I have seen it many times, both in person and online, where someone will boldly claim that that "carnival" means "meat for Baal" and that these events (carnivals) were pagan practices where people would sacrifice animals to Baal and participate in many sexually immoral acts in praise and worship to Baal. From this mistaken belief, well-meaning but misinformed (and often ignorant) Christians often conclude that anyone participating in a carnival—whether it's a cultural parade, a family-friendly fair, or a community event—is somehow engaging in Baal worship or approving of sin.
This belief is a myth and a misconception rooted in fear and ignorance that ultimately leads to legalism in the body of Christ, putting an ungodly burden on His people. While believers are indeed called to be separate (holy) before God, there is no historical or linguistic link to the word carnival and worship of Baal.
Yes, we are called to be separate. Yes, we are called to holiness. But we are also called to walk in truth—and truth doesn’t come from conspiracy posts or made up etymologies (origins of words). It comes from God's Word and sound understanding of the same. Let's look at this in a bit more detail.
Who is Baal?
Baal is the name of a Canaanite deity that appears in the Bible numerous times. He is one of the many idols to which the people of Israel would turn to worship many times throughout its history. Examples are found all throughout the Old Testament (e.g. Judges 2:11–13, Jeremiah 19:5, Numbers 25:3–5).
According to the Lexham Bible Dictionary, Baal was “the Canaanite storm god and bringer of rain. Chief of the Canaanite pantheon…His followers often believed that sexual acts performed in his temple would boost Baal’s sexual prowess, and thus contribute to his work in increasing fertility.” Like many ancient cultures and religions, the cult of Baal included religious prostitution in their worship and, in many instances, child sacrifice (1 Kings 18).
Apart from the obvious idolatry, such immoral sexual practices were an abomination to the one true God, YHWH.
Rightly so, if anyone were to sacrifice meat in an offering to Baal, this would be idolatrous and, therefore, sinful.
Does the word "carnival" mean "meat for Baal"?
TLDR: NO.
According to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, it means "a season or festival of merrymaking before Lent" or "an instance of merrymaking, feasting, or masquerading". In regards to the etymology (origins of the word), the website says, "Italian carnevale, alteration of earlier carnelevare, literally, removal of meat, from carne flesh (from Latin carn-, caro) + levare to remove, from Latin, to raise." So, again, no. Carnival does not mean meat to Baal.
This word was used before Lent in Medieval Europe, during which they would hold “carnivals” which were basically festivals for the purpose of literally removing and using up meat, which was prohibited during the Lenten season fast.
Where does the “meat to Baal” idea even come from?
Honestly, there’s several reasons that I can think of and the first and most obvious one is that it is literally a play on words.
- The “carni” part of the word “carnival” sounds like carne which, in some languages, means meat.
- The “val” part of the word could sound like “bal” or “Baal”.
When you put the two together, it would seem to mean “meat Baal” or “meat for Baal”. However, other than the sounds and pronunciation of the words, there is no true link between carnival and meat for Baal.
This leads me to a second thought for where this idea may come from— a scripturally uninformed desire to be spiritual. As believers, we want so much to please God that we often fall into the trap of over-spiritualizing every facet of life, labeling anything that isn’t explicitly Christian as demonic or pagan.
This especially happens when believers acquire information but do not test it against verifiable historical evidence and against Scripture— they create a doctrine or a belief based on their limited knowledge and false assumptions based on that knowledge.
This mindset often confuses discernment with fear, and substitutes real spiritual maturity with suspicion.
But this is not biblical teaching! This is not biblical thinking! What does the Bible say about these things?
2 Tim 1:7— For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Fear leads to false conclusions and spiritual paranoia. God calls us to walk in power, love, and sound mind, not superstition. Therefore, we must analyze all teachings that we hear against the Word of God.
Christians ought to be as the Bereans in Acts 17:10-11 who tested the words of Paul and Silas to ensure that the message they were receiving lined up with Scripture.
Acts 17:10-11— 10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
This moves us into my third thought for this question— this idea is common in legalistic circles where rules are made to avoid the appearance of sin, not sin itself. It often leads to binding people’s consciences with things God never commanded— which is exactly what Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for (Matthew 15:9). When a congregation becomes focused on law (what to do and what not to do) instead of faith and grace, it tends to start burdening believers with rules and regulations that are not commanded in Scripture, and they will use incorrect information, such as our topic today of carnival = meat for Baal, to justify their legalistic doctrines.
(Much more can be said about this but we can reserve that for another post)
So to summarize, where does the idea that carnival = meat for Baal come from?
- It is literally a play on words.
- It stems from a scripturally uninformed desire to be spiritual.
- This idea is common in legalistic circles (likely where the idea originated).
So, if carnival doesn’t mean “meat for Baal” and there is no historical link between this word and Baal worship, where does that leave us?
It leaves us to look at the real issue behind these types of false teachings in the church— the question of whether Christians should participate in things that seem worldly or culturally rooted.
How should Christians approach matters of conscience and Christian liberty?
In the New Testament, we see this exact problem addressed on several occasions, as the Apostles tried to clarify the issue in their day. Let’s look at one or two passages of Scripture to address our question today.
The first passage that I want us to look at today is in 1 Corinthians 8. For the sake of space, I will not paste the entire text, and encourage you to read it in full.
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Back from reading the passage?
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If so, let’s continue!
In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul gives instructions on how we should exercise our Christian liberty, specifically in regards to food sacrificed to idols, which speaks very closely to our topic today— Does “carnival” mean “meat for Baal”?
Among many of the issues that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians, one of the problems facing that church at Corinth was regarding Christian liberty, in particular, when it came to eating food sacrificed to idols. There were some people at Corinth who could not, in good conscience, participate in meals and eat foods that were sacrificed to idols.
In the ancient Greek and Roman cultures, temples were central to civic and religious life, where they would offer animal sacrifices to the gods and throw the animals into the flames. The sacrifices were always happening, whether during festivals, public ceremonies, and in private rituals. After part of the meat was burned on the altar, the rest was often given to the priests, served at temple feasts, or sold in the marketplaces, meaning that much of the meat in public circulation had connections to idol worship.
Not only were festivals held for worship of the gods, but in almost every household, there were shrines to “family gods” or “ancestral spirits”. As a routine practice, during the meal times of the day, it was common for a portion of a person’s plate to be offered to the family gods as a form of reverence. In some cases, they believed that these gods also were hungry and needed to be fed as well.
This is the context of the culture in which the Corinthian church found itself. Many (weak) believers there struggled in their conscience to eat idol worship meat, and were grieved in their conscience when other (strong) believers would eat freely without conviction.
How does the Apostle Paul handle it?
In 1 Corinthians 8:1-6, Paul introduces this concern in his letter, and points out that, indeed, “an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one (LSB).” And, though there are kings, rulers, and gods in this earth, the only one true Lord above all who has any real power is God, through whom are all things. With this, he affirms that the strong believers are not sinning if, in good conscience, they eat meat sacrificed to idols. Verse 8 says, “But food will not commend us to God. We neither lack if we do not eat, nor abound if we do eat.”
In verse 7, Paul writes— “However, not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.” And then in verse 9-11— “9 But see to it that this authority of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be built up to eat things sacrificed to idols? 11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died.”
Strong believers need to take care to not be a stumbling block for weak believers. A strong believer who allows their liberty to serve as a stumbling block for a weak believer commits sin as well. Verse 12— “And in that way, by sinning against the brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.”
The second passage I want us to look at is in Romans 14. I encourage you to read the full chapter but we will just look at a couple of verses.
Romans 14:1-5— Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on opinions. 2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 The one who eats must not view the one who does not eat with contempt, and the one who does not eat must not judge the one who eats, for God accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person judges one day above another, another judges every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
Contrary to what many Christians believe, not everything is either morally good or morally bad. There exists what is called matters of conscience, also called questions of indifference. These are things in which a Christian may or may not participate, depending on their understanding of it through a Biblical Holy Spirit guided lens. We must be guided and filled by the Holy Spirit and the Sacred Scriptures to address the nuances that come with these concerns.
In verse 1, when Paul says accept the one who is weak in faith, he is referring to someone who, though they are not prohibited from doing something, cannot, in their conscience, participate in such action.
Paul goes on to give us an example in verse 2—”One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.”
We see here the example of two people, let’s call them John and James for this example.
- John has no problem eating all kinds of foods— fish, pork, shellfish, beef, etc. He can eat these without a guilty conscience and is grateful to God for the provision.
- James, however, believes that eating meat is wrong, and eats only vegetables. He believes that he would somehow dishonor God by eating meat, and cannot eat meat without violating his conscience.
Morally speaking, neither John nor James would be committing a sin. John is not committing a sin by eating meat and James is not committing a sin for not eating meat and sticking to vegetables. In this example, the “weak one in faith” (that Paul refers to in verse 1) is James.
This is not to say that John is better than James! They are both saved through faith in Christ. However, they are at different stages of spiritual maturity (John being the more spiritually mature).
This example illustrates that for some people, it is more difficult to fully embrace the freedom from Christ in regards to these matters of conscience.
Now, in many cases, these matters are contentious, and can cause division over each individual’s opinions. For this reason, Paul says in verse 3— “The one who eats must not view the one who does not eat with contempt, and the one who does not eat must not judge the one who eats, for God accepted him.”
Often, “weak” believers will judge the “strong” believers for being able to embrace certain aspects of Christ’s freedom which they themselves find offensive or uncomfortable. Because their conscience will not allow them to do something, they (wrongly) presume that others should also not do it. This is called legalism— when personal convictions are elevated to personal rules.
But there’s a flip side to this coin— strong believers can grow resentful toward weaker brothers when they constantly feel pressured to restrain their liberty for the sake of someone else’s conscience. If that pressure is pushed too often or too harshly, it can lead to frustration, even contempt, as the stronger believer begins to feel spiritually policed rather than encouraged.
Therefore, Paul commands both the weak and the strong to show grace and consider one another. In verse 4 he says— “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”
In other words, we are not the final judge— God is.
When it comes to our personal convictions, Paul gives this instruction in verse 5— “Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.” We are accountable before the Lord for how we walk according to our conscience, and we must not force our convictions on others where Scripture grants liberty.
“It is spiritually perilous to act contrary to one’s conscience even if the conscience is weak and forbids what God Himself permits. (Reformation Study Bible)”
On to answering our central question today…
Can Christians attend carnivals—and by extension, festivals and other cultural celebrations—today?
In light of what we have discussed. The answer is: it depends.
As with many spiritual questions, this is often a matter of consciousness, discernment, Christian freedom and liberty, and our conduct amongst unbelievers.
In our example for today, regarding carnivals and festivals, we can apply these principles by taking a few things into consideration. I will outline them in no particular order of importance.
First, we should ask, what is the purpose of the festival? Is it in worship of an idol? Does participating in the festival directly cause you to worship an idol or commit any other type of sin? If so, then it would be best to avoid attending the festival. In other cases, it may be something as simple as a food carnival, where they have a mix of different cultures and foods and your typical carnival events and rides. In those cases, I don’t see why attending would be a problem.
Secondly, we should consider the biblical principles when applied to this case. Will attending the carnival tempt or lead you to sin in any way? If so, avoid it. It may be that the carnival itself does not lead you to temptation or sin, but there might be some activity in there that does tempt you. In that case, if you are aware of that activity, avoid the location where that activity is taking place within the carnival.
Another question to ask here would be, can I attend the carnival and also honor God with my presence there? We are called to honor God in all that we do. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Thirdly, we should consider the consciences of our brethren in Christ. For this, simply consider what you know about the believers around you, and what they may have some apprehension about. Do not be a stumbling block to your brothers in Christ. Instead, the stronger and more mature believers need to instruct the weaker brothers and disciple them so that they can make decisions that are informed by a proper understanding of Scripture.
God bless and leave any comments or questions you may have!
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