Witnesses love to identify various customs as pagan
and avoid them - to maintain their cult-like separateness
and feel superior to wicked 'worldly' people.
What baloney!
The Bible is chock full of 'pagan', spiritistic practices
if you just know where to look. Start with Genesis!
The account about Jacob in Genesis 30:32-43 involves
the patriarch's use of good old "correspondence magick"
- like using a doll to stick pins in? It's commonly
called VOODOO today, folks!
Joseph could "expertly read omens" Gen.44:15. He is
said to have had a cup that he used for "scrying"
or divination by gazing into an object like a crystal
ball Gen 44:5. He achieved national power because
of his skill in DIVINATION of dreams!
There are psychics who claim to help police solve
crimes and find missing objects - just like ancient
'seers' 1 Sam 9:9
Divination was recommended by the author of Proverbs
16:33 by throwing primitive dice - to discern Jehovah's
will! When they needed a 12th apostle, they didn't
vote on him - they rolled dice! Acts 1:26 ("Lemme
get on the Governing Body, gimme seven!)
Bible writers LOVED to adopt PAGAN concepts - like
the Greek Tartarus 2 Pet 2:4 - a special place in
mythology where spirit rebels were kept.
The phrase "sacred secret" is repeated over and over
again - Christians grabbed the term from pagan mystery
religions of the first century.
"by divine providence called Christians" - using Greek
taken from pagan oracles where priestesses writhed
and moaned prophecies while demon-possessed.
And - if saying "Good Luck" is so bad, why was one
of the twelve tribes named "Lucky"? Gen.30:11
But the 20th century organization has made its own
peace with various pagan customs. Rutherford had a fit
when various nutcase brothers wanted a "Theocratic"
calendar - that didn't have Thursday (Thor's day)
or August (Augustus). They stopped the notion that
wedding rings might be pagan when so many practical
difficulties arose from not wearing them!
But as to 'worldly' thinking - developed by 'pagan'
thinkers, let's not forget the biggest and most
hypocritical example by the Society:
The 'organization'!
A 20th century CORPORATE concept that has nothing to
do with the decentralized, individual conscience
driven religion of the 1st century called Christianity.
Jesus didn't direct people to an 'organization',
he directed them to his "Heavenly Father" as part
of an "association of brothers" 1 Pet 2:17
A family, not a chain of command.
But its been about control, hasn't it?
metatron