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The True WMSCOG | March 18, 2024

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The History of St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patricks Day - The True WMSCOG

St. Patrick’s Day: A Christian Holiday?

This month, much of the world is wearing green to celebrate a holiday now associated with Christianity: St. Patrick’s Day. But what is the true origin of St. Patrick’s day, and what is its spiritual significance? As Christians who base our faith on the Bible and not in human tradition, is it ok to celebrate St. Patrick’s day?

I was curious myself, since I didn’t want to unknowingly engage in anything that goes against the Bible. So I did a bit of research and here’s what I found.

Who is St. Patrick?

Statue of St Patrick near Saul

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Patrick was a man born in Roman Britain in the 5th century, who was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave when he was 16. After this experience, he escaped, converted to Christianity, and returned to Ireland as a missionary to convert its people. He is believed to have died on March 17, 461, which is the reason March 17 is celebrated as St. Patrick’s Day (1)

Many of the details surrounding St. Patrick are myths that were invented in the centuries after his death. One myth is that he drove out all the snakes from Ireland, although the National Geographic states that snakes never existed in Ireland to begin with. Another myth is that he used a shamrock to explain about the Holy Trinity. More about this later.(2)

The tradition of having “patron saints” and celebrating “saints’ feast days” originated from the Catholic Church. However, venerating saints is against the teachings of the Bible.

The second commandment reads:

Exodus 20:4-6 – You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

This commandment surely includes people. The Bible gives an example of Apostle Peter refusing to be revered by Cornelius, a centurion who was eager to hear the good news about Jesus:

Acts 10:25 – As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”

Even angels are not to be worshiped. Even when Apostle John tried to bow down to the angel who showed him the revelation of the bride, the angel told him to worship only God.

Revelation 19:10 – At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!”

Where did the shamrock symbol come from?

Shamrock

In Celtic Ireland, Druids promoted the shamrock as a good luck charm enabling people to see evil spirits and escape from them, as well as ward off bad luck and offer magical protection.(3)

Now, shamrocks have been justified as a Christian symbol through the myth that St. Patrick used the three leaves to explain about the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. However, the fact remains that the shamrock was already seen as a mystical symbol in Ireland’s pagan roots, and even today carries the connotation of having the magical power to grant luck.

According to the Bible, revering an object or seeing it as having magical powers is considered idolatry.

Leviticus 26:1 – Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.

If sacred stones are idols, do you think God would allow sacred leaves?

Where did leprechauns come from?

Leperchaun

The leprechaun, now portrayed as a cute little man dressed in green, originated in Celtic mythology. Rather than being cute, mythological leprechauns were mischievous, sly old men who were thought to be the shoemakers for faeries. Today, the superstition survives that leprechauns harbor hidden wealth, but are quick to escape if you blink.(4)

The idea of a mythological being such as a leprechaun is rooted in Celtic paganism, which is against the God of the Bible.

Exodus 20:3 – You shall have no other gods before me. (The First Commandment)

Why do people wear green? And why do you get pinched when you don’t?

Wearing green was a tradition started in America in the 1700s. St. Patrick’s Day revelers started the superstition that wearing green made one invisible to leprechauns, who would come up and pinch anyone they see. Pinching people who didn’t wear green was a reminder that they were vulnerable to pinching leprechauns.(5)

What does this all mean for Christians?

I was surprised to discover that not only are the origins of St. Patrick’s day not biblical, but in fact many of them come from Ireland’s religious roots before Christianity: Celtic paganism.

I was reminded of this verse:

Colossians 2:8 – See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 

Since Celtic paganism is a spiritual philosophy that does not depend on Christ, I decided that in order to practice my faith according to the Bible and not according to the world around me, I wouldn’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day anymore.

Besides, when you look at the way people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day now, regardless of its origins, the celebration is anything but holy. Most people see St. Patrick’s Day as a day to get drunk and party. What does that have to do with Christ? Any way you look at it, there is nothing remotely Christian about this “holiday.”

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Comments

  1. Andrea

    Wow. I knew I shouldn’t keep it because it clearly has nothing to do with the bible, but I was shocked to see how much paganism it actually consisted of. I thank Father and Mother for giving me wisdom through the feasts of god to understand just how wrong it is to keep man’s traditions!

  2. Gwendolyn

    This article is great. It reminds me that I need to be vigilant since evil can masquerade as light in this world. Thanks to God for opening my eyes to the truth.

  3. Vanessa N Colon

    Thank you. I can’t wait to share with my family and friends. This is so eye-opening.

  4. Melissa Delvechio

    Wow this is so descriptive! I appreciate this so much. It’s so insane how many branches of Christianity revere all these “saints”. Even the apostles 2,000 years ago didn’t not want an incling of revereance because they too are sinners. Not only that, “saint Patrick” is all myths. I hope many people can realize this and stop so they can follow God correctly according to the Holy Bible. Thank you again!

  5. Keith

    What an outstanding article! It’s so clear. If you just sit back and watch the actions of the ones participating, you can clearly see that it isn’t a holiday that a God fearing Christian should partake in.

  6. Heny

    Wow this is article is really eye opening . I’m thankful to see how pagan many things really are including this holiday. Truly just because majority of the world is doing something, when it comes to your faith, should always see if it’s testified in the Bible, since it might not be correct.

  7. Ana

    Thanks to Father and Mother for giving us wisdom. Many times I asked myself why I have to celebrate something that has nothing to do with my salvation. Passover is my salvation established by God whole world should celebrate it because that is our Faith as a true Christian, not St. Patrick day, what he did for me? Nothing!

  8. Patrick

    I actually had no idea about the roots of St Patrick’s day but I always had my misgivings about it. Thank you for taking the time to do research and share this article. This article really shed a light for me and reminded me that anything that people say is related to God or the worship of God must come from the Bible, otherwise, it may be rooted in human philosophy.

  9. Jamie

    Wow… so many people are misled it’s preposterous. Thank you for informing me about this pagan holiday. Every so-called Christian who celebrates St. Patrick’s Day NEEDS to read this.

  10. Rossalvi Marte

    Truly Bible reveals everything! We can clearly see that trough following traditions of this world we cannot come closer to God at all. In fact we can see how God let’s us know that by doing HIS will, we can enter Heaven. I’m very thankful that God allowed me to see the correct path to follow him.

  11. Azzy

    I agree! As a Christian I definitely would not want to keep a tradition based on Celtic Pagan teachings. Honestly, I’d rather keep the teachings Christ gave that are recorded in the Bible. I know there are many others that also want to do the same. Thanks for taking the time to gather this info.

  12. Starshineforever

    Once again all thanks and praise be to the Spirit and the Bride forever and ever!!! We need to be equipped more and more with word of God escaping all schemes of Satan more and more!! Thanks to Heavenly Father and Mother!!