Is It a Sin to Celebrate Valentines'?
(Is Valentines’ a Christian Custom?)
THE DATE FEBRUARY 14 is known all over the world as “Valentine’s Day.” This is the day celebrated by lovers sending affectionate messages and gifts to each other, and many hearts were thrilled and soared to exhilarating heights upon propositioning: “Would you be my Valentine?” However, has anyone bothered to know what Valentine’s Day is really all about? Better still, must Christians look forward to its commemoration or celebration?
A CATHOLIC FEAST
Although “the religious significance of the day is now overshadowed by the nonreligious customs associated with it” (The Encyclopedia Americana, International Edition, Vol. 27, s.v. “Valentine, Saint,” p. 860), yet undoubtedly it has a religious beginning.
What is Valentine’s Day? Unknown to many, it is a Catholic feast commemorating the martyrdom of two early Catholic saints:
VALENTINE’S DAY, February 14, feast commemorating the martyrdom of two early Christian saints of the same name but observed since the Middle Ages as a day for romantic customs.
(Reference: Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion Vol. 3., by Meagher, Paul Kevin; O’Brien, Thomas C.; Aherne, Consuelo Maria, Pub: 1979, p. 3632, Emphasis Mine)
Who are these Valentines whose feast day falls on the fourteenth of February? Historians testify the following:
“Little is known of the Valentines whose names were later associated with love and courtship, except that one was a Roman priest and the other bp. of Interamma (now Terni), both of whom were persecuted under the Emperor Claudius and apparently buried the same day on the Flaminian Way.”
(Reference: Encyclopedic Dictionary of Religion Vol. 3., by Meagher, Paul Kevin; O’Brien, Thomas C.; Aherne, Consuelo Maria, Pub: 1979, p. 3632)
Some Catholic historians agreed that there were two Valentines as mentioned in the book we quoted above, however, there are Catholic historians who contend that there was only one Valentine:
“…there may have been only one Valentine, who perhaps was taken from one city to the other for execution, with the result that two cults arose.”
(Reference: The Encyclopedia Americana, p. 860)
But the controversy does not end there, for other historians say that there are “three Valentines”:
“February 14, which may refer to any one of three saints by the same name: a priest-physician martyred in Rome in 269; a bishop of Interamna, beheaded at Rome about 273; and a martyr in Africa who was put to death with several companions.”
(Reference: Modern Catholic Dictionary, by John A. Hardon S.J., s.v. “Valentine’s Day,” Pub: 1980, p. 556, Emphasis Mine)
Anyway, it is clear that Valentine’s Day is a feast day of a Catholic patron saint.
A PAGAN CUSTOM
What was the real story behind the Valentine’s day? This was a pagan feast. Valentine’s Day is also called “traditional lover’s day, going back to the pagan Lupercalia, in mid-February” (ibid.). It is a day when lovers traditionally exchange affectionate messages and gifts.
The sending of love notes on that date arose in the late Middle Ages and appears to have been accidental. The most plausible of several theories relates it to the medieval European (pagan) belief that birds begin to mate on that date:
“This notion probably suggested that lovers should exchange messages and gifts on February 14. Once the custom was established, ‘valentine’ came to be applied both to the persons and their tokens of affection.”
(Reference: The Encyclopedia Americana, s.v. ‘‘Valentine’s Day,” p. 860)
Clearly enough, the practices associated with Valentine’s Day are of pagan origin.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH PAGANISM?
What does the Bible say concerning pagans and their beliefs? What did the Apostles advise the Christians about the pagans? In Ephesians 4:17-18, Apostle Paul admonished the Christians thus:
“This then is my word to you, and I urge it upon you in the Lord’s name. Give up living like pagans with their good-for-nothing notions. Their wits are beclouded, they are strangers to the life that is in God, because ignorance prevails among them and their minds have grown hard as stone.”
(Reference: Ephesians 4:17-18 NEB, Emphasis Mine)
Not only does Apostle Paul reject the ritual of pagan rituals and customs but he said that they are “good-for-nothing notions.” In fact the meaning of the term pagan gives us reasons to reject anything pagans do and practice. Webster’s New International Dictionary states:
“Pagan… the opposite of Christian… a person who is not a Christian… not a Christian.”
(Reference: Webster’s New International Dictionary)
It is interesting to note that even the etymology of the term “pagan” shows the incompatibility of Christianity and paganism. Any good book in church history would contain the origin of the term.
“Churches were first established in the cities. The people in the country continued to be heathen when the people in the cities had already become Christians. The Latin word for country people was pagani. So the name pagani of Pagans became equivalent to heathen. From the cities Christianity spread among the heathens or pagans, in the country.”
(Reference: https://thechurchinhistory.fandom.com/wiki/ Chapter_3:_The_Church_Grows_Inwardly_(A.D._33-325)
How do true Christians view pagans and their practices? In Ephesians 4:17-18, 20, Apostle Paul states:
“In particular, I want to urge you in the name of the Lord, not to go on living the aimless kind of life that pagans live. Intellectually they are in the dark, and they are estranged from the life of God, without knowledge because they have shut their hearts to it.
“Now that it is hardly the way you have learned from Christ, unless you failed to hear him properly when you were taught what the truth is in Jesus.”
(Reference: Eph. 4:17-18, 20 Jerusalem Bible, Emphasis Mine)
Apostle Paul attested to the fact that pagans live an aimless life, being estranged from the life of God. Living the way as they do is hardly the way of Christ and Apostle Paul urged all Christians not to go on living as pagans do. Moreover, Christ detested and spoke about those who chose to uphold their own “traditions”:
“And he said to them, ‘How ingeniously you get around the commandments of God in order to preserve your own tradition’.”
(Reference: Mark 7:9. Jerusalem Bible, Emphasis Mine)
Despite Christ’s detestation of such traditions, there are those who will continue to argue that it’s just a “custom” and there is no harm in them but what did Apostle Paul say about copying the “behaviors” and “customs of this world?”:
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think…”
(Reference: Romans 12:2 The Living Bible, Emphasis Mine)
Therefore Apostles have spoken. True Christians should heed their call. We must give up living like pagans with their “good-for-nothing notions” and not “copy the behavior and customs of this world.” Of course, there may still be some lingering sentimental memories of long-gone Valentine’s Days, but we cannot remain ignorant, nor must we let our minds remain “beclouded” and grow as hard as stone. Above all, we cannot risk becoming “estranged from the life of God.”
Some may think that members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) are against love and romantic gestures; this is not the case. When a celebratory holiday is based on a pagan custom or ritual, we don’t participate in such acts, for anything pagan is abhorrent to Christ. Engaging in such celebrations is not only unscriptural but also constitutes a profound disrespect and insult to God’s words.
IN CONCLUSION
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WE KINDLY EXTEND our visitors an invitation to explore the pristine, unadulterated teachings of Christ and His apostles as they were taught in the first-century Church Of Christ. The teachings presented by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) will guide you toward the path that leads to eternal life for all on that appointed day of Judgment:
Our 'Fundamental Beliefs'
WITH THE AIM of aiding others in achieving a more comprehensive understanding of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, a series of readings has been developed. These readings encompass a range of significant topics, from the nature and work of Christ to apostasy. We encourage all those who are curious or in search of truth to engage with these articles. They are designed to encapsulate the comprehensive doctrines and beliefs of the Iglesia Ni Cristo.
The Great Apostasy
LEARN ABOUT “The Great Apostasy” that led to the transformation and change of the Church of Christ, gradually becoming the Catholic church, which later in turn gave birth and rise to the Protestant faith, both of which continued to hold conflicting and unbiblical doctrines. Many sought the truth during this time but were unable to find it. Despite their belief in God and Jesus Christ, they did not have access to the pristine gospel truth. Consequently, each generation inherited a deeper state of apostasy, perpetuating changes to Christ’s gospel.
Reach Out
If you wish to acquire a deeper understanding of our Church Doctrines and have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We would be delighted to direct you to one of our local resident ministers in your vicinity. Kindly include any queries you may have so that we may forward your inquiry in advance. Thank you.
Please note, we only read and respond to messages that do not contain hate speech or insults...
“Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].”
(Eph. 4:29, Amplified Bible)
“Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-5, Amplified Bible)