Is it necessary for a Christian to avoid all connections with practices of pagans? In the Torah, we find God's intention is to caution Israel against adopting the same worship methods as the Canaanites. A particularly illuminating verse provides additional context: > [!bible]+ [Deuteronomy 12:31 - ESV](https://bolls.life/ESV/5/12/) > 31. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. %% #Deuteronomy %% The Pagans were worshiping their gods by sacrificing their infant children to idols, human sacrifice is detestable to God and even though that was the normal form of worship in that time and area, God categorically rejects any association of such rituals with His name. Applying additional logic to this verse we would be left with a problem if this was meant as an all-encompassing prohibition. Do Pagans pray? - so do Jews. Do Pagans build temples? - because God told Israel to build him one in the Bible. Taking this to the extreme you would finding yourself not wearing pants, talking or eating as Pagans do that as well. The Line is found with the context of the situation and the intent of the person. It is silly to say that Christians can't do something for the _SOLE_ reason that someone else did. A very common theme in the Bible is taking something that others meant for evil and turning it around to use for good. Taking something Pagan and using it to point to Christ is even something Paul does in Acts 17. #### Symbols can change If you were to ask the average American about what "Nike" or "Amazon" was, you would probably get a response about shoes and an online store instead of the Greek Goddess and Woman Fighters. Symbols can and do change over time and cultures. Sometimes symbols stick around even when obsolete. Phrases such as "Dial a number" and "Roll down the window" have stuck to this day, even though people don't use dial pads on phones or use rollers on windows anymore. Even if a certain tradition was as symbol of something thousands of years ago, doesn't mean they hold the same meaning or intention today.