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Is all religion good?
The Complete Encyclopedia of Illustration/J. G. Heck
Many religious groups include sincere people who want to please God. He sees those people and cares about them. Sadly, though, some people have used religion for evil purposes. In the past, religious leaders have even tortured their opponents. (2 Corinthians 4:3, 4; 11:13-15) Today, according to news reports, some religious leaders have encouraged terrorism or supported war, or they have been involved in child abuse.—Read Matthew 24:3-5, 11, 12.
The Bible teaches that there are two types of religion—true religion and false religion. False religion does not teach the truth about God. Nevertheless, Jehovah God wants people to know the truth about him.—Read 1 Timothy 2:3-5.
God does not want people to be deceived by religions that claim to love him but misrepresent him. In fact, adherents of those religions love being friends with the world that is controlled by Satan the Devil. (James 4:4; 1 John 5:19) God’s Word describes religions that give their allegiance to human governments rather than to God as being like a prostitute. The Bible calls this harlot by the name “Babylon the Great,” after the ancient city where false religion began after the Flood of Noah’s day. Soon, God will bring a sudden end to religion that deceives and oppresses mankind.—Read Revelation 17:1, 2, 5, 17; 18:8, 23, 24.
What should sincere people do?
Jehovah has not forgotten the sincere people who are scattered among false religions worldwide. He is now gathering such people into unity by teaching them the truth.—Read Micah 4:2, 5.
Jehovah welcomes into his family those who want to serve him. Even if our friends and relatives are upset when we start to serve Jehovah, we gain much. We gain friendship with God, a new and loving “family,” and the prospect of having everlasting life.—Read Mark 10:29, 30; 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18.
Did the First-Century Christians Participate in Politics?
▪ Before his ascension to heaven, Jesus gave his disciples clear instructions on how to carry out their ministry, but he did not include any political advice. (Matthew 28:18-20) Hence, his disciples continued to live by the formula that Jesus had provided earlier: “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar, but God’s things to God.”—Mark 12:17.
How did that formula help Jesus’ followers to live in the world but be no part of it? Where did they draw the line as to what things belong to the State, or Caesar, and what things to God?
The apostle Paul viewed participating in politics as stepping across the line. “Paul was willing to use his Roman citizenship to demand the protections of the judicial process due him, but he engaged in no lobbying on the public policy issues of the day,” states the book Beyond Good Intentions—A Biblical View of Politics.
What guidelines did Paul give to fellow Christians? The same book adds: “His letters to believers in such important cities as Corinth, Ephesus, and even Rome betrayed no interest in secular political squabbles.” The book also notes that Paul “commanded submission to government, but in none of his many letters did he ever detail even one policy for the local church to urge on public institutions.”—Romans 12:18; 13:1, 5-7.
Christians living decades after the death of Paul kept firmly in place the same division between their obligations to God and to the State. They remained respectful toward political powers but refrained from political activities. Beyond Good Intentions states about those believers: “Though they believed they were obligated to honor the governing authorities, the early Christians did not believe in
participating in political affairs.”
Some 300 years after the death of Christ, however, things changed. Theologian Charles Villa-Vicencio says: “When the political structures were changed under Constantine, Christians apparently flocked to participate in the civil service and the army and to accept political office.” (Between Christ and Caesar) What was the result? At the end of the fourth century C.E., that blend of religion and politics had become the State religion of the Roman Empire.
Today, many religions that claim to follow Christ continue to encourage their members to participate in politics. Those religions, however, are not imitating Christ, nor are they following the example of the first-century Christians
2 Pet. 3:3, 4 For YOU know this first, that in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires 4 and saying: “Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep [in death], all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning
^ Luke 21:34-36 “But pay attention to yourselves that YOUR hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon YOU 35 as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of all the earth. 36 Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that YOU may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man.”
^ Rom. 10:13-15 For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” 14 However, how will they call on him in whom they have not put faith? How, in turn, will they put faith in him of whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach? 15 How, in turn, will they preach unless they have been sent forth? Just as it is written: “How comely are the feet of those who declare good news of good things!”
birth of Jesus Christ, and nearly every religion that claims to be Christian celebrates it. Yet, there is no evidence that the first-century disciples of Jesus observed such a holiday. The book Sacred Origins of Profound Things states: “For two centuries after Christ’s birth, no one knew, and few people cared, exactly when he was born.”
7 Even if Jesus’ disciples had known the exact date of his birth, they would not have celebrated it. Why? Because, as The World Book Encyclopedia says, the early Christians “considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.” The only birthday observances mentioned in the Bible are those of two rulers who did not worship Jehovah. (Genesis 40:20; Mark 6:21) Birthday celebrations were also held in honor of pagan deities. For example, on May 24 the Romans celebrated the birthday of the goddess Diana. On the following day, they observed the birthday of their sun-god, Apollo. Hence, birthday celebrations were associated with paganism, not with Christianity.
8. Explain the connection between birthday celebrations and superstition.
8 There is another reason why first-century Christians would not have celebrated Jesus’ birthday. His disciples likely knew that birthday celebrations were connected with superstition. For instance, many Greeks and Romans of ancient times believed that a spirit attended the birth of each human and protected that one throughout life. “This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born,” says the book The Lore of Birthdays. Jehovah certainly would not be pleased with any observance
that would link Jesus with superstition. (Isaiah 65:11, 12) So how did Christmas come to be celebrated by many people?
THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS
9. How did December 25 come to be regarded as the day to celebrate Jesus’ birth?
9 It was not until several hundred years after Jesus lived on the earth that people began to commemorate his birth on December 25. But that was not the date of Jesus’ birth, for it evidently took place in October.* So why was December 25 chosen? Some who later claimed to be Christian likely “wished the date to coincide with the pagan Roman festival marking the ‘birthday of the unconquered sun.’” (The New Encyclopædia Britannica) In winter, when the sun seemed weakest, pagans held ceremonies to get this source of warmth and light to come back from its distant travels. December 25 was thought to be the day that the sun began its return. In an effort to convert pagans, religious leaders adopted this festival and tried to make it seem “Christian.”*
10. In times past, why did some people not celebrate Christmas?
10 The pagan roots of Christmas have long been recognized. Because of its unscriptural origin, Christmas was banned in England and in some of the American colonies during the 17th century. Anyone who even stayed home from work on Christmas day had to pay a penalty. Soon, though, the old customs were back, and some new ones were added. Christmas once again became a big holiday, and that is what it still is in many lands. Because of the connections that Christmas has with false religion, however, those who want to please God do
not celebrate it or any other holiday that has its roots in pagan worship.*
DO ORIGINS REALLY MATTER?
11. Why do some people celebrate holidays, but what should be our chief concern?
11 Some agree that such holidays as Christmas have pagan origins but still feel that it is not wrong to celebrate them. After all, most people are not thinking about false worship when they observe holidays. These occasions also give families opportunities to draw close together. Is this how you feel? If so, likely it is love of family, not love of false religion, that makes taking a stand for true worship seem difficult. Be assured that Jehovah, the one who originated the family, wants you to have a good relationship with your relatives. (Ephesians 3:14, 15) But you can strengthen such bonds in ways that God approves. Regarding the matter that should be our chief concern, the apostle Paul wrote: “Keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord.”—Ephesians 5:10.
Would you eat a piece of candy picked up from the gutter?
12. Illustrate why we should avoid customs and celebrations that have bad origins.
12 Maybe you feel that the origins of holidays have little to do with how they are celebrated today. Do origins really matter? Yes! To illustrate: Suppose you saw a piece of candy lying in the gutter. Would you pick up that candy and eat it? Of course not! That candy is unclean. Like that candy, holidays may seem sweet, but they have been picked up from unclean places. To take a stand for true worship, we need to have a viewpoint like that of the prophet