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Ken,
The Church did, in fact, adopt some cultural elements into Her practices
of pagan societies, however that is not the same thing as saying the Church
adopted pagan practices.
We have the first example of this in the Books of Acts in Chapter 17.
Here St. Paul is preaching to a Greek audience and makes his Gospel
presentation to the Greeks by pointing to their religious practices.
He points out that they are so religious that they even had an altar dedicated
to the un-known God. From there, he goes on to say that this
un-known God is in fact the one true God. St. Paul doesn't quote scripture
to them, because they would be completely unfamiliar with it. Instead,
he quotes one of their own poets who wrote:
"In Him we live and move
and have our being." (Acts 17:28)
Ever since, the Church has used every tool available to communicate the
Gospel.
The arts are a perfect example. The Church uses paintings, icons,
and statues, not as object of worship, but rather as ways of telling the
story and as points of contact that inspire faith.
Later, starting with
the invention of the printing press, the Church used technology to promote
the Gospel. Today, the Church uses:
- television
- radio, and
- the internet
all of which were invented for secular purposes, but Holy Mother Church
uses all things for the Glory of God and to advance the Gospel.
Hope this helps,
John DiMascio
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