Saturday, January 10, 2015

PCG's Wik Heerma's Anti-Valentine's Day Article Similar to 1966 Hoeh Article

The latest issue of PCG's Philadelphia Trumpet contains an article by Wik Heerma, entitled "Winged Cupids? Why?", which states PCG's condemnation of Valentine's Day. PCG forbids the observance of Valentine's Day. As noted previously Heerma's article is quite similar to Herman Hoeh's article condemning Valentine's Day which was published in the February 1966 issue of The Plain Truth (pp. 17-18, 47). There is no acknowledgement that Heerma's article is based on Herman Hoeh's article.

Some of the similarities may be seen in how both articles assert that the ancient Romans practiced a sort of lottery pairing men and women together for the festival. Both condemn this as immoral and leading to fornication.

Both articles insist that Valentine's Day was originally created to honor Nimrod and commemorate when the forty day old Nimrod was ritually purified and presented to the community.

Both articles insist that Nimrod's mother Semiramis married her own son and they even insist that she desired him sexually when he was a little baby.

These ideas that Valentine's Day is ultimately derived from the worship of Nimrod comes from Alexander Hislop's 1850s anti-Catholic polemic, The Two Babylons. This book is known to be nonsense.

However as far as I can tell Hislop did not often talk of Semiramis being Nimrod's mother. Hislop was confused about how Semiramis was related to Nimrod.
Hislop in various pages of his book referred to Semiramis as being Nimrod’s wife, and again his daughter, and again his mother, and again that Nimrod had two mothers, and again nine mothers. And this is history? Woodrow [author of The Babylon Connection?] counters with evidence that Semiramis and Nimrod did not even live in the same century together! (xHWA, The Babylon Connection.)
So it would appear that it was HWA's Radio Church of God that dogmatically declared that Semiramis was Nimrod's mother. And yet even though apparently it was HWA's own group that dogmatically declared that Semiramis was Nimrod's mother Heerma presents this "fact" as though it came from "Tradition".
Nimrod’s mother, Semiramis, is said to have desired and lusted after her newborn son, Tammuz, when she saw him. Tradition says she married her own son. (Heerma.)
And so we see how this inaccurate idea is presented in a most confusing way and continues to be spread among those unaware of the truth on this matter.

Heerma's article contains no acknowledgement of its debt to Hoeh's article. Heerma does mention Alexander Hislop's book, The Two Babylons, but one would never know his message is largely derived from that book. But at least Heerma mentioned him, Hoeh never even mentioned Hislop in his 1966 article.

Below are some quotes from Hoeh's article and Heerma's article showing that they contain similar ideas.

***

WHERE DID St. Valentine's Day come from? You might suppose school teachers and educators would know. But do they? How many of you were ever taught the real origin of Valentine's Day? -- were ever told in school WHY you should observe the custom of exchanging valentines? (Hoeh.)

Do you know where Valentine’s Day came from? Before you buy that heart-shaped candy box, you might want to check it out. (Heerma.)

***


Did you know that centuries before Christ, the pagan Romans celebrated February 15 and the evening of February 14 as an idolatrous and sensuous festival in honor of Lupercus, the "hunter of wolves"? The Romans called the festival the "Lupercalia." The custom of exchanging valentines and all the other traditions in honor of Lupercus -- the deified hero-hunter of Rome -- was also linked anciently with the pagan practice of teen-agers "going steady." It usually led to fornication. Today, the custom of "going steady" is thought very modern. It isn't. It is merely a rebirth of an old custom "handed down from the Roman festival of the Lupercalia, celebrated in the month of February, when names of young women were put into a box and drawn out by men as chance directed." That's the admission of the "Encyclopedia Americana", article, "St. Valentine's Day." (Hoeh.)

“Christian” observance of Valentine’s Day is rooted in a much older tradition. Valentine’s Day stems from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was kept centuries before the dawn of Christianity. The pagan population of Rome observed festivities beginning on the eve of February 14. Using a lottery system, they paired young men and women, who would fall in love and marry. It was celebrated in honor of the god Lupercus, meaning “he who wards off the wolf.” ...

One widely held St. Valentine’s Day tradition involved pairing up. Boys and girls who otherwise lived separate lives in ancient Rome were paired on the eve of Lupercalia. Every young marriageable girl would place her name in a big urn. Each young man would draw out a name of a girl and became paired with her for the duration of Lupercalia. This often led to fornication. (Heerma.)

***

When Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire there was some talk in church circles of discarding this pagan free-for-all. But the Roman citizens wouldn't hear of it! So it was agreed that the holiday would continue as it was, except for the more grossly sensual observances. (Hoeh.)

When Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, he was encouraged to break with his pagan past. But the Roman populace would have none of it. The Christian-professing church decided it would permit the great masses of the empire (who were now considered members of the church) to continue to keep it, but under another name and for another purpose. (Heerma.)

***

The Greeks called Lupercus by the name of "Pan". The Semites called Pan "Baal," according to the "Classical Dictionaries". Baal -- mentioned so often in the Bible... (Hoeh.)

The Greek equivalent to Lupercus was the god Pan. ... Semites called Pan “Baal,” a name often mentioned in the Bible as an object of pagan worship. (Heerma.)

***

But why should the Romans have chosen February 15 and the evening of February 14 to honor Lupercus -- the Nimrod of the Bible? (Remember that days in ancient times began at sunset the evening before.) Nimrod -- the Baal or sun god of the ancient pagans -- was said to have been born at the winter solstice. In ancient times the solstice occurred on January 6 and his birthday therefore was celebrated on January 6. Later, as the solstice changed, it was celebrated on December 25 and is now called Christmas. It was the custom of antiquity for the mother of a male child to present herself for purification on the fortieth day after the day of birth. The fortieth day after January 6 -- Nimrod's original birthdate -- takes us to February 15, the celebration of which began on the evening of February 14 -- the Lupercalia or St. Valentine's Day. On this day in February, Semiramis, the mother of Nimrod, was said to have been PURIFIED and to have appeared for the first time in public with her son as the original "mother and child." ...

Another name for the child Nimrod was "Cupid" -- meaning "desire" ("Encyclopedia Britannica", art., "Cupid"). It is said that when Nimrod's mother saw him, she LUSTED after him -- she DESIRED him. Nimrod became her Cupid -- her desired one -- and later her Valentine! So evil was Nimrod's mother that IT IS SAID SHE MARRIED HER OWN SON! Inscribed on the monuments of ancient Egypt are inscriptions that Nimrod (the Egyptians called him Osiris) was "the husband of his mother." (Hoeh.)

Anciently, mothers of male children customarily presented themselves for purification 40 days after giving birth. The winter solstice was celebrated for millennia as the rebirth of the sun, and the birth of the sun god of the ancient pagans, Baal. We have already seen that Baal, Nimrod and Lupercus are all one and the same.

Prior to calendar changes, the winter solstice took place on January 6, instead of on December 25. Counting 40 days from that solstice brings us to February 15. Days in ancient times began at sunset the evening before, and thus celebrations began on the evening of February 14—Lupercalia—St. Valentine’s Day.

Nimrod’s mother, Semiramis, is said to have desired and lusted after her newborn son, Tammuz, when she saw him. Tradition says she married her own son. (Heerma.)

***

The Roman month February, in fact, derives its name from the "februa" which the Roman priests used in the rites celebrated on St. Valentine's Day. The "februa" were thongs from the skins of sacrificial animals used in rites of purification on the evening of February 14. (Hoeh.)

The priests also cut thongs from the skins of the sacrificial animals and struck people who came near. A strike from one of these thongs, called februa, supposedly prevented sterility in women. Women gladly received the slap, as they believed that a touch of the goatskin would render them fruitful and bring easy childbirth.

The name February comes from the Latin februare, meaning to purify. The festival was meant to secure the fruitfulness of the land, the increase of the flocks, and the prosperity of the people. (Heerma.)

***

But why do we associate HEARTS on a day in honor of Nimrod -- the BAAL of the Phoenicians and Semites?

The surprising answer is that the pagan Romans acquired the symbol of the heart from the Babylonians. In the Babylonian tongue the word for "heart" was "bal" (see "Young's" or "Strong's Concordance"). The heart -- "bal" -- was merely a symbol of Nimrod -- the "Baal" or Lord of the Babylonians! (Hoeh.)

The heart had been a symbol of Nimrod among the ancient Babylonians. The word for heart in the Babylonian language was bel, or bal. It was a symbol of Baal, lord of the Babylonians. Knowing that Nimrod was considered the mighty hunter, it is little wonder that the heart features in the festival commemorating him. (Heerma.)

***

And so the quotes come to an end. It may be seen how similar Wik Heerma's article is to Herman Hoeh's 1966 article.

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