About Pagans

In the Scriptures, pagans are also called heathens. King Constantine of Rome and his successors had forbidden the worship of heather deities in the cities, so the pagans left and moved to small villages. The word pagi, or Pagani, means villagers or countrymen. In these villages, they would continue to practice their rites without fear of Roman reprisal.

In ancient times, during the hot summers, when the land became baked from the heat, the people would pray to the gods of rain, asking for relief from the droughts. As the rainy season approached, and the storm clouds gathered, finally emptying their precious water on the parched land, the people would give thanks to the gods of rain, this testifying to his power. Now, paying honor to their gods, they would make images of them and altars to lay the gifts and sacrifices.

So, we can understand why paganism flourished. The parents would tell their children of the power of the rain gods, and the children would follow in their parent’s footsteps. And so it was with many of the pagan nations. They honored another because of their lack of knowledge of the God of Creation.

The theology of paganism can be broken down into three categories.

1. Mythological: the people ascribing unworthy things, such as thefts, murders, adulteries, and many other crimes, to these gods. This sort of pagan theology was condemned by those who were supposed to be wiser, but wiser in what?

2. There is paganism, which is called physical or natural. The philosophers studied this and rejected the multiplicity of gods introduced by the poets of various cultures. Men who brought their theology to more realistic and rational reasoning believed only one Supreme God existed. Not the Supreme God of the Christians, but as in the God of the Sun, or at least an emblem of him. The problem cultures had with this was that this sun god was at such a great distance that he would pay little attention to the affairs of men.

Because of their hands-off approach, reports that the God of the Sun would send certain demons, whom they considered mediators between him and man, to teach his doctrines. Demons were supposed to be the lesser gods.
Timothy may have been alluding to this form of worship in,

1 Timothy 4:1, “Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing (deceiving) spirits, and doctrines of devils.”

3. The third sort of paganism is called political or civil. Legislators, statesmen, and politicians instituted paganism. The first among the Romans was Numa Pompilius. He was the second king of Rome whose name belongs to legend rather than history. He was a king of peace and devoted his cares to establishing the Christian faith. The Romans revered him as the author of the religious worship system, Numa prescribing all their religious rites and ceremonies.

The care of civil paganism was given to the priests and was imposed upon the common people, keeping order and showing obedience to the civil state. What was expected of the people was to respect the gods, the buildings, the keeping of temples, altars, sacrifices, and rites of worship. This paganism continued throughout the Gentile world until the gospel of Jesus Christ was revealed.

Before the gospel was made known, ignorance of God and the worshipping of him prevailed.

Ephesians 2:12, Paul speaking to the Christian Gentiles, “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.”

Pagan rites were as varied and absurd as the objects they worshipped. Generally, they had some idea of the necessity of atonement for sins and that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. History gives evidence of this in the ancient and modern nations; from the worship of Moloch to the South Sea Islands to the Mountains of the Incas in South America, the practice of human sacrifices was their method of atonement to the gods.

Human sacrifices have stained the altars of almost every nation on the face of the earth. It is evident that as pagans become more educated and refined, they become more idolatrous.

1 Corinthians 1:21, “The world by wisdom knew not God.”

Today, more than ever, we are witnessing the revival of these ancient sciences, rites, and philosophies. No science has ever led to a belief and unity in the Creator, much less to man’s duty to his Creator. Neither has it led to the love of our fellow man.

Phil Laspino www.seekfirstwisdom.com