I am fascinated with the origins of holidays, customs, language, and culture in general, however the roots of something do not play much of a part in my decision to participate in a certain part of a culture. I respect those that see things differently, so it is not my intent to convince someone to observe something that doesn't feel right to them, but I would like to explain why someone who "claims to love God" can particpate in something with pagan roots with a clear conscience. (We can save the discussion about judging my claims of faith for another day.)
On a Christian message board I frequent, someone asked how other members observe Valentine's Day, whether it was religious or cultural to them and if the origins concern them at all. This is what I responded:
I am interested in the roots of everything (I am the type that gets fascinated by the origins of words and how they evolved over time.) But that is an academic pursuit. Unless the holiday was mandated by God in his Word, it is just another day and I can make that day whatever I want it to be. (In fact even the Biblical ones I cannot fully observe as one would have in Bible times, so even they have been adapted both by culture and my own family. And I know that if I have to do it one day late or not do much this year, that is fine, my relationship with God has not changed in the least.)
Therefore I do not let the fact that the things that are part of our cultrue came from a blended hertiage. I am more concerned with how our culture is currently observing them. And even that is not my main motivation for celebrating a holiday in a certain way. My main motivation is to do something that pleases God and blesses my family today.
So what do I do with Valentine's Day? I use it as a reminder to appreciate all the people in my life that are special to me. The older my kids get I can explain who St. Valentine was. I can also explain other influences on how the holiday came to be what it is, but in our family, it means loving one another.
There is a blog that delves into many topics that concern Christians. The conclusions the author comes to are not those that are most often heard in the mainstream evangelical world. I really appreciate his perspective on holdays, so I would like to quote a small portion of what he said about holidays in a Halloween-centered post. Please take the time to read the rest for yourself.
I do not own the calendar. If people want to celebrate family on the day that I celebrate the birth of Jesus they are allowed. There is no “objective” meaning to Christmas (as evidenced by the fact that December 25 was not chosen because it was the date that Jesus was actually born as well as the fact that it wasn’t celebrated for the first several centuries of the Church), it is a cultural phenomenon. I celebrate it because it means something to me.
http://jbyas.com/2012/10/30/why-christians-should-celebrate-halloween/
While I am fascinated with the intellectual debates regarding cultural celebrations, I really do not care whether one chooses to observe a holiday or not, but hopefully this sheds a little light on why my family does things the way it does. Maybe that sets us apart, or maybe that makes us one of the masses. It doesn't matter to me. I just know that my kids love the fun of Valentine's Day and I like an extra excuse to tell people I appreciate them. So I will end with the same greeting I put on Twitter today:
Valentine's Day is for all loved ones, not just lovers. So love and warm wishes to everyone who makes my life a little brighter.
