Valentine’s Day is the celebration of romance. 14th of February is always a spectacular day in the year, when boys and girls, married and unmarried share love in various forms. Valentine’s Day is characterized with red color, exchange of gifts, parties and much of promiscuity among youths.
More harm is done than good in the lives of youths on Valentine’s Day of this generation. Why? And, is Valentine’s day celebration an instruction from the Lord? Who originated Valentine’s day and for what purpose?
Today’s message will expose the truth about this romantic celebration.
The History of Valentine’s Day
A genuine Christian must not join the train of any popular event without scrutinizing the source and motive of such celebration. I searched through some reputable sites and discovered the history of Valentine’s day;
Wikipedia noted that some Christian Martyrs were named Valentine. The Valentines honored on February 14 were Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred in 269 A.D, and was added to the calendar of saints by Pope Galesius in 496 A.D.
Valentine of Terni was a Bishop, and he was martyred during the persecution under Emperor Aurelian in 273 A.D.
Valentine’s day was first associated with romantic love through Frey Chaucer in the 14th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
Noel Lenski, a historian at the University of Colorado at Boulder said that the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia from February 13 to 15. The drunken men sacrifice a goat and a dog, and the young women will line up for the men to hit them with the hides of the animal. They believe this will make them fertile.
The practice also involved match-making lottery, in which young men drew the name of women from the jar. The couples will then be coupled up for the duration of the festival.
Pope Gelasius muddled things in the 5th century by combining Saint Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals. He named February 14 in honor of Saint Valentine as the Patron Saint of Lovers.
But, the festival was more of theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. Lensky added, “It was a little more of drunken revel, but the Christian put cloth on it. That didn’t stop it from been a day of fertility and love.”
What is bad about Valentine’s day?
There is a terrible mix-up during the celebration of Valentine’s day. Some innocent people share cards to their loved ones from a pure heart of love. While some take the advantage of the celebration to lose their virginity, participate in erotic parties and drugs. Uncleanliness, romance and illicit s3x are the order of the day.
Is it right for Christians to get involved in a celebration that is not under the doctrine of the LORD? Jesus says: “If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority”.
The bad things about Valentine’s day celebration are:
1. It is an attempt to Christianize an idolatry celebration. But the Pope’s attempt failed and the output was a mess to the Christendom.
“…we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting…” (Ephesians 4:14)
2. Valentine’s day was originally a solemn day for remembering the works of the martyr, not a day for celebration of love. Thus, the present celebration of Valentine’s day is a deceit.
3. The celebration was not a commandment from the Lord; rather it was a doctrine of man. “Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:12)
4. There are high records of immoralities and sexual perversion on this day.
5. Good works of Agape love are uncommon, and the celebration does not glorify the name of the Lord.
6. Satanists and unbelievers celebrate Valentine. So, we cannot be of equal yoke with unbelievers.
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2Corinthians 6:14)
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
Valentine’s Day is not a celebration for the Christians, because it has no scriptural basis. It is widely acceptable by the world, because the outputs on such day are ungodly.
