Re: The Apostate Church

...Regarding the marriage of Christianity and paganism at the occasion of Constantine's "conversion"...

Paganism survived...in the form of ancient rites and customs condoned, or accepted and transformed, by an often indulgent Church. An intimate and trustful worship of saints replaced the cult of pagan gods... Statues of Isis and Horus were renamed Mary and Jesus; the Roman Lupercalia and the feast of purification of Isis became the Feast of the Nativity; the Saturnalia were replaced by Christmas celebration... an ancient festival of the dead by All Souls Day, rededicated to Christian heroes; incense, lights, flowers, processions, vestments, hymns which had pleased the people in older cults were domesticated and cleansed in the ritual of the Church...soon people and priests would use the sign of the cross as a magic incantation to expel or drive away demons...Paganism passed like maternal blood into the new religion, and captive Rome captured her conqueror...the world converted Christianity..." --Will Durant "The Story of Civilization"

"If you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you...if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." (Jn 15:19-20

"Great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things...yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly." (Acts 5:11,13)

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me." (Jn 14:23-24)

"why do you call Me "Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46) (VW)