AVINU
Living Church Ministries
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Demetrics and Pauline Roscoe
From the same mouth flows words of worship to YAHWEH, but thanks and appreciation shown to the fertility gods of nature for a good harvest leaves demonic presence a stronghold, in the land where the LORD has cleared the land, of their influences.
Judges 10:6, which makes the sin explicit again: “Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of Yahweh, served the (1) Baals and the (2) Ashteroth, the (3) gods of Aram, the (4) gods of Sidon, the (7) gods of Moab, the (6) gods of the sons of Ammon, and the (7) gods of the Philistines.”
Kingdom of Righteousness vs Paganism
Editor: Val Gunter
Mixing Faith with Pagan Deities
With a mixture of culture comes a mixture of beliefs. What’s most unfortunate, is that comparable beliefs opens spiritual doors for demonic creatures. These creatures’ only method of passing from the spirit realm to the natural realm involves human intercession.
Leviticus 20:24
(AMP)
24 But I have said to you, “You are to inherit and take possession of their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land [of plenty] flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples (pagan nations).
What happens when the church becomes an altar for ADONAI? The atmosphere is charged with HIS will for Humankind. Human spiritual development starts with the knowledge of the Holiness of YAHWEH for HIS people. When we are filled with the LORD’s spirit, the hatred for the occult, and the underworld stands out.
When the church uses its altar to promote tolerance for the kingdom of darkness, demon spirits swell up with entitlement and ownership.
1 Corinthians 10:21-22
(AMP)
21 You cannot drink [both] the Lord’s cup and the cup of demons. You cannot share in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons [thereby becoming partners with them]. 22 Do we [really] provoke the Lord to jealousy [when we eat food sacrificed to handmade “gods” at pagan feasts]? Are we [spiritually] stronger than He? [Certainly not! He knows that the idols are nothing. But we deeply offend Him.]
The greatest mixing of Paganism and the church may have taken place in the feasts held at Galway, Ireland
Galatians 3:1-2
(AMP)
1 O you foolish and thoughtless and superficial Galatians, who has bewitched you [that you would act like this], to whom—right before your very eyes—Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified [in the gospel message]? 2 This is all I want to ask of you: did you receive the [Holy] Spirit as the result of obeying [the requirements of] the Law, or was it the result of hearing [the message of salvation and] with faith [believing it]?
Celtic religion is the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Celts. The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apogee of their influence and territorial expansion during the 4th century BC, extending across the length of Europe from Britain to Asia Minor. From the 3rd century BC onward their history is one of decline and disintegration, and with Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul (58–51 BC) Celtic independence came to an end on the European continent.
National Geographic
The unassuming entrance to Oweynagat cave, in Rathcroghan, Ireland, belies its central role in Celtic pagan history. It‘s known as a gateway to the demon-filled underworld and the birthplace of the Samhain festival, the ancient roots of Halloween.
BYRONAN O’CONNELL PUBLISHED OCTOBER 4, 2021• 10 MIN READ
Considered by the ancient Celts to be a passage between Ireland and its devil-infested “otherworld,” Oweynagat (pronounced “Oen-na-gat” and meaning “cave of the cats”)was the birthplace of the Samhain festival, the ancient roots of Halloween, according to Irish archaeologist Daniel Curley. Far from the child-friendly event it has become, Halloween can trace its origins to a bloody and eerie ritual marked in Rathcroghan, a former Celtic center buried beneath the farmland of Ireland’s County Roscommon.
Curley is an expert on Rathcroghan, which was the hub of the ancient Irish kingdom of Connaught. At the heart of Rathcroghan, on that monumental mound, animals were sacrificed at a mighty pagan temple during Samhain. Now Ireland is pushing for UNESCO World Heritage status for Rathcroghan (“Rath-craw-hin”), a 5,500-year-old mystery slowly being decoded by scientists and historians.
More than 2,000 years ago, when paganism was the dominant religion among Ireland’s majority Celtic people, it was here in Rathcroghan that the Celtic New Year festival of Samhain (“Sow-in”) was born, Curley says. In the 1800s, the Samhain tradition was brought by Irish immigrants to the United States, where it morphed into the sugar overload that is American Halloween.
1 Corinthians 10:23-29
(AMP)
23 All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]. 24 Let no one seek [only] his own good, but [also] that of the other person. 25 [Regarding meat offered to idols:] Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking any questions for the sake of your conscience, 26 FOR THE [whole] EARTH IS THE LORD’S, AND EVERYTHING THAT IS IN IT.
27 If one of the unbelievers invites you [to a meal at his home] and you want to go, eat whatever is served to you without asking questions [about its source] for the sake of your conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This meat has been offered in sacrifice to an idol,” do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who told you, and for conscience’s sake— 29 and by conscience I mean for the sake of the other man’s, not yours.
The Feast of Samhain
Dorothy Bray, an associate professor and expert in Irish folklore at Canada’s McGill University, explains that pagan Celts divided each year into summer and winter. Within that framework were four festivities. Imbolc, on February 1, was a spring festival that coincided with lambing season. Bealtaine, on May 1, marked the end of winter and involved customs like washing one’s face in dew, plucking the first blooming flowers, and dancing around a decorated tree. August 1 heralded Lughnasadh, a harvest festival dedicated to the god Lugh and presided over by Celtic kings. Then on October 31 came Samhain, when one pastoral year ended and another began.
Festival goers also made ritual offerings. Those gifts were directed to the spirits of Ireland’s underworld, says Mike McCarthy, a Rathcroghan tour guide and researcher who has co-authored several publications on this site. That murky, subterranean dimension, also known as Tír na nÓg (“Teer-na-nohg”), was inhabited by Celtic devils, fairies, and leprechauns. During Samhain, some of these demons escaped via Oweynagat cave.
“Samhain was when the invisible wall between the living world and the otherworld disappeared,” McCarthy says. “A whole host of fearsome otherworldly beasts emerged to ravage the surrounding landscape and make it ready for winter.”
Thankful for the agricultural efforts of these spirits, but wary of falling victim to their fury, the Celts protected themselves from physical harm by lighting ritual fires on hilltops and in fields. To avoid being dragged deep into Tír na nÓg by the devils, they disguised themselves as fellow ghouls, McCarthy says. Two millennia later, young children the world over follow this tradition on Halloween.
Acts 19:24-28
(AMP)
24 Now a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [the goddess] Artemis (Diana), was bringing no small profit to the craftsmen. 25 These [craftsmen] he called together, along with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you are well aware that we make a good living from this business. 26 You see and hear that not only at Ephesus but almost all over [the province of] Asia, this Paul has persuaded [people to believe his teaching] and has misled a large number of people, claiming that gods made by [human] hands are not really gods at all. 27 Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will be discredited, but also that the [magnificent] temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and that she whom all Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned and lose her glorious magnificence.”
28 When they heard this, they were filled with rage, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
1. New Orleans – Jazz Funeral
via www.southernspaces.org
In New Orleans, Louisiana, one of the most famous traditions is the jazz funeral procession. Combining West African, French, and African-American traditions, these funerals merge the experiences and sentiments of grieving and celebration, as the funeral mourners are lead by an elaborate marching band. Typically, a jazz funeral is lead by the family and friends of the deceased, and a brass band. The procession will move from the home, funeral home or church, to the cemetery.
The march usually begins with the band playing more somber music, such as hymns for mourning. The tone of the procession slowly builds to one of joy, after either the deceased is buried, or the hearse leaves the procession and members of the procession say their final goodbye (or “cut the body loose,” as it is called). Once the body is cut loose, those participating in the procession will usually begin to dance. Onlookers may join in as well, celebrating the life of the deceased together. Some choose to follow the band, simply enjoying the music – these are called the “second line.” Their style of “dancing” – which usually involves twirling a parasol or handkerchief in the air – is called second lining.
What religions celebrate the Day of the Dead? Mictlantecuhtli, the Aztec lord of the underworld. Catholic Day of the Dead History. Catholic religion celebrates the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed on the 2nd of November which is also known as All Souls’ Day. The origin of this celebration is commonly related to the Celtic celebration of the Samhain held at the end of the harvest.
2. Mexico – Dia de Muertos
via www.cnn.com
Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday that dates back to the Aztec Empire. Over time, it has blended with the Catholic holiday, All Souls’ Day, to become a vibrant celebration of the dead. On this holiday, family and friends gather to pray for and remember those who have died, and to help support their spiritual journey in the afterlife. People will go to cemeteries, and build private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages of the deceased, as well as photos and personal items that belonged to them.
The reason these traditions exist is to encourage the souls of the dead to be present, so they might hear the prayers and stories the living are saying. The day also has a celebratory and light-hearted atmosphere, as the living recall entertaining stories about the deceased. Because of this, the seriousness of the holiday depends on the people observing it. For some, it is a day of fun and happiness, and for others it is a day of solemn remembrance.
via www.wikimedia.org
In Ghana, people are often buried in highly decorative coffins that celebrate their passions in life. These “fantasy coffins” are made into all different types of shapes, such as animals, luxury cars, and other symbols – usually representing the deceased’s profession or favourite hobby. The reasons behind these coffins is also related to the religious beliefs of those who use them: they believe that death is not the end, and that the afterlife is similar to our lives on Earth.
These coffins serve as important vessels, allowing the deceased to continue their passions in the next life. The deceased are also believed to be very powerful, and to have the ability to influence the lives of the living. Because of this, the families of the deceased go to great lengths to show respect to the dead. Building these coffins serves as a way to please the deceased, by celebrating the skills and interests they had in life.
3. Madagascar – Turning of the Bones
via www.amazon.com
Famadihana is an important funerary tradition of the Malagasy people in Madagascar. Also called “the turning of the bones,” every five to seven years, people remove the bodies of their ancestors from their family crypts and re-wrap them in fresh cloth, then dance with the corpses around the tomb to live music. The basis of this tradition is that the spirits of the dead only move on to the afterlife once their body is completely decomposed, and once appropriate ceremonies are conducted.
The custom brings together extended families as a way of cementing, and celebrating close family ties. The bodies, wrapped in cloth, are exhumed and sprayed with wine or perfume. As a band plays, family members dance with the bodies. This ceremony lets people tell important family news to the deceased and ask for their blessings, but it is also a time to remember and tell stories of the dead.
2. Bali – Cremation
via www.balifloatingleaf.com
Ngaben is a funeral ritual performed in Bali to send the deceased to the next life. During this Buddhist ceremony, the body of the deceased will be displayed as if they are sleeping, and the family will continue to treat the deceased as if they were alive. No tears are shed, because the deceased is only temporarily absent and will reincarnate or find enlightenment.
The climax of a Ngaben is the burning of the coffin. The fire is seen as freeing the spirit from the body, and enabling them to reincarnate. For members of the elite classes, it is normal to perform the ritual individually for the deceased within days of their death. However, for the less privileged, the deceased is often buried first, then later cremated with the village’s other dead in a mass ceremony. Because of the religious significance of this ceremony, those who help are honored to do so, and see it as a sacred duty.
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