Anyone who is even remotely familiar with the Old Testament can tell you that Israel has always had a rather frosty relationship with Egypt. "I am the God who brought you out of Egypt" (Exodus 20:2), and "You shall not return that way again." (Deuteronomy 17:16). It's safe to say that if Israel ever had anything to do with the paganism of Egypt, God wouldn't be too happy about it. One aspect of pagan worship in Egypt was the use of a sistrum in the worship of Hathor. Sistrums are percussion instruments featuring a handle, upon which the goddess Hathor would often feature. But in 2 Samuel 6:5, David and Israel use sistrums to worship God.
In the Church today, we have many disputes. Is karate ok? Yoga? Rock music? Halloween? Even Christmas often falls under attack due to the pagan origins of much of its symbolism. But here's a fact that must be acknowledged within the Church: It is possible to Christianise pagan things.
Just as David and Israel were not worshipping Hathor with their sistrums, so also can we worship God with all the things listed above, and all the things which are not listed above but are still disputed. In Romans 14:4, we are told that it is not our place to judge our fellow servants of God. God is able to make us stand, so whatever you eat/drink, whatever holidays you celebrate, whatever exercise routines or martial arts you perform, whatever hobbies you have, whatever music you like, all of these things, and more, can be used for the glory of God, and no one has the right to judge you.
I've seen Christians bicker like dogs over a chew toy over a range of issues like this. Even this article was inspired by a recent discussion I saw over yoga, in which one Christian urged another to pray about their practice of yoga, insisting that even if a yoga practitioner is reciting and meditating on Bible verses, they are still practising Hinduism.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is how Satan creeps into our midst. If he can get us to argue over silly things, even to the point where we read our own personal opinions into scripture and act as if they were inspired by God Himself, we're not dealing with the real issues. We're not seeking good doctrine or opposing bad doctrine. We're not preaching the Gospel or opposing false gospels. We're tearing each other down instead of building each other up. And the unbelieving world looks at that and says "what makes that religion any better than the others?"
If the Church must divide, let it not divide between acceptable and acceptable. Let it divide between the sheep and the wolves in sheep's clothing. Let it divide between those who truly seek to learn and proclaim God's word and those who merely want to put Christ's name on their own religion of self. Let it divide between the body of Christ and the thorns that pierced His scalp. Put aside these pathetic arguments and let's unite to bring Him the glory He deserves, whether we personally abstain or indulge in things which the word does not condemn.