If Love Is Good, What Is Wrong With Valentine’s Day?

Since God is love, most people assume that Valentine’s Day celebrations are OK. After all, its various popular and customary practices focuses on “LOVE.” Moreover, Valentine’s Day is a Christianization of a pagan festival accepted and adopted by the Roman Catholic Pope Gelasius I, in A.D. 496.

But is this assumption correct? Was their interpretation of “love” as practiced by the ancient pagans in their “Lupercalia” festivals [renamed much later after Saint Valentine] biblically correct? What could be wrong with having great fun and excitement, with great sex even outside of marriage (as practiced by those pagans), and made part of the official Roman church calendar of celebrations? Isn’t it that such church claims to be the guardian of the morals of the people?

The Second Most Popular Celebration

We know that Valentine’s Day has been used by many as a good excuse and a blanket license to commit adultery and fornication — all in the name of LOVE. Isn’t it that when cute little Cupid, with an equally cute little bow, strikes one’s heart with his cute little arrow, the targeted individual somehow becomes helpless to control his mind and emotions, except to succumb to his or her sexual desires? That’s what popular legends on Valentine’s Day teach (to justify their actions).

Since Satan the Devil has a very strong deceptive influence all over the world in all aspects of human life, what could possibly be his hidden, sinister, sugar-coated role in destroying humanity through this popular celebration? Please read on.

Next to Christmas, Valentine’s Day appears to be the most popular celebration in this world today. Mesmerized by its overwhelming and worldwide appeal, very few have tried to examine whether there are some unbiblical qualities lurking beneath its great glamour?

For sincere and faithful Christians, who would rather please God than the world or their carnal nature, it is time to examine this popularly romantic celebration in the light of biblical teachings.

Materialism Overpowered Morality

In this present materialistic world, moral issues are ignored or shoved aside — even by some religious leaders — when BIG money and pleasure is involved. This is the time of year when the sale of flowers, billions of cards, chocolates, gifts for men and women, romantic dinners, sexual paraphernalia, and the occupancy of motels, inns, and “short-time” rooms are at their annual peak!

According to market research firm IBIS World, Valentine’s Day sales reached $17.6 billion last year. This year’s sales are expected to total $18.6 billion. According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. In comparison, an estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.

Paganism Overpowered the Roman Church

Lupercalia’s Pagan and Immoral Origins

Lupercalia: An ancient Roman festival held annually on Feb. 15 [moved later to Feb. 14 by the Roman Church]. The ceremony of the festival was intended to secure fertility … Two male youths, clad in animal skin, ran around the city slapping passersby [especially women] with strips of goat skin [dipped in blood]. Because the youths impersonated male goats (the embodiment of sexuality), the ceremony was believed to be in honor of Faunus [the god of agriculture]. The festival survived into Christian times and was not abolished until the end of the 5th century [when it was “Christianized”].

~The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th edition (2012), Columbia University Press

The Roman romantics were drunk and naked. Young women would actually line up for the men to hit them. They believed this would make them fertile… The brutal fete included a matchmaking lottery [later in the day], in which young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would then be “coupled up” for the duration of the festival — or [for a year] or longer, if the match was right.
~Noel Lenski, historian, University of Colorado (Boulder)

The Roman Church Christianized Lupercalia

In an effort to win over the pagans into Christianity, Roman Catholic Pope Gelasius I, recast this pagan celebration — originally called Lupercalia, celebrated February 15 — and gave it the Christian name St. Valentine’s Day around A.D. 496, and also moved it one day earlier to February 14.

Lupercalia was initially outlawed as it was deemed unchristian. But at the end of the fifth century, since its popularity among the people cannot be controlled or contained, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.

Pagan Practices Continue to This Day

Unknown to most, the present Valentine’s Day celebration actually started many centuries ago (not from the Bible, not from God’s message on love), but from a strange pagan custom focusing on sex and immorality. While ancient pagan Rome did not know, nor adhered to Christian moral values and principles, the roots and focus of those ancient pagan customs still exists and are practiced today even among many Christian believers!

Historical sources say that the roots of Valentine’s Day goes back to ancient times when the pagan people paid honor to the Roman god of Fertility, originally on February 15. Other accounts associate it with a celebration in honor the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus. Being a special day of love, many couples got engaged, wed, or found new love on that day.

Other Historical Data

Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine [or Valentinus] — supposedly on Feb. 14 of different years in the third century A.D. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church together with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.

Around the same time, the Normans celebrated Galatin’s Day. Galatin meant “lover of women.” That was likely confused with St. Valentine’s Day, in part because they sound alike.

God Says: Learn Not the Ways of the Pagans

God: Beware of False Gods

When the Lord your God [YHWH your Elohim] cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess … take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them … and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise’ … for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods … Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
~Deuteronomy 12:29-32

God’s Laws of Sexual Morality

Then the Lord [YHWH] spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do … You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: [God then proceeded to describe each of the immoral sexual conduct they were to avoid which includes: incest, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, etc.]
~Leviticus 18:1-30

Satanic Deception: Divorcing Love from Law

Most have not considered that actually, Love is a Power, while Law is Control (Song of Solomon 8:6-7 describes the power of love). In all human endeavors, Power and Control should always go together.

For Example:

• A vehicle engine (power) without a steering wheel and brakes (control) is very dangerous.
• Electric current (power) without proper switches and insulations (control) is very deadly.
• Love (power) without Laws (control) can lead to great human misery, suffering, and even death!

Yes, LOVE is of God, but it should also be guided and properly controlled by the LAWS of God.

Divorcing the two, Love from Law, is a dangerous formula leading to heartaches, pains, and much sufferings. Often, Satan confuses humans with what is more properly called “LUST” rather than LOVE.

Even in the Bible, as a principle of relationships, it shows that LOVE and LAW (or Commandments) are Always Linked Together

If you love Me, keep My commandments.
~John 14:15, 21

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ~John 15:10

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome [they are helpful, contrary to what most preachers say].
~1 John 5:3

This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning [since the time of Moses], you should walk in it.
~2 John 6

NOTE: The Scriptures always uphold, among others, the Ten Commandments, which directs, controls, and guides human conduct. But Satan hates God’s LAWS, and causes his servants to hate them, too.

Summary and Conclusion

What Is Wrong With Valentine’s Day?

• The focus is on materialism rather than on morality.
• It originated from grossly immoral pagan practices.
• It promotes and encourages immorality even to this day.
• It ignores God’s instructions about not following pagan ways.
• Satan uses it to corrupt humans in “lust” more than true love.
• Satan influences the carnal nature in humans to make them sin against God as well as to their own bodies.
• Satan deceives humanity with a clever, corrupted, and unbalanced concept of “Love without Law.”
• Satan markets his deceptive evil ways with lots of glitter, glamour, and popularity.

Let us not be ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).

Did you notice that God is completely OUT of Valentine’s Day celebrations?

If you want to be part of God, please don’t be part of Valentine’s Day, too!