Thanksgiving's Pagan and Catholic Origins

http://www.medievalists.net/2013/11/02/thanksgivings-roots-in-old-world-harvest-feasts

"It would be misleading not to point out that virtually all cultures around the world who’s societies were built around agriculture had (and many still do have) their own harvest feasts wherein thanks is given to whichever gods are honored in that culture."

Be sure and check out the pdf at the end of the teaser article for the full load on thanksgiving's history, including its catholic origins as well, something the Puritans and Pilgrims would have been aware of in the context of history.

So, again, it's like I've been saying for years; Thanksgiving is no less pagan than Christmas, Halloween, or Easter. If you celebrate any of those holidays "for God," you can stop bad-mouthing the others. Either you accept the Psalmist' s decree that, "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof," and that nothing is "pagan" in origin because as Creator He has first ownership, or you passively reject it through your deeds.

The End Of An Era

Almost half a decade ago, I picked up a Dungeon Master's Guide. At first, it was "just this once," for a friend who's busy life wouldn't let him attend my Dungeons and Dragons group's regular sessions. I had a simple quest planned out, gathered a couple extra players, and drove out to my friend's house in Easley for my first ever D&D session as the Dungeon Master.
I had a blast, and story ideas blossomed.  Little did I realize that the tiny story seed I'd just planted that night would blossom into a five year long campaign that not only traversed the entire continent, but would break into epic levels.
At the time, I didn't think being a DM would become a passion. It was just something I was doing for Ryan Wagner because I wanted to help a friend try out D&D. But the story wouldn't end.
Many people would come and go as PC's and one-shot cameo NPC's over the next few years, too many for me to name them all, but it all started on the road to Elversult.
Now, it's time to tie up the loose ends and take a bow; at least for this Dungeon Master. That's some bitter-sweet Kool-Aid, but no worries, I'm not killing everyone. (Or at least, I don't plan on it....)
We've come a long way from a party of rag-tag level one's. We've robbed a Thayan Enclave,and lived to tell about it; vanquished vampires in ways that would make a Paladin cheer; violated dragons while cackling maniacally at our own good fortune with the dice while the DM smiles and nods at the level of chaotic creativity; we've learned about the real business end of a Tarrasque; and we have fought alongside angels, and stormed the gates of hell. We've gained power, wealth, infamy, titles, and changed the course of history for all of Toril forever.
I look forward to these last few sessions, and I hope you will as well.

It's been epic.

A Rant on Greenville's "Christianity"

I'm so glad I didn't grow up in Greenville. If I had, I have little doubt in my mind that I'd be an atheist. The Christian community here makes the whole of Bluefield look like Saints.  If it weren't for my parents, a few good Christian leaders that the Greenville area seems hell-bent on labeling "not Christian enough," and the Godly examples of the friends of my family back in Virginia, I'd think I was being fed a bunch of lies when read the Bible.
This region is disgusting. The only people I can trust around here to lead an exemplary life are people who've sworn off the so-called church because it's no longer a Church, it's a social club to be catty, holier-than-thou at after fucking the pastor's pre-teen daughter on Sunday so you could get the position on the board of Elders and earn the title of "spiritual leader."
I honestly think the best thing for this area, and quite possibly the country as a whole, is for it to fall to religious persecution. After all, the Church has always thrived under persecution. Persecution makes us forget about the things that don't really matter and focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This need is evidenced by the rampant complacency in some parts of the Church for doctrine, and the vile hatred for the lost in the name of "loving doctrine" or "despising sin" in others.

Just A Catalyst.

This is just a rough draft. Whether I ever work on it again or not, eh.

Were I blind, my ears would have heard nothing from you to speak of Christ's Grace.
Were I deaf, my eyes would have seen nothing of Christ's love in your deeds.
Whether word or deed, I don't see Christ in you.
But I am not blind; I am not deaf, I see and I hear all your hate and all your whisperings.
And though you claim Christ, your deeds make lies of your claims.
But even a dumb rock can be a catalyst to the Almighty's testimony
For in your harsh words and diabolic deeds, my dear bride has been a portrait
Of her Savior, suffering your incourtesies and returning grace;
Enduring your impurity and offering love that truly is without condition.
Would I could be so meek and bold! But one truth bars me.
You claim my Christ, yet profane His name by your very interactions.
That I cannot forebear. It sickens me; it makes the bile rise in my throat
To think that deeds like yours will be the only Christ some will ever see.
Were I those sad souls, gladly would I chose damnation over such a false, pretentious hope.
But praise be that I am not them! My precious darling, in her every interaction with you
Is a constant reminder of the Grace that Abode with us.
And while my anger calls for burning justice, she stands and intercedes for you.
So, if you ever do give thanks, give praise to God that you were used of Him as a catalyst.
If you ever speak of grace, plea for it in earnest. Like all souls eternal, there is much need of it.
But woe to you who give my bride sorrow. Her intercession is all that stays me.

Random Questions On Reality.

Just a few of the random questions that run through my head while showering....

1. If there are multiple realities, when did they begin in reference to a literal Genesis account of Creation? Did they begin before the fall of Adam? If so, then how was Creation "very good"? If they began after, was part of the curse a fractured reality?
2. If multiple realities exist, then many would say the number of realities that exist are infinite. If that's so, then there must be a reality where Adam didn't sin and the world is still perfect. Was Christ's death, then, a sacrifice necessary to bring all the other realities into coexistence with the perfect reality? Is the end of the world an event where God hand-waves and destroys all imperfect realities and merges the souls that have come to a saving knowledge of Christ with the perfect reality?
3. If multiple realities exist, could it be possible that we as humans really have no true imagination? Imagination could simply be one person's mind becoming attuned to another reality. Story writers are merely penning the history of another reality. If that's the case, I want to stay in Middle Earth.

And we wonder why I don't fit into most churches....

Symbols and Imagery in Christianity.

Why is it that we are so small as to recognize the Trinity in nature in the form of plants, states of matter, among other things, but we cannot bring ourselves to recognize the five wounds of Christ, or the five senses?

We are quick to say that "sevens and threes" are "holy" numbers, but we fail to see that if God did make this universe, then not just the sevens and the threes are holy, but all the numbers are? The fact that Holy Writ points out instances where sevens and threes are of note does not make the twos and the fives any less meaningful or holy, it just means that they have another divine, holy purpose. God told Noah to take two of every kind of animal, but to take seven of every "clean." This doesn't have to mean that the "unclean" animals (the ones gathered in pairs) were evil, they just had a different divine purpose.

We are so quick to label His Creation as, "this is holy and that is not," but we have no place to do so. God declared creation "very good," and though fallen, creation is still a shadow of that goodness.

We do live in a fallen world. However, it is man's sin that makes it so, not nature's existence. Any unpleasantness in nature is a result of man's doing, and not nature's. We, humanity, need to own up to that fact.

Symbols, and the meanings behind them, are transient. The Greek Alphabet has little meaning to the common man today beyond symbolizing what fraternity or sorority you belong to. Egyptian hieroglyphs have even less meaning. The common man has no idea what those symbols meant to the Egyptian, but we do know that a hieroglyph depicting a bird looks like a bird. The symbol's meaning has lost value over time. 

In the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the pentagram, or pentacle, was used as a symbol of Solomon, giving power over demons, and of infinity, fidelity, among many other virtues. Today, many Christians ironically balk at the pentacle's presence, since the symbol is used by some pagan groups.

We have lost sight of the very notion that the pentacle, a geometric shape present in many naturally occurring things, like the apple pictured, has no inherent evil. It isn't a demon. It isn't a devil. It isn't a bodily manifestation of Satan himself. It is a work of nature; a nature that was designed by a Holy God,  and while fallen, the inherent sin is not in existence, but in death and decay. The Bible says when Adam sinned, death came into the world, not pentacles, not spiders, not the color black. All of those things were present in a very good Creation. While death and decay will fall to apples, and the paper or metal that pentacles are drawn or fashioned from will decay, the symbols themselves are not created evil. It's how man uses them that makes a difference.

The cross was in existence long before Jesus Christ Himself long before our Lord was nailed to it. And mankind ascribed many different meanings to it. But after the Messiah was crucified, the cross slowly became a symbol of Christianity. In fact, most people today see the Cross as a Christian symbol, and so do most Christians. Why can't we do the same with the rest of Creation? As the Psalmist says in Psalm 24, "The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas." In short, God made it, it's His. The rest of the Psalm goes on to call on all nature to give God praise, for as the Creator, He's earned it.

Why can't we do the same instead of constantly finding symbols and styles of art to rant at each other about? A pentagram is not a symbol of evil unless by man's actions he makes it associated with evil, and even then, that five-pointed star is made by God. It's not mine to let fall by the wayside. My God made it. He cared enough to speak its beauty into existence, I should care enough to not allow it to be perverted by a pagan.  A cross is not a symbol of Christ's death and redemption unless man makes a conscious decision to allow it to represent that. The earth is our Lord's, live like it. Don't just shove a symbol in a box labeled evil because it gives you the willies or you don't care for it. It's beautiful in His eyes.

What I Look For In A Roleplaying Game

First, I look for an agreeable setting. I want an escape; not a survival game. I struggle every day to survive in real life. Do I want starvation to be a possibility? Yes, but I'm an adventurer. My life is about survival and risk. Making sure I have food & water is second nature to me. If I am captured or somehow overcome, then it makes sense for basic necessities like food to become a concern. If I strike out into a desert when my normal travels are through areas where water is easily found, then I need to concern myself with provisions, but those are all special circumstances. I don't want such menial things to be a spotlight feature. I want adventure. Whether that's saving the fairy princesses, defending my homeland, saving the world, or standing for right in a difficult situation, I don't care, but I want good to prevail and be the focus of the setting, though not necessarily of every game session. That's why I don't enjoy Vampire or Dark Sun. They've been presented to me as back-stabbing, nitty-gritty, climb your way to the top & who cares who you step on enroute worlds. I don't enjoy that.

Granted, those settings can be run in the heroic manner I am trying for, but they don't lean toward such a style of play. I do enjoy the Realms. Yes, Toril has its dark side, but it's largely a world that is made up of good people. Are there evils to face? Aye, aplenty. But they don't dominate or rule everyone. The world isn't run by an evil Dark Lord. I'm more likely to be overcome by a wandering monster than become the focus of the Church of Cyric's ire. Can I make myself their target? Oh yes, but if I do, I'm doing so by butt-kicking for goodness.

So I want a sense of heroic in the setting, but on the flipside of that, I'm not looking for a world run by Paladins that follow the "Lawful Stupid" alignment. My every turn shouldn't be halted by some goody-two-shoes going "there's a law against that, citizen;" or "there's only one right way to do that - go through the proper channels or be imprisoned." I may encounter a town or village where that's the way things are run, but not all the time.

Again, the Realms provides that for me. That's what I look for in a Campaign Setting. What I look for in a rules set is detailed simplicity.I look at combat and  I look at skills.
I want to be able to be very good at a variety of things; not just a one-trick pony. Just because I'm a Mage shouldn't dictate that I can't be very good at Stealth. Just because I'm a Rogue shouldn't dictate that I'm not good at being a Charismatic, Bard-like character, capable of playing the crowd, but disappearing in an instant. Just because I'm a Fighter shouldn't mean that I'm a numbskull, incapable of sounding intelligent on anything but war and tactics. I want to be able to be that fighter that is the charmer, wooing at court, but a juggernaut on the battlefield. I don't want my perception and social skills tied to my race or class. Skills might be enhanced by Class or Race, but not limited.
Combat should provide for variety. It shouldn't be a "one roll is the end-all." If I'm making an overhand, finishing blow, it should be different from grabbing the foe by his throat. Marshall proficiency shouldn't be limited to Class, either. If I'm a mage, there's no reason I'm not practicing fencing to get away from the books for awhile. I'll never be as good as a master swordsman, but that's where my Art balances the equation.

Easter is far from pagan.

This time of year, I see a lot of people proclaiming Easter as a Pagan holiday. I call bullshit. Yes, bullshit.

In name, and a few of the "traditional" symbols, yes. The time of year that Christ's historical ressurection took place corresponds to many pagan equinox and first rites of summer celebrations. And the birth of new life is definitely a theme of the season. But it celebrates Christ's Ressurection in Christianity. That ressurection took place after the Passover week, as Christ was Cruicified during Passover. Passover takes place near the spring equinox. The exact date has been argued and debated throughout history, but the general timeframe remains the same.
If you have a problem with celebrating the equinox itself, see my post on Christmas for why an astronomical event is made by God, and stated in Genesis that its purpose is to mark the passage of time. Celebrating that time is not a problem. It was Created by God for that observance.
If you have a problem with the pagan trappings; the name and the fertility symbols, fine. Don't use them, call Easter by another day.
But this Spring, by all tradition and Biblical fact, is the anniversiary of the event that rocked the ancient world, this spring is when the Jews were given the sign of Jonah, when more than 500 witinesses saw a living, risen Savior, and when the "New" Religion was born.
In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son. The stars given for signs, seasons, and years proclaimed His birth, and those same heavens marked His death, and the world was changed by His ressurection. He is risen, indeed.