An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Valentine's Day. This follows this post about the book of Acts. This follows this post about Europe becoming more dependent on Russia for energy. For a free magazine subscription or to get the book shown for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886- 8632.

5 Reasons NOT to Celebrate Valentine's Day

Here's five tongue-in-cheek reasons not to celebrate Valentine's Day. But can you find another?

MP4 VideoAudio
MP3 Audio - 5 Reasons NOT to Celebrate Valentine's Day

[Steve Myers] Here's a little tongue-in-cheek discussion on 5 reasons not to celebrate Valentine's Day.
Number one: Flowers make you sneeze and they don't last very long.
Number two: Pink does not make you look thinner.
In fact, number three: Pink's a girly color that makes men feel wimpy.
Number four: Chocolate makes you fat.
Number five: Valentine's Day is just commercialism by the greeting card companies to make millions of dollars.
Are those any reasons that you shouldn't celebrate Valentine's Day? There is a more important reason, but it comes back to realizing what is life all about. What is romance after all because Valentine's Day is supposed to focus on romance? And we often think of the flowers and the candy and the meals out and all those kinds of things.
But you know what? Romance is sometimes vacuuming the house.  Romance is sometimes, yeah, cleaning the toilet or maybe changing a diaper or two or maybe making his favorite dessert. That's what real romance comes down to so much of the time, real life. And sometimes we get fooled by taking one day and trying to make something huge out of it when in reality love is a daily thing. It's something that we show every single day of our life.
Christ Himself said that whatever we want men to do to us, we should do to them. And it should be something that's on going, not just a onetime thing.
It reminded me of a passage that's over in Ecclesiastes in Ecclesiastes 9:9Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
See All.... Ecclesiastes 9:9Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
See All... says, "Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life, which He's given you under the sun." So it's all our days not just one day.
And so you could probably come up with a longer list of reasons not to celebrate Valentine's Day, but you know they're not all humorous. There is another reason.
You know that many of the world's holidays are focused and come from roots of paganism. That's where they're rooted. Valentine's Day is no different, named after a Catholic saint. It's rooted in paganism. Maybe that's a question you could ask yourself. What does God think about Valentine's Day?
Check it out a little bit. Look at what Deuteronomy 12 has to say about it . Check it out. Do a little bit of research . You may be very surprised what you find. In fact, you'll probably add one more big reason not to celebrate Valentine's Day.
That's BT Daily . We'll see you next time.

Women Who Make the World Worse

A very interesting book you can get from Amazon here or your library here. For some more reading for Valentine's day. click HERE! For more interesting posts like this click here.

Its about modern feminism, not early womens rights.

By James "Collins" (Midland, Texas) - See all my reviews

So many people have not read the book, or refuse to acknowledge the facts, continuing their hypocritical argument that modern feminism is about equality. Modern day feminism, of course, has nothing to do with equality. It seeks more to elevate women's privileges, rights and interests above and beyond that of what men receive. None of Kates topics are from a time period anywhere near the 50s and I felt the book, and some of its reviews, show how some women are becoming worse than men ever were. These women blatantly discriminate, think they have a right to do so, and are proud of it. There is a big gap between the women's rights movement of the 40s 50s and 60s and of modern day feminism. The negative reviews this book receives has shown how many feminists continue to link today's movement with yesteryears and, somehow, that makes them automatically righteous. These women deserve their own chapter in Kates book `Women who make the world worse'. It is not difficult to see the effect that these women have had on society. Kate structures her book well and tackles each example with solid, researched information. Government legislation, biased family courts, ignorance towards lagging performance in schools of boys and the feminization of the military, sports, workplace and justice system. The idiocy over the Harvard `incident' was my favorite chapter, illustrating how some women will not accept that men may be better at some things than women, but applaud women who excel beyond boys in a women focused education, work and political system. There's lots of money and jobs out there for women who cry foul when they don't get their own way. Kate is able to highlight just what modern feminists have to lose should men ever get equality. Harvard has been forced to put forward $50 million to fund a new equality department which, headed by a staunch feminist no doubt, will justify it own existence and secure its own funding based on perpetuating female oppression, whether it occurs or not. Kate does not tackle all of modern feminisms double standards, there certainly are plenty more of them out there, but she does an excellent job of identifying and analyzing the ones that have the most effect on our society. I am glad that some women have a good grasp on the facts of modern day feminism and are able to separate the differences between feminism and equality so effectively. Kate is highlighting not how far women have come, but how far some women have gone. It gives hope for equality....some day. There is a saying amongst mens rights groups. `Reverse a gender issue and see if it would still be tolerated'. Would women tolerate the treatment men receive in society today? Of course not. That would be discrimination, wouldn't it?

Are You This Whipped?: Husbands, Housework & Sex *BUMPED*

A very interesting post from Debbie Schlussel on husbands doing household chores to read for Valentine's day. For more interesting posts like this click here.

Are You This Whipped?: Husbands, Housework & Sex
By Debbie SchlusselThey do these studies and publish the results all the time: men who do housework and share chores with their wives have a better sex life and happier marriage. I smell baloney. The results are always the same, including the pronouncements of a recent study that came to the same conclusion and was eagerly touted by Wall Street Journal “Work & Family” columnist Sue Shellenbarger.NOT SexyA new study shows that for husbands and wives alike, the more housework you do, the more often you are likely to have sex with your spouse.Earlier studies have hinted at this connection for men; the sight of a husband mopping the floor or doing dishes sparks affection in the hearts of many wives. But the more-housework-equals-more-sex link for wives, documented in a study of 6,877 married couples published online recently in the Journal of Family Issues, is a surprise. . . .But for some high achievers who take a “work hard, play hard” approach to life, researchers say, working hard in one domain produces more energy for others. The study also found a correlation between hours spent on paid work and the frequency of sex in marriage.Uh, yeah, I’d say that’s the more impressive part than cleaning the house. If you can’t appreciate a man going to work and bringing home a paycheck, you’re vacant. Withholding sex from a guy who works to support your family, just because he won’t clean the bathroom is sickening. And you need to be married to Gloria Steinem, not a man.Many husbands and wives I interviewed offered an additional explanation—that housework may be a proxy for a general willingness to invest in shared interests, a symbol of commitment to home and hearth. Perhaps “working on the same task … makes the couple remember why they married—to be on the same team, to build a life,” Ms. Danis says.PUH-LEEZE. If you need to see your husband cleaning your counters in order to remember why you’re married to him, perhaps a divorce is in order. And you need to ask yourself why you “can’t remember” why you married, when you spend his paycheck? Isn’t working to feed the family “working on the same task”? Anyone who doesn’t get that is the real source of the marital woes.Personally, I wouldn’t find a guy who would do housework and chores for me very sexy. It’s not very masculine, and it’s a sign I don’t appreciate the work he does all day at his real job. It’s degrading for a man. (Repairing things is a different story. That’s a manly thing.) And remember, we’re not talking Mr. Moms, here–an entirely different topic and even more unsexy. This is about working people, who have to come home and then work again . . . at chores (because the missus demands it in exchange for sex).Is it really a good thing that men engage in womanly duties in order to get sex? No way. Are women really giving men a “happier marriage” by withholding sex unless their husbands clean toilets, do laundry, or take out the garbage? Only if they want to be married to women with penises.Because that’s basically what’s happening. When you blur the gender roles, feminize the men and masculinize the women, it’s not a good thing. And with many wives working and their men doing housework, America’s married women who force their husbands to do what was a woman’s traditional role in order to get what was supposed to be a given, essential part of a marriage (sex), it makes a mess of things. Sexual blackmail may have great short-term results, but I’ll bet long-term these marriages aren’t the ones that last.Matriarchies always fail, and not just in nations . . . but also in family households.And while your kids may not know what goes on in the bedroom, they’re definitely influenced when they see daddy doing the dishes and vacuuming and mommy ordering him around. If you think that kind of thing breeds strong men and feminine women, think again. It’s the exact opposite.But, hey, if you wanna raise wimpy sons and bossy, shrewish daughters, it’s an awesome teaching tool.So, how is it in your marriage (if you’re married)? Who does the housework? Are you “whipped”?
Remember: Chickification Nation is the Formula for Disintegration.

St. Valentine, Cupid and Jesus Christ

An interesting research article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Valentine's Day and a Patriotic take on this view! If you want to order a free book about this topic click here and for more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

St. Valentine, Cupid and Jesus Christ

Its customs appear harmless, but is Valentine's Day really a Christian holiday? What are its origins? Could this seemingly innocent celebration promote unbiblical teachings?
by Gary Petty
Every year in mid-February millions of people express romantic desire for each other by exchanging heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, flowers and "valentines." Children express hidden infatuations by sending cards as "secret admirers." Retailers stock shelves with merchandise covered in stylized hearts and Cupids preparing for the popular observance of St. Valentine's Day, Feb. 14.
Where and how did these curious customs originate?
Valentine's Day acquired its name from a Catholic saint, although exactly who he was is a matter of debate. The two most famous Valentines were a Roman priest and a bishop, both of whom suffered martyrdom in the last half of the third century.
Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays records the story this way: "Everyone knows that St. Valentine's Day is that day of the year when friends and lovers express affection for one another, through cards, candy and flowers, whatever means the imagination can find. But no one is quite certain who this St. Valentine was—or, more appropriately, who these Valentines were. The early lists of church martyrs reveal at least three Valentines, and one source boosted this number to an unwieldy eight, each of whom had his feast day on February 14.
"The various Valentines eventually evolved into one. Lover's quarrels come under his jurisdiction and, naturally, he is the patron saint of engaged couples and of anyone wishing to marry" (Robert J. Myers and the editors of Hallmark Cards, 1972, pp. 48-49).
During the Middle Ages, Valentine's Day grew increasingly popular in Europe. Feb. 14 was significant not only for its religious meaning but because it was widely believed that birds begin to mate on this date. Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400) mentions the mating of birds on Valentine's Day in his poem "Parliament of Foules."
"English literature, following Chaucer, contains frequent references to February 14 as sacred to lovers. Shakespeare, Drayton, and Gay are among those who mention it in this connection, and the diarist Samuel Pepys several times discusses the day and its related customs. The Paston Letters, covering the period from 1422 to 1509, contain a letter by Dame Elizabeth Brews to John Paston, with whom she hoped to arrange a match for her daughter, which runs this way:
" 'And cousin mine, upon Monday is St. Valentine's day and every bird chooseth himself a mate ...' " (Jane M. Hatch, The American Book of Days, 1978, p. 178).
For centuries St. Valentine's Day flourished as 24 hours of romantic superstition. A common belief was that a girl would marry the first bachelor she saw or conjure her future mate's image by visiting a graveyard on St. Valentine's Eve.
The custom of sending valentine cards grew popular in the 1700s. In the early 1800s commercial valentines appeared, and soon there was no end to how entrepreneurs could make money from the holiday. Valentine's Day became so popular in the United States that a 1863 periodical claimed it was second in celebration only to Christmas.
Valentine's Day is as popular as ever with children and couples. It is one of the biggest moneymaking days for florists, candy makers and gift shops.
Pre-Christian origins
But do the roots of Valentine's Day run deeper and further back into history?
The origins of Valentine's Day predate Christianity. "The most plausible theory for St. Valentine's Day traces its customs back to the Roman Lupercalia, a feast celebrated in February in honor of the pastoral god Lupercus, a Roman version of the Greek god Pan. The festival was an important one for the Romans, occurring when it did, naturally had some aspects of a rebirth rite to it" (Myers, pp. 50-51).
The original festival, celebrated on Feb. 15, was founded in the ancient legend of the infants Romulus and Remus. The two brothers were said to have been abandoned but discovered and nursed by a wolf, or lupus in Latin. The two boys are credited as the founders of Rome.
Lupercalia was celebrated in honor of pastoral deities, and ceremonies included the sacrifice of goats and a dog. Young men dressed in the sacrificial animal skins would run from a cave, said to be where Romulus and Remus were cared for by the wolf, brandishing strips of goat skins. Any women struck by these thongs were assured fertility. "These thongs were called Februa, the festival Februatio, and the day Dies Februetus, hence arose the name of the month February, the last of the old Roman year" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. XV, ninth edition, 1907, "Lupercalia").
Over the years many customs were added to the celebration. One was for the names of girls to be placed in a box to be drawn by boys. Each resulting match was then considered a pair for the coming year.
Lupercalia and Christianity
As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, it was common for pagan converts to retain their earlier religious customs and practices. Edward Gibbons, in his classic work The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, states: "After the conversion of the Imperial city, the Christians still continued, in the month of February, the annual celebration of the Lupercalia; to which they ascribed a secret and mysterious influence of the genial powers of the animal and vegetable world" (Vol. II, The Modern Library, p. 327).
Pope Gelasius is said to have eradicated Lupercalia from Christian observance in the last decade of the fifth century. But, in reality, the mingling of paganism and Christianity had become inseparable in much of the Western world. Saturnalia and Mithraism were incorporated into the church through claiming a December birth date for Jesus Christ. Various spring fertility rites merged to form the basis of Easter celebrations. Lupercalia evolved into the observance of St. Valentine's Day.
Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays comments: "Everywhere that Christians came into power they immediately adapted the holidays and customs of the people to their own creed. Now it was a simple matter to call the day that this drawing took place St. Valentine's Day ... To Christianize the heathen practice of picking lots for sweethearts, all that was needed was to replace the names of the girls with names of saints and to have the young people emulate the particular virtues of whatever saint they drew. Incidentally, this custom is not dead today and is still observed in some religious orders.
"It was always more fun, of course, to pick a girl's rather than a saint's name. Consequently, by at least the fourteenth century the custom had reverted to its original form" (pp. 50-51).
Roman gods and Christian saints
Why would people observe a day that honors pagan gods by associating it with Christian saints?
The ancient Romans worshiped gods and goddesses involved with every aspect of life. Jupiter, the chief of the gods, was the deity of rain and storms, while his wife, Juno, was the goddess of womanhood. Minerva was the goddess of handicrafts and wisdom; Venus, of sexual love and birth; Vesta, of the hearth and sacred fires; Ceres, of farming and harvests.
The Greeks considered Mercury to be the messenger of the gods, but the Romans worshiped him as the god of trade, and businessmen celebrated his feast day to increase profits. Others included Mars, god of war; Castor and Pollux, gods of sea travelers; Cronos, the guardian of time; and Cupid, god of love, whose magic arrows encouraged humans and immortals to fall in love. The list goes on and on.
Romans would generically call on "the gods," but each deity had its own cult, and worshipers would pray and conduct religious ceremonies to a specific god or goddess to ask for help. Christianity, with its emphasis on one God, was viewed by many Romans as a strange superstition or even a kind of atheism that denied the existence of the gods.
Members of the early Christian Church considered themselves "saints," meaning holy or separated to God. Paul greets the church at Philippi as "all the saints in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:1). However, it wasn't long before "saints," in the Roman tradition, began to take on the meaning of a special class of martyrs or performers of heroic virtue.
In the second and third centuries it became common for congregations to honor the death of a martyr by celebrating the anniversary of his or her demise. The local cult would offer prayers to the dead for intercession with God. A "saint" could eventually receive universal recognition by declaration of the bishop of Rome.
The Catholic Encyclopedia explains: "As was taught by St. Augustine ... Catholics, while giving to God alone adoration strictly so-called, honor the saints because of the Divine supernatural gifts which have earned them eternal life, and through which they reign with God in the heavenly fatherland as His chosen friends and faithful servants.
"In other words, Catholics honor God in His saints as the loving distributor of supernatural gifts. The worship of latria ... or strict adoration is given to God alone; the worship, or dulia ... or honor and humble reverence, is paid the saints; the worship of hyperdulia ... on account of her greater excellence, [is directed] to the Blessed Virgin Mary" (Vol. II, "Saints," 1907, Online Edition, 1999, Kevin Knight).
The evolution from the early Church's recognition of all members being saints to the veneration and worship of the dead is rooted in the early mixture of paganism with Christianity. The populace throughout the Roman Empire was accustomed not only to the worship of the Greek and Roman pantheon, but to cultic worship of local deities. It was an easy step for Christian congregations rooted in paganism to replace the customs of local cults with the worship of dead martyrs.
Over the centuries the Catholic Church canonized saints for many events, problems, illnesses and occupations, each celebrated with his or her own feast day. St. Stephen is the patron saint of stonemasons; doctors can pray to St. Luke, fishermen to St. Andrew, and carpenters to St. Joseph. Patron saints are there for farmers, hunters, shoemakers and even comedians. The primary saint in Catholic theology is Mary, the mother of Jesus.
The danger in a harmless holiday
What harm can there be in the celebration of lovers in the name of St. Valentine? Besides, what does it matter that some of the day's customs hark back to pagan rites?
For one thing, nowhere does the Bible approve of praying to dead (or living) saints. In fact, Jesus declared that no one except Himself has ascended into heaven (John 3:13). The saints wait in their graves for the resurrection to occur at Jesus' return. Venerating dead saints propagates an ancient heathen custom that has no basis in reality.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about the resurrection: "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-16).
One of the roles Jesus Christ fulfills as our resurrected High Priest is Intercessor: one who pleads on behalf of another. The Bible declares: "Therefore He [Jesus] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).
The Bible encourages Christians to pray for each other, but heavenly intercession is reserved for Jesus Christ. At Jesus' death the veil in the temple, a heavy curtain that separated the "holy of holies," representing God's throne, from the rest of the temple, was supernaturally torn from top to bottom. This action demonstrated that a new access to God was made available by the sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah. A Christian's relationship to God is with a personal and intimate Father. The supposed need for another heavenly intercessor denigrates this role of Christ.
Does it matter to God?
God warned ancient Israel, the people He chose to represent true religion, not to mix pagan customs with worshiping Him as the true God. "When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods ... Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:29-32).
Paul compares mixing paganism with Christianity to worshiping demons: "What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons" (1 Corinthians 10:19-21).
Holidays such as St. Valentine's Day metamorphose into icons of Western culture, parodying religion. Most people don't care that its origins lie in the Roman Lupercalia and are rooted in tenets that have nothing to do with the Bible. It's this apathy about how to worship God, and the corresponding moral decay, that is the result of mixing Christianity with paganism.
Jesus said His followers would "worship the Father in spirit and truth" (John 4:23). Observance of this holiday is just one of many traditions that must be questioned if Christianity is to return to its foundation laid by Jesus Christ. GN

Related Resources
Does God Allow Us to Choose Our Own Religious Holidays?Many think that under the New Covenant they have freedom to worship God however they want, including deciding on their own days of worship. But what does the Bible say?
St. Valentine, Cupid and Jesus ChristIts customs appear harmless, but is Valentine's Day really a Christian holiday? What are its origins? Could this seemingly innocent celebration promote unbiblical teachings?
Before You Ask Someone to Be Your Valentine...Millions send Valentine’s Day cards to express their affection for someone special. But how did this holiday originate? And does Valentine’s Day represent what true love is all about?
Bible FAQ: Where did Valentine's Day come from? Is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate it? Like many of the world's major holidays, St. Valentine's Day is an annual observance with its roots entrenched firmly in pagan beliefs and customs. What would God think about Valentine's Day?
Is Valentine's Christian? Should true Christians observe Valentine's Day?
What Kind of Love Does Valentine's Day Promote? If a Valentine's Day kind of love could be defined, what would it be?
Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe?Many people are shocked to discover the origins of our most popular religious holidays. They are also surprised to find that the days God commands us to observe in the Bible—the same days Jesus Christ and the apostles kept—are almost universally ignored. Why? Also, why are today's supposedly Christian holidays observed with so many rituals and customs that are not sanctioned anywhere in the Bible? In this booklet you'll discover detailed answers to these questions.

Before You Ask Someone to Be Your Valentine...

An interesting research article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Valentine's Day and a Patriotic take on this view! If you want to order a free book about this topic click here and for more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

Before You Ask Someone to Be Your Valentine...
Millions send Valentine’s Day cards to express their affection for someone special. But how did this holiday originate? And does Valentine’s Day represent what true love is all about?
by Jerold Aust
Every year, more than a billion Valentine cards are bought and sent throughout the world. The act of sending a nice card seems to fill a natural yearning to express how much we care for someone.
But does Valentine's Day really celebrate true, caring love? Or does this popular holiday actually promote something else?
Origins of Valentine's Day
When we think of Valentine's Day, we call to mind hearts, chocolates, flowers and expressions of love. Yet before joining in the fun, wouldn't it be wise to know where this tradition came from?
First, we should understand that Valentine's Day began when the early Roman Catholic Church tried to Christianize an ancient pagan Roman holiday called Lupercalia. That celebration was a licentious festival that honored Lupercus, the hero-hunter of wolves. This festival was so immensely popular among the Roman people that church leaders included it in their calendar, hoping to retain their new parishioners and turn them from sexual licentiousness to morality by linking it to a saint.
The saint they chose for this mid-February Roman festival was St. Valentine. One source explains: "St. Valentine is believed to have been a Roman priest who was martyred on this day [February 14] around [A.D.] 270. How he became the patron saint of lovers remains a mystery, but one theory is that the Church used the day of St. Valentine's martyrdom in an attempt to Christianize the old Roman Lupercalia, a pagan festival held around the middle of February.
"Part of the ancient ceremony entailed putting girls' names in a box and letting the boys draw them out. Couples would thus be paired off until the following year. The Church substituted saints' names for girls' names, in the hope that the participant would model his life after the saint whose name he drew.
"But by the 16th century, it was once again girls' names that ended up in the box. Eventually the custom of sending anonymous cards or messages to those one admired became the accepted way of celebrating St. Valentine's Day" (Helene Henderson and Sue Ellen Thompson, editors, Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary, "Valentine's Day," 2005, p. 576).
Although all historical sources contain some of the same notions about how Valentine's Day developed, each one highlights another facet of the story. Another states: "Some people have tried to connect the historical Saint Valentine with the later practices of Valentine's Day by saying that the saint married couples despite the emperor's prohibition, or that he sent a note signed 'from your Valentine' to the daughter of his jailer.
"However, the early Christian saint Valentine probably had nothing to do with the traditions later celebrated on his feast day; it is simply by his placement in the Christian calendar that his name became associated with it. Later, the word valentine may have been confused with the Norman French word galantine, meaning lover of women, as the g and v were often interchangeable in common pronunciation.
"In any case, February 14 gradually became a traditional date for exchanging love messages, and Saint Valentine became the patron saint of lovers" (Macmillan Profiles: Festivals and Holidays, 1999, p. 363).
Theories differ as to how a holiday for lovers developed in February. Some think the mating of birds at that time of year is connected with the tradition:
"One is based on the belief throughout rural Europe during the Middle Ages that the birds began to mate on February 14. Chaucer, in his 'Parliament of Foules,' refers to the belief in this way: For this was Seynt Valentyne's day. When every foul cometh ther to choose his mate" (Stephen Christianson, The American Book of Days, 2000, p. 139).
Regardless of the varied sources and ambiguous history of Valentine's Day, a few identifiable points continue to surface: Valentine's Day originated with an ancient pagan Roman feast called Lupercalia. That festival was based on fertility and sexual licentiousness. In the third century, the Roman Catholic Church attempted to Christianize the ancient festival practice by naming it after a martyr.
The hope was that the festival adherents would thereafter follow the examples of church saints, no longer engaging in the ancient practice of free sex while honoring an ancient god. Despite some success, the holiday still contributes to immorality among many and promotes a wrong view of love.
A counterfeit holiday
Something that is counterfeit always indicates there is something real that it stands in place of, the genuine article. Could the same be true of a holiday? The roots of Valentine's Day lie in a pagan festival, not the Bible. In the Catholic Church's efforts to "Christianize" a pagan festival to gain adherents, did it overlook the real thing—holidays that reflect God's perspective on love and giving?
In fact, what was overlooked in the adoption of pagan holidays was God's true Holy Days and what they mean. We can find all of God's Holy Days or festivals listed in Leviticus 23. And you can also find in the New Testament that Jesus Christ, the apostles and the entire early Church all kept those exact same festivals. Jude is apparently referring to these when he writes of "your love feasts" in Jude 12.
In contrast, the holidays that are widely celebrated in modern Christendom, including Valentine's Day, are not found in the pages of the Bible. Instead, they are largely rooted in ancient pagan holidays that have been given a veneer of Christianity. (If you want to know more about God's festivals, please request or download our free booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.)
Where does God stand on Valentine's Day?
We learn from the Bible that God is strictly opposed to any religious or secular holiday that keeps humankind blinded from His precious truth. Jesus said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). God wants people to be truly free, not held captive by false beliefs and ideas.
The Bible reveals God's Holy Days and festivals. Each one illustrates a significant part of His ultimate love for humanity and His plan to save mankind—a love that led Jesus Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners. Valentine's Day has no part in the salvation of humanity. In fact, it stands in contradiction to it—originating as it does in sinful, pagan worship.
Valentine's Day may be acceptable to millions of people, but not to God. It substitutes human reasoning for God's truth. It focuses the attention of people on infatuation, not a deep abiding love, on "getting love," not giving or sacrificing for others.
God warns all who claim to represent Him, who claim to be Christians, to avoid the ways of the ancient pagans and their counterfeit holidays and feasts: "Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
"When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.'
"You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods . . . Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:28-32, emphasis added).
In fact, God told the Israelites to eradicate all elements of pagan worship among them (see verses 1-4).
God is keenly interested in our welfare. He created us and gave us His manual, the Bible, to follow so we can get the most out of this life and that He might give us eternal life forever.
Valentine's Day is rooted not in God's Word, but in ancient paganism. It is not from the true God but from this world and its false god, Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4). God says: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17).
So to return to the issue raised up front: Should you ask someone to be your Valentine? Not if you care more about true love and about what God thinks. GN

Related Resources
Does God Allow Us to Choose Our Own Religious Holidays?Many think that under the New Covenant they have freedom to worship God however they want, including deciding on their own days of worship. But what does the Bible say?
St. Valentine, Cupid and Jesus ChristIts customs appear harmless, but is Valentine's Day really a Christian holiday? What are its origins? Could this seemingly innocent celebration promote unbiblical teachings?
Before You Ask Someone to Be Your Valentine...Millions send Valentine’s Day cards to express their affection for someone special. But how did this holiday originate? And does Valentine’s Day represent what true love is all about?
Is Valentine's Christian? Should true Christians observe Valentine's Day?
Bible FAQ: Where did Valentine's Day come from? Is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate it? Like many of the world's major holidays, St. Valentine's Day is an annual observance with its roots entrenched firmly in pagan beliefs and customs. What would God think about Valentine's Day?
What Kind of Love Does Valentine's Day Promote? If a Valentine's Day kind of love could be defined, what would it be?
Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe?Many people are shocked to discover the origins of our most popular religious holidays. They are also surprised to find that the days God commands us to observe in the Bible—the same days Jesus Christ and the apostles kept—are almost universally ignored. Why? Also, why are today's supposedly Christian holidays observed with so many rituals and customs that are not sanctioned anywhere in the Bible? In this booklet you'll discover detailed answers to these questions.

Where did Valentine's Day come from? Is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate it?

An interesting research article from http://www.ucg.org/ about Valentine's Day and a Patriotic take on it! If you want to order a free book about this topic click here and for more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

Frequently Asked Bible Questions

Where did Valentine's Day come from? Is it wrong for a Christian to celebrate it?

Like many of the world's major holidays, St. Valentine's Day is an annual observance with its roots entrenched firmly in pagan beliefs and customs. What would God think about Valentine's Day?

The ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, an annual three-day ritual believed to ward off evil spirits and increase fertility, was held on Feb. 13 to 15.
Lupercalia (also known as Februatio, which is where we get the name for our month of February) was popular among many of the new converts to the quick-rising Catholic Church, and as Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays notes, "Everywhere that [mainstream] Christians came into power they immediately adapted the holidays and customs of the people to their own creed” (Robert J. Myers and the editors of Hallmark Cards, 1972, pp. 50-51).
Such was their course of action with this festival of Lupercalia. While Pope Gelasius officially condemned the pagan Roman festival and banned its observance at the end of the fifth century, many of its accompanying practices quickly appeared in a newly established holiday added by him to the official church list of feast days in A.D. 496—St. Valentine's Day.
Soon, people were no longer looking to obtain fertility by being beaten with strips of animal skin called februa. Instead, they turned their focus to St. Valentine, the patron saint of "engaged couples and anyone wishing to marry" (Celebrations, pp. 48-49), whose actual identity is even murkier than what connection he bore to romance.
What amounted to a renamed, refurbished Lupercalia then picked up steam, gradually adapting itself into the Valentine's Day we know today, which included the added elements of Valentine cards and Cupid, the Roman god of erotic love.
Friendship and sending cards are wonderful things, and God is not opposed to romance at the right time in the right way. But does the pagan religious history of Valentine's Day taint the modern practices? What does God have to say about observing pagan traditions, renamed or not?
"When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess…do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods... Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deuteronomy 12:29-32).
Though the practices of Lupercalia have been repackaged and dressed up in the form of Valentine's Day, these verses indicate they remain just as detestable as they have always been in our Creator's eyes. Instead of pagan days and practices, our focus should be on the Holy Days God has given us in the Bible, which point us toward His amazing and incomparable plan for all of humanity.

Related Online Resources
St. Valentine, Cupid and Jesus ChristIts customs appear harmless, but is Valentine's Day really a Christian holiday? What are its origins? Could this seemingly innocent celebration promote unbiblical teachings?
Before You Ask Someone to Be Your Valentine...Millions send Valentine’s Day cards to express their affection for someone special. But how did this holiday originate? And does Valentine’s Day represent what true love is all about?
Is Valentine's Christian? Should true Christians observe Valentine's Day?
What Kind of Love Does Valentine's Day Promote? If a Valentine's Day kind of love could be defined, what would it be?
Does God Allow Us to Choose Our Own Religious Holidays?Many think that under the New Covenant they have freedom to worship God however they want, including deciding on their own days of worship. But what does the Bible say?
Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Observe?Many people are shocked to discover the origins of our most popular religious holidays. They are also surprised to find that the days God commands us to observe in the Bible—the same days Jesus Christ and the apostles kept—are almost universally ignored. Why? Also, why are today's supposedly Christian holidays observed with so many rituals and customs that are not sanctioned anywhere in the Bible? In this booklet you'll discover detailed answers to these questions.