Bible Discussion Thread

Are candle lighting ceremonies scriptural?

I'm not sure what you mean by a ceremony . The best thing that you can do to develope your faith and trust in God is to read your Bible and say your prayers to Him through Christ . If there is something specific that you and a group of people want , you could gather together and say a prayer together perhaps ? I'm not convinced that God requires any ceremonies from us but I'm sure that He is very willing to listen to an open hearted prayer and blesses us when we are trying to draw closer to Him through reading His word . For me , we can't go wrong with reading His Word and praying to Him .

Lighting lamps was common in the Scripture. It was part of the service of the Levites in their priestly work in the tabernacle and Temple. The ten virgins in Jesus' parable had lamps that burned oil. The Israelites carried torches in prarades, marches, etc.

Candles burn wax which has a certain amount of oil in them. So-they are really not that different. essentially. Scripture does not say specifically not to burn candles or use them in worship. So, for me, if it is meaningful to one, I think it is fine to do so. But then again. I am not aware of candle lighting ceremonies or worship of pagans. They may be part of some pagan religious rites. But, then, pagans pray to their idols, should we not pray? Pagans sing songs in their worship, should we not sing? Pagans bow to their idols, should we not kneel or bow before God?

I think that each person should pray about whether using candles is a good thing to do for them. it may be good for some and not so much for others, depending upon one's prior experiences in non-Christian religious practices or lack of such experiences. For me, I was always involved in Christian religious practices, so I view many of these through the lens of how they help me understand who God is, how I can worship Him sincerely, and how it represents scriptural spiritual realities.