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Syncretism
A Blending of Paganism and Truth by Dr.
Daniel Botkin |
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Syncretism is defined as "the combination of different forms
of belief or practice" (Webster's). The word syncretism does
not appear in the KJV, but the subject of syncretism is certainly
addressed (and condemned) in the Scriptures. From a Biblical
perspective, syncretism is the blending together of Yahweh
worship with pagan worship.
A perfect example of syncretism is the worship of the Samaritans.
When the Samaritan woman asked Yeshua a question about the
difference between the worship of the Jews and Samaritans, He
responded with this: "Ye worship ye know not what. We know
what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews" (Jn. 4:22).
This forthright statement probably sounds arrogant and
ethnocentric in today's politically correct world, especially
given the fact that the Samaritans believed in the same God the
Jews worshipped. What was wrong with the worship of the
Samaritans? To answer this question, we have to go to 2 Kings 17
and read about the origin of the Samaritans.
King David and King Solomon both ruled over a united,
twelve-tribe monarchy. After the death of Solomon, the ten
northern tribes seceded from the southern tribes of Judah and
Benjamin, and made Samaria their capital. The ten northern tribes
sinned greatly against the Lord. Their punishment was exile: Then
the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up
to Samaria, and beseiged it three years. In the ninth year of
Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel [the
ten tribes] away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in
Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes... So
was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto
this day"(2Ki. 17:5f, 23).
After the Israelites were carried away, the king of Assyria
populated Israel's land with pagans from other territories:
"And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from
Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and
placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of
Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities
thereof (2 Ki. 17:24).
These were the people who later became known as the Samaritans.
The rest of the chapter describes the development of the
Samaritans' syncretistic worship. Soon after these people first
settled in Israel's land,
Yahweh sent lions among them "because they feared not
Yahweh" (vs. 25). The Samaritans told the king of Assyria
that they did not know how the God of this land wanted to be
worshipped. So the king sent an Israelite priest to "teach
them the manner of the God of the land," and this priest
"taught them how they should fear Yahweh" (vs. 27f).
The Samaritans then began to worship Yahweh. However, they mixed
their worship of Yahweh with the worship of their old pagan gods:
"They feared Yahweh, and served their own gods, after the
manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence... So
these nations feared Yahweh, and served their graven images, both
their children, and their children's children: as did their
fathers, so do they unto this day" (vs. 33 & 41).
Yahweh had made it clear in Deuteronomy chapter 12 that He does
not want worship which is patterned after the worship of pagan
gods. Rather, He said, "What thing soever I command you,
observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from
it" (Deut. 12:32). The unnamed priest who instructed the
Samaritans apparently neglected to tell the Samaritans that
Yahweh rejects syncretistic worship. Or, if the priest did tell
them, they chose to ignore those instructions. In either case,
the Samaritans ended up with a flawed system of syncretistic
worship. They erroneously believed that their system of worship
was every bit as legitimate as that of the Jews. When the Jews
returned from Babylon to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, the
Samaritans came to them and said, "Let us build with you:
for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him
since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up
hither" (Ezra 4:2).
The Jewish leaders rightly refused this ecumenical proposal,
because they knew that the Samaritans' syncretistic worship would
end up polluting their own worship. The Samaritans resented being
shunned this way, and so opposed and harassed the Jews in their
efforts to rebuild Jerusalem. About 500 years later, at the time
of the Messiah, the Jews and the Samaritans were still not
getting along with each other, which explains why the Samaritan
woman was surprised when Yeshua asked her for a drink. "How
is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a
woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the
Samaritans" (Jn. 4:9).
It was to this Samaritan woman that Yeshua spoke about the need
for true worshippers to worship "in spirit and in
truth." "The Father seeketh such to worship Him,"
Yeshua said, "and they that worship Him must worship Him in
spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:23f). True worship is a blend of
spirit and truth. Syncretistic worship is a blend of paganism and
truth.
The subtle danger of syncretistic worship lies in its claim to be
worshipping the true God, Yahweh. When the Israelites brought
idols and idolatrous practices into the Temple, they did not
think of their actions as an abandonment of Yahweh. They thought
of it as just supplementing their worship with customs borrowed
from heathen idol worship. Even the golden calf at Mount Sinai
was not regarded as a substitute god to replace Yahweh; rather,
it was regarded as a symbolic representation of Yahweh. This can
be seen in Aaron's reference to the golden calf as the God
"which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt" and
his proclamation that the worship of the golden calf would be
"a feast unto Yahweh" - not a feast to some Egyptian
god (Ex. 32:4f).
Syncretism made its way into the Messianic faith quite early.
Certain statements in the Epistles show that it was starting even
before the Apostles died. Paul scolded the Galatians for turning
back to the weak and beggarly elements which put them in bondage
to the observance of times. (And it is clear from the context
that Paul was not referring to Yahweh's appointed times, which
Paul himself observed. Rather, this observing of times concerned
the Galatians' reverting back to their former pagan superstitions
about times, much like some Christians today who put stock in
their horoscopes.) Syncretism was also occurring among the saints
at Colosse. This is obvious from Colossians chapter 2. (Here too
it is clear from the context that Paul was not referring to the
commandments of God written in the Torah; rather, he was talking
about unhealthy bondage to man-made traditions, commandments, and
philosophies.)
We know from history that the Apostles' warnings against
syncretism went unheeded by the majority of Church leaders. Pagan
customs were adapted and modified for use in Christian worship.
Much that exists in Christianity today is nothing more than
white-washed, baptized paganism. This is especially obvious in
the Roman Catholic Church, which freely admits that many of its
extra-Biblical traditions were borrowed from pagan idol worship.
Anyone who doubts this can read Catholic Customs and Traditions:
A Popular Guide by Greg Dues (Twenty-Third Publications, 2000).
This book, written by a Catholic and primarily for Catholics, is
a brief but comprehensive overview of the customs of Roman
Catholicism. Throughout the book, the author freely admits that
many Catholic customs were borrowed from paganism. Some examples:
Sunday worship "is an example of how culture and
pagan traditions influenced Christian religious traditions. This
title [Sun-day] comes from pre-Christian worship of the sun"
(pg. 22).
The choice of December 25 as the date to celebrate Jesus'
birth was an adaptation of the pagans' December 25 celebration of
the birthday of their sun god. After Constantine "became the
benefactor and protector of Christianity," the writer
states, "pagan cultural features of sun-symbolism were no
longer threatening. They could be freely absorbed by the church.
The church, with its Nativity date of December 25 already in
place, did precisely this" (pg. 51 f).
"Most Christmas traditions associated with evergreens
and trees are related somehow to pre-Christian practices...
Teutonic and Scandinavian peoples worshipped trees and decorated
houses and barns with evergreens at the new year to scare away
demons" (pg. 56).
Concerning Santa Claus: "The origin of this tradition
is a fascinating and deliberate mixture of a bishop-saint, Father
Christmas, Christmas Man, and the Norse mythological god
Thor." Thor is described as "elderly, jolly (though a
god of war), with white hair and beard, friend of the common
people, living in the north land, traveling in the sky in a
chariot pulled by goats, and as god of fire, partial to chimneys
and fireplaces" (pg. 60-62).
Mardi Gras, the Catholic pre-Lenten party-time, came from
"pre-Christian revelry and masquerading associated with
ancient pagan observance of spring and New Year festivals
celebrated at the spring or vernal equinox" (pg. 73).
Concerning the Catholic custom of giving milk and honey to
those newly baptized: This practice, marking an important moment
in life, was borrowed from pagan mystery cults" (pg. 90).
Concerning the origin of Easter eggs and Easter bunnies:
"In ancient Egypt and Persia friends exchanged decorated
eggs at the spring equinox... These eggs were a symbol of
fertility... Rabbits are part of pre-Christian fertility
symbolism because of their reputation to reproduce rapidly"
(pg. 98f).
Valentine's Day is connected to "a pagan Roman
festival, Lupercalia... This festival came under the patronage of
Juno, the goddess of marriage... St. Valentine replaced the pagan
goddess Juno as a patron of love" (pg. 139f).
Samaritanism and Roman Catholicism are not the only systems of
worship guilty of syncretism. Syncretism exists in Protestantism,
too. It can even be found in Judaism. "But the hour cometh,
and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in
spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in
spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:23f). Let's worship in spirit
and in truth, not in a blend of paganism and truth.
Reprinted from "Gates of Eden," July-August 2005, page
8. "Gates of Eden " is a bimonthly newsletter produced
by Gates of Eden, a messianic Jewish ministry. Write to Gates of
Eden, P.O. Box 2257, East Peoria, IL, 61611-0257.
September-October 2005
TSS
September
/ October 2005 The Sabbath Sentinel
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