You leave my pagan organ out of this!......oompa...
this thread is disgusting dammit....pagan organs.....this is soooo gonna get locked down
(this was kinda in memory of the great gilda on snl)....oh...never mind
Lets list everything that has pagan origins!!
by song19 81 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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redredrose
A number of scholars believe that even baptism and sacred blood and wine came from the cult of Mithraism. Mithras died and was resurrected to become an intermediary between the God of Light and man.
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stillajwexelder
Lets list everything that has pagan origins!! EVERYTHING
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StAnn
The JW doctrine about 1914. Russell came up with it based in part upon pyramidology, didn't he?
StAnn
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Mrs. Fiorini
Surprisingly even some parts of the Bible have pagan origins. According to the book "Psalms For All Seasons" by John F. Craghan, an associate professor of religious studies at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, the first several verses of Psalm 19 "was originally a pagan hymn honoring the Semitic god El." And he says of Psalm 29, "Scholars generally agree that this Psalm was originally a pagan composition extolling the Canaanite god Baal, the weather god who through storms and rains brings fertility to the earth...In appropriating this hymn for her worship, Israel substituted the name of her god Yahweh (translated "the Lord") for that of Baal."
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Alwayshere
DON'T FORGET THE WTS!
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justhuman
The Greek days are not named by pagan God's etc etc, but we have the Jewish days. So it does not consider us!!!
We have the months of the year that are Pagan
Also many times (even JW's do this) they name their children from Greek pagan Gods or mythololgal heroes and semi-gods. Names like Jason, Hercules, Achileus, Odysseas, Isida, Iris, Ira, Pinelope, Aphrodite, Hermes, Lidia, just to name a few names that are widely used, some even by the rest of the Western world. So why would JW's name their child by a pagan Greek perverd God???
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jwfacts
Bible Students celebrated Christmas well after they were 'cleansed' in 1919, and into the 1920's. It was not until 1951 that the Watchtower stated the Witnesses were no longer to celebrate birthdays.
"Is it proper to have or attend celebrations of birthday anniversaries?-F. K., Nevada. Such celebrations have their roots in pagan religions, and not Scriptural grounds. Some Bible commentators suggest that birthday celebrations may have had their origin in the "notion of the immortality of the soul"." Watchtower 1951 October 1 p.607 Questions from Readers
The proclaimers book claims these celebrations were given up due to being pagan.
"When Jehovah's Witnesses cast aside religious teachings that had pagan roots, they also quit sharing in many customs that were similarly tainted. But for a time, certain holidays were not given the careful scrutiny that they needed. One of these was Christmas." Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p.198
The discussion of this in the Proclaimers book lets one draw the conclusion that this was a pagan celebration inherited from Christendom, but subsequently discarded once properly considered. Yet Jehovah's Slave had considered Christmas and not only concluded that it was acceptable for Christians but promoted it as "of the greatest importance."
"Even though Christmas is not the real anniversary of our Lord's birth, but more properly the annunciation day or the date of his human begetting (Luke 1:28), nevertheless, since the celebration of our Lord's birth is not a matter of divine appointment or injunction, but merely a tribute of respect to him, it is not necessary for us to quibble particularly about the date. We may as well join with the civilized world in celebrating the grand event on the day which the majority celebrate - "Christmas day."" Zion's Watch Tower 1904 December 1 p.364 -
jwfacts
The Watchtower regularly uses the illogical and contradictory argumentation of paganism to prevent Jehovah's Witnesses from engaging in common practices. For instance, confetti can not be thrown at a wedding because it is "pagan" (despite few people having any idea of what the pagan meaning and origins may be) but the Watchtower allows the use of the "pagan" wedding ring.
Likewise, the assertion is made that the cross was not used by 'true Christians' and is of pagan origins.- "The fact that the cross is of pagan origin only makes the matter worse. The veneration of the cross is not Christian. It does not show love for God or Christ but mocks what they stand for. It violates God's commandments against idolatry. It reveres a pagan symbol masquerading as Christian. (Exodus 20:4, 5; Psalm 115:4-8; 1 Corinthians 10:14) To consider a pagan symbol as sacred violates God's command: "Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? . . . 'Quit touching the unclean thing.'"" Watchtower 1989 May 1 p.26
What makes the argument of the cross being pagan all the more illogical is that a stake or pole has a greater sexual and hence pagan connotation than the cross. In Christian times the phallus was represented by the pole shaped Obelisk of the Egyptians and Romans and the Hindu Lingam. Sacred poles are often mentioned in the Bible, such as at Exodus 34:13;- "But their altars YOU people are to pull down, and their sacred pillars YOU are to shatter, and their sacred poles YOU are to cut down."
If a symbol should be rejected on the grounds of pagan roots, consider the symbol of the Watchtower Society. The Watchtower is a Masonic symbol used as a representation of Mary Magdalene, Magdalene derived from the ancient Greek word for Watchtower. Watchtower is also used in Witchcraft to represent the four elements, invoked during ritual to cast the magic circle. The Watchtowers originated in the sixteenth century Enochian magic system. -
whitman
How about the whole idea of meeting together in a congregational format - originates in antiquity with Pythagoras - and he was pretty 'pagan', he could walk on water and be in several places at the same time. It's now commonly accepted that the early Pauline congregations and 'christian' communities were based upon the Pythagorean model. The concept of one man leading the discussion within the congregational meeting - pagan origins. The structure of walking in pairs when in field service - again pagan, with clear origins in the Pythagorean communities and other philosophical traditions.
The ritual of wine and bread screams archaic and classical Greek religion and the analogy of blood and flesh makes the point quite clear. The actual process of passing wine and bread from one person to another in a solemn ceremony is also pagan, usually accompanied by prayer - whether private or public depends on the occasion. Also determining the dating of the memorial itself, as followed by the borg, was originally formulated by the Bishop Anatolius and I have a feeling he may have been a saint. Does that count as pagan?
The Watchtower is a Masonic symbol used as a representation of Mary Magdalene, Magdalene derived from the ancient Greek word for Watchtower. Watchtower is also used in Witchcraft to represent the four elements, invoked during ritual to cast the magic circle. The Watchtowers originated in the sixteenth century Enochian magic system.