Right up front, I’ll venture to guess what I’m about to say will not be well received by a lot of “church people,” but I’ll take that chance because this is something that I can’t, in good conscience, allow to pass without comment.

After reading the recent Source article (“Congregational Church Sponsors Spiral Walk,” Dec. 14) concerning the merging of a clearly pagan “first solstice” celebration with that of the First Advent of Jesus Christ, I am personally dismayed at how far most of organized religion has fallen from its responsibility to teach and preach accurately those things which are found in the Bible.

Instead, all too many churches have tried to merge the ways of the world with the ways of God. Amazingly, this very phenomenon was predicted by Paul the Evangelist almost 2,000 years ago:

1 Timothy 4:1, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils."

What has happened in much of what passes for the modern church today is that instead of being faithful teachers of the Word, they have incorporated fictions from human imaginations with those truths that come from the Bible.

Paul also didn’t mince words about those who would try to dilute or distort Scripture:

Galatians 1:8-9, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

As someone who believes that the Bible is indeed God’s Message to all mankind, I pass these thoughts along for consideration. What you think about them is entirely up to you.

Edward Wood

Killingworth