endtimesencouragementnews: Santa, the Sword, and the Star

Syncretism - the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought

The picture to the left would be viewed by many as absurd, and by others as blasphemous. An Islamic Christmas tree! Of course not! Yet for decades, we in the western world have thought that we could engage Islam in economics, military aid, and a seat at the geo-political round table and that eventually they would become so enamored with our values that they would adopt them. Syncretism would carry the day. After all, Islam is just a religion, the free practice of which is tolerated in any democratic society. So here near the end of 2015 we should be asking ourselves, "How's that working?"

You see, Islam is much more than a religion; it is an economic system, a judicial system, and a geopolitical system. With respect to the latter, it is committed to world domination. It is a system where church and state are one; where adherence to "the faith" is maintained with threats of death to all who would depart. In spite of all that, there is a place for syncretism within Islam, because Islam views lying to advance the cause as a moral virtue.

As the Islamic community gains a foothold in the midst of a different culture, lies will be told over and over again to mask the real aims of Islam. Here in the United States, the lies have been institutionalized under banners of such organizations as C.A.I.R. (Committee on American/Islamic Relations). Following the gruesome murders in San Bernardino yesterday, CAIR in a news release said, "We condemn this horrific and revolting attack and offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all those killed or injured...The Muslim community stands shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Americans in repudiating any twisted mindset that would claim to justify such sickening acts of violence." A family member of one of the shooters expressed shock at a CAIR news conference. The twisted mindset, however, emanates from the Koran, which repeatedly instructs followers of Islam to kill infidels. While it is a nice gesture for CAIR to issue such statements of condemnation, it is scant window-dressing and propaganda. It is a step back from true Islam, employing syncretism, until a more advantageous time.

Syncretism and Christianity

Although the following words of Jesus Christ are found in the New Testament, they were spoken to an Old Testament people, in an Old Testament economy. "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men..." (Mark 7:8)

Paul would spell out a similar principle to the New Testament Church, which would apply to us today, in the 21st Century. "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8)

Keeping those two Scriptures in mind, let's look at two streams of Christianity. One stream abandons virtually all of Christianity's Hebrew roots while the other embraces them. Each stream involves syncretism to varying degrees. Much of the modern church, while reveling in the grace that has set us free from the Law, has at the same time syncretically embraced its own set of observances, which almost carry the weight of law. Volumes could be written about this subject, but we'll mention only one.

Christmas

At some other time we will explore Christianity's syncretic approach to Easter. For now, because "'tis the season" we will look at Christmas. To suggest that the church should not celebrate Christmas would be tantamount to heresy, yet consider...

While we freely abandon the commandments concerning the Sabbath and the Feasts of the Lord, we add Christmas as something to be observed, in spite of the fact that neither Jesus nor any of the Apostles commanded us to do so.

The date, December 25th, has nothing to do with the birth of Christ.

"In the fifth century, the Western Church ordered it [speaking of Christ’s birth] to be observed forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol [who is the sun god], as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ’s birth existed" (Encyclopedia Americana, 1944 edition, "Christmas").

Shepherds would not have been watching their flocks by night in the middle of winter in Judea. Historically, the flocks would have been kept in a sheltered area at this time of year.

It would have been the worst time of year to have people travelling for the purpose of taking a census.

Historians calculate that the course of Abijah mentioned by Luke 1:5, during which Zacharias served, happened from June 13-19 in that year ( The Companion Bible , 1974, Appendix 179, p. 200). When you do the math, Mary would have conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit when Elizabeth (wife of Zacharias) was 6 months pregnant with John (the Baptist). Fast forward and Jesus would have been born sometime during the last two weeks of September.

So the church observes the birth of Christ, which we were never commanded to do, on a date that finds its origin in the birth of the Roman sun god, avoiding the biblical evidence concerning the approximate date of Christ's birth. Add to that all of the other traditions surrounding Christmas and you have very compelling evidence that syncretism has been a part of the church for centuries.

Conclusion

The point of this blog is not to play the Grinch and steal Christmas from anyone. It's only purpose is help you, the reader, discover that many things have been added to our Christian faith and practice that are not biblical, yet we passively accept them. This is syncretism. Contract this with Islam, which has on purpose embraced non-Islamic practices at times and places. This syncretism, while not usually displayed by hanging scimitars on trees topped with crescent moons, enables Islam to be welcomed into societies as a non-threatening minority. The first to show their true colors are said to be "radicalized." As numbers increase, what was once radical becomes normal.

The warning to the church is also the same. What was first embraced by a few radicals (heretics) becomes normal a generation or two later. You've seen it; you can imagine it.