The Continuing Influence of Paganism: Inside and Outside the Church

THE greatest threat to the Church is not only persecution from without but corruption from within. Paganism—once clearly rejected by the early Christians—has crept both inside the church and pervaded society at large.

Pagan or paganism is a very loaded concept. And its definition has morphed over time. It comes from the Latin 'paganus,' which means something like a 'rural person.' The term came to mean someone who was essentially uncultured or a hick in the countryside (or provincial) who still practiced an ancient form of religion (such as Druids, Norse, and other mystic religion).

Biblically, the classical meaning of paganism revolves around those that worship gods whose origin is either ancient Canaanite and/or Babylonian fertility religion.

In the last hundred years or so, this definition has evolved again. Today we are living in what the apostle Paul described as “perilous times” (2 Timothy 3:1), where deception is clothed in modern religion, culture, and ideology.

Paganism Inside the Church

From the earliest centuries, pagan practices infiltrated the visible church under the guise of “tradition.” As the historian Alexander Hislop wrote in The Two Babylons (1858), many so-called Christian holidays originated in ancient Babylon and were baptized into church practice. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and Valentine’s Day—so widely celebrated today—can all be traced to pagan festivals honoring gods and goddesses of fertility, the sun, and the dead.

Even Sunday worship, now mainstream in Christianity, replaced the biblical Sabbath. The Roman Emperor Constantine’s edict of 321 A.D. commanded rest on “the venerable day of the Sun,” a clear nod to sun-worship. The Council of Laodicea (363 A.D.) reinforced this shift, banning Sabbath observance. Thus, as Woodrow Wilson once observed, “When men yield up the exclusive reverence of God and His law, they do not remain without religion—they substitute false religion.”

The result is syncretism: blending the worship of the true God with pagan rites. God warned ancient Israel never to inquire how the nations worshiped their gods and then adopt those practices (Deuteronomy 12:30). Yet the modern church has done exactly that. The rituals may be draped in Christian language, but their roots are unmistakably pagan.

Paganism Outside the Church

While paganism thrives within, it also resurges in society under new forms. Neo-paganism is a modern movement reviving ancient pagan worship, often tied to nature and goddess theology. Mother Earth, personal truth, and spiritual relativism replace the God of Scripture. As scholar Ronald Hutton explains in 'The Triumph of the Moon' (1999), neo-paganism is not only a spiritual system but also a cultural rebellion against biblical morality.

This cultural paganism now expresses itself in the “woke” agenda. Woke ideology, cloaked in justice and equality, often denies God’s authority and revives pagan values:

▪️Human sacrifice rebranded: abortion is championed as “bodily autonomy,” yet it mirrors the ancient pagan practice of offering children to Molech (Leviticus 18:21).

▪️Reversal of morality: Isaiah 5:20 warns, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.” Today, biblical marriage is mocked while gender fluidity is praised as liberation.

▪️Cancel culture as public penance: like ancient excommunication rituals, those who dissent from the cultural orthodoxy must confess or be socially destroyed.

▪️DEI laws: rather than honoring God-given talent and character, society enforces identity-based quotas—reducing justice to skin-deep categories.

Gen Z, immersed in social media and progressive narratives, is especially vulnerable. Surveys reveal that fewer than 4% of Gen Z hold a biblical worldview, with many embracing self-defined spirituality. Paganism is not only tolerated—it is celebrated as the “future” of culture.

The Prophetic Warning

The apostle Paul’s warning resounds louder than ever:

“In the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers…” (2 Timothy 3:1–2).

We are witnessing these very days. The spirit of paganism—whether inside the church through false worship or outside through cultural paganization—prepares the world for the ultimate deception of the Beast power (Revelation 13).

Signs of Paganism Inside vs. Outside the Church--

⚠️️Inside the Church--

Adoption of pagan festivals (Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, etc.).

Replacement of Sabbath with Sunday worship (rooted in sun-worship).

Rituals and symbols borrowed from Babylonian mystery religions.

Syncretism: blending pagan customs with Christian terminology.

Tradition elevated above the authority of God’s Word.

⚠️️Outside the Church--

Neo-paganism: nature worship, goddess theology, “Mother Earth” spirituality.

Abortion as modern child sacrifice under the guise of “bodily autonomy.”

Woke ideology reversing morality (calling evil good, and good evil).

Cancel culture as a form of public shaming/excommunication.

DEI-driven quotas replacing merit with identity politics.

Gen Z’s embrace of personal truth over biblical truth.

Endure in Truth

The antidote is not compromise but endurance. Christ warned, “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4). We must test every tradition, every cultural idea, against the Word of God. Only by clinging to God’s law and the faith of Jesus can we escape the snares of modern paganism.

The Churches of God must rise as a prophetic witness against false worship, just as Elijah confronted Baal’s prophets. The call of God is the same now as then:

“Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins” (Revelation 18:4).

Paganism is not an ancient relic—it is alive, both inside and outside the church. But God’s truth stands firm. The question is: will we endure in it, or be swept away by the deception?

We need to be discerning “so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” (Philippians 1:10) --Rh.