Fellow Christians: How do you feel about all of the pagan symbols associated with Christianity>?

I understand their use and how they came about and so don't give them much credence. I find it nauseating that they have been turned into huge retail experiences as well.

Check out the "Sunday Lunch" quote from Pope Gregory. The church has always co-opted local customs, sacred sites, and even changed local gods/goddesses into saints. Simple reason - if you want to convert people that are deeply attached to their own sacred traditions and are not about to give them up for some new and untested faith, you'd better convert those traditions into something compatible with christianity. The date of Christmas was arbitrarily set as Dec 25 to co-opt the winter solstice festival, sometimes called Saturnalia, and the yule log from that became the Christmas tree. Easter is the name of a Germanic goddess of Spring.

Some churches have done away with the more obvious pagan stuff like the easter bunny and rabbits (fertility symbols) or the tree, but they still have the pagan festivals on their calendars. Also, a lot of the christian churches of europe and the middle east are build on former pagan sacred sites.

Big deal, really. All religions pretty much do the same thing for the same reason, to introduce their own god without upsetting the locals or changing things around too much for comfort. Try that and you will lose them

First I find them an exciting part of our heritage. Worshipping people had answers to cosmic questions before they knew Christ. They found a home for their deepest questions in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is up to us of course not to let greeting card companies and cartoon shows completely pre-empt the significance of the symbols

Remember too that the Cross began as a pagan symbol as did the fish, and the lamb.

My preferences are the Cross, Christmas Trees, Yule Logs and Eggs. Never was big on bunnies; and my preference is to always tell the story of the real bishop Nicholas of Smyrna every year before we launch into Santa Claus

blessings

I have never heard this & I was not only raised as but an still surrounded by fundamentalists. I have however heard them call others devil worshipers as an insult, which isn't the same thing. Honestly, since I don't hide my religion from people, if I heard a christian call another christian a pagan as an insult I would be like o.O what? Then I would stop hanging out with them. ETA: I have heard one wiccan call any another wiccan a bible thumper, I lol'd

There are very few, possibly no, explicitly pagan religious symbols associated with Christianity.

There are lots of Catholic symbols which extremist protestant have mistakenly identified as pagan.

There are some Jewish symbols which we have inherited,

There are some symbols which Christian share with pagans but whose meaning differs significantly.

There are some symbols which are Christian which modern pagans have adopted and then invented an ancient pagan past for.

You need to give specific examples of what you are thinking of.

I know of no Christians who worship the symbols that you mention.

There are flowers in churches...are these pagan symbols?

they are just symbols unless you worship them. and that would make them a false idol (but i'm sure you knew that already)

Christianity has no symbols like that

You mean all the pagan symbols associated with Catholocism.

I feel awful that we can't sue them for "Image" Cloning

Did I say Cloning?