Church of God News

COGwriter

The online version of The Journal just reported the following:

Former Worldwide Church of God
now baptizing infants

GLENDORA, Calif.–Grace Communion International, formerly the Worldwide Church of God, now practices infant baptism, according to a posting on the church’s The Surprising God blog.

Information posted by blogmaster Ted Johnston explains that the GCI “finds support” for baptizing babies in a “Trinitarian, incarnational understanding of Holy Scripture.”

The only way to come to that conclusion is to ignore scriptures about repentance–and infants are not capable of repentance.  But, of course, since GCI (which had been WCG before it started to change, then changed its name) often seems to be relying on human reason/worldly traditions and not the Bible, they frequently come to odd doctrinal conclusions.

Of the 100 or so times the terms Baptist, baptize, baptized, etc. are used of those in the New Testament, there is never one time that infants or young children are specifically mentioned as being baptized.

The Catholic Encyclopedia clearly admits that infant baptism was a practice that eventually became customary–in other words it was not part of the original faith. Notice:

Further, when infant baptism became customary, confirmation was not administered until the child had attained the use of reason. This is the present practice, though there is considerable latitude as to the precise age (Scannell T.B. Transcribed by Charles Sweeney. Confirmation. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV. Published 1908. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Perhaps it should be mentioned here that “confirmation” did not become an issue until after infant baptism was accepted. Notice this admission:

Before the time of Tertullian the Fathers do not make any explicit mention of confirmation as distinct from baptism. The fact that the two sacraments were conferred together may account for this silence (Scannell T.B. Transcribed by Charles Sweeney. Confirmation. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV. Published 1908. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Actually, since baptism was not done for infants, there was no need to have a separate confirmation. Nor does the Bible anywhere explicitly teach about the need for properly baptized individuals to be later confirmed. The idea of a separate confirmation is clearly another tradition of men–and is not even truly claimed to be a “tradition for the apostles” by any early writer.

The Eastern Orthodox admit that infant baptism is not based upon scripture:

I myself must admit that I did not always feel comfortable about the Orthodox Church baptizing infants. I asked myself several other questions as well: “How can an infant ‘believe and be baptized’?” “Where in Scripture does it show an infant being baptized?” (Bajis J. Infant Baptism. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. http://www.goarch.org/en/our faith/articles/article7067.asp 8/21/05).

The Catholic Encyclopedia admits that infant baptism and other practices are simply based upon tradition:

The designation of unwritten Divine traditions was not always given all the clearness desirable especially in early times; however Catholic controversialists soon proved to the Protestants that to be logical and consistent they must admit unwritten traditions as revealed. Otherwise by what right did they rest on Sunday and not on Saturday? How could they regard infant baptism as valid, or baptism by infusion? How could they permit the taking of an oath, since Christ had commanded that we swear not at all? The Quakers were more logical in refusing all oaths, the Anabaptists in re-baptizing adults, the Sabbatarians in resting on Saturday. (Bainvel J. Transcribed by Tomas Hancil. Tradition and Living Magisterium. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV. Published 1912. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

It is true that most of the traditions mentioned above are practices that most in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches accept. Since those traditions do contradict the biblical accounts (and even The Catholic Encyclopedia admitted that on most of them), those practices should be rejected and should not be part of the traditions of either of those groups (as well as GCI which is Protestant and not COG).

In the Bible it is clear that the Apostle Peter taught,

38 Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38)

And the Bible shows:

42 Then those that gladly received his word were baptized (Acts 2:42).

Christian baptism cannot include those who cannot repent or truly receive the word, like infants.

In the 20th century, Herbert Armstrong (a COG leader of the old WCG) wrote:

Should Children Be Baptized? One cannot be baptized until after he has fully REPENTED. Only those who BELIEVE, both the true GOSPEL (the Message Jesus preached, which is the Kingdom, or Government of God) and on JESUS CHRIST as personal Saviour, can be baptized (see Acts 2:38; 8:37; 16:31). Children have not reached that maturity where they have the self-discipline to truly repent, and believe (Armstrong H. All About Water Baptism. 1948, 1954, 1972 edition).

Notice that the Roman Church admits that immersion was the original practice, without the use of baptismal fonts (like it now uses):

In the Apostolic Age, as in Jewish times (John 3:23), baptism was administered without special fonts, at the seaside or in streams or pools of water (Acts 8:38); Tertullian refers to St. Peter’s baptizing in the Tiber (De bapt., iv); similarly; in later periods of evangelization, missionaries baptized in rivers as is narrated of St. Paulinus in England by Bede (Hist. Eccl., II, xiv-xvi). (Peterson JB. Transcribed by the Cloistered Dominican Nuns. Baptismal Font. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume II. Copyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

The word Baptism is derived from the Greek word, bapto, or baptizo, to wash or to immerse. It signifies, therefore, that washing is of the essential idea of the sacrament…The most ancient form usually employed was unquestionably immersion. This is not only evident from the writings of the Fathers and the early rituals of both the Latin and Oriental Churches, but it can also be gathered from the Epistles of St. Paul, who speaks of baptism as a bath (Ephesians 5:26; Romans 6:4; Titus 3:5). In the Latin Church, immersion seems to have prevailed until the twelfth century. After that time it is found in some places even as late as the sixteenth century. Infusion and aspersion, however, were growing common in the thirteenth century and gradually prevailed in the Western Church. The Oriental Churches have retained immersion (Fanning, William H.W. Transcribed by Charles Sweeney, S.J. Baptism. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume II. Published 1907. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

1214 This sacrament is called Baptism, after the central rite by which it is carried out (Greek baptizein) means to “plunge” or “immerse”; the “plunge” into water symbolizes the catechumen’s burial into Christ’s death, from which he rises up by resurrection with him, as “a new creature” (Catechism of the Catholic Church. Imprimatur Potest +Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. Doubleday, NY 1995, p. 342).

Notice that The Catholic Encyclopedia admits that immersion was the biblical practice, the practice of the early Church, and was slowly dropped in the Latin/Western Church. Hence it admits that it is not faithful to the original practice of baptism. Also notice that the Catechism of the Catholic Church admits that baptism is a plunging/immersion that shows a burial and resurrection, but this certainly is not the ceremony that they use of infants (which most likely are the majority of those baptized by Roman Catholics).

In the 21st Century, the Living Church of God, which does not baptize infants, teaches:

Baptism by immersion
After God calls us and brings us to repentance, and we accept Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, the next vital step to salvation is water baptism. One should be baptized (Acts 2:38; 8:35-39; 9:1-18) as a sign of total surrender to God and of a willingness to bury the old self (Romans 6:3-6). (Official Statement of Fundamental Beliefs. Living Church of God, 2002).

I was baptized as a helpless little infant — unable even to discern my left hand from my right hand, let alone able to grasp the enormity of sin and deeply REPENT of my sins and accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. Was I, then, a true Christian?Of course not! (Meredith RC. Christian Baptism. LCG Booklet, 2005).

On the other hand, the Bible does enjoin the fact that infants/toddlers can be prayed for and blest. Notice what Jesus said and did:

15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”  (Luke 18:15-17)

And that is the practice of the Living Church of God. We ask for God’s protection and blessing of our children. The ceremony is typically referred to as “the blessing of the little children” and the minister(s) lays hands upon the child and prays.  It is likely that the worldly churches, who had read the account in Luke 18 and perhaps heard of it performed in the early COG, may have used that as part of their justification.

In fact, when I researched this further today, I found that the Catholic Church does refer to this passage in Luke 18 as part of its justification for infant baptism (see article Baptism in The Catholic Encyclopedia).  But sadly, they are confusing a blessing ceremony with baptism.  None of the children that Jesus laid hands on are recorded to have been immersed into water or sprinkled with water prior to Jesus blessing them–hence what Jesus did WAS NOT a form of infant baptism, but instead a ceremony that is retained by relatively few today, like those of us in the Living Church of God.

The old Worldwide Church of God used to realize the truth about the blessing of children and not baptizing infants, but sadly, apparently in their efforts to conform to doctrines of men, has changed on this point as well.  WCG/GCI’s fall on infant baptism is simply one more proof that it has abandoned the Bible for non-biblical traditions.

Some articles of related interest may include:

Baptism and the Early Church Was it by immersion? Did it include infants?
Did Real Christians Practice Nude Baptism? This is not a joke. Find out what was taught in the second and later centuries.
Tradition and Scripture: From the Bible and Church Writings Are traditions on equal par with scripture? Many believe that is what Peter, John, and Paul taught. But did they?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Living Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions. Português: Qual é fiel: A igreja católica romana ou a igreja viva do deus? Tambien Español: Cuál es fiel: ¿La iglesia católica romana o La Iglesia del Dios Viviente? Auch: Deutsch: Welches zuverlässig ist: Die Römisch-katholische Kirche oder die lebende Kirche von Gott?
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?

Crown of the “Holy Roman Empire”

COGwriter

Otto von Habsburg died today:

BERLIN (AP) — Otto von Habsburg, the oldest son of Austria-Hungary’s last emperor and the longtime head of one of Europe’s most influential families, died Monday, his spokeswoman said. He was 98…

He settled in Poecking in the 1950s and went on to become a member of the European Parliament for Bavaria’s conservative Bavarian Christian Social Union.  He also served as president of the Pan-European League from 1979 to 1999.  http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/jcfloridan/obituary.aspx?n=otto-von-habsburg&pid=152380187

The late Herbert W. Armstrong used to believe that Otto von Habsburg was one to watch as a leader in Europe.  Otto von Habsburg was quite influential in helping put together what is now the 500,000,000 person empire called the European Union.

Here is something reportedly from the Plain Truth magazine in September 1979:

“On the United Nations, he [Otto] has declared that the organization is dominated by ‘anti-European illiterates, despots and cannibals.’… “Possibly von Habsburg’s most controversial suggestion has been his recipe for dealing with national emergencies. In the April 1978 issue of his conservative publication Zeitbühne, he suggested that in certain emergency situations (such as nuclear blackmail or other major acts of terrorism) governments should let a strongman take over for a period of nine months, allowing him to suspend laws and ‘take all measure necessary for the maintenance of the life of the population.’… Interestingly, von Habsburg counts Bavarian leader Franz Josef Strauss among ‘the few full-blooded politicians’ who ‘in the case of serious national crises are able to accept responsibility because of their clear-sightedness and indomitableness.’ Von Habsburg says he is ‘personally pretty close to his [Strauss’s] ideas in many ways on the European unity subject”… The zenith of Habsburg power came in the 16th century under Emperor Charles v. Chosen by electors in 1519 at the age of 20, Charles was crowned Holy Roman emperor by Pope Leo x in October 1520. He ruled until 1556 and is considered to have been the greatest monarch to bear the imperial crown since Charlemagne. He was the last emperor to vigorously attempt to realize the medieval idea of a unified empire embracing the entire Christian world… Christopher Hollis, in the foreword to von Habsburg’s book The Social Order of Tomorrow, points out that Otto ‘would like to see Europe resume her essential unity, and in the symbolism of that unity he thinks that the imperial crown of Charlemagne and of the Holy Roman Empire might well have its part to play.’ “Inter-European unity has long been a quest of the Habsburg dynasty. Otto himself often speaks of the similarities between the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and his view of a coming United States of Europe. In this regard, Otto has stressed the importance of religion in the formation of a united Europe. He regards Christianity as Europe’s bulwark: ‘The cross doesn’t need Europe, but Europe needs the cross.’

In the 21st century there are Habsburg’s with political influence in at least Austria, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Ukraine, and the European Parliament. Perhaps I should mention that many of the queens of France and Portugal were daughters of Habsburgs (as well as some in other lands as well) (see also Habsburg Family Still Influential in and Near Europe for more details).

All the emperors of the old “Holy Roman Empire” were part of what has been known as the Habsburg line. Charlemagne was crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor, reputedly with the crown shown above, by Pope Leo III in Rome on Christmas Night, 800 AD. And now, over 1200 years later, the descendants of that family are still influential in and near Europe.

Although he does not have the word “Habsburg” in his incredibly long name, Baron Karl Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg’s mother was a Habsburg which means that the Baron is a descendant of that line too. He is one to watch in European politics as I have often written. He, for example, may just become the final one that the Bible refers to as the King of the North (Daniel 11:21-45) and Beast (Revelation 13). If the Baron is the one, Having influential distant relatives may assist his attainment to power.

The legacy of Otto von Habsburg is likely to be favorable towards Karlzu Guttenberg.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the German Defense Minister one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest?

COGwriter

In his booklet, The Seven Laws of Success, the late Herbert W. Armstrong wrote the following related to the first law of success:

The FIRST Law

Certainly NOTHING in life is more important than to know: what is real success—and how to achieve it.

What, then, is the first law of success?

Before stating even the first law, let it be said that I am not considering here such general principles of character as honesty, patience, loyalty, courtesy, dependability, punctuality, etc., etc., etc., except as these are automatically included in the seven rules. We may assume that one cannot become a real success without these principles of right character.

But on the other hand, many are honest who have never practiced a single one of the seven laws, specifically. Many may be loyal, have patience, extend courtesy, be punctual, who are unsuccessful because they have not applied a single one of these seven definite, specific rules. Even so, each of these laws covers a vast territory.

Here, then, is the first law of success:

FIX THE RIGHT GOAL!

Not just any goal. Most of the “successful “men I have mentioned had goals. They drove themselves relentlessly to accomplishment. But making money, gaining STATUS in the eyes of people, enjoying the passing pleasures of the five senses, has literally strewn the pathway of history with fears, worries, heartaches, troubled consciences, sorrows, frustrations, empty lives and death.

These things may be had and enjoyed along with true success. But they alone do not bring success. The right goal includes something more.

In other words, the very first law of success is to be able to define success! Once you have learned what success is make that your goal in life.

Do you know that most people go through life without any GOAL at all? In fact, most people, as I’ve said before, do not know, and do not apply a SINGLE ONE of the seven laws of success!

Most people never think of having any PURPOSE in life. They are not going anywhere, in particular.

If you have saved up money for a trip to Paris, or Rome, or London for your vacation or holiday, you spend a lot of time in excited anticipation PLANNING your trip—but you DO have a definite DESTINATION—and all plans are laid to take you to that particular destination—that GOAL. You know where you are planning to go. Otherwise, how would you ever expect to arrive there?

As I said once before, most people have no aim—they are merely the victims of CIRCUMSTANCE. They never planned, purposefully, to be in the fob or occupation in which they find themselves today. They do not live where they do by CHOICE that is, because they PLANNED it that way. They have merely been buffeted around by CIRCUMSTANCE! They have allowed themselves to drift. They have made no effort to master and control circumstances.

The first law of success, I repeat, is to fix the RIGHT goal. Not any goal. One could set a goal in which he had little or no interest, and drift into inaction. The right goal will arouse ambition. Ambition is more than mere desire. It is desire plus incentive—determination—will to achieve the desire. The right goal will be so intensely desired it will excite vigorous and determined effort. It will fire one with incentive.

There should be an overpowering PURPOSE to life. Few have ever known such purpose. Down through centuries and millenniums thinkers and philosophers have pondered, and sought in vain to learn whether life has a real purpose. Socrates, Plato, Augustine among others speculated and reasoned, yet the true meaning of life eluded them. This deepest and most important question in life remained to them a mystery—an unsolvable enigma!

IF one could discover such an overall PURPOSE—a definite purpose for which humans were put on earth—IF one could discover a human potential greater than mere temporary existence, one would think that PURPOSE would be the goal that should excite dynamic ambition!

But—alas! Who has ever discovered such an objective as life’s aim?

Was there nothing greater to look forward to, for my two prominent banker friends? Nothing greater than to enjoy fleeting status, only to be forgotten by those who succeeded them?

What is there, after all, to live for?

I repeat! The first law of real success is to have the right goal! The men I have described, rated eminently successful in the world, all had goals. They applied diligently all of the first six of the Success Laws. But failing the seventh, they misapplied the first. Their success was fleeting.

Setting the right goal (or goals) is important.  Otherwise one spends all their time and efforts on things that are not important.  Or vanity as the book of Ecclesiastes puts it.

With so many world events happening that are aligning with end time prophecy, isn’t this the time to be sure that you have the right goal and understand the meaning of life?

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

What is the Meaning of Life? Who does God say is happy? What is your ultimate destiny? Do you really know? Does God actually have a plan for YOU personally?
Is God’s Existence Logical? Some say it is not logical to believe in God. Is that true?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God’s Existence Logical? Part II This short article clearly answers what ‘pseudo-scientists’ refuse to acknowledge.
The Seven Laws of Success Booklet by Herbert W. Armstrong that can help people become successful.

“I will break the pride of your power” (Leviticus 26:19)

COGwriter

Notice the following news item from a writer in the UK, named Larry Elliot, today:

America in 2011 is Rome in 200AD or Britain on the eve of the first world war: an empire at the zenith of its power but with cracks beginning to show.

The experience of both Rome and Britain suggests that it is hard to stop the rot once it has set in, so here are the a few of the warning signs of trouble ahead: military overstretch, a widening gulf between rich and poor, a hollowed-out economy, citizens using debt to live beyond their means, and once-effective policies no longer working. The high levels of violent crime, epidemic of obesity, addiction to pornography and excessive use of energy may be telling us something: the US is in an advanced state of cultural decadence.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/06/us-economy-decline-recovery-challenges

I was pleased that he mentioned cultural decadence as one of the causes for the decline. Interestingly, the old Worldwide Church of God had a booklet titled Modern Romans that it produced in the 1970s that began with:

Massive public works … striking architecture … cosmopolitan cities … masters of advanced
warfare … bureaucratic institutions … a melting pot … and more!
These descriptions are as valid of Rome’s past achievements as they are of ours in our
dizzyingly sophisticated modern Western world.
In its time in history, the Roman Empire occupied a position of power and influence very
similar to that held by the United States or Western civilization in our time. We know more
about the Romans than any other great civilization of antiquity. And, interestingly enough, the
Roman Empire covered an area approximately the size of the United States.
The United States and the Rome of past glory both started out as struggling, insignificant
colonies of people ruled over by a monarchy. Injustices led to revolution and establishment of
a republic. Still later, after extensive expansions, they both were torn apart by civil war. But
then each settled down and rose to heights of undisputed world power and leadership.
The Roman superpower could boast, just like American or Western counterparts, of their
possession of a highly developed system of law and justice, government and order, and,
without doubt, production of goods and services. Western civilization, in fact, prides itself on
its Roman legacy.
But Rome crumbled!

The USA seems to be following ancient Rome.

For the USA and UK significant personal repentance is probably the only way out. National repentance for the USA seems highly unlikely as does seriously reversing its current decline.

To learn more, please check out the following articles:

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Are there biblical and non-biblical prophecies about Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist? This is a lengthy article with many prophecies that Barack Obama may end up fulfilling.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”. Might Bible prophecy be fulfilled by him?
The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? Are there Mayan calendar predictions for change in 2012? Changes were centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012? How might Barack Obama be involved in 2012?
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect This is a link related to a book by Bob Thiel (COGwriter). This link also has YouTube videos. This book documents and explains hundreds of prophecies. And since it was published, world events have aligned with at least 14-15 predictions in the book and many more will to come to pass.
2012 y el surgimiento de la secta secreta 2012 libro del Dr. Thiel en Español.
2012 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Edition) 2012 Buch von Dr. Thiel in deutscher Sprache.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel em Português. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 14 já começaram a acontecer.

COGwriter

The latest issue (print date May 31, 2011) of The Journal just came out.

The biggest items related to UCG crisis matters (some of which have been covered here), CGI governance,  that GCI (formerly WCG) now will baptize infants (Baptism and the Early Church), and a unitarian conference.  I have always felt that The Journal gives much too much coverage to the unitarians (Was Unitarianism the Teaching of the Bible or Early Church?) who once were part of the old WCG.

It also mentions a reunion in Big Sandy, as well as the usual letters to the editor and other opinions.

While The Journal is available only by paid subscription (though some subscriptions are free to those who cannot afford it), you can view the PDF version of the first and last page of The Journal at: www.thejournal.org/issues/issue144/jf053111.pdf

This will give some of the flavor and details of The Journal’s coverage of the current UCG crisis and other matters.

Here are some articles on the Godhead and one on baptism:
Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning Is binitarianism the correct position? What about unitarianism or trinitarianism?
Is The Father God? What is the view of the Bible? What was the view of the early church?
Jesus is God, But Was Made Man Was Jesus fully human and fully God or what?
Virgin Birth: Does the Bible Teach It? What does the Bible teach? What is claimed in The Da Vinci Code?
Did Early Christians Think the Holy Spirit Was A Separate Person in a Trinity? Or did they have a different view?
What is the Holy Spirit? An article by Rod Reynolds that was published in the Living Church News.
Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity? Most act like this is so, but is it?
Was Unitarianism the Teaching of the Bible or Early Church? Many, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, claim it was, but was it?
Binitarianism: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning This is a shorter article than the Binitarian View article, but has a little more information on binitarianism.
Baptism and the Early Church Was it by immersion? Did it include infants?

Ambassador Auditorium (in center)

COGwriter

The property at the old Ambassador College again made the news:

City Ventures Has Amassed 3,500 Lots for Homebuilding

By Mark Mueller

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Santa Ana-based City Ventures LLC doesn’t have the history of some homebuilders here. But it certainly has the land…

An upscale project in Pasadena at the former site of Ambassador College is set to start selling later this year.

The project is expected to be the company’s priciest, with homes starting at around $1.5 million. http://www.ocbj.com/news/2011/feb/20/city-ventures-has-amassed-3500-lots-homebuilding/

As I reported in January of 2010 (see Ambassador College Campus Again Changing Ownership), City Ventures bought a lot of the property of the old Ambassador College.

The physical assets of the old Worldwide Church of God helped the church reach world leaders with the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom.  It seems to have become a burden to those who have tried to develop the property since, but perhaps not now (though in the current California economy this project may be problematic).

Of course, the Gospel message will be proclaimed to the world (Matthew 24:14) and it is not dependent upon physical assets.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Who Was Herbert W. Armstrong? How is He Viewed Today? Includes quotes from the 1973 edition of The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong and explains how he is and should be viewed today.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from evangelists?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? True religion should be based upon the true gospel.
The Temple and the Work This article discusses the two temples of the Old Testament and gives insight as to their possible relevance to the situation which has impacted the Church during this past decade or so.

I received an email this evening from someone that I have known a long while reporting that former WCG minister, Lester McColm died yesterday (January 2, 2011) at age 85 of heart-related complications.

Les McColm had been my minister three times.  First in Arroyo Grande, then later in Long Beach, and then finally in Fresno.  He coincidentally was reassigned to the areas that I moved to after I had moved to each of them.

I always liked Mr. Mac (the name many knew him by), but was surprised, and of course quite disappointed, that he went along with the Tkach changes.  Mr. McColm had always publicly indicated that he would not leave the truth that the old WCG had (prior to the Tkach changes), so that was a shock.

He is survived by his wife Penny.  His first wife had died (from cancer if I recall correctly) and I initially met Penny when he was courting her.  He and Penny were married for around 32-34 years if my memory serves me correctly.

COGwriter

In its 12/10/10 email, the Glendale, California based GCI (the group that ended up in charge of the apostate version of WCG) sent out a link to a short video titled Is Keeping Christmas a Sin? by its president, Joe Tkach.  In it, he stated:

Is Keeping Christmas a Sin?

In my younger days, I believed that celebrating Christmas was a sin. I wanted to let the Bible guide me in everything I did, and since I couldn’t find any command in the Bible to keep Christmas, I concluded that keeping it must be a sin.

Of course, it wasn’t very good logic, and it kept me from enjoying one of the most meaningful and joyous celebrations of the year.

After all, if we never did anything that isn’t specifically commanded in the Bible, we wouldn’t have Sunday school, children’s church, English language Bibles, printing presses, public address systems, fire alarms or charcoal grills. None of these are specifically commanded in the Bible.

But, of course, since he seems to be relying on human reason and not the Bible, he comes to odd conclusions.

His logic simply does not have proper biblical support.  For example, while “Sunday school” is not in the Bible, teaching children daily is (Deuteronomy 11:18-19).  The other items he brings up are irrelevant (red herring) arguments that miss the real issues.

In his presentation, Dr. Tkach also stated:

The fact that the Bible doesn’t command us to celebrate Christmas is not a valid argument against Christmas celebration.

But there are many biblical valid arguments against observing Christmas that he apparently overlooked (or at least neglected to place in his presentation in favor of Christmas).

Since Dr. Tkach asked in his title if keeping Christmas was a sin, it would seem logical to go to the Bible for its definition of sin.  Notice what the Apostle John wrote:

4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (1 John 3:4, KJV)

So sin is the transgression of the law.

Christmas Encourages Covetousness and False Witnessing

Which laws?

The laws in the Bible as the Apostle Paul wrote:

7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” (Romans 7:7, NKJV)

Now, the above verse is an interesting one.  It says that coveting is a sin.  Does Christmas encourage children to covet?  Does it encourage them to expect to get various material objects whether they should or not?

Some may say yes, and others may feel otherwise.

Also, at least in many Western cultures, Santa Claus is supposed to bring presents to children all over the world by coming down chimneys at night.

Many parents actually tell children this lie every year.Yet the Jesus taught:

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts…false witness…20 These are the things which defile a man (Matthew 15:19-20).

18 You shall not bear false witness (Matthew 19:18).

19 “Do not bear false witness (Mark 10:19).

20 You know the commandments:…Do not bear false witness (Luke 18:20).

Those fully observing Christmas also seem to forget that Jesus taught that Satan was a liar and the father of lies, and that once their children get older, they will realize that their parents lied to them. The Rheims‘ version of the New Testament specifically shows that Jesus taught the following:

43 Why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. 45 But if I say the truth, you believe me not. (John 8:43-45).

Lying to children does NOT improve the bond between parents and children as some apparently hope the Santa Claus lie will somehow help their family. Please tell your children the truth. Is that not what Jesus would do?

Would Jesus lie about Santa Claus?

Of course not.  Jesus was without sin (Hebrews 4:15) and Christians are to imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Sin involves fitting into the world because of lust:

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.  (1 John 2:16, NKJV)

Is not the observation of a holiday that many people lust after material possessions (lust of the eyes), observe to fit in society (lust of the flesh) and lie to children (pride of life) sin?  Is not the observation of Christmas a worldly thing to do?

Breaking the Ninth and Tenth Commandments is Evil

It is evil to break the ninth and tenth commandments according to Jesus:

Commandment 9 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts…false witness…(Matthew 15:19-20).

20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God (John 3:20-21).

…deceit…All these evil things come from within and defile a man” (Mark 7:22-23).

Commandment 10 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts (Matthew 15:19). …covetousness…All these evil things come from within and defile a man” (Mark 7:22-23).

The Apostle Paul wrote,

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil (Romans 12:9).

22 Abstain from every form of evil” (I Thessalonians 5:22).

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10).

One of the reasons that Christmas is promoted across society is that the love of money by many promoters exceeds their love of God.  Christians are to abhor what is evil.  Christians are not to see how close to evil they can get without being burnt (cf. Proverbs 6:27).

Christmas observance is a sin because it encourages commandment breaking and violates other scriptures.

The God of the Bible Condemns Using Pagan Practices to Worship Him

There are also more scriptures that also should be considered.

Notice what God  had His prophet Jeremiah write:

2 Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
(Jeremiah 10:2-5, KJV)

In the above, God clearly says not to adopt non-Christian forms of worship and this seems to include objects like Christmas trees.  Now some may argue that since the tree cannot do evil, that it is okay to do have them anyway.  Those who feel that way may wish to ask themselves why God then wanted the following to be said to those with such trees:

11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. (Jeremiah 10:11, KJV)

The God of the Bible clearly does not want people to use Christmas trees to pretend to honor Him as He clearly is not honored by such things.

Of course, some may wish to reason about that by claiming that they are trying to honor the God of the Bible and not the pagan gods with things as Christmas trees, or even reason around it by thinking that simply not having Christmas trees, but observing Christmas honors Jesus and thus this is not sin.

Well, perhaps the following may help them realize the sins involved in this:

29 “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, 30 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.’ 31 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; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.   32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.   (Deuteronomy 12:29-32, NKJV)

Is not Christmas celebration adding something that God does not want?

Most people these days realize that most of the trappings of Christmas come from the worship of pagan gods.  Some even realize that the early Christians did not celebrate Christmas nor observe any date for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Even Catholic scholars realize this:

Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church (Martindale C. Transcribed by Susanti A. Suastika. Christmas. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Early Christians also did not celebrate any birthdays (Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays?).

December 25th was Chosen as it was the Birthday of a Pagan Sun God

What some may find particularly reprehensible about Christmas is that not only are the trappings of it pagan, but the actual date selected was the birthday of the sun god Mithras.  This is known by pretty much all scholars.  Here is one from a Catholic scholar:

Mithraism A pagan religion consisting mainly of the cult of the ancient Indo-Iranian Sun-god Mithra. It entered Europe from Asia Minor after Alexander’s conquest, spread rapidly over the whole Roman Empire at the beginning of our era, reached its zenith during the third century, and vanished under the repressive regulations of Theodosius at the end of the fourth century…Helios Mithras is one god…Sunday was kept holy in honour of Mithra, and the sixteenth of each month was sacred to him as mediator. The 25 December was observed as his birthday, the natalis invicti, the rebirth of the winter-sun, unconquered by the rigours of the season (Arendzen. J.P. Transcribed by John Looby. Mithraism. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume X. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

The World Book Encyclopedia notes,

In 354 A.D., Bishop Liberius of Rome ordered the people to celebrate on December 25. He probably chose this date because the people of Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn, celebrating the birthday of the sun (Sechrist E.H. Christmas. World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 3. Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, Chicago, 1966, pp. 408-417).

It needs to be understood that some scholarly sources believe that the celebration in Rome of Christmas may have began 2-3 decades earlier (by Constantine), but none I am aware of suggest it was prior Constantine in the fourth century. Notice what the late Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote:

It is also to be noticed that our Christmas, December 25th, was the birthday of Mithra, and was only taken over in the Fourth Century as the date, actually unknown, of the birth of Jesus.  (King ML. The papers of Martin Luther King, Jr, Volume 4. Clayborne Carson, Ralph Luker, Penny A. Russell editors/compliers. University of California Press, 1992)

There have been scholars who believe that Constantine was involved as tradition claims a certain church in Rome as the first site of a December 25th “Christmas” celebration as the following 2007 news account indicates:

The church where the tradition of celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25 may have begun was built near a pagan shrine as part of an effort to spread Christianity, a leading Italian scholar says.

Italian archaeologists last month revealed an underground grotto that they believe ancient Romans revered as the place where a wolf nursed Rome’s legendary founder, Romulus, and his twin brother, Remus. A few feet from the grotto, or “Lupercale,” the Emperor Constantine built the Basilica of St. Anastasia, where some believe Christmas was first celebrated on Dec. 25…

It opted to mark Christmas, then celebrated at varying dates, on Dec. 25 to coincide with the Roman festival celebrating the birth of the sun god, Andrea Carandini, a professor of archaeology at Rome’s La Sapienza University, told reporters Friday. The Basilica of St. Anastasia was built as soon as a year after the Nicaean Council. It probably was where Christmas was first marked on Dec. 25, part of broader efforts to link pagan practices to Christian celebrations in the early days of the new religion, Mr. Carandini said. (Scholars link 1st yule church to pagan shrine. Washington Times – Dec 23, 2007 ROME (AP). http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071223/FOREIGN/924350661/1001 viewed 12/24/07).

December 25th was a date to celebrate paganism.

So since the Bible says not to observe pagan religious celebrations and not to adopt any of their methods to serve the God of the Bible, and since December 25th is clearly recognized as the day to celebrate the birth of the pagan sun god Mithras, the celebration of Christmas by those who claim to live by the Bible is sin.

The video by GCI did not explain how come pagan religious celebrations are not sin, or even what sin is.  Since GCI does not teach that “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4) as it teaches, for example, that the Ten Commandments are done away, of course it would conclude that there is no sin involved in observing Christmas as GCI does not understand what sin is.

Christmas Takes Away from the True Gospel

Some argue that none of this matters.  They believe that their own understanding is superior to the scriptures cited here.  The Bible, of course, teaches otherwise:

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.  (Proverbs 3:5-7, NKJV)

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8, NKJV)

Breaking the commandments of God is evil.

Christmas is a way of humans, not a way of God.

If God really wanted people to celebrate it, He would have given that as a command.  Instead, the Bible never even reveals what date Jesus was born.  That should be a clue for even the often biblically clueless.  The Bible teaches:

33 For God is not the author of confusion… (1 Corinthians 14:33, NKJV)

How could God really want people to observe Jesus’ birthday since He did not have the calendar date of it even recorded?  He wouldn’t as, amongst other things, that would cause confusion.

Because Jesus was not born on December 25th, God does not want pagan methods to be adopted to worship Him, and is opposed to decorations that resemble modern Christmas trees, the modern observation of Christmas gives a false portrayal of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.  It leads to a false gospel (cf. Galatians 1:6-8), and an improper understanding of the plan of God.

Keeping Christmas is a Sin

The fact that the Bible commands against having religious holidays that resemble Christmas should be a reason that real Christians consider seriously if they would be at all inclined to consider being involved with Christmas.

Is keeping Christmas a sin?

For real Christians, it would certainly seem to be.  Those who overlook scriptures but rely on their own imaginations and human reason are in a different category as they are not being biblically-faithful Christians.

Your personal conduct does matter.  Your example does count.  And there are consequences to sin:

…the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23, NKJV)

Many this year will reason around the above and other scriptures, but those scriptures are still true and still part of the word of God.

Will you rely on the traditions of humans, societal pressures, or the word of God this year?

Some articles of related interest may include:

What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days? Do you know what the Catholic Church says were the original Christian holy days? Was Christmas among them?
Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays? Did biblical era Jews celebrate birthdays? Who originally celebrated birthdays? When did many that profess Christ begin birthday celebrations?
Do You Practice Mithraism? Many practices and doctrines that mainstream so-called Christian groups have are the same or similar to those of the sun-god Mithras. Do you follow Mithraism combined with the Bible or original Christianity?
Was Jesus Born in the Grotto of the Nativity? Was Jesus born in a below ground cave? Was Jesus born below the “Church of the Nativity”? Were the wise men there?
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by the Tkach WCG/GCI 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.
Tradition and Scripture: From the Bible and Church Writings Are traditions on equal par with scripture? Many believe that is what Peter, John, and Paul taught. But did they?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? True religion should be based upon the true gospel.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?

COGwriter

Yesterday, I received an email from a source identified as “prophecykeepersdotcom@yahoo.com”.  This email was telling me that a year ago, someone named John Hogue said he had learned something from an “oracle” that basically predicted that the Republicans would take control of the House and Senate in the United States yesterday (though the “Tea Party Republicans” would not always cooperate).  After the election results started to come in, I followed up on that by going to visit the website of John Hogue.

At his website, John Hogue had the following post Monday, 11/01/10:

Time and events catching up to my oracle’s cryptic prediction make clear to me what the message of that prophecy was…

Obama does not feel our pain in these economically dire times nor has he yet found his voice or figured out how to use this crisis to galvanize citizens to action. That doesn’t mean he won’t learn his lesson after tomorrow’s historic shocker.

In tomorrow’s midterm election, he will lose the House and by the slightest of margins, lose the Senate too.

It appears that Obama’s party (the Democrats) lost the House last night.  Although the final results are not known for sure yet today, unless the Democrats have 49 or less seats in the Senate, they still will control the Senate.  A count of 50 means that the Vice President can also vote to break ties, and since Joseph Biden is a Democrat, unless the count goes to less than 50, the Democrats will keep control of the Senate (unless one or more of them switch political parties).

Speaking of elections, in November 1980, a few weeks after Ronald Reagan was elected, I happened to have been visiting Sacramento.  On what I believe was the last Sabbath of that month, the late WCG evangelist Herman Hoeh was speaking.

Herman Hoeh stated that because of Ronald Reagan’s election, he and the church felt that the United States likely would last at least another eight years.  And that was so.

After it became clear last night that the Republicans would take control of the House of Representatives, I saw a Republican congressman named John Boehner gave an emotional speech.  In that speech he stated that the results of the election were a  “mandate for Washington to reduce spending.”

And while reducing spending is a nice goal, the reality is that without national repentance, the USA is doomed.  Unlike the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, I do not believe that last night’s election is any assurance that the USA has eight more years to survive.  And while it may (and perhaps longer), it also may not survive as a nation past 2015.

Cutting debt is, biblically, a good idea.  But even if the Republicans succeed in that (which in terms of total debt seems impossible in the next few years, but they may slow the increase in the debt), as early as today, the Federal Reserve is expected to announce its plans for potentially more “quantitative easing” (essentially increasing electronic dollars without producing goods to back the dollars up).  And that will result in even more debt.

The USA needs national repentance.  Changing control of the House does not change that need.  But even if the nation will do not repent, you can.

Some articles of potentially related interest may include the following:

Are You Saved? Do You Love Jesus? What is a True Christian? What is the Gospel? Evangelist Richard Ames answers those important questions.
Prophecies of Barack Obama? This article has eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. It includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist? Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests? This is the longest and most complete article at the COGwriter website on Barack Obama prophecies. Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”. Might Bible prophecy be fulfilled since he is to be the USA president?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2018 or 2019?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2010, 2011, or 2012? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?

COGwriter

A search for what the Tkach “WCG” (now renamed GCI) teaches currently on Halloween brought up the following article first:

The day does have religious significance for some people, particularly wiccans and druids. For some people and in some regions, Halloween or some of its elements may have a non-Christian religious meaning. Some Halloween activities could be considered anti-Christian, and would, therefore, be avoided. Christians would want to avoid demonic associations, for example. With these things in mind, it would be appropriate for Christians to consider carefully their activities on this holiday.

For most children, however, there is no religious significance involved in either the day itself or in such elements as pumpkins or costumes. It’s true that such things as jack-o’-lanterns, bonfires and black cats, which are part of the Halloween tradition, may have roots in pre-Christian activities…

Most Christians believe they can celebrate Halloween (in some respects) as a purely secular day of fun…

Should Christians and their children participate in Halloween activities if they are unsure whether it is the right thing to do or are convinced it is wrong? The Bible teaches us that we should be fully persuaded in our own minds about these things—either pro or con. But we should not judge or condemn others who are of a different persuasion. The apostle Paul’s advice in Romans 14 can be applied to the question of Halloween activities…

It is the responsibility of each Christian to decide, based on biblical and Christian principles, whether to participate in Halloween activities, and to avoid judging other Christians who have different circumstances and make different decisions.

So, GCI is ambiguous.  And it needn’t be.

For example, when it stated “that such things as jack-o’-lanterns, bonfires and black cats, which are part of the Halloween tradition, may have roots in pre-Christian activities”, it could have stated that they they DO (not may) have pre-Christian, pagan roots, as none have a biblical origin (though jack-o’-lanterns may have began after Christ came, jack-o’-lanterns are not a Christian symbol).

Furthermore, most real Christians do not believe that they can celebrate pagan holidays.  Additionally, even the Vatican has warned that Halloween as observed in places like the USA, should not be done.

But the main point to address here is that GCI pointed to the Apostle Paul who was speaking about personal days to fast in Romans 14.  Paul was not talking about endorsing nor participating in pagan holidays, he opposed them.

Let’s first notice the fact that Romans 14 is specifically talking about vegetarianism and fasting days:

1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. (Romans 14:1-6)

GCI is suggesting that the above means that people can observe any day, including pagan ones in a pagan manner, if they so choose.

But is that consistent with the rest of the Bible or Paul’s other writings?

No, it is not.

Notice something else that the Apostle Paul wrote:

19 What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 20 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:19-22)

If people in GCI will not look up scriptures, no wonder they remain associated with an organization that is more into its own version of political correctness in many areas than the Bible.

And if some want to argue that 1 Corinthians 10:19-22 is not related to Halloween (even though it is a pagan holiday with many demonic connections), perhaps the following scriptures will be of benefit:

2 Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.  3 For the customs of the people are vain (Jeremiah 10:2-3, KJV).

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: 20…idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, 21… drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

Halloween is a holiday from heathens and in modern times has become a time of even more drunkenness, revelries, and the like. Tonight and tomorrow night, many adults will go out for drunken revelries.

The Bible is clear.  Observation of pagan holidays, like Halloween, are not appropriate for Christians.

Unlike GCI, the Living Church of God is not ambiguous on Halloween and posted two commentaries this week against it.  One I already referred to can be found in the article titled Catholic and COG Views on Halloween.

But here is something from one posted today as written by Davy Crockett:

At this time of year, as the daylight portion of the day becomes shorter and the leaves begin to fall, an ancient tradition with roots in paganism seems to gain in popularity with every passing year. Halloween, adapted from All Saints Eve, with all of the dark and foreboding trappings associated with this bizarre holiday, is celebrated by children and adults…

It’s pretty plain that such activities are not pleasing to God.

But, why darkness? Again, the bible makes it plain. The Apostle John recorded the words of Jesus when he wrote, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). The wise writer of Proverbs put it this way, “The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Proverbs 4:19).

It is obvious that the “wicked one” (1 John 5:19) has kept this world in darkness to try to accomplish his perverted plan to keep mankind out of the Kingdom of God…

The Apostle Paul wrote to those early converts to Christianity in the church at Ephesus about coming out of darkness: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:8-11).

Jesus Christ came to bring the light and those that are called now can escape the dark side and live in His marvelous light, free from the pagan traditions and practices of this age.  http://www.lcg.org/cgi-bin/tw/commentary/tw-comm.cgi?category=Commentary1&item=1288357888#headline

The light of scripture eliminates any ambiguity about Halloween.

GCI is being ambiguous apparently because it does not want to stand up for the truth on this matter.  Real Christians do not observe Halloween.

Two articles of possibly related interest may include:

Is Halloween Holy Time for Christians? This article provides some historical and biblical insight on this question.
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.