Why “Evil” Roots Don’t Matter
We’ve all seen the long winded Facebook post from Susie Christian Homemaker. You know the one. The self-righteous one all about how they don’t celebrate Halloween or play Pokemon cards in their house because of some half-truth, half-sensationalized rationalization. I hate those posts, mostly because they are incredibly judgemental and condescending, but also because it shows a clear lack of historical knowledge. Throughout history Christians have purposefully held celebrations directly opposing Pagan holidays. Not as a way of being divisive, like we see so many Christians of today do, but as a way of meeting people where they are and offering another option. The key word here is offering - not demanding or demeaning.
The Bible is full of instructions about how to reclaim people and places through reconciliation, restoration, and renewal. Church leaders reclaimed Pagan holidays in the early days and we are called to do the same thing now - but we cannot do that if we are too busy discounting every trend from the get-go for being “evil.” Just because something may have “evil” roots, does not mean that thing is meant to be used for evil forever, especially in the hands of Christians. If we wholeheartedly believe the scriptures, then we must wholeheartedly believe that the reclamation of any human or any event or any activity is possible!
Below are a few of my favorite examples of Biblical style reclamation, in case you didn’t know:
Christmas - like me, you probably tell your kids that we celebrate Christmas because it is Jesus’ birthday. The truth of the matter is that no one really knows the exact date of Jesus’ birth. Ancient Roman Catholic leaders declared December 25th as the day we are going to celebrate Jesus’ birth every year and it sort of just stuck. They chose December 25th because it was the same day as a Pagan holiday called Saturnalia, which celebrated the Winter Solstice.
Easter - similar to Christmas, Easter was chosen on the calendar not because it was when those events actually took place, but because early church leaders wanted to oppose a Pagan holiday celebrating a god named Eostre - who represented Spring, fertility, and renewal.
Enneagram - if you search Google for “is the Enneagram Christian?” you won’t have to scroll far before you find a scathing article or two all about how it’s an occult tool of the Devil. Here’s the thing though: I first heard about the Enneagram in a church setting. The church I was attending at the time was using it as a way for new church members to figure out the best place for them to serve. From there, I found several Christian resources about how to use the Enneagram as a tool for reconciliation. The Enneagram is always mistaken for a self-help tool, but the Enneagram is not about self-help! The Enneagram is about understanding yourself and how you relate to others in a way that honors every person’s uniqueness. That is right in line with God’s design for us. The Enneagram symbol itself is first credited to Pythagoras and the Enneagram system as we know it was developed by Oscar Ichazo, who spent years studying different forms of psychology and spirituality. It’s actually a beautiful amalgamation of several different religions that honors each of them individually including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Yoga - Similar to the Enneagram, you won’t have to look far to find a Christian opinion on why we shouldn’t practice yoga because it’s summoning the Devil or something ridiculous. Here’s the thing though: I’ve personally never felt more gratitude for the body that God has given me than when doing yoga. In yoga class, we slow down enough to honor each part of our bodies and to be appreciative for everything our bodies do for us. That is again, right in line with God’s design for us. He wants us to appreciate and care for His masterpiece that is our bodies. Not only that, but there is a whole movement called Holy Yoga that incorporates intentional worship and scripture into yoga classes. I’ve yet to find a Holy Yoga class here in the Wichita area, but I was lucky enough to attend one at my old church back in Texas. It was an incredibly emotional and transformative experience and I highly suggest finding a class either in person or online to try (or perhaps I will host one someday).
What each of these items has in common is that they are often quickly discounted because of some misperception about their origins. If you are still reading this, my challenge to you is to not fall into the same trap of being so quick to judge and discount something because of its roots. As Christians, we are called to do the hard work to see if there is a way to reclaim and repurpose something in a God honoring way!
What is something in your life you can work on to reclaim in God’s name? Send me a message on social media and let’s discuss!
XO - Olivia
