Wait a minute ... if the Jehovah's Witnesses are going to be "separate from the world" by rejecting all-things-pagan - what about rings?
The word "ring" is first found in Genesis 41:42 where Pharoah took his off and put it on Joseph's hand. This was not a wedding. The ring was used as a symbol of power and authority. But notice it is upon the hand of an idolatrous pagan ruler.
Ancient idols wear jewelry. Some would say God approves of idols wearing jewelry.
In Exodus 32:3-4 Aaron made a golden calf from the ornaments of jewelry given to him by the Israelites.
In Exodus 33:5 God told them to strip: "For the LORD has said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee."
If a person has never heard God tell them to strip their jewelry off, they have not heard from God on the issue! God cannot be contradictory. He will not require of one what he does not require of all.
There is no Scripture where God ever told the Israelites they could put jewelry back on! If God said to take it off and gave no authorization to put it back on, then these ornaments of jewelry are forever to remain off the body of God's chosen people.
Exodus 33:6--"And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb."
One of the sins of king Saul was he allowed the women to put back on ornaments (2Sam 1:24).
The next mention of these ornaments is in Isaiah 3:18 where God strips Israel again, but this time will send them into captivity into the land of the pagans whom they lusted after. What happens when a person rejects the ways of God? They end up a captive among the unsaved heathens and there with their ornaments they forget God until the day of their calamity. Then, to get God's attention they will strip off their ornaments of bravery, put on sackcloth, and begin to wail.
In Jeremiah 4:30 the daughters of Israel decked themselves again with ornaments of gold, painted their faces, made themselves beautiful (fair), but God said even with all this her lovers would despise her. Rings on the hands of a whore or harlot do not symbolize holiness or purity. These symbolize more the spirit of a witch, a woman who uses all available powers to seduce her victim to lust after her. Such fornication and adultery profanes the sacrifice of purity and holiness (read Ezk 16:10-15 then follow-up the end of this jewelry in Ezk 23:40). Even if God would allow jewelry, look at what people would do with this liberty!
There is no wedding ring in the Old Testament.
The wedding ring comes from paganism. It cannot be found in the Old or New Testaments. There was no practice among early Christians to wear finger rings as a sign of marriage or an engagement. Pope Gregory 1, in 860AD decreed that as a required statement of nuptial intent, the groom to be had to give his intended an engagement ring. He further decreed the ring be of gold to signify financial sacrifice. The first diamond engagement ring is the one given by King Maximillian in 1477 to Mary of Burgundy. Wedding rings can be traced to idols and heathen religions. It is not just the image of the idol we are commanded not to possess, but rather any part of the idol itself. Thus, to make ones self after the image of the idol is to practice idolatry. All images of false gods and goddesses show the use of earrings, finger rings, bracelets, nose rings, and other jewelry. Where do we find this same practice associated with the God of the Bible? Did Jesus wear jewelry? Did the Apostles and early Christians? The answer is no!
The wedding ring is first a circle which is said to mean eternal or unending. Marriages were never eternal in the Scriptures but rather until death. Afterward a spouse could be married again. The idea then of eternal marriages symbolised by the ring is not Biblical. This meaning of the ring is false. So the ring gives a false testimony. The wedding ring then is not representative of the true union of the bridegroom and his bride. The home of the couple is more a witness and testimony of marriage then a wedding ring. For it is in the home the marriage is honored and sustained.
The wedding ring originated in Babylon, the cradle of civilization. The most ancient ring discovered there is in the shape of the eternal serpent. The image of the serpent biting its tail to form the circle of the ring is an ancient satanic symbol (***satanic ouroboros) . The same symbol is used by the Theosophy Cult. Satan as the serpent, that great dragon of Revelation 12, has by this symbol joined a man and a woman under his cult. God is not the serpent symbol of any wedding ring, nor is he the symbol of the wedding ring in any fashion. We may trace the ring not to the God of the Bible but to the accuser of the brethren. Where is there any ring that symbolizes God? Did God provide wedding rings for Adam and Eve? Remove this idolatrous symbol from the Church and the Pastor is accused of being legalistic, against marriage, incouraging adultery and lust. The Pastor's Church is labeled a cult. The fact is, over 70% of married spouses who commit fornication do not remove their wedding rings prior to the act, during the act, or after the act. Wedding rings have not stopped one act of adultery. Not one husband or wife has said: "I cannot commit adultery because I have my wedding ring on."
The pagan origin of the wedding ring raise questions about its adoption by Christians to represent the marriage union. The value of symbols is determined by their origin and meaning. The Menorah, the Cross, the Lord’s Passover emblems of bread and wine with footwashing, and baptism, are all acceptable symbols, because they have been established by God to help us understand spiritual truth. Their value is derived from their divine origin and not from man-made paganism. By contrast, the meaning of the wedding ring as a symbol of marriage commitment finds its origin not in Scripture, but in pagan mythology and superstitions. To give a pagan superstitutious symbol a Christian meaning leads to perversion of the right ways of God. The fourth finger DOES NOT contain a special nerve to the heart. It is superstitutious to believe if a person removes their wedding ring that evil will befall the marriage. Did a ring join them together or was it GOD? When a ring is made to join two people, God is CAST OUT and replaced by a piece of jewelry. This is exactly what has happened with the use of the wedding ring, superstitution is believed and this is borderline witchcraft. Many claim they need to wear the ring to ward off men or women who might think they are otherwise available. This is not true, the man or woman who is married will not be a flirt, will not entice lust, and will come out plainly and say "I am married." There is no need to allow a pagan superstitutious symbol say what should be said with lips and conduct.
Christian religions that originally rejected wedding rings: The Methodist followed the teachings of John Wesley that wedding rings were pagan and should not be worn. Mennonites likewise rejected the wedding ring as pagan. All early Baptist in America rejected use of the pagan wedding ring. The original Seventh Day Adventist abstained from use of the wedding ring because of its pagan origin. All the holiness movements, including the more devout Apostolic Pentecostals rejected wedding rings as pagan. There was a time in America when the majority of Christians did not wear jewelry of any kind including earrings and wedding rings. But this was to change when Pastors wanted their Churches to be more world friendly. The theory behind this relaxation was that Christianity was more then holiness and wearing of jewelry. The emphasis on personal holiness fell into decline in the later 1800s and from that time wedding rings became more and more accepted.
This leavening process brought other backslidings: casual drinking of alcohol was permitted; smoking of tobacco was allowed, dipping snuff was ok, chewing tobacco was left up to the person's own convictions; card playing and use of dice games came into homes; women began to wear slacks/pants, and having their hair bobbed (cut) was no longer frowned upon or preached against. Makeup was no longer seen as a Jezebel practice. The focus switched from being Godly to being self-centered. What has happened? Christians use Biblical terms like holiness but they no longer mean by this word what the Scriptures mean. The greater problem with wedding rings is the next step in spiritual maturity of forsaking all paganism and worldliness. Those who wear pagan wedding rings are not likely to make a stand against any other paganism practiced by Catholics and Protestants. We have a generation who now walk by sight and not by a holiness faith.
Many claim jewelry and rings are a minor thing. Indeed they are minor. There is much more to living for God then wearing jewelry and rings. But, if they are such a minor thing why is it so hard to get people to pull them off? The Bible reveals that use of jewelry results in spiritual decline and apostasy. It is time to let God strip us down and let him dress us. What is wrong with that? Let God in your closet. Let God strip you of these pagan ornaments. Since wedding rings are such a minor thing, why not remove them and let your holiness and purity speak for your marriage?
At last, where are those who wear earrings, wedding rings, bracelets, necklaces, nose rings, any different then the idols pictured above. Have people made themselves after the image of their idols and not after God? Now someone prove God wears jewelry and this page will be retracted.
Those who wear wedding rings will also backslide in the wearing of apparel and eventually on all matters of Christian holiness.
So, really ... are they "no part of the world" or just a pick-and-choose religion?
