Q: What does pagan worship look like today? What is pegan worship?
16-Nov-09 (updated 8-Feb-10)
Throughout Scripture, there are accounts of pagans building so-called “high places” for worship of false gods. Oft times, the Israelites would condone this pagan worship by completely succumbing to it (2 Chr 25.14), attempting to mix it with worship of the true God (Zeph 1.4-6), or by simply ignoring it (2 Chr 20.32-33). Pagan worship is sometimes portrayed as barbaric & might seem ancient or far removed from today’s “advanced” cultures. However, I would propose that it is practiced far & wide, even to the extreme of being endorsed by governments & promoted by educational systems.
I guess it would be appropriate to define “pagan” before we get too far. Pagan worship is obsession of sensual pleasures or material goods - in a word: hedonism - "the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life" (according to www.m-w.com). I’m not even talking about the obvious cases of the various false religions of the world or even that of Oprah, Joel Osteen & their like-minded health & wealth spiritualists (Relax, the Bible calls out misled people by name as to prevent others from following their demise). At a very basic level, pagan worship is a violation of the first 2 commandments of the Mosaic Law:
- “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex 20.1-3): This means the God of truth is to be #1 in our lives which precludes the acceptance of all things He deems false & morally wrong.
- “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them” (Ex 20.4-5): This means we are not to make God into something He is not (idol) or worship in ways that are contrary to His vary being.
What does pagan worship look like today?
- Materialism / Consumerism: Unquenchable desire for more power, status, money or stuff; compulsive need for the latest, greatest, biggest & best; to be perpetually discontent; a mindset of entitlement, instant gratification, self absorption & "if it feels good, do it" (Pr 30.15, Eccl 5.10, Esther 5.11, Mt 6.24, 1 Tim 6.10, Jas 4.16, 1 Jn 2.16-17). Liberals deluded with humanism / Marxism endorse financial debt, tyrannical power & deceiving to get them. Western society is infected with false ideas of “self-esteem” & the nature of man being “basically good” resulting in one's main goal being satisfaction of desires & "self-actualization", including anything sinful & perverse.
- Misplaced Sexuality: Any physical, visual or mental sexual activity that takes place outside the confines of a covenant marriage between 1 man & 1 woman (Gen 2.18, 22-24, Lev 18.22-23, Mt 19.5, Rom 1.24-27, 1 Cor 6.9). Liberal politicians & media promote anti-family & homosexual agendas. News media & entertainment industries highlight & basically encourage sex scandals & affairs. Teachings of Alfred Kinsey, Mary Calderone & Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) dominate the sex education scene in public schools with their perversion (See: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=751408 ).
- Pantheism / Environmentalism / Darwinian Naturalism: Blatant worship of creation or obsessive devotion to the environment, nature, atheistic evolution, etc. (Dt 4.15-20, 17.3, 2 Ki 21.3, Jer 8.2, Rom 1.22-23, 25). There is continued debate over exclusive promotion of evolution & an atheistic worldview in the classrooms at many levels. A rabid & unquestioned infatuation with so-called “man-made climate change” (global warming) ensues. Plants & animals are given more value than people. Population control is astonishingly embraced (See: http://www.unfoundation.org/global-issues/women-and-population/sexual-repro-health.html ).
The Bible does not say that environmental stewardship, money, material goods, power or sex are evil in & of themselves (Jas 1.17, 1 Cor 6.12, 10.23, 1 Tim 4.3-4), but rather that its wrong when our desire for & misuse of them become “gods” of rank & priority &/or we are fooled into thinking that Almighty God is “OK” with what He actually condemns (see Betraying the Father).
I guess it would be appropriate to define “pagan” before we get too far. Pagan worship is obsession of sensual pleasures or material goods - in a word: hedonism - "the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life" (according to www.m-w.com). I’m not even talking about the obvious cases of the various false religions of the world or even that of Oprah, Joel Osteen & their like-minded health & wealth spiritualists (Relax, the Bible calls out misled people by name as to prevent others from following their demise). At a very basic level, pagan worship is a violation of the first 2 commandments of the Mosaic Law:
- “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex 20.1-3): This means the God of truth is to be #1 in our lives which precludes the acceptance of all things He deems false & morally wrong.
- “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them” (Ex 20.4-5): This means we are not to make God into something He is not (idol) or worship in ways that are contrary to His vary being.
What does pagan worship look like today?
- Materialism / Consumerism: Unquenchable desire for more power, status, money or stuff; compulsive need for the latest, greatest, biggest & best; to be perpetually discontent; a mindset of entitlement, instant gratification, self absorption & "if it feels good, do it" (Pr 30.15, Eccl 5.10, Esther 5.11, Mt 6.24, 1 Tim 6.10, Jas 4.16, 1 Jn 2.16-17). Liberals deluded with humanism / Marxism endorse financial debt, tyrannical power & deceiving to get them. Western society is infected with false ideas of “self-esteem” & the nature of man being “basically good” resulting in one's main goal being satisfaction of desires & "self-actualization", including anything sinful & perverse.
- Misplaced Sexuality: Any physical, visual or mental sexual activity that takes place outside the confines of a covenant marriage between 1 man & 1 woman (Gen 2.18, 22-24, Lev 18.22-23, Mt 19.5, Rom 1.24-27, 1 Cor 6.9). Liberal politicians & media promote anti-family & homosexual agendas. News media & entertainment industries highlight & basically encourage sex scandals & affairs. Teachings of Alfred Kinsey, Mary Calderone & Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) dominate the sex education scene in public schools with their perversion (See: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=751408 ).
- Pantheism / Environmentalism / Darwinian Naturalism: Blatant worship of creation or obsessive devotion to the environment, nature, atheistic evolution, etc. (Dt 4.15-20, 17.3, 2 Ki 21.3, Jer 8.2, Rom 1.22-23, 25). There is continued debate over exclusive promotion of evolution & an atheistic worldview in the classrooms at many levels. A rabid & unquestioned infatuation with so-called “man-made climate change” (global warming) ensues. Plants & animals are given more value than people. Population control is astonishingly embraced (See: http://www.unfoundation.org/global-issues/women-and-population/sexual-repro-health.html ).
The Bible does not say that environmental stewardship, money, material goods, power or sex are evil in & of themselves (Jas 1.17, 1 Cor 6.12, 10.23, 1 Tim 4.3-4), but rather that its wrong when our desire for & misuse of them become “gods” of rank & priority &/or we are fooled into thinking that Almighty God is “OK” with what He actually condemns (see Betraying the Father).