In stark contrast to true worship of God in spirit and truth, many in this world celebrate holidays like Saint Valentine's Day with fleshly practices and lust, directly opposing God's commandments. Historical evidence shows that Valentine's Day originated long before Christianity, tied to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, celebrated on February 14 as a sensuous event honoring Lupercus, a deified hunter. This pagan festival encouraged licentious acts among young people, and despite its immoral nature, it was immensely popular. In the fifth century AD, Roman church leaders incorporated Lupercalia into the church calendar, renaming it Saint Valentine's Day to infuse a Christian element, though the core practices remained largely unchanged. In AD 496, Pope Gelasius officially moved the observance to February 14, urging members to focus on Christian saints rather than pagan deities, yet the festival retained its sensual undertones. Over time, even after the Protestant Reformation diminished the focus on saints, the day reverted to a secular celebration of romantic pairing, still echoing its pagan roots with symbols like Cupid and arrowed hearts. Despite these shifts, February 14 remains a celebration rooted in practices far removed from worshipping the Father in spirit and truth.

February 14 is the feast day of two martyrs named Valentine, a Roman priest and the Bishop of Terni, who lived in the late third century AD. History gives no reason to link either man with romance, and the stories of secret weddings arose centuries after their deaths. The day's real roots lie in the Roman fertility festivals, the Faunalia on February 13 and the Lupercalia on February 15, honoring Faunus and Lupercus, with strange rites involving near-naked priests and the purification of women. The Lupercalia was so important that leading noble families organized it, and it survived Christianity's arrival until Pope Gelasius I replaced it in AD 494 with the Feast of the Purification. That feast was first kept on February 14, then moved to February 2, and the vacated date was filled, apparently arbitrarily, with the two Saint Valentines. Valentine's Day is therefore an ancient pagan festival under a very thin Christian veneer. God repeatedly commands His people to avoid pagan ways and not to worship Him as the nations worship their gods (Exodus 34; Deuteronomy 12:29-32). Those in God's church should therefore decline to keep February 14, politely refusing invitations, and parents should help young children by talking with teachers beforehand. Keeping God's commandments and holy days, rather than the world's holidays, is how His people show love for Him (I John 2:3-5, 15-17).

Valentine's Day, observed annually on February 14, is a significant holiday between Christmas and Easter, falling on a Friday this year. It is widely celebrated and heavily promoted by greeting card companies, confectioners, florists, restaurateurs, and hotel owners across America, with abundant red advertising and imagery of cupids shooting arrows. On the surface, it appears harmless, but its origins are deeply rooted in pagan practices. Historical records indicate that festivals around February 14 predate Christianity by centuries, originating as a Roman fertility and purification feast dedicated to the god Lupercus, associated with wolves, hunting, and fertility. Strange rituals, such as young men or priests whipping women with goat thongs to promote fertility or safe childbirth, were part of these celebrations, possibly linked to the god Faunus, a goat-like figure. The Catholic Church later Christianized this feast in 496, dedicating it to a Saint Valentine, though the exact identity of Valentine—whether a Roman priest or a bishop of Terni from the mid-3rd century—remains unclear. The feast day of Saint Valentine coincided with the pagan Lupercalia, leading to a blending of traditions. Symbols like the heart, once tied to Baal or Nimrod due to linguistic similarities, and Cupid, the son of Venus and god of erotic love, further highlight the pagan remnants within the holiday. For these reasons, Christians are cautioned against celebrating Valentine's Day due to its idolatrous roots and associations with lust and licentiousness.

February 14 is Saint Valentine's Day, a pagan observance that predates Christianity and has always centered on sexual immorality. Pagan Rome began its Lupercalia festival on the evening of February 14, leading into February 15, in honor of Lupercus, the deified hero-hunter of wolves, who is of the same origin as Pan and Baal and is linked to Nimrod. The festival encouraged licentious acts among young people and was tied to Venus, goddess of sexual love, and her son Cupid. In AD 496 Pope Gelasius Christianized Lupercalia by renaming it St. Valentine's Day and moving it from the 15th to the 14th, so that the masses would center on saints instead of pagan gods. This syncretism, blending pagan customs with Christian ones to win converts, was the Roman church's method of growth. When Protestants dropped the saints, the day remained as popular and pagan as ever, with Cupid, arrowed hearts and lots still in place. God forbids mixing pagan customs with His worship (Deuteronomy 12:29-31), and Paul likens such mixing to fellowship with demons (I Corinthians 10:19-21). God also commands the removal of all vestiges of paganism, not merely from worship, so calling the day secular is no excuse. No true Christian would want to be someone's Valentine or wish anyone a Happy Valentine's Day, because God's people worship in spirit and truth and speak the truth in love, not lust.