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*There
are over 33,820 non-Catholic ecclesial communities as of April 2001,
as recorded by the World Christianity Encyclopedia, a Protestant publication.
The meaning of Paganism broadly includes all religions
other than the true one founded by Jesus Christ, and narrowly, all except
Christianity, Judaism, and Mohammedanism. So to put it simply, a Pagan
in the narrow sense is one who is not a spiritual descendent of Abraham.
By simple deduction, it is obvious that anyone who accuses the Catholic
Church of Paganism, will have to prove that the Church is not Christian,
and that it was not founded by Jesus Christ. Since the contrary of truth
cannot be proven, both conditions are impossible to meet by the accusers.
Here are some of the outlandish charges they have invented
over the years:
One of the false charges of Paganism...
The Catholic Church is a pagan society, and the proof
is in the pagan symbols which permeate the entire Church. For one example,
they have an Egyptian obelisk, a symbol of a pagan society, being encompassed
by the very "arms" of the Vatican, and here is the visible proof...
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The truth...
The obelisk is located in the center of St. Peter's
Square in Rome. It is 83 feet high and weighs 331 tons. Detractors invariably
only give half of the story while conveniently
omitting the parts which destroy their false charges right from the start.
Well, here is the rest of the story of this obelisk
which they purposely omit:
This obelisk is uninscribed, which is unusual because
almost all obelisks were inscribed to honor the Pharoah of the time. Because
of this, no one knows from where it originally came or who created it.
History shows that Emperor Augustus Caesar (27 B.C-14 A.D) had it erected
in the Julian Forum in Alexandria, where it remained until 37 A.D.. In
that year Emperor Caligula (Caius Caesar) had it moved to the Circus in
Rome.
It is known that in the Roman Circus, many Christians
including St. Peter were martyred.
At the end of the 16th century, Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590)
decided to use obelisks as markers for pilgrims who visited Rome. He had
them placed in front of major Basilicas so that they might be visible from
afar. He directed that this obelisk, pictured below, was to be re-erected
in the collonaded square in front of the Basilica of St. Peter, where it
remains to this day. He christianized it by having a cross mounted on the
top.
It is a fitting tribute to St. Peter. No doubt it was
one of the last things the first Bishop of Rome must have seen before his
martyrdom. The obelisk represents the triumph of Christianity over the
paganism from which the obelisk came, and this is one of many in Rome.
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Here is a closer look showing that it has no inscriptions, and the cross is seen at the very top.
Besides the many obelisks still in Egypt, there
are others scattered around the world . They are in London, Dorset, and
Durham, in England, Paris France, Istanbul Turkey, Florence, Rome, and
Urbino, in Italy, and in our own United States in Central Park in New york
City. Also there is the Washington Monument in our national capitol of
Washington D.C.. Although it is not of Egyptian origin, it certainly was
patterned after Egyptian obelisks. Does this mean that all of these countries
worship pagan gods? Well, those who say the Catholic Church does, will
have a hard time convincing the masses in those countries that they do
as well.
Here is the obelisk on display in Central Park in the
center of New York City. Note the inscriptions impressed upon it. It is
called Cleopatra's Needle and is a twin of another one in London. Do all
New Yorkers and Londoners worship pagan gods simply because they display
these obelisks? I would have to say, that the detractors of the Catholic
Church would be forced to say "yes" wouldn't you?
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And now comes "the rest of the story",
as Paul Harvey would say...
Most people, when looking at the underside of a dome
such as the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, see a circle with supporting
members radiating out in all directions, an architectural feature of most
domes. Non-Catholic accusers of pagan worship see it as just another symbol
of the sun.
The picture above is of a monstrance, and in the center
is the Blessed Sacrament. Most monstrances have radiating lines for all
360 degrees around the center, and they do remind us of a sunburst,
and for a very good reason.
Those who make these charges claim to know the Bible,
when in fact they do not, for in the "sun"
is depicted the "SON" in glory and
brightness.
"The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there
words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the
earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent
for the sun, which comes forth like a bridegroom
leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its
rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them;
and there is nothing hid from its heat."
Psalms 19:1-6
"For the Lord God is a sun
and shield, he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold
from those who walk uprightly."
Psalms 84:11
Here is a clear passage which symbolizes GOD as the
sun.
"Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David. His line shall endure for ever, his throne as
long as the sun before me."
Psalms 89:35-36
"So they shall fear the name of the Lord from
the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun;
for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives.
"And he will come to Zion as Redeemer, to those in Jacob who turn
from transgression, says the Lord."
Isaiah 59:19-20
"The sun shall
be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light
to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your
God will be your glory. Your sun shall no
more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your
everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended."
Isaiah 60:19-20
"Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name..." Jeremiah 31:35
"And he brought me into the inner court of
the house of the Lord; and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord,
between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their
backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east,
worshiping the sun toward the east."
Ezekiel 8:16
The East, the
direction of the sunrise, has great significance
in Scripture...
"Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate facing east.
And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the east;
and the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters; and the
earth shone with his glory. And the vision I saw was like the vision which
I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and like the vision which
I had seen by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. As the glory of
the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east,
the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court; and behold,
the glory of the Lord filled the temple."
Ezekiel 43:1-5
"And those to encamp before the tabernacle on the east,
before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise,
were Moses and Aaron and his sons, having charge of the rites within the
sanctuary, whatever had to be done for the people of Israel; and any one
else who came near was to be put to death."
Numbers 3:38. See also Isaiah 41:2, 43:5, and Ezechiel 11:23,46:12.
"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen
his star in the East,
and have come to worship him... When they had heard the king they went
their way; and lo, the star which they had
seen in the East went before them, till it
came to rest over the place where the child was."
Matthew 2:2,9
"For as the lightning comes from the east
and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man."
Matthew 24:27
We shall look to the East where
the sun rises,
and the Son also
rises.
"In that day there will be five cities in the
land of Egypt which speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to
the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of the Sun.
In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land
of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border."
Isaiah 19:18-19
"City of the Sun" in Egypt sounds
like Alexandria, which saw Christianity rise through the efforts of St.
Mark. Alexandria spawned theologians Clement of Alexandria, and Origen.
It was governed by several Catholic Bishops such as Athanasius and Cyril.
Since Alexandria is situated on Egypt's northern border, the Mediterranean
Sea, could the "pillar to the Lord" be the obelisk mentioned
earlier which now stands in St. Peter's Square in Rome?
"And those who are wise shall shine like the
brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness,
like the stars for ever and ever."
Daniel 12:3
" For from the rising of the sun
even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every
place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation,
for my name is great among the Gentiles, says the Lord of hosts."
Malachi 1:11
"But for you who fear my name the Sun
of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings."
Malachi 4:2
Did you notice that the word, "Sun",
is capitalized? Is it a misspelling of "Son",
or is it on purpose?
This verse is a clear reference to the second person of the Holy Trinity
as figured by the Sun.
"So perish all thine enemies, O Lord! But thy
friends be like the sun as he rises in his
might."
Judges 5:31
"Then the righteous will
shine like the sun in
the kingdom of their Father.
He who has ears, let him hear."
Matthew 13:43
"And he was transfigured before them, and his
face shone like the sun, and his garments
became white as light."
Matthew 17:2
"It was now about the sixth hour, and there
was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's
light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus,
crying with a loud voice, said, "Father,
into thy hands I commit my spirit!"
And having said this he breathed his last."
Luke 23:44-46
Did you see the message here? The sun's light
failed...The Son, the light of the world,
died.
"And very early on the first day of the week
they went to the tomb when the sun had risen."
Mark 16:2
In this verse is yet another connection which many miss. The sun
had risen, and on a Sunday...
The Son had risen, and on a Sunday.
"At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light
from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining
round me and those who journeyed with me."
Acts 26:13
"In his right hand he held seven stars,
from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the
sun shining in full strength."
Revelation 1:16
"Then I saw another mighty angel coming down
from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his
face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars
of fire."
Revelation 10:1
"And a great portent appeared in heaven, a
woman clothed with the sun, with the moon
under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."
Revelation 12:1
"Then I saw an angel standing in the sun,
and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven,
"Come, gather for the great supper of God...""
Revelation 19:17
"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I
am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life"."
John 8:12
"I have come as light
into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness."
John 12:46
"I
Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I
am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star."
Revelation 22:16
"And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple
is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of
sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory
of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light shall the nations
walk; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it."
Revelation 21:22-24
"And night shall be no more; they need no light
of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their
light, and they shall reign for ever and ever."
Revelation 22:5
The light of the sun in this life, is replaced by the light of the Son in the next.
After absorbing the meaning of all of these verses, what was that false charge again?
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Now, for all of those who venerate the cross of
Jesus Christ, are they venerating a pagan symbol? Those who accuse Catholics
of pagan worship cannot have it both ways.
"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it
is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of
disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them, for once you were darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit
of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to learn
what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness,
but instead expose them. For it is a shame even to speak of the things
that they do in secret; but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes
visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light."
Ephesians 5:6-14
"But these men, like irrational animals created
by nature for capture and destruction,
deride what they do not understand, and will perish
in their own corruption, receiving thereby the recompense of
their wrongdoing."
2 Peter 2:12
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