Posted on 09/15/2019 7:06:33 PM PDT by lightman
A Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation in New York made news this week after it featured the sculpture of a pagan deity in its chancel.
The United Presbyterian Church of Binghamton hosted “the Sviatovid idol” which depicts a ninth-century Slavic deity, as part of a September 6-7 festival of lights.
Sviatovid (alternately known as Svetovid, Svantovit, Sventovit, or Svantevit) was a local Slavic god of war, fertility, and abundance in the Baltic region.
In the early twentieth century, an idol was discovered near the Zbruch River in Western Ukraine (accessible with free JSTOR account). This idol pictured was originally thought to be the local god Svantevit, mentioned above, and merely called “the Sviatovid idol” for reasons that are unclear or unstated. Later scholarship, however, decided that this idol, also called the Zbruch Idol, for geographical reasons, actually depicted the highest pan-Slavic god Perun, also responsible for war, fertility, and abundance, but who also may have been the god of the cardinal directions and the four seasons. As if this is not enough to keep track of, some scholars argue that Svantevit and “the Sviatovid idol” are the same as the head god Perun. Binghamton Presbyterian
This is the deity Binghamton Presbyterian hosted in the form of a beautiful, mesmerizing sculpture, during the fascinating Luma Festival. In and of itself, a church hosting an art installation displaying the image of a long-defunct god is not sacrilegious, though it may raise a few eyebrows. The kicker is that, not only did the god “materialize on the altar” of the church each night, “[t]he church spire, pipe organ and stained glass inform[ed] the new work.” Admittedly, and thankfully, the purpose of Sviatovid in this festive context is not worship, but mere interest. Yet, there is something inside that recoils at erecting an ancient Slavic deity in a church chancel of the same God who commanded, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3, ESV).
Maybe Sviatovid was invited into the church in the spirit of multiculturalism. Perhaps it was a subtle nod to universalism. False teaching, but a desire for the best for (literally) everyone. To put a false god in the same spot as God’s communion table, regardless of the fact that it was not during a worship service, raises questions of prudential judgment and is possibly sacrilegious.
English poet Philip Larkin, a famous agnostic, wrote a thoughtful poem on briefly stepping inside an empty church. It is worth quoting a few sections of “Church Going” here:
“Up at the holy end; the small neat organ; And a tense, musty, unignorable silence, Brewed God knows how long. Hatless, I take off My cycle-clips in awkward reverence…
“Mounting the lectern, I peruse a few Hectoring large-scale verses, and pronounce ‘Here endeth’ much more loudly than I’d meant. The echoes snigger briefly. Back at the door I sign the book, donate an Irish sixpence, Reflect the place was not worth stopping for.
“Yet stop I did: in fact I often do, And always end much at a loss like this…
“A serious house on serious earth it is, In whose blent air all our compulsions meet, Are recognized, and robed as destinies. And that much never can be obsolete, Since someone will forever be surprising A hunger in himself to be more serious.”
Larkin’s agnosticism is displayed in the poem, but what is more apparent is his confused reverence for church. He acknowledges his failure to understand the draw of the church, and his deep-seated reverence for it, though he did not believe a word of the teaching therein.
If a famous agnostic such as Philip Larkin is careful of his appearance and behavior within a church, how much more should a Christian congregation be mindful of what goes on inside its building, every day of the week.
United Presbyterian has not commented on its choice to host the Sviatovid idol. The church affiliates with More Light Presbyterians and describes itself as a progressive congregation.
“We are a community of people questioning, learning, celebrating, connecting, risk taking, creating, and making music and art,” the church describes on its web site. Statistics provided by the PC(USA) research service show that from 2013-2017, the congregation dropped from 220 to 178 members (-19%), while Sunday attendance declined from 64 to 53 (-17%). The congregation is not diverse, reporting only four nonwhite members, while 72% of members are age 65 or older.
In fairness to Luther, he was reading the Rabbinical writings, which are viciously anti-Christian and contain all the negative stereotypes Jews are accused of, such as a dual morality system where it’s okay to fleece gentiles.
The Creator says in the Bible that this is abomination.
_______________________________________________________
Exodus 20:1 (The first commandment)
“1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. “
Isaiah 42:8
“ 8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”
Deut 27:15
“15 Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen. “
Revelation 21:27
“27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Anti-Semitism has nothing to do with this particular heresy.
This is a Presbyterian Church, NOT Lutheran.
Looks a lot like CTHULHU!!
What has Luther’s anti-Judaism (*note) got to do with a PRESBYTERIAN kirk putting a pagan idol in their place of worship???
*NOTE: I’m no fan of Luther, but his anti-Judaism needs to be distinguished from anti-semitism as practiced since the 1800s.
Luther didn’t hate the Jewish “race” - If you had Karl and Hans - Karl being a blonde and blue-eyed person of Saxon ancestry who followed Calvin and Hans being a facially stereotypical Jew who converted to Luther’s religion, then Luther would love Hans and hate Karl.
Luther was a violent person who hated ANYONE who disagreed with him. He called for Catholics, Zwinglist-Calvinists and even peasants to be flayed, tortured etc if they disagreed with him.
He did NOT hate Jews just for their ancestry. If they converted to HIS way of beliefs, he looked on them as brothers.
Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn
IF so, he was reflecting what he'd learned as a Roman Catholic priest.
You might want to brush up on some of Rome's writings/canons on how Jews are to be treated.
Read his feelings about Jews.
I know - “On the Jews and their lies - by Martin Luther”
My point is that he also cursed Catholics, Calvinists, peasants - everyone who opposed him, in the same coarse language.
Luther’s basic thing was - if you were a Jew or Catholic (or a black pagan) and then got convinced by the brilliance of Martin to follow what Martin Luther said was correct, then he loved you. If you didn’t, then you were a whore-son and fit for spoils.
He wasn’t an anti-semite in the sense that “if your parents were Jews but you are a Christian, you should still be killed”
He was an equal opportunity hater!!!
Bull — Luther’s diatribes were his own. Martin Luther called Catholics, Calvinists, even Lutheran peasants as fit to be killed.
He was a supreme egotists who hated anyone who disagreed with him. That’s why he was the first protester...
I'll suggest to you as I did the other poster....check your history on this.
You might be surprised.
Giving you a chance to do so.
A Roman Catholic posting this in light of Rome's history of dealing with people who disagreed with them....comical.
Apparently European pagans are being invited in to the "Jewish"[/sarcasm] new world order.
And since there were no Jewish writings against chrstianity before chrstianity existed to write against, I suppose you think that means that this represents some sort of deviation from Biblical Judaism.
You know, I don't think there were any Catholic writings against Protestantism or Protestant writings against mormonism before those religions existed. I guess that Catholicism and Protestantism are "apostate" because they didn't recognize the "new covenant???"
I don't know what you're saying here, but the writings in the Talmud are far from being focused on Christianity. It is, essentially, a collection of hate-writings directed at all non-Jews that justifies all manner of crimes.
The only difference between the Rabbinical writings and Islam is that the Rabbinical writings recommend passive aggressiveness and stabs in the back instead of direct war.
I realize all this is in vain, but the Talmud is not anti-gentile. It is, however, anti-chrstian (and other false religions).
The only difference between the Rabbinical writings and Islam is that the Rabbinical writings recommend passive aggressiveness and stabs in the back instead of direct war.
And I assume you insist that in this the ee-vil religion of the Talmud is "totally different" from the Judaism of the Bible. This from someone who advocates the replacement of Biblical Judaism by a new religion. I have an idea. Why don't you convert to a new religion? Lead by example.
True, the ancient Israelites of the Biblical era weren't so passive aggressive. They attacked head on. Are you even familiar with the Biblical laws of warfare? Eight nations were ordered completely exterminated (seven down--one to go). They also were given permission to wage milchamot reshut (wars not ordered by G-d but to enlarge the borders of Israel). If the nation on the other end sued for peace they had to convert to the Noahide Laws and pay tribute. If they didn't . . . well . . . let's just say that Biblical Judaism has far more in common with islam than it does with chrstianity, especially low church Protestantism.
It is probably good that Jews understand there is no refuge in American conservatism. They need to go home to Israel.
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