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Thursday, February 14, 2019

Pagans vs. God Fearing People

The word ‘pagan’ originally meant civilian — as in ‘not a soldier’ fighting for God.  So, this implies a state of warfare with songs of righteousness (example: Onward Christian Soldiers) and the beating of drums (think pep rallies on game day) to stir the blood of righteousness.

But what about warring groups that share the same religion? In WWI, on one Christmas Eve on the western front, British and German troops shared Christmas carols and then even laid down the arms long enough to play soccer in “no man’s land” between the trenches of the opposing sides. [Note: This was not appreciated by the opposing generals.]
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-story-of-the-wwi-christmas-truce-11972213/

Cartoon explaining “Us vs Them”:
https://i.imgur.com/82OOnZ6_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

NOW, consider —
The modern word ‘fear’ (as in Fear of God) in its original language meant supreme respect and overwhelming awe that could cause trembling in the Presence of God. 
http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/m/tlw_fear.html

"There is the convergence of awe, reverence, adoration, honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and, yes, fear." ... Some translations of the Bible, such as the New International Version, sometimes replace the word "fear" with "reverence". It can also mean fear of God's judgment.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_God#Christianity