VALENTINE
The Truth
Behind St. Valentine
Valentine’s Day is the
world’s “holiday of love.”
The Bible states that God
is love (I John 4:8, 16).
Does God approve of the
celebration of this day? Does He want His people—true Christians—partaking of the
candy and cards, or any customs associated with this day?
God says He wants you to live life
abundantly (John
10:10).
Does that include celebrating a festive,
seemingly harmless holiday like Valentine’s Day?
The God who gives us everything—life, food,
drink, the ability to think for ourselves, etc.—surely approves of St.
Valentine’s Day, the holiday for lovers to exchange gifts—right?
Do not be so certain. Do not assume
anything. Do not even take this article’s word for it. Go to history books and
encyclopedias. Go to the Bible.
Then you will know the real truth behind
Valentine’s Day. And you will know what God expects you to do about it!
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Click
here for Part 2 -
http://puricarefiles.blogspot.com/2017/01/valentine-god-does-not-take-paganism.html
http://puricarefiles.blogspot.com/2017/01/valentine-god-does-not-take-paganism.html
Click
here for Part 3 -
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Part 1 - The
Truth Behind St. Valentine – Valentine’s Past
Valentine’s Past
Like
Christmas, Easter, Halloween, New Year’s and other holidays of this world,
Valentine’s Day is another attempt to “whitewash” perverted customs and
observances of pagan gods and idols by “Christianizing” them.
As
innocent and harmless as Valentine’s Day may appear, its traditions and customs
originate from two of the most sexually perverted pagan festivals of ancient
history: Lupercalia and the feast
day of Juno Februata.
Celebrated
on February 15, Lupercalia (known as the “festival
of sexual license”) was held by the ancient Romans in honor of Lupercus, god of fertility and
husbandry, protector of herds and crops, and a mighty hunter—especially of
wolves.
The
Romans believed that Lupercus would protect Rome from roving bands of wolves,
which devoured livestock and people.
Assisted
by Vestal Virgins, the Luperci (male priests) conducted purification rites by
sacrificing goats and a dog in the Lupercal cave on Palatine Hill, where the
Romans believed the twins Romulus and Remus had been sheltered and nursed by a
she-wolf before they eventually founded Rome.
Clothed
in loincloths made from sacrificed goats and smeared in their blood, the
Luperci would run about Rome, striking women with februa,
thongs made from skins of the sacrificed goats.
The
Luperci believed that the floggings purified women and guaranteed their
fertility and ease of childbirth.
February derives
from februa or “means
of purification.”
To
the Romans, February was also sacred to Juno
Februata, the goddess of febris
(“fever”) of love, and of women and marriage.
On
February 14, billets (small pieces of paper, each of which had the name of a
teen-aged girl written on it) were put into a container.
Teen-aged
boys would then choose one billet at random. The boy and the girl whose name
was drawn would become a “couple,” joining in erotic games at feasts and
parties celebrated throughout Rome.
After
the festival, they would remain sexual partners for the rest of the year. This
custom was observed in the Roman Empire for centuries.
Whitewashing Perversion
In
A.D. 494, Pope Gelasius renamed the festival of Juno Februata as the “Feast of the Purification of the Virgin
Mary.”
The
date of its observance was later changed from February 14 to February 2, then
changed back to the 14.
It
is also known as Candlemas, the
Presentation of the Lord, the Purification of the Blessed Virgin and the Feast
of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.
After
Constantine had made the Roman church’s brand of Christianity the official
religion of the Roman Empire (A.D. 325), church leaders wanted to do away with
the pagan festivals of the people.
Lupercalia
was high on their list. But the Roman citizens thought otherwise.
It
was not until A.D. 496 that the church at Rome was able to do anything about
Lupercalia. Powerless to get rid of it, Pope Gelasius instead changed it from
February 15 to the 14th and called it St. Valentine’s Day.
It
was named after one of that church’s saints, who, in A.D. 270, was executed by
the emperor for his beliefs.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “At least three
different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in early
martyrologies under the date of 14 February. One is described as a priest at
Rome, another as bishop of Interamna (modern Terni), and these two seem both to
have suffered in the second half of the third century and to have been buried
on the Flaminian Way, but at different distances from the city…Of the third
Saint Valentine, who suffered in Africa with a number of companions, nothing is
further known.”
Several
biographies of different men named Valentine were merged into one “official”
St. Valentine.
The
Roman Catholic Church whitewashed Lupercalia even further. Instead of putting
the names of girls into a box, the names of “saints” were drawn by both boys
and girls.
It
was then each person’s duty to emulate the life of the saint whose name he or
she had drawn. This was Rome’s vain attempt to “whitewash” a pagan observance
by “Christianizing” it, which God has not given man the power or authority to
do.
Though
the church at Rome had banned the sexual lottery, young men still practiced a
much toned-down version, sending women whom they desired handwritten romantic
messages containing St. Valentine’s name.
Over
the centuries, St. Valentine’s Day cards became popular, especially by the late
eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. These cards were painted with
pictures of Cupid and hearts, and meticulously decorated with lace, silk or
flowers.
First
Man Called Valentine
But
who was the original Valentine? What does the name Valentine mean?
Valentine
comes from the Latin Valentinus,
which derives from valens—“to be strong, powerful, mighty.”
The Bible describes a man with a similar
title: “And
Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before
the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before
the Lord”
(Genesis
10:8-9).
Nimrod
was said to have hunted with bow and arrow.
As
mentioned, the Romans celebrated Lupercalia to honor the hunter god Lupercus.
To
the Greeks, from whom the Romans had copied most of their mythology, Lupercus
was known as Pan, the god of light.
The
Phoenicians worshipped the same deity as Baal, the sun god. Baal was one of
many names or titles for Nimrod, a mighty hunter, especially of wolves.
He
was also the founder and first lord of Babel (Genesis 10:10-12).
Defying
God, Nimrod was the originator of the Babylonian Mystery Religion, whose
mythologies have been copied by the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans and a
multitude of other ancient peoples.
Under
different names or titles—Pan, Lupercus, Saturn, Osiris—Nimrod is the strong
man and hunter-warrior god of the ancients.
But
what does the heart symbol have to do with a day honoring Nimrod/Valentine?
The
title Baal means
“lord” or “master,” and is mentioned throughout the Bible as the god of pagans.
God warned His people not to worship or even tolerate the ways of Baal
(Nimrod).
In
ancient Chaldean (the language of the Babylonians), bal,
which is similar to Baal, meant, “heart.” This is where the
Valentine heart symbol originated.
Now
notice the name Cupid. It comes from the Latin verb cupere,
meaning “to desire.”
Cupid
was the son of Venus, Roman goddess of beauty and love. Also known as Eros in
ancient Greece, he was the son of Aphrodite.
According
to myth, he was responsible for impregnating numerous goddesses and mortals.
Cupid was a child-like archer (remember, Nimrod was a skilled archer).
Mythology
describes Cupid as having both a cruel and happy personality. He would use his
invisible arrows, tipped with gold, to strike unsuspecting men and women,
causing them to fall madly in love.
He
did not do this for their benefit, but to drive them crazy with intense
passion, to make their lives miserable, and to laugh at the results.
Many
of the gods of the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Assyrians and others were modeled
after one man—Nimrod.
But what does this
have to do with us today? Why should we be concerned with what happened in the
past?
----------------
Click here for Part 2 -
http://puricarefiles.blogspot.com/2017/01/valentine-god-does-not-take-paganism.html
http://puricarefiles.blogspot.com/2017/01/valentine-god-does-not-take-paganism.html
Click here for Part 3 -
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