Why do Christians FEAR the Pentacle (Pentagram)?

Question

For nearly two thousand years, the Pentacle or Pentagram "Five Pointed Star" has been a Christian Symbol.

Specifically it is called "The Star of Bethlehem"

(The Star of David Has 6 Points Not Five so DO NOT CONFUSE THIS)

The Star of Bethlehem, as a Pentacle (Upward Star) has reference to The Five Wounds of Christ. 1 in each hand, 1 in each foot, and 1 in the side.

In other sects of Christianity, the Pentagram (Downward Star) has reference to "The Five Points of Fellowship"

All of a sudden and only within the last 100 to 120 years The Star or Bethlehem which has been a Christian symbol for thousands of year has been transformed into a "Satanic Occult Symbol" and this all done by the modern "Chrisitan" Movement.

I would like an explaination not a rant.

Answer 1

How interesting and refreshing to see someone ask the same rhetorical questions that I have asked so many different times to “Neo Pagans” without a satisfactory answer. How often does anyone ask Christians why they adopted a symbol (the cross) from more ancient religions, or why the gospels record the life of Christ in near identical order to the mythic lives of the saviours of the Mystery Cults?
Clearly there is only one reason why modern Christendom (American Fundamentalist Protestantism, to be specific) has vilified an august and holy symbol . . . a profound stupor of wilful ignorance, and the tendency to resort to the easiest ruse of passing accusation without excuse. Clearly there is a connection to the use of the pentagram/pentacle within the Hexen arts of the Pennsylvania Dutch, which is nothing more than Christian white magic. On the other hand it also has something to do with the hidden stream of theosophy that flows gently under Western civilisation, and its children: Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Continental Theosophy, and all manners of schools of operative philosophy. For instance the “pentalpha of Pythagoras” is nothing more than the pentagram with three points downward (just like the so-called Satanic pentagram), the bottom point representing perfect equilibrium and balance of the perfected will in control of the elements, showing forth the perfected philosopher/magus. People by nature always fear with they do not know or understand, and fear is the easiest and most powerful way to control people. Clearly, leadership in the various Fundamentalist movements (Catholic haters one and all, and rejecters of their ancient Christian history) have latched on to the fascinating symbol of the five pointed star and made into something that it is not, i.e. an icon of Witchery and Black Magic. Curiously, concurrently with the reshaping into a purely mythological and fantastic meaning to the pentagram, these same leaders have invented the myth of a vast Satanic conspiracy of underground iniquities and child sacrifice, which simply does not exist in the real world.

Answer 2

Neither symbol is evil... Actually the real difference between the two is dimentional. Both Pentagram and Pentacle have a circle around them. The Pentagram is a one dimentional drawing for ceremonial magic, usually drawn on the floor as protection or containment. The Pentacle is three dimentional, as in the pendant that most Wiccans wear, and the star within the circle is woven. In essence, the Pentagram is a drawing, or symbol. Where the Pentacle is an object.

Answer 3

A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, a pentangle, the endless knot or, more formally, a star pentagon) is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes. The word pentagram comes from the Greek word πεντάγραμμον (pentagrammon), a noun form of πεντάγραμμος (pentagrammos) or πεντέγραμμος (pentegrammos), a word meaning roughly "five-lined" or "five lines".

Pentagrams were used symbolically in ancient Greece and Babylonia. The Pentagram has magical associations, and many people who practice neopagan faiths wear jewelry incorporating the symbol. Christians once more commonly used the pentagram to represent the five wounds of Jesus,[1][2] and it also has associations within Freemasonry.

The pentagram has long been associated with the planet Venus, and the worship of the goddess Venus, or her equivalent. It is also associated with the Roman Lucifer, who was Venus as the Morning Star, the bringer of light and knowledge. It is most likely to have originated from the observations of prehistoric astronomers. [3] When viewed from Earth, successive inferior conjunctions of Venus plot a nearly perfect pentagram shape around the zodiac every eight years.[4]

I do not fear this symbol. It is just a symbol and does not represent any significance to me.

Answer 4

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and others perpetuated the popularity of the pentagram as a magic symbol, keeping the Pythagorean attributions of elements to the five points. By the mid-19th century a further distinction had developed amongst occultists regarding the pentagram's orientation. With a single point upwards it depicted spirit presiding over the four elements of matter, and was essentially "good". However the other way up was considered evil.

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
"A reversed pentagram, with two points projecting upwards, is a symbol of evil and attracts sinister forces because it overturns the proper order of things and demonstrates the triumph of matter over spirit. It is the goat of lust attacking the heavens with its horns, a sign execrated by initiates."

Christian
"Let us keep the figure of the Five-pointed Star always upright, with the topmost triangle pointing to heaven, for it is the seat of wisdom, and if the figure is reversed, perversion and evil will be the result."

Probably due to misinterpretation of symbols used by ceremonial magicians like , Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa it later became associated with Satanism and subsequently rejected by most of Christianity sometime in the twentieth century

Answer 5

I don't think the Christian movement made it a symbol of Satan. I think the Satanists did that, so the Christians came to view it as that. Something that once was Christian, now isn't. The same as if the Satanists or whomever else started using a fish symbol as their symbol. The Christians would probably stop using that symbol too.

That non-rantish enough for ya ?

Answer 6

confusion and the refusal to educate oneself is the problem

The pentagram is a pagan symbol which represents water, fire,earth, air and spirit. The cross christians use is actually a pagan symbol as well which represents the zodiac which was used to track the stars.

christians destroyed pagan temples and build churches over them and used pagan symbols within the church to encourage pagans to join. This is why we use trees during Yule (christmas), among many other examples (there are a ton of books on this subject)

history and religion is never what it seems. dig deeper and you might find the truth.

good luck! :)

Answer 7

I have never heard of the pentagram refered to in that way. I am a practicing witch and I've only ever heard it from that perspective. I always knew the five points to stand for the 5 elements: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. It's rather intresting to see another perspective on it.

Answer 8

WOW! some truth and a lot of ignorance. Research the symbols and what they really stand for before you modern religious types open your yaps and put your feet in your pie holes.

Answer 9

Hey,

I happen to be a Christian who's into occultism myself, to answer your question, the Star of Bethlehem and pentagram are two separate things (sort of). The Star of Bethlehem doesn't have the interwoven structure, and most Christians see at as something distinct.
But it did likely originate from the pentagram, several religious scholars think so, and, furthermore, the pentagram itself I happen to know, is referenced in at least one published work "symbols" as being taken directly as is into Christian symbolism even though it is thousands of years older than Christ, for the exact reason that you mentioned: the wounds (though usually the 5 wounds I've heard correspond to the hands, feet, and head--crown of thorns--but the center chamber of the pentagram can be taken as the wound from the spear of destiny). Thus, ancient christians it seems accepted the pentagram for a time directly as is, before the church was powerful enough to worry about "cleansing" its' lands of users of magickal arts, to whom the symbol belonged first. Though for the afforementioed reason, I think Christians have right to it as well.
The pentacle however, doesn't have a direct Christian parallel, because it is a pentagram enclosed within a circle, and is a distinct symbol, separate from the pentagram itself, it has different meaning, it specifically represents only the element of earth in many systems including kabbalistic and ceremonial high magick (both of which have major judaic/chrsitian influences) and the tarot. This is likely because in high magick, as well as in natural magick (paganism, withcraft etc.) the pentacle is actually one of the 4 major tools of magickal practice, it is supposed to connect mostly with earth, but it is, more specifically, a representation of all the magician/witch believes to be in existence within the macrocosam (both physical, but more importantly non-physical universe). It is basically equivocal to the computer's key board when your writing, all the letters and notations are there, but it takes the writer (magician) to combine them and get results (perfom magick). Thus, as it is a minature representation of everything, it also includes the other elements too (hence the pentagram) but as it involves the manifestation and physical representation of these aspects, it is still primarily earth. As it is all aspects viewed through the modality of earth.
As to the 5-pointed start of fellowship, I've never heard of that before, but you're right in that in description, in does sound like the inverted pentagram, however I can understand Christians not liking that one, as it has meant both in magickal tradition and elsewhere the subversion of divinity, and as per the wounds of Christ interpretation, the subversion of the divinity of Christ and the sacrifice he made. There, to my knowledge, was only ever at least one (possible 2 or 3) instances in history where a Christian was crucified this way: one of the saints wished to be crucified upside-down because he felt he wasn't worthy of being killed in the same manner as Christ, and thus, it is somewhat in keeping with the afforementioned interpretation as he wasn't trying to subvert Christ, but he was trying to show he was below him, below the divine, and that to be crucifed normally (in his mind) would've been subversive, or insulting to God.
I think that about covers it.

Answer 10

I am Wiccan and I would like to hear some honest, non-judgmental answers from Christians to this question as well.

I firmly believe in the Freedom of Religion and I do not condemn those that practice a different religion than I do. However, it saddens me that the majority of Christians that I have encountered do not feel the same.

To the Christians: please give us an answer to this question without preaching that your way is the only way.

Thank you!