CT, UCG, and Valentine’s Day

Each year that I have been paying attention to its site, the falsely named Christianity Today has promoted the non-Christian holiday called Valentine’s Day as well as often gifts related it.

The latest CT article, in a sense, is an all-time low as it not only does not hint that Valentine’s might be wrong, it ties God to something that He should not be tied to. Anyway, here are some quotes from the CT article:

Valentines from Heaven

How God reminded nine singles of his love for them on Valentine’s Day

Since I’m single, I spent February 14 trying to concentrate on the fact that God is my valentine…

When I came home after a long day of work and school on Valentine’s Day, there was a package of cookies and a card from my parents waiting outside my door…

Being single can sometimes stink on Valentine’s Day, and to be honest, I was kind of expecting it to again this year. However, God had something else in mind…When I got back to my home, I received a phone call from a friend wishing me a happy Valentine’s Day…Something happened in my spirit and in my soul on Valentines Day.

I never look forward to Valentine’s Day, and I felt like I was being tortured all day as I had to sit and listen to everyone else’s plans for the evening while I had none. One way for me to cope is to do nice things for others, so the Sunday before Valentine’s Day I gave my students candy and sent them cards.But after work on Valentine’s Day I felt a little restless, so I went to the mall. I asked God if I could get something for myself. Of course, I was surrounded by last-minute shoppers buying gifts for their loved ones. I felt like such a geek! Here I was buying a Valentine’s Day gift for myself. But I went ahead and bought a bracelet. I figure I’ll never have anything nice if I’m always waiting for someone else to do the buying…

I’m surrounded by couples, and on Valentine’s Day it becomes even more obvious…

The night before Valentine’s Day, I attended my church’s Wednesday night service. In his closing prayer, our pastor asked God to bless and comfort those of us who are single and who might struggle with loneliness on Valentine’s Day…

The day before Valentine’s Day, I was driving home from work and suddenly heard a loud CRACK. I knew that I’d taken my first rock and would probably have a horrible scratch on my vehicle. When I looked for the damage I found it on the windshield, just left and well below my field of vision. When I studied the hit, I realized it was in a heart-shaped design. What others may see as a fault is now an awesome sign to me—a reminder of my Savior’s love.

Do not the editors at Christianity Today realize that more and more, their form of Protestantism is closer and closer to secular and pagan views?

Those who do not claim to know Christ treat Valentine’s Day pretty much the same as those in that CT article–except that they do not take, directly nor indirectly, the blasphemous position that God is somehow their Valentine or that the day is of particular importance to Him.

This situation with CT pretty much reminds me of the situation in the Apostle Paul’s day:

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles (1 Cor 5:1).

The difference is that there were at least many true Christians in Corinth at that time, but this could not be the case with CT.

Valentine’s day is a renamed pagan holiday that encouraged sexual immortality. Christians can love God any day of the year, but to suggest that God is their Valentine or uses the day to encourage the observance of Valentine’s day is totally inappropriate.

UCG today sent out an email stating:

Valentine’s Day may be acceptable to millions of people, but not to God. It substitutes human reasoning for God’s truth. It focuses the attention of people on infatuation, not a deep abiding love, on “getting love,” not giving or sacrificing for others.

God warns all who claim to represent Him, who claim to be Christians, to avoid the ways of the ancient pagans and their counterfeit holidays and feasts: “Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

“When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’

“You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods . . . Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:28-32, emphasis added).

In fact, God told the Israelites to eradicate all elements of pagan worship among them (see verses 1-4).

And that is correct–though Valentine’s is popular, it is pagan. Thus, Valentine’s Day is not an observance for those who pay attention to the Bible.

Perhaps I should quote something about the origins of Valentine’s Day from the old World Book Encyclopedia (Valentine’s Day. Volume 19. 1966, pp.205-206):

…the customs of the day have nothing to do with the lives of the saints. They probably come from an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia which took place every February 15. The festival honored Juno, the Roman goddess of women and marriage, and Pan, the god of nature…The Romans celebrated their feast of Lupercalia as a lovers’ festival for young people. Young men and women chose partners for the festival by drawing names from a box…After the spread of Christianity, churchmen tried to give Christian meaning to the pagan festival. In 496, Pope Gelasius changed the Lupercalia festival of February 15 to Saint Valentine’s Day February 14. But the sentimental meaning of the old festival has remained to the present time. Historians disagree about the identity of St. Valentine”.

Furthermore it also states,

“LUPERCALIA…was celebrated on February 15 in honor of Faunus, a rural Italian god. Faunus was later identified with Pan, the god of herds and fertility…Priests…ran around striking all the women the met (Lupercalia. Volume 12. 1966, p.456).

Notice what the Roman Catholics teach,

The Catholic Church no longer officially honors St. Valentine, but the holiday has both Roman and Catholic roots…

The roots of St. Valentine’s Day lie in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on Feb. 15. For 800 years the Romans had dedicated this day to the god Lupercus. On Lupercalia, a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and would then keep the woman as a sexual companion for the year (The Origins of St. Valentine’s Day. http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/ValentinesDay/, January 31, 2004).

Valentine’s Day is not a real Christian Holy Day. Those who fall into it are, in essence, not different than the pagan Gentiles who observed the Lupercalia during Paul’s day.

Please notice something that the Apostle John wrote:

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17).

And longing to be part of the world’s Valentine’s Day culture certainly would seem to be loving the world and the things in it.

For more information, please consider studying the following two articles:

Valentine’s Day: Its Real Origins Christianity Today suggests that Valentine’s Day is good for Christians to observe. Is this true?
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.