Sororities and Fraternities

The following video is 'not' own by 'End Tine Discernment Ministries'. It is provided to assist those who are seeking the truth about Greek Letter Organizations from a Biblical world view by providing further relevant information. This does not mean an endorsement of all content in this video.

Are those who profess to be Christian and are part of an organization that uses pagan iconography, practices, and beliefs based on the gods of paganism guilty of syncretism?

Syncretism Defined

Syncretism is the blending of distinct beliefs, traditions, or schools of thought into a combined system. The term is often used in religious contexts, were elements from different faiths, philosophical ideology or cultural practices merge to form new expressions of belief.

Syncretism Practiced and Its Impact

In its practice, within the church, it's used as a tool of Satan and fallen humanity to create another avenue for 'Doctrines of Demons' to mislead God's people. It reshapes Christian beliefs and practices. In its impact, Biblical Christianity loses its unique nature and speaks with a tone that reflects the world's system of wisdom rather than the wisdom of God, as found in the word of God. Some attempt to combine Biblical truth with either the belief systems and practices of Free Masonry, Greek letter organizations, Yoga, New Age beliefs, etc.

A Biblical example of this can be seen in the following passages of Ezekiel along with God's displeasure Ezek 8:3-18

Ezek 8:2-18
2 Then I looked, and behold, a form that had the appearance of a man. Below what appeared to be his waist was fire, and above his waist was something like the appearance of brightness, like gleaming metal.
3 He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy.
4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley.
5 Then he said to me, “Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy.
6 And he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see still greater abominations.”
7 And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall.
8 Then he said to me, “Son of man, dig in the wall.” So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance.
9 And he said to me, “Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.”
10 So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel.
11 And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up.
12 Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’ ”
13 He said also to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”
14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? You will see still greater abominations than these.”
16 And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the LORD. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east.
17 Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their nose.
18 Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.” (English Standard Version )

These passages in Ezekiel reveal at lease 4 things as it relates to Greek Letter organizations:

1. In this great vision Ezekiel finds himself transported to the temple in Jerusalem. There he is shown the dire state of Israelite religion. The very temple grounds themselves are used for pagan practices of Egyptian idolatries into which the covenant-people had relapsed, practicing them in secret places
2. There was the practice of syncretism by combining different systems of philosophical and religious belief and practice. (OT Judaism and Egyptian Paganism). Just like those in Ezekiel day who intermingle different systems of philosophical and religious belief and practice, those within GLO(s) are guilty of the same idolatry as the Israelites of old through their practice of syncretism.
3. God considers such practices as offensive and provocative (Ezek 8:17) and a clear violation of the first commandment(Ex 20:1-3)
4. One who participates in practices that involves pagan gods and their world view belief system are under the wrath of God (Ezek 8:18)

Though crave idols may or maynot be in part of the GLO organizations, they are non the less present other forms of art work such as the organization crest.

Is 42:8 I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.

F=Fraternity S=Sorority	Name	Shield	Patron Deities(s)
S	Alpha Kappa Alpha	10	Atlas In Greek mythology, the Titan Atlas was responsible for bearing the weight of the heavens on his shoulders, a burden given to him as punishment by Zeus. …Atlas was also known as a wise man and the founder of astronomy With a name perhaps conveying the meaning 'suffering' or 'very enduring,' Atlas was the son of the Titans Iapetus and Clymene (or Themis) and the elder brother of Epimetheus, Menoetius, and Prometheus. Atlas was the father of the nymph Calypso and the seven Pleiades. In a Theban version of events, Atlas is also the grandfather of Niobe.1 In many works of art he was represented as carrying the heavens (in Classical art from the 6th century BCE) or the celestial globe (in Hellenistic and Roman art).2
S	Delta Sigma Theta	11	Minerva / Athena Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom, medicine, commerce, handicrafts, poetry, the arts in general, and later, war. In many ways similar to the Greek goddess Athena, she had important temples in Rome and was patron of the Quinquatras festival. She was the daughter of Jupiter, from whose head she was born, the goddess was first worshipped in Rome as one of the Capitoline Triad along with Jupiter and Juno.3 Sorority Crest Make Up The crimson and cream composition includes: -Minerva (the emblem), the goddess of wisdom, atop the shield -Shield, bearing the torch, the sword, the staff, and the D S T -The Sword, represents truth, part of Minerva's symbolism -The Staff represents intelligent leadership -Laurel Wreath is the symbol of achievement, mark of honor, fame, distinction, glory, and victory as used by all the Greeks 10
S	Zeta Phi Beta	12	Egyptian cat-headed goddess, Bastet is the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women's secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She protected the home from evil spirits and disease, especially diseases associated with women and children. As with many deities in Egyptian religion, she also played a role in the afterlife. She is sometimes depicted as a guide and helper to the dead although this was not one of her primary duties. She was the daughter of the sun god Ra and is associated with the concept of the Eye of Ra (the all-seeing eye) and the Distant Goddess (a female deity who leaves Ra and returns to bring transfromation). Bastet was one of the most popular deities of ancient. 4
S	Sigma Gamma Rho	13	Ma’at Ma'at (pronounced may-et) is the ancient Egyptian goddess of truth, justice, harmony, and balance (a concept known as ma'at in Egyptian) who first appears during the period known as the Old Kingdom (c. 2613 - 2181 BCE) but no doubt existed in some form earlier. She is depicted in anthropomorphic form as a winged woman, often in profile with an ostrich feather on her head, or simply as a white ostrich feather. The feather of Ma'at was an integral part of the Weighing of the Heart of the Soul ceremony in the afterlife where the heart of the soul of the dead person was weighed in the scales of justice against the feather.5
F	Tri Delta (Delta Delta, Delta)	14	Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea and rivers, creator of storms and floods, and the bringer of earthquakes and destruction. He was perhaps the most disruptive of all the ancient gods but he was not always a negative force. He was a protector to mariners and, as a tamer of horses, the patron of that animal and horse breeding. To the Romans, he was known as Neptune. 6
F	Alpha Phi Alpha	15	Sphinx  Egyptian Sphinxes A sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a lion, most often with a human head and sometimes with wings. The creature was an Egyptian invention and had a male head - human or animal; however, in Greek mythology, the creature had the head of a woman. The sphinx is also present in the art and sculpture of the Mycenaean, Assyrian, Persian and Phoenician civilizations. They usually wore a nemes (head-dress) as worn by Pharaohs. Examples exist of sphinxes with human faces but surrounded by a lion's mane, particularly from Nubia, and in the New Kingdom the head was sometimes that of a ram and representative of Amun.( Egyptian god of the sun and air) The Sphinx in Classical Greece In contrast to the Egyptian view, the sphinx of Greek mythology was a more troublesome creature and the most famous myth involving a sphinx is that of the Theban prince Oedipus: The territory of Thebes in Greece was terrorized by a sphinx and Hesiod tells us in his Theogony that the creature was born from the Chimaera (a fire-breathing monster with three heads and a body part lion, goat, snake and dragon) and was sister to the Nemean lion and half-sister of Kerberos (the three-headed dog that guarded Hades). The sphinx created drought and famine and would only leave the Thebans alone if they solved her riddle. …Anyone who dared to answer the riddle and failed to do so correctly was killed and devoured by the sphinx. In ancient Greek culture, the first sphinxes to appear in sculpture appeared from the 7th century BCE…From the 6th century BCE, the Greek sphinx appeared in stone sculpture, sometimes with raised hind quarters. These sculptures were used as votive offerings, usually perched atop tall Ionic or Doric columns and placed at sanctuary sites such as Delphi and Olympia. One of the most famous sphinxes was discovered at Delphi; originally sat on a 10m high Ionic column, it had been dedicated to the oracle by the Naxians around 560 BCE. In gratitude for the dedication, the priests of Apollo gave citizens of Naxos the privilege of priority (promanteia) when consulting the oracle. 7
F	Kappa Alpha Psi	16	Apollo Apollo was a major Greek god associated with the bow, music, and divination. The epitome of youth and beauty, source of life and healing, patron of the arts, and as bright and powerful as the sun itself, Apollo was, arguably, the most loved of all the gods. He was worshipped at Delphi and Delos, amongst the most famous of all Greek religious sanctuaries.8 Masonic hand shake
F	Omega Psi Phi	17	Anubis -Anubis is the Egyptian god of mummification and the afterlife as well as the patron god of lost souls and the helpless. He is one of the oldest gods of Egypt, who most likely developed from the earlier (and much older) jackal god Wepwawet with whom he is often confused. … He is depicted as a black canine, a jackal-dog hybrid with pointed ears, or as a muscular man with the head of a jackal. The color black was chosen for its symbolism, not because Egyptian dogs or jackals were black. Black symbolized the decay of the body as well as the fertile soil of the Nile River Valley which represented regeneration and life. The powerful black canine, then, was the protector of the dead who made sure they received their due rights in burial and stood by them in the life after death to assist their resurrection. The name "Anubis" is the Greek form of the Egyptian Anpu (or Inpu) which meant "to decay" signifying his early association with death. 9
F	Iota Phi Theta	18	Centaur - A centaur was a creature from Greek mythology which was half-man and half-horse. The head, arms and torso of a centaur were human and joined at the waist to the body and legs of a horse. They represented barbarism and unbridled chaos and were frequently represented in Greek architectural sculpture and pottery decoration. Note the following as found on a "Iota Phi Theta" web site. "...THE CENTAUR: Besides the Fraternity Shield, the next most readily identifying symbol of Iota Phi Theta is The Centaur. A Mythical beast with the head and torso of a man, and the body of a stallion, The Centaur is near and dear to all Men of Iota Phi Theta and its mythology, characteristics, and legacy are a binding force within the Brotherhood. Additionally, Iota Phi Theta intakees are referred to as Centaurs..." see source

According to the Bible the very use of pagan deities is an affront to God. It is a clear violation of the first of the Ten commandments in Exodus.

Ex 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

The first of the ten commandments is basic to the nine that follow it. It sets forth an expectation of absolute priority, a first and fundamental requirement of those who desire to enter into the covenant relationship with Yahweh. Exod 20:3 reads, literally:

“It (or There) is not to be to you (singular) other gods in my Presence.”

The singular verb and the singular subject and indirect object, along with the plural direct object, “gods,” make the application of the command unmistakably clear. There is not to be even one other god (Exod 34:14 even reduces “other gods” to the singular אל אחר), each single member of the covenant community(believers) is specifically involved, and there is no place where this expectation is invalid, since there is no place from which Yahweh’s Presence is barred (so Ps 139). Durham, J. I. (1987). Exodus (Vol. 3, p. 284). Word, Incorporated.

Based on the first of the Ten Commandments, the use of Pagan deities for any purpose is a violation of that commandment.

2 Co 6:16–18
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”  New King James Version

See the follwing articles:

Black Greek-letter Organizations : Belief, Truth, and Positive Organizational Deviance

For those who are professing Christians it is imperative that one's life has a focus on living by God's word -  alone (Deut 8:3, Matt 4:3-4). One must not be deceived into taking lightly the joining of any organization or group. One should pursue the will of God for one's life to "ensure" the best for a life that brings glory to God. The benefits of such a pursuit will have rewards even in eternity. For eternity is God's focus and should be ours. Our bodies and minds must be completely devoted to God according to the word of God so that we may prove what the will of God is. Notice what Paul says in the following passage in Romans:

Rom 12:1-2
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

As Christian's we are commanded to:

1. prove all things
2. abstain from all evil (1Thess 5:21-22)
3. test the spirits (teachers) (1 John 4:1)

Testing and proving is not just limited to things pertaining to the church but to where ever we find ourselves in the culture. A failure to do so would be in direct disobedience to the word of God and reflect a lack of spiritual discernment and maturity (Heb 5:13-14) or worse yet, it would cast doubts on whether or not one truly has a relationship with Christ.

The believer (1 Cor. 2:14) has the responsibility and ability to do this, though some have more discernment than others (Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1).

What is discovered to be good i.e. in harmony with what has been given by the Holy Spirit in the Word) should be retained (1Thess 5:22). On the other hand counterfeit teaching and living should be rejected and avoided. Paul broadened his warning by saying, "every kind and form of evil should be avoided".

Spiritual maturity and discernment is vital as we engage in spiritual warfare (Eph 6:10-12). It is imperative that one understand that Satan doesn't limited himself to just the affairs of church in the life of the believer but will attack the believer in any area he can gain a strong hold, to render them ineffective for the cause of Christ.

Therefore it's important that one is actively cautious, watchful and vigilant in light of the prowling of Satan as he seeks opportunities to attack.(1Pet 5:8) It is important that one be not ignorant of his schemes, Satan does and can disguise himself as an angel of light and his servants as servants of righteousness (2Cor 11:14-15). This is why it's paramount that one understands that good works alone is not the ultimate validation and barometer of truth.

The true believer must be fully prepared to engage in spiritual warfare by clothing themselves with the full armor our God. (Eph 6:11,13). This will enable you to recognize and resist in the evil day that all those who are born again will encounter, count on it.

Practice Bilical Separation

2 Cor 6:14-17
14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Paul is not giving an injunction against all associations with unbelievers (1Cor 5:9-11; 10:27). Paul encourage the Christian believer who is married to a non Christian to remain in the marriage as long as possible (1Cor 7:12-16).

This is forbidding the forming of “close” attachment to the unbeliever, thus Paul uses the Greek word for bound, (translated "unequal yoking in the NKJV) .”heterozugeo” which means to come under an unequal or different yoke; a mismatched. This is forbidding the forming of “close” attachment to the unbeliever, thus Paul uses the Greek word for bound, (translated "unequal yoking in the NKJV) .”heterozugeo” which means to come under an unequal or different yoke; a mismatched. It is often necessary to indicate somewhat more precisely the manner in which one may be wrongly matched with others. Accordingly, one can translate 2 Cor 6.14 as ‘do not attempt to work together with those who are unbelievers’ or ‘do not become partners with those who do not believe.’ [10] The figure of speech of "unequal yoking "(NKJV) is based on the command found in Deuteronomy 22:10. that prohibited the yoking of an ox and an ass for plowing, and also on Leviticus 19:19 where the cross breeding of animals of a different species is forbidden. To be "unequally yoked" or "bound" with those involved in idolatry and heathenism would have resulted in compromise of beliefs, standards, goals and a "single minded devotion to God." Paul further drives his point home when he says, "...what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness or what fellowship has light with darkness" The Greek word for "partnership is metoche which is a relationship involving shared purposes and activity. [10] This partnership is seen in the relationship context of those who are unequally yoked, which is described as "righteousness, Greek dikaiosynē" (those who do right according to God's word and "lawlessness, Greek anomia" (those who are against the law; wrong doing, committers of sinful acts) being bound together. The same unholy union is explicitly implied in Paul's metaphoric question ,..." what fellowship has light with darkness" To be "unequally yoked" or "bound" with those involved in idolatry and heathenism would have resulted in compromise of beliefs, standards, goals and a "single minded devotion to God." Paul further drives his point home when he says, "...what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness or what fellowship has light with darkness" The Greek word for "partnership is metoche which is a relationship involving shared purposes and activity.[10] This partnership is seen in the relationship context of those who are unequally yoked, which is described as "righteousness, Greek dikaiosynē" (those who do right according to God's word and "lawlessness, Greek anomia" (those who are against the law; wrong doing, committers of sinful acts) being bound together. The same unholy union is explicitly implied in Paul's metaphoric question ,..." what fellowship has light with darkness"

Deut 13:6–8
6 “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known,
7 some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other,
8 you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. (ESV)

The appeal to "worship other gods" directly violated the second commandment, which prohibits both the existence of "other gods" (Deut 5:7) and their "worship" (Deut 5:9). Those who encouraged the worship of these other gods were to be ignored (Deut 13:8); instead, they were to be put to death without exception. (Deut 13:9).
The punishment reflects the gravity of the crime: a blatant act of defiance against the ruler who freed his people from foreign dominion and oppression from false gods to make them his cherished possession. Although we do not impose the death penalty today, failure to repent leads to eternal death in the lake of fire.

See the follwing articles:

Black Greek-letter Organizations : Belief, Truth, and Positive Organizational Deviance

See the follwing articles:

Black Greek-letter Organizations : Belief, Truth, and Positive Organizational Deviance