Acts 15:13-20 gives an account of what laws from Jewish tradition carry over to Christians (circumcision being the big discussion). In the end, Paul and Barnabas won the debate, stating that 4 (or 3, depending on how you look at it) laws remain. Verse 21 says these laws are before that of Moses and therefore apply to more than the Jews. These 4 commands are:
1. Abstain from things polluted by idols,
2. Sexual immorality,
3. From what has been strangled,
4. And from blood. (usually combined with number 3)
Rather than talk about what all of these mean, I want to focus on the first one.
I go to a Catholic school but am not a Catholic. One of the events I regularly attend is called "Theology of the Body", which is a book written by JPII and is actually really, really good stuff. I really like the class, what is taught, how it is applied, the people in it, everything. There's a problem...
We always start off with a prayer, but today the prayer ended, to my dismay, very different. Usually, these little Romans pray to Jesus and then end with a Hail Mary (which I don't participate in) and they move on with the night. No issues. Today, they skipped the Hail Mary and instead "consecrated" the night to the Virgin. I debated a little in my head whether or not I could stay. My current thinking is that it breaks this first little "abstain from things polluted by idols".
Paul is specifically thinking about things literally prayed over for the consecration to Poseidon or Zeus or whatever. It was a regular practice of the Greeks to consecrate their fish to Poseidon before selling it on the market, and Paul didn't want any kind of support to a false God. I'm not giving any sort of money to this organization or anything like that, but I support it by being there. Tonight, I believe they polluted the thing with an idol. However, I'm not sure. I left anyway, just in case, but I thought I'd bring it up to y'all.
Would staying at an event that was, in prayer, "consecrated" to the Virgin Mary or any other saint be a pollution of an idol?
Thank you!
Acts 15:13-20 gives an account of what laws from Jewish tradition carry over to Christians (circumcision being the big discussion). In the end, Paul and Barnabas won the debate, stating that 4 (or 3, depending on how you look at it) laws remain. Verse 21 says these laws are before that of Moses and therefore apply to more than the Jews. These 4 commands are:
1. Abstain from things polluted by idols,
2. Sexual immorality,
3. From what has been strangled,
4. And from blood. (usually combined with number 3)
Rather than talk about what all of these mean, I want to focus on the first one.
I go to a Catholic school but am not a Catholic. One of the events I regularly attend is called "Theology of the Body", which is a book written by JPII and is actually really, really good stuff. I really like the class, what is taught, how it is applied, the people in it, everything. There's a problem...
We always start off with a prayer, but today the prayer ended, to my dismay, very different. Usually, these little Romans pray to Jesus and then end with a Hail Mary (which I don't participate in) and they move on with the night. No issues. Today, they skipped the Hail Mary and instead "consecrated" the night to the Virgin. I debated a little in my head whether or not I could stay. My current thinking is that it breaks this first little "abstain from things polluted by idols".
Paul is specifically thinking about things literally prayed over for the consecration to Poseidon or Zeus or whatever. It was a regular practice of the Greeks to consecrate their fish to Poseidon before selling it on the market, and Paul didn't want any kind of support to a false God. I'm not giving any sort of money to this organization or anything like that, but I support it by being there. Tonight, I believe they polluted the thing with an idol. However, I'm not sure. I left anyway, just in case, but I thought I'd bring it up to y'all.
Would staying at an event that was, in prayer, "consecrated" to the Virgin Mary or any other saint be a pollution of an idol?
Thank you!