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Things We Need To Know About Valentine’s Day

By iaspireBlog
Love & Relationships Things We Need To Know About Valentines Day
FEB 14, 2016 LISTEN

Flowers, candy, red hearts and romance! That’s what Valentine’s day is all about, right? Well, maybe not. The origin of this holiday for the expression of love really isn’t romantic at all — at least not in the traditional sense even though there are several versions to it. Yes, there is no other celebration that is surrounded by so much controversy like Valentine’s Day!

St. Valentine’s Day is the world’s “holiday of love and this Year Valentine’s Day is just a few hours away. There has been so much talks, discussions, jokes and even hilarious memes and video clips surrounding the celebration. What struck me in all of this was when one of my Muslim friends told me she does not celebrate Valentine! I was a bit taken aback…though I didn’t express my shock. I only asked myself if Christians should! Since the Bible states that God is love in I John 4:8, 16, perhaps he really wants His people partaking of the customs associated with this day.

Let me state from the onset that I am not in any way opposed to celebrating Love, I only want to share the truth behind Valentine’s Day itself, the history behind it, and what it represents…then you decide if you want to celebrate it or not! So please read this article with an open mind and receptive heart. I will simply lay out the facts about Valentine’s Day and then you will conclude for yourself whether or not you should celebrate it.

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Like many of the world’s major celebration, St. Valentine’s Day is an annual observance with its roots entrenched firmly in pagan beliefs and customs. Valentine of Rome is said to be a Christian martyr, killed on February 14, 496 under the direction of Emperor Claudius II of Rome. One story is that during general persecution of Christians, Valentine of Rome was interviewed personally by Emperor Claudius II for sentencing. Evidently Claudius II was impressed by Valentine and offered that if Valentine converted to paganism his life could be spared. Rather than convert, Valentine is said to have attempted to convert Claudius to Christianity, thus earning himself the death penalty. Prior to his execution, Valentine is thought to have performed a healing miracle for the jailer’s blind daughter, Julia. In some renditions, Valentine wrote a letter to Julia prior to his execution, signed “Your Valentine.”

Another tradition suggests that Valentine performed weddings for soldiers who had been prohibited from marrying by rule of Emperor Claudius II based on the belief that single men make better soldiers. Valentine was jailed and supposedly those whom he had married passed him notes and flowers in jail. Also while in jail he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. Prior to his execution he is said to have written her a love letter signed, “Your Valentine.”

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There is also a tradition that Valentine gave hearts made of parchment to soldiers and persecuted Christians reminding them of their vows as well as God’s love. Others have suggested that Valentine’s Day has pagan roots and is associated with Lupercalia, a February pagan holiday centered on fertility and love. Yet others say that the connection between Valentine’s Day and romance did not come about until the 14th Century with the English poet Chaucer’s writings.

VALENTINE SYMBOLS
Cupid was the son of Venus, Roman goddess of beauty and love. Also known as Eros in ancient Greece, he was the son of Aphrodite. According to myth, he was responsible for impregnating numerous goddesses and mortals. Cupid was a child-like archer just as Nimrod was a skilled archer. Mythology describes Cupid as having both a cruel and happy personality. He would use his invisible arrows, tipped with gold, to strike unsuspecting men and women, causing them to fall madly in love. He did not do this for their benefit, but to drive them crazy with intense passion, to make their lives miserable, and to laugh at the results.

Red roses were the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red is also a color that signifies strong feelings.

The Heart – It is unclear the origin of the familiar heart shape used for Valentine’s celebration. One possibility involves the now-extinct North African plant silphium. The city-state of Cyrene had a lucrative trade in the plant, which looks just like the heart shape used in modern times.

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To the Romans, February was also sacred to Juno Februata, the goddess of febris (“fever”) of love, and of women and marriage. On February 14, billets (small pieces of paper, each of which had the name of a teen-aged girl written on it) were put into a container. Teenage boys would then choose one billet at random. The boy and the girl whose name was drawn would become a “couple,” joining in erotic games at feasts and parties celebrated throughout Rome. This was the act of “Sexual Lottery”. After the festival, they would remain sexual partners for the rest of the year.

In modern times, Valentine’s Day is simply a celebration of love. While love may be the message portrayed through Valentine’s Day, its history as seen above reveals ties to paganism. But if we dress-up pagan practice with scripture and all the love in the world, is its still paganism? If we must take a cue from a practicing Jew or Muslim who do not celebrate anything that is contrary to what their faith teaches, should Christians celebrate any and everything they can find a way to Christianize?

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Again I reasoned, why should we limit our love to a specific day, in this case, Valentine’s Day? Do Spouses need a “Day of Saint Valentinus” to demonstrate the command to “love one another”? It would certainly be great to demonstrate our love every single day! Married couples or those who are in a relationship should please show their love and concern every day instead of waiting for Valentine’s Day to appreciate their spouses. It is sad that is only on Val’s day some spouses exchange gifts, go for dinner or even put up each other’s pix on their DPs…really sad! These are things that need to be done on a regular basis to spice up the marriage and not only one day of the year! Moreover if you choose to celebrate your love on only Valentine’s Day, it really feels awkward because this day celebrates lust and not true love as seen from its history.

Suffice to say I deeply love my husband…he is such a bundle of blessing…and I know he loves me too but not in the Saint Valentinus way. He loves me in the Jesus way: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).

Then, the notion of this celebration serving as a reminder and impetus for Christian love, hhhmmm… 2 Peter 1:7 says that we ought strive continually for “godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” Do we need “Valentine’s Day” to fulfill this exhortation? In fact, if we used the holiday as a day to demonstrate “Christian love,” it would only make things murky and awkward. Christian men don’t wish other Christian men a “Happy Valentine’s Day.” That would really be out of place! Therefore attempting to demonstrate “Christian love” through the celebration of Valentine’s Day does not exactly cut it!

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Romantic love is a feeling; Christian love is a committed practice and ongoing, daily discipline. Romantic love is exciting but quite fleeting; Christian love is lasting and demanding and requires much more of us than most of us are willing to give. Romantic love practically demands an equal response; Christian loves gives itself away selflessly, freely and fully; not expecting anything in return!

The most disturbing for me really is the unhealthy peer pressure for our youths. A lot of young people that would get Valentines gifts and treats tomorrow would also get laid! It has been said that a lot of young girls lose their virginity on Val’s day. Christians are told to actively flee sexual immorality (1 Cor 6:18). Valentine’s Day was a “Chrisitanized” version of a February pagan holiday celebrating eroticism (sexual lust) and fertility…a universally accepted fact…even though we do not know which of the “St. Valentine” we are exactly attempting to commemorate!

Then there is this unwarranted pressure unmarried, single Christians, the “booless” and “baeless” ones feel on Valentine’s Day…especially if there are activities that they cannot participate in. They probably feel incomplete, incompetent and intolerable. You can only imagine their plight!

There is no doubt that Valentine’s Day with its problematic origins is a pagan holiday turned “Christian”. It is a celebration consecrated and ordained by man, NOT God. In fact, God considers pagan celebrations as abominable, detestable, futile, vain, and useless.

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Valentine’s Day is largely a celebration for the profit of greeting card companies, chocolate factories, gifts and flower shops. Some couples treat Valentine’s Day as a particularly important day to express their love for one another, whereas for others it is just another day. For some single persons wishing to be married, Valentine’s Day is viewed as a hurtful reminder of their undesired “single and searching” status. For others, both single and married, Valentine’s is simply a day to express love to all manner of friends and family. We may conclude that Valentine’s Day is harmless and say that we don’t practice the original pagan traditions. But what does God think of it? Does He take things like this lightly? It does make a difference to Him? How about you? Is Christ or Valentinus your standard for showing love? Prayerfully consider these points, do your own research and then decide if valentine is for you or not!

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Enjoy your weekend!

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