Brakelite
Well-Known Member
You believe the power of the gospel falls short in delivering people from the sinful aspects of culture like idolatry and temple prostitution? And you are correct, there are pagan relics that were "baptized" and repurposed... But that practise resulted in apostasy and the fall of the church from grace. Such syncretism was manifest more in Rome and Alexandria than anywhere else, and although such it's predated Christianity, in some cases by many centuries, they didn't become a part of church doctrine and teaching tradition until after the apostles had died. Paul even warned that there would be such a falling away after his death...KJV Acts 20:28-30And the Pagans were converting to Christianity......put that is their religion.....not their culture.
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
John confirmed this by stating that the spirit of Antichrist (replacing Christ with counterfeit methods of salvation) was already present in his day, but the things took a while to develop into full blown church doctrine and teaching. Sunday sacredness is of course a prime example, taking several centuries to develop, given impetus by Constantine's Sunday law, late affirmed by the church of Rome. It took the perversion of the Passover to Easter, and the development of Christmas day to be the catalyst for entrenching Sunday into the minds of the church, but this took convincing and persecution to cement it into church practice generally. Several centuries of persecution. And the practice of downplaying and ridiculing the Sabbath, and of exalting Sunday way above it's proper station, continues to this day.
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