Palm Bay Commemorates Diwali: Can Christians Celebrate?
In the past month, the Hindu celebration of Diwali was raised to national prominence as President Trump hosted a ceremony commemorating the festival at the White House. The occasion signals a growing influence of Indian-Americans in the administration, including FBI Director Kash Patel and AI policy advisor Sriram Krishnan, who were both pictured at the event.
Remarks by President Trump at Diwali Ceremonial Lighting of the Diya at the White House
Diwali also came to prominence here in Brevard County when the Palm Bay City Government shared a post on Facebook acknowledging the celebration. The post included photos of Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe and Councilman Mike Hammer participating in the ceremony, with a caption celebrating the “beauty and traditions of Diwali.”
But can we as Christians faithfully celebrate Diwali? While we can appreciate the beauty and humanity expressed in the cultures of the world, the explicitly religious nature of the Indian holiday is cause for concern.
Diwali, which means Festival of Lights, celebrates the victory of Dharma over Adharma, or light over darkness, and is tied to the worship of various deities within the Hindu pantheon. The celebration shown in the City of Palm Bay’s post took place at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in Melbourne. In the photos, Hammer and Jaffe can be seen pouring offerings over a gold idol. Other practices commonly associated with the festival include food offerings, ceremonial purifications, and the recitation of religious mantras. There is no escaping the explicitly pagan and devotional nature of this holy day.
As Christians, we recognize a great diversity of cultural traditions, and historic churches across the world preserve the unique customs of their peoples while ordering those practices toward the worship of the one true God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Ancient churches in Egypt, Greece, Ethiopia, Russia, and even India—where tradition holds that St. Thomas the Apostle planted one of the earliest Christian churches—stand as a testament to Christianity’s universality in embracing all peoples and all cultures.
But the Word of God is clear: Christians cannot participate in the religious practices of false gods. The Apostle Paul's warning in 1 Corinthians 10 is especially emphatic: “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.”
As Christians, we must hold our leaders accountable. Are they representing our communities with the justice and truth revealed in Christ Jesus? If not, we have questions to ask.
— Christians of Brevard is a multi-church initiative that seeks to amplify the voices of local churches and ministries for the purpose of encouraging the local body of Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God. Join our Facebook community @ChristiansOfBrevard
