.