By Joe Slater
Not even the Roman Catholic Church can decide with certainty
which (if any) of three candidates is the real “Saint” Valentine.
One popular view is that he was a “bishop” who kept on
solemnizing marriages despite Roman emperor Claudius II
supposedly banning marriage of soldiers in his army. This
Valentine, so the story goes, was arrested and eventually
martyred. Historical evidence is lacking; even referring to this as
“legend” might be a stretch.
More likely, “Saint Valentine’s Day is yet another attempt to
“Christianize” a pagan holiday. In this case, it’s the feast of
Lupercalia, a fertility festival honoring Faunus, the Roman god
of agriculture. It was celebrated on February 15. Our calendar
puts Valentine’s Day on February 14. Oh well, close enough!
As with Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, celebrating
Valentine’s Day doesn’t make you a pagan. Go ahead, give your
sweetheart a box of chocolates! When people’s minds are
focused on the birth of Christ, it’s a great opportunity to teach t
truth about it. Ditto with the Resurrection. So let’s use this
holiday to teach the truth about marriage!
In American Society Biblical marriage has fallen on hard
times. Currently, 60% of all marriages are preceded by
cohabitation” (foryourmarriage.org/cohabitation/). Hebrews
13:4 says, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed
undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Folks,
we have much teaching to do! Let us have the backbone to reject
political correctness, “speaking the truth in love (Ephesiar
4:15).
Via Bulletin Gold