There is
no Biblical
warrant, precedent, nor precept for remembrance of the day of Christ's birth as
a day of special religious celebration. This is not to say that we
shouldn't remember Christ's birth and its significance, but for religious
commemorations or celebrations, we must have Biblical command or precedent! The
fact of the matter is this -- the early church did not celebrate
Christ's birth, but such celebration only came into the church with the
"Christianization" of pagan rites as Catholicism was made the state religion by
Constantine in the fourth century A.D. Since the Word of God does not
support the tradition of Christmas, a Christian's conscience ought not
and must not be bound.
The following outline describes the origin of Christmas (with its associated
pagan customs, symbols, and terminology), details the Scriptural support against celebrating Christmas, attempts to show that celebrating
Christmas violates the spirit of every one of the ten commandments, attempts to
demonstrate that celebrating Christmas does not fall in the realm
of Christian liberty, and attempts to debunk eight of the major rationalizations
Christians put forth for celebrating Christmas.
I. The Origin of Christmas
A. A Long Evolution -- Christmas customs are an evolution from
times long before the Christian period -- a descent from seasonal, pagan,
religious, and national practices, hedged about with legend and tradition. Their
seasonal connections with the pagan feasts of the winter solstice
relate them to ancient times, when many of the earth's inhabitant's were sun
worshipers. As the superstitious pagans observed the sun gradually moving south
in the heavens and the days growing shorter, they believed the sun was departing
never to return. To encourage the sun's return north (i.e., to give the winter
sun god strength and to bring him back to life again), the sun gods were
worshipped with elaborate rituals and ceremonies, including the building of
great bonfires, decorating with great evergreen plants such as holly, ivy, and
mistletoe, and making representations of summer birds as house decorations. The
winter solstice, then, was the shortest day of the year, when the sun seemingly
stood still in the southern sky. Observing the slowdown in the sun's southward
movement, and its stop, the heathen believed that their petitions to it had been
successful. A time of unrestrained rejoicing broke out, with revelry, drinking,
and gluttonous feasts. Then, when the pagans observed the sun moving again
northward, and a week later were able to determine that the days were growing
longer, a new year was proclaimed.
B. Not Among the Earliest Christian Festivals -- Christmas was
not among the earliest festivals of the Church. It was not celebrated,
commemorated, or observed, neither by the apostles nor in the apostolic church
-- not for at least the first 300 years of church history! History reveals that
about 440 A.D., the Church at Jerusalem commenced the celebration of Christmas,
following the lead of Roman Catholicism (see I.C.). It was sufficient for the
early Christians that Jesus, their Lord and Savior, had been born. They praised
God that Jesus Christ had, indeed, come in the flesh. The day and the time of
His birth had no relevance to them, because Jesus was no longer physically on
earth. He had returned to heaven. And it was the risen, exalted
Christ to whom they looked, and that by faith -- not a babe laid in a manger.
Jesus Christ is no longer a baby; no longer the
"Christ-child," but the exalted Lord of all. And He does NOT somehow
return to earth as a baby every year at Christmas-time -- though this is
the impression given even in certain hymns sung in Protestant services.
C. The Role of Religion in Ancient Rome -- Seemingly forgotten
is the essential role religion played in the world of ancient Rome. But the
Emperor Constantine understood. By giving official status to Christianity, he
brought internal peace to the Empire. A brilliant military commander, he also
had the genius to recognize that after declaring Christianity the "state"
religion (Constantine forced all the pagans of his empire to be baptized into
the Roman Church), there was need for true union between paganism and
Christianity. The corrupt Roman Church was full of pagans now masquerading as
Christians, all of which had to be pacified. What better way than to
"Christianize" their pagan idolatries. Thus, the Babylonian mystery
religions were introduced by Constantine beginning in 313 A.D. (and
established a foothold with the holding of the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.).
The Constantine-led Roman Church was more than willing to adapt and adopt pagan
practices in order to make Christianity palatable to the heathen. Constantine
used religion as a political tool, totally devoid of any true spirituality:
- Pagan rituals and idols took
on Christian names (e.g., Jesus Christ was presented as the Sun
of Righteousness [Malachi 4:2] replacing the sun god, Sol Invictus
).
- Pagan holidays were
reclassified as Christian holidays (holy-days).
- December 25th was the "Victory
of the Sun-God" Festival in the pagan Babylonian world. In the ancient
Roman Empire, the celebration can be traced back to the Roman festival
Saturnalia, which honored Saturn, the harvest god, and
Mithras, the god of light; both were celebrated during or shortly after
the winter solstice (between the 17th and 23rd of December). To all
ancient pagan civilizations, December 25th was the birthday of the gods
-- the time of year when the days began to lengthen and man was blessed
with a "regeneration of nature." Moreover, all of December 25th's
Babylonian and Roman festivals were characterized by 5-7 day celebration
periods of unrestrained or orgiastic revelry and licentiousness.
December 25th was particularly
important in the cult of Mithras, a popular deity in the Old Roman Empire.
Robert Myers (a proponent for celebrating Christmas) in his book
Celebrations, says:
"Prior to the celebration of
Christmas, December 25th in the Roman world was the Natalis Solis
Invicti, the Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun. This feast, which
took place just after the winter solstice of the Julian calendar, was in
honor of the Sun God, Mithras, originally a Persian deity whose cult
penetrated the Roman world in the first century B.C. ... Besides the
Mithraic influence, other pagan forces were at work. From the seventeenth of
December until the twenty-third, Romans celebrated the ancient feast of the
Saturnalia. ... It was commemorative of the Golden Age of Saturn, the god of
sowing and husbandry."
In order to make Christianity palatable
to the heathen, the Roman Church simply took Saturnalia, adopted it into
Christianity, and then eventually many of the associated pagan symbols, forms,
customs, and traditions were reinterpreted (i.e., "Christianized") in ways
"acceptable" to Christian faith and practice. (In fact, in 375 A.D., the Church
of Rome under Pope Julius I merely announced that the birth date of Christ had
been "discovered" to be December 25th, and was accepted as such by the
"faithful." The festival of Saturnalia and the birthday of Mithras could now be
celebrated as the birthday of Christ!) The pagans flocked into the Catholic
places of worship, because they were still able to worship their old gods, but
merely under different names. It mattered not to them whether they worshiped the
Egyptian goddess mother and her child under the old names (Isis and Horus), or
under the names of the "Virgin Mary" and the "Christ-child." Either way, it was
the same old idol-religion (cf. 1 Thes. 1:8-10; 5:22 -- Paul says to turn from
idols, not rename them and Christianize them).
Roman
Christmas Day is nothing but "baptized" paganism, having come
along much too late to be part of "the faith once
delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3).
D. "Christianization" of Pagan Customs, Symbols, and Terminology
-- Christianity had to undergo a transformation so that pagan Rome could
"convert" without giving up its old beliefs and rituals. The actual effect was
to paganize official Christianity. "'A compound religion had been manufactured,
of which ... Christianity furnished the nomenclature, and Paganism the doctrines
and rights.' The idolatry of the Roman world, though deposed from its ancient
pre-eminence, had by no means been demolished. Instead of this, its pagan
nakedness had been covered with the garb of a deformed Christianity" (W.E.
Vine). Pagan customs involving vestments, candles, incense, images, and
processions were all incorporated into church worship and continue today.
The following customs and traditions associated with Xmas all have pagan/heathen
origins. ("Xmas" is the more preferable form for the day, since it at least
leaves the name of our Savior out of the heathen observance.) Naturally,
Christians would not keep these customs for such evil and perverse reasons, but
the fact of their origins remain -- "the customs of the people are vain" (Jer.
10:3), and should thereby be carefully considered by all who know and love the
Lord:
1. The blasphemous
"Christ's Mass" shortened to "Christ-mas" -- The Roman Catholic
"Christ's Mass" is a special mass performed in celebration of Christ's birth. In
this mass, Jesus is considered both the priest and the victim, represented by
the Catholic priest who offers Him as a sacrifice each time the mass is
performed. In offering this "sacrifice," the priest believes he has the power to
change the bread and the wine of the Communion into Jesus' literal flesh and
blood, requiring the people to worship these elements as they do God Himself.
This is obviously a denial of the gospel, and thereby, a false gospel (a
re-doing of the sacrifice for sin -- Heb. 9:12, 24-26; 10:10,12,14). Yet, many
who cry out all year long against the blasphemous Roman Catholic system, at
year-end embrace Rome's most blasphemous abomination of them all -- Christmas!
2. Nativity Scenes (tainted with paganism) -- Nearly every form
of pagan worship descended from the Babylonian mysteries, which focus attention
on the "mother-goddess" and the birth of her child. This was adapted to
"Mary-Jesus" worship, which then easily accommodated the multitude of pagans
"converted" to Christianity inside Constantine's Roman Catholic Church. If
anyone were to erect statues (i.e., images) of Mary and Joseph by themselves,
many within Protestant circles would cry "Idolatry!" But at Xmas time, an image
of a little baby is placed with the images of Mary and Joseph, and it's called a
"nativity scene." Somehow, the baby-idol "sanctifies" the scene, and it is no
longer considered idolatry! (cf. Exo. 20:4-5a; 32:1-5a; 9-10a).
3. Christmas Tree -- Evergreen trees, because of their ability
to remain green through-out the winter season when most other forms of
vegetation are dormant, have long symbolized immortality, fertility, sexual
potency, and reproduction, and were often brought into homes and set up as
idols.
The full mystical significance of the evergreen can only be understood when one
considers the profound reverence the ancient pagans had for all natural
phenomena -- "To them, Nature was everywhere alive. Every fountain had its
spirit, every mountain its deity, and every water, grove, and meadow, its
supernatural association. The whispering of the trees ... was the subtle speech
of the gods who dwelt within" (W.M. Auld, Christmas Traditions).
This is nothing but nature worship or Animism.
The custom of bringing the tree into the home and decorating it as is done today
has legendarily been attributed to Martin Luther. In truth, the modern custom
has been lost in obscurity, but almost every culture has some such tradition.
For ages, evergreen trees would be brought into the house during the winter as
magic symbols of luck and hope for a fruitful year to come, It may also be that
the star with which many of today's trees are topped did not originate as a
representation of the star that the wise men followed, but rather a
representation of the stars to which the ancient Chaldean astrologers looked for
guidance.
The first decorating of an evergreen was done by pagans in honor of their god
Adonis, who after being slain was brought to life by the serpent Aesculapius.
The representation of the slain Adonis was a dead stump of a tree. Around this
stump coiled the snake -- Aesculapius, symbol of life restoring. From the roots
of the dead tree, then comes forth another and different tree -- an evergreen
tree, symbolic to pagans of a god who cannot die! In Babylon, the evergreen tree
came to represent the rebirth/reincarnation of Nimrod as his new son (Sun),
Tammuz. In Egypt, this god was worshiped in a palm tree as Baal-Tamar. (Heathen
people in the land of Canaan also adopted tree worship, calling it the Asherah
-- a tree with its branches cut off was carved into a phallic symbol.) The fir
tree was worshiped in Rome as the same new-born god, named Baal-Berith, who was
restored to life by the same serpent. A feast was held in honor of him on
December 25th, observed as the day on which the god reappeared on earth -- he
had been killed, and was "reborn" on that day, victorious over death! It was
called the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun." Thus, the annual custom of
erecting and decorating evergreen trees was brought down to us through the
centuries by the pagan Roman Catholic Church -- the paganism of Tammuz and Baal,
or the worship of the sun, mingled with the worship of Aesculapius the serpent.
Whether erected in private homes or in churches, decorated or not, the evergreen
tree is a glaring symbol of this false god.
4. Christmas Wreaths -- In pagan mythology, evergreen means
eternal life and a never-dying existence. Made from evergreens, Christmas
wreaths were most frequently round, which symbolized the sun (just as do halos
in most religious art). Hence, the round Xmas wreaths stand for an eternal sun,
a never-dying or self-renewing sun. In addition, the round form can also relate
to the sign of the female, which stands for the regeneration of life. Because of
these pagan associations, the Christian church was initially hostile towards the
use of wreaths and other evergreen derivatives. But in the same way it
Christianized other pagan traditions, the church soon found a way to confer its
own symbolic meanings. For example, the sharp pointed leaves of the "male" holly
came to represent Christ's crown of thorns and the red berries His blood, while
the "female" ivy symbolized immortality (Sulgrave Manor, "A Tudor Christmas," p.
6). Such wreaths now not only adorn churches at Christmas time, but are also
appearing during the equally pagan Easter season.
5. Mistletoe -- The use of the mistletoe plant (which is
poisonous to both man and animals) can be traced back to the ancient Druids.
(The Druids were pagan Celtic priests who were considered magicians and
wizards.) It represented the false "messiah," considered by the Druids to be a
divine branch that had dropped from heaven and grew upon a tree on earth. This
is an obvious corruption of God's prophetic Word concerning Christ, "the Man the
Branch," coming from heaven. The mistletoe symbolized the reconciliation between
God and man. And since a kiss is the well known symbol of
reconciliation, that is how "kissing under the mistletoe" became a custom --
both were tokens of reconciliation. The mistletoe, being a sacred plant and a
symbol of fertility, was also believed to contain certain magical powers, having
been brought to earth from heaven by a mistle thrush carrying it in its toes
(hence the name). It was once known as the "plant of peace," and in ancient
Scandinavia, enemies were reconciled under it (yet another reason why people
came to "kiss under the mistletoe"). It was supposed to bring "good luck" and
fertility, and even to protect from witchcraft the house in which it hung.
A kiss is also something which is, at times, associated with lust.
So the practice of "kissing under the mistletoe" also had roots in the orgiastic
celebrations in connection with the Celtic Midsummer Eve ceremony. At the time
the mistletoe was gathered, the men would kiss each other as a display of their
homosexuality. (The custom was later broadened to include both men and women.)
Kissing under the mistletoe is also reminiscent of the temple prostitution and
sexual license proliferating during Roman Saturnalia.
6. Santa Claus --
Santa Claus or "Father
Christmas" is a corruption of the Dutch "Sant Nikolaas." ("Saint Nicholas" was
the 4th century Catholic bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, who gave treats to
children; he was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, "regarded as a special
friend and protector of children." The red suit comes from the fact that
Catholic bishops and cardinals in Italy wear red.) Santa Claus was also known as
"Kriss Kringle," a corruption of the German "Christ Kindl"-- Christ
Child. This has to be one of the most subtle of Satan's blasphemies, yet
most Christians are unaware of it.
Originally, the Santa Claus concept came from the pagan Egyptian god, Bes, a
rotund, gnome-like personage who was the patron of little children. Bes was said
to live at the North Pole, working year-round to produce toys for children who
had been good and obedient to their parents. In Dutch, he was called "Sinter
Klaas." Dutch settlers brought the custom to America. In Holland and other
European countries, the original Santa Claus was actually a grim personage who
traversed the countryside, determined to find out who really had been "naughty
or nice." Those who had been acting up were summarily switched. The association
of Santa Claus with snow, reindeer, and the North Pole suggests Scandinavian or
Norse traditions of the Yuletide season. (In Babylonia, also, the stag
[reindeer] was a symbol of the mighty one, Nimrod. The symbolism of antlers worn
on the head of a noble leader would demonstrate his prowess as a hunter, and
thereby, influence people to follow him.)
Santa is the blasphemous substitute for God! He is routinely given supernatural
powers and divine attributes which only GOD has. Think about it. He is made out
to be omniscient -- he knows when every child sleeps, awakes, has
been bad or good, and knows exactly what every child wants (cf. Psa. 139:1-4).
He is made out to be omnipresent -- on one night of the year he
visits all the "good" children in the world and leaves them gifts, seemingly
being everywhere at the same time. He is also made out to be omnipotent
-- he has the power to give to each child exactly what each one wants. Moreover,
Santa Claus is made out to be a sovereign judge -- he
answers to no one and no one has authority over him, and when he "comes to
town," he comes with a full bag of rewards for those whose behavior has been
acceptable in his eyes.
Santa Claus has become one of the most popular and widely accepted and unopposed
myths ever to be successfully interwoven into the fabric and framework of
Christianity. It is a fact that Christ was born, and that truth should greatly rejoice the heart of every Christian. But the Santa
Claus myth distorts the truth of Christ's birth by subtly blending
truth with the myth of Santa Claus. When Christian
parents lie to their children about Santa Claus, they are taking the attention
of their children away from God and causing them to focus on a fat man in a red
suit with god-like qualities. All of this teaches the child to believe that,
just like Santa, God can be pleased with "good works," done in order to earn His
favor. Also, they teach that no matter how bad the child has been, he will still
be rewarded by God -- just as Santa never failed to bring gifts. Even in homes
of professing Christians, Santa Claus has clearly displaced Jesus in the
awareness and affections of children, becoming the undisputed spirit, symbol,
and centerpiece of Christmas.
7. Christmas Eve -- "Yule" is a Chaldean word meaning "infant."
Long before the coming of Christianity, the heathen Anglo-Saxons called the 25th
of December "Yule day" -- in other words, "infant day" or "child's day" -- the
day they celebrated the birth of the false "messiah"! The night before "Yule
day" was called "Mother night." Today it is called "Christmas Eve." And it
wasn't called "Mother night" after Mary, the mother of our Lord -- "Mother
night" was observed centuries before Jesus was born. Semiramis
(Nimrod's wife) was the inspiration for "Mother night," and "Child's day" was
the supposed birthday of her son (Tammuz), the sun-god!
8. Yule Log -- The Yule log was considered by the ancient Celts
a sacred log to be used in their religious festivals during the winter solstice;
the fire provided promises of good luck and long life. Each year's Yule log had
to be selected in the forest on Christmas Eve by the family using it, and could
not be bought, or the superstitions associated with it would not apply. In
Babylonian paganism, the log placed in the fireplace represented the dead
Nimrod, and the tree which appeared the next morning (which today is called the
"Christmas tree") was Nimrod alive again (reincarnated) in his new son (sun),
Tammuz. (Still today in some places, the Yule log is placed in the fireplace on
Christmas Eve, and the next morning there is a Christmas tree!)
Today's Yule log tradition comes to us from Scandinavia, where the pagan
sex-and-fertility god, Jule, was honored in a twelve-day celebration in
December. A large, single log was kept with a fire against it for twelve days,
and each day for twelve days a different sacrifice was offered. The period now
counted as the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany was originally the
twelve days of daily sacrifices offered to the Yule log. (What, then, are we
really doing when we send "Yuletide greetings"? Are we really honoring Christ by
sending greetings in the name of a Scandinavian fertility god? These are the
same customs being practiced today as in ancient paganism! Only the
names have changed.)
9. Candles -- Candles were lit by the ancient Babylonians in
honor of their god, and his altars had candles on them. And as is well known,
candles are also a major part of the ritualism of Roman Catholicism, which
adopted the custom from heathenism. Candles approached the Yule log in ritual
importance. Like the Yule log, they had to be a gift, never a purchase, and were
lighted and extinguished only by the head of the household. Such candles stood
burning steadily in the middle of the table, never to be moved or snuffed, lest
death follow. The Yule candle, wreathed in greenery, was to burn through
Christmas night until the sun rose or the Christmas service began (Sulgrave
Manor, "A Tudor Christmas," p. 9). Obviously, candles should have no part in
Christian worship, for nowhere in the New Testament is their use sanctioned.
10. Giving of Gifts -- The tradition of exchanging gifts has
nothing to do with a reenactment of the Magi giving gifts to Jesus, but has many
superstitious, pagan origins instead. One prominent tradition was the Roman
custom of exchanging food, trinkets, candles, or statutes of gods during the
mid-winter Kalends (the first day of the month in the ancient Roman calendar).
This custom was transferred to December 25th by the Roman Church in keeping with
the Saturnalian festival and in celebration of the benevolent St. Nicholas. [Is
it not the height of ridiculousness to claim that giving one another presents
properly celebrates Jesus' "birthday" (not that there is anything necessarily
wrong in giving each other presents)? But what are we giving Him,
if indeed we are specifically celebrating His incarnation?]
11. Christmas Goose -- The "Christmas goose" and "Christmas
cakes" were both used in the worship of the Babylonian "messiah." The goose was
considered to be sacred in many ancient lands, such as Rome, Asia Minor, India,
and Chaldea. In Egypt, the goose was a symbol for a child, ready to
die! In other words, a symbol of the pagan "messiah," ready to give
his life (supposedly) for the world. This is obviously a satanic mockery of the
truth.
12. Christmas Ham -- Hogs were slaughtered and the eating of
the carcass was one of the central festivities of the Saturnalia. Each man would
offer a pig as a sacrifice because superstition held that a boar had killed the
sun deity Adonis. Hence, the tradition of the Christmas ham on Christmas Day and
New Year's Day.
13. Christmas Stocking -- According to tradition, a poor
widower of Myra, Turkey, had three daughters, for whom he could not provide a
dowry. On Xmas-Eve, "Saint Nicholas" threw three bags of gold down the chimney,
thereby saving the daughters from having to enter into prostitution. One bag
rolled into a shoe, and the others fell into some stockings that had been hung
to dry by the fire. Hence, the beginning of the tradition of the "Christmas
stocking" or "boot."
14. Christmas Cards -- The first British Xmas card can be dated
back to 1843. The first cards featured pictures of dead birds! Evidently, the
popularity of hunting robin and wren on Christmas Day made the dead bird image
an appropriate one for "holiday" cards. Often the text of the cards would also
have a morbid tone. Later, the cards displayed dancing insects, playful
children, pink-cheeked young women, and festively decorated Christmas trees. The
first actual Xmas cards were really Valentine's Day cards (with different
messages) sent in December. Mass production of Xmas cards in the United States
can be traced back to 1875. Initially, the manufacturers thought of Xmas cards
as a sideline to their already successful business in playing cards. But the
"tradition" of sending cards soon caught on, leading to a very profitable
business by itself.
15. Christmas Carols -- What do you suppose the reaction would
be by a church's leaders if its pastor were to propose that the following hymns
be introduced into the church to commemorate the birth of Christ? After all, the
tunes are quite lovely.
Hymn #1 -- A hymn by a
Unitarian minister (Unitarians reject the Trinity and full deity of Christ)
that does not mention Jesus Christ and reflects the liberal social gospel
theology of the 19th century.
Hymn #2 -- A hymn by an American Episcopal priest, the fourth
verse of which teaches Roman Catholic superstition about Christ coming to be
born in people during the Advent season.
Hymn #3 -- A song, the words by an Austrian Roman Catholic
priest, the music by a Roman Catholic schoolteacher, containing the Roman
Catholic superstition about halos emanating from holy people, with no gospel
message.
Perhaps you would expect the church's
leaders to be very upset. It might surprise you to learn that they were upset
when they suspected that the pastor might somehow prevent them from
singing them! You see, those three hymns were already in the church's hymnals!
The pastor did not have to introduce them. The three theologically incorrect
"Christmas carols" referred to above are It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,
O Little Town of Bethlehem, and Silent Night. for an evaluation of some of the most popular Xmas carols found
in church hymnals today.)
E. European Xmas Traditions -- In the early days of
Christianity, as it moved north and west into Europe, many pagan celebrations
were encountered. For example, in the late-6th century in England, the Angles
and Saxons were found celebrating Yule. The Christian evangelists thought they
would fail in any attempt to rival, suppress, or stamp out such long held
customs, so they simply adopted popular dates for their own "special rituals and
hallowed services." In other words, it was easier to establish a festival
celebrating the birth of Christ if it conveniently coincided with an existing
popular pagan feast day. In this way, the pagan peoples (albeit potential
converts to Christianity) could continue with their usual celebrations at this
time of year, but the reason for the merrymaking could be redefined and
attributed to Christ's birth rather than to any pagan rituals. As paganism
eventually died out and Christianity became widespread, Christmas became
increasingly more associated with its religious foundations than any others
(Sulgrave Manor, "A Tudor Christmas," p. 2).
It was left to the Puritans to denounce everything. For them, Christmas was
rightfully part popish, part pagan, and was forbidden to be kept as a holiday or
feast day. The attack began in 1644 when the Puritans controlled the Parliament;
December 25th was changed to a Fast Day. By 1647, even the Fast Day was
abolished as a relic of superstition, synonymous with the Church of Rome. No observation on December 25th was any longer permitted, but the day was
to be observed as a normal market-day. Christmas was accurately depicted by such
names as the Profane Man's Ranting Day, the Superstitious Man's Idol Day, the
Papist's Massing Day, the Old Heathen's Feasting Day, the Multitude's Idle Day,
and Satan -- that Adversary's -- Working Day. In those days, any Christmas
celebrations would be broken up by troops, who would tear down decorations and
arrest anyone holding a service. Some who celebrated it in Europe were also
thrown into prison. Because of the riots that broke out following the banning of
Christmas, the celebrations and revelry were restored in 1660 by King Charles
II, a Roman Catholic (Sulgrave Manor, "A Tudor Christmas," p. 3).
F. American Xmas Traditions -- America's settlers (the
"founding fathers" of so-called Protestant
America") rightfully considered Christmas a "popish" holiday. In fact, it
was only in the early 1800s that several founding members of the New York
Historical Society "invented" Christmas. Before then, it was illegal in colonial
Massachusetts to even take December 25th off work. Christmas was forbidden as
"unseemly to ye spiritual welfare of ye community." (It was banned in
Massachusetts in 1659, and this law remained on the books for 22 years. In
Boston, public schools stayed open on December 25th until as late as 1870!) It
wasn't until 1836 that any state declared Christmas a holiday (Alabama), and
then there were no more state declarations until the Civil War. It was not until
1885 that all federal workers were given Christmas Day off. The so-called Xmas
customs and traditions were later concocted more for commercial purposes than
for religious.
Quoting from a 12/23/83 USA TODAY article about Christmas: "A broad
element of English Christianity still considered Christmas celebration a pagan
blasphemy. The Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, Presbyterians, Calvinists and other
denominations brought this opposition to early New England and strong opposition
to the holiday lasted in America until the middle of the 18th century." Henry
Ward Beecher, a Congregationalist, wrote in 1874 of his New England boyhood:
"To me Christmas is a foreign day,
and I shall die so. When I was a boy I wondered what Christmas was. I knew
there was such a time, because we had an Episcopal church in our town, and I
saw them dressing it with evergreens, and wondered what they were taking the
woods in the church for; but I got no satisfactory explanation. A little
later I understood it was a Romish institution, kept by the Romish Church."
II. Scriptural Support Against Celebrating Christmas -- Unacceptable
Worship
A. 2 Chron. 33:15-17 -- The Israelites had kept the old pagan form (the
high places of Baal), but had merely introduced the worship of God into that
form -- a refusal to let go of pagan worship forms (i.e., God was to be
worshiped in the Temple, not on the high places). This was unacceptable worship
because the right object of worship was mixed with wrong forms of worship; i.e.,
the mixing of godly worship with ungodly form. Likewise, is not the celebration
of Christmas the taking of a celebration established by pagans and for pagans, and then introducing the worship of Christ into that pagan
form?
B. Deut. 12:29-32 -- God warned His people Israel to destroy
all vestiges of pagan worship that they found in the "Promised Land." Not only
did God want to prevent His people from being enticed to worship false gods, but
He also specifically revealed that He did not want His people to worship Him in
the same manner in which the heathen worshiped their gods. We know, therefore,
that our Lord is displeased by practices which profess to honor Him, but which
are copied from the tradition of false religions. The command here was to
worship God only in His way, i.e., do only what God commands -- not adding to
God's commands nor taking away from them. Therefore, is not "putting Christ back
into Christmas," worshiping "the Lord your God their way"? Is
there any command in the Bible to give special reverence to the Scriptural
account of Christ's birth more so than to any other Scripture, let alone even a
suggestion to celebrate or commemorate His birth in any way whatsoever? God
never intended for His people to be imitators of the pagan customs of the world,
but has called us to be separate and set apart.
C. Lev. 10:1,2 -- Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire to the
Lord. Is not the celebration of Christmas, with all its pagan symbols and forms,
a "strange fire" unto the Lord, and is not this form of worship contrary to what
God commands?
D. 1 Sam. 15:1-3, 7-9, 21-23 -- Saul disobeyed God's prophet in
order to worship God in his way. Is not the celebration of Christmas one of
man's ways of worshiping Christ? There is certainly no Biblical command to offer
worship in this manner.
E. 2 Sam. 6:2-7 -- David attempts to transport the ark on a
"new cart" instead of using the rings and poles as the Law required (Exo.
25:12-15). Additionally, the "transporters" of the ark were not even authorized
to carry it (1 Chron. 15:2, 13-15); i.e., the ark was not only transported in
the wrong way, but was transported by the wrong people! Is not the celebration
of Christmas the wrong way (pagan forms and tradition) with the wrong people
(the heathen of the world join right in with the professing Christians)?
F. 1 Ki. 12:26-33 -- In order to unify the northern ten tribes
of Israel, ungodly King Jeroboam set up pagan idols, not in place of
God, but as new focal points for directing worship to God. He even instituted a
new festival on a new day; i.e., a new religious holiday of his own choosing.
Even though the true God of Israel was still to be the object of worship in the
new religious holiday, both the holiday and the worship were not authorized by
God nor accepted by Him (1 Ki. 13:1-3; 15:29,30). Why? Because the concocted
mixture of error with truth constituted false religion! Likewise, is not the
celebration of Christmas a religious holiday of man's own choosing, replete with
pagan symbols and forms, all under the guise (by sincere Christians at least) of
worshiping the one true God and Savior? But does not this worship form and
system still constitute false religion, and thereby, make it unacceptable to
God? And besides, where in the Bible do Christians have the right to add a new
holy day to the so-called Christian calendar, any more than King Jeroboam had
the right to add a new holy day to God's theocratic calendar?
G. 1 Cor. 8:4-13; Rom. 14:1-13; 1 Cor. 10:14, 18-21 -- These
passages concerning Christian liberty are discussed in more detail under Roman
numeral IV. [Christian liberty can best be defined Biblically as "the freedom to
engage in practices not prohibited by the Scriptures or denying
oneself what is permitted (i.e., a moral choice of self-discipline) in
order to be a more effective witness for God." So the question must first be
answered, "Is Christmas permitted?"] Briefly, some claim that Paul is teaching
that the participation in pagan forms condemns no one, and therefore,
participation in Christmas and its forms, even though arising out of pagan
idolatry, is inconsequential. However, Paul nowhere approves participation in
acts of idolatry, of which the participation in the pagan forms of
Christmas comes dangerously close to doing. Instead, Paul is speaking of the
liberty to continue in Jewish days of worship/festival that had been previously
ordained under the Jewish law. There is certainly no liberty to bring outside
pagan forms into the church's worship services. Likewise, there is no liberty to
Christianize Babylonian/Roman pagan holy days as special days.
Christians in the first century churches had the liberty to observe Old
Testament holy days and feasts (days that had previously been revealed by God)
if they were so immature as to do so. The weaker brother, Paul wrote, was at
that time not to be censured for continuing to attach some importance to the Old
Testament holy days, as a clear knowledge of their abolition in Christ was not
yet given to him (the weaker brother). But to observe a pagan
holy day is something this passage does not sanction. They
certainly did not have the liberty to regard Babylonian/Roman pagan holy days
(days that were invented by the devil) as special days. Again, that would have
been idolatry, worldliness, and perhaps even a form of Satan worship on their
part. Therefore, how can the observance of Christmas Day, or any other
Babylonian/Roman Catholic holy day, be a matter of Christian liberty?
Yet when some of us refuse to regard the pagan holy days as special days, we are
the ones often referred to as the "weaker brother" in this matter! Are we
opposed to such days because we are "weak in faith"? Faith would be defined as
believing what the Word of God says about a matter and acting upon it. It was by
faith that we stopped regarding pagan holy days as special days. Would we be
more mature Christians if we would start regarding such days again? It would
certainly be much easier on our families and us.
III. Christmas and the (Spiritual) Violation of the Ten Commandments
(reverse order)
A. Do Not Covet -- Children learn to covet the gifts of others,
to drool over the Christmas catalog, to drag their parents endlessly through toy
stores, all in the name of "the Christmas spirit."
B. Do Not Bear False Witness
-- "Jesus is the reason for the season!" is the Christian battle cry to
"put Christ back in Christmas," when in actuality, there is not only no Biblical
warrant for Christmas, but its roots are in pagan worship systems. Nevertheless,
professing Christians lie to their children about Santa Claus, the supernatural,
sorcerous false "god" of Christmas, whose "gospel" is one of works salvation
along with unconditional acceptance and rewards. Parents lie to their children
for years about the god-like character of Santa Claus, in effect asking them to
trust in a false god and a lie, and then don't understand why later
in life their children won't believe and trust in the true God,
Jesus Christ.
C. Do Not Steal -- Christmas spending patterns could never
stand the test of Biblical stewardship; i.e., Christians, in celebrating
Christmas, "steal" the Lord's resources by ignoring their proper use; lavishly
spend these resources on worthless and useless trinkets (in many cases); and
withhold resources from those in need, while at the same time claiming to never
have enough money to buy good Christian books, pay for home schooling, or buy
Bible helps for their children. (Christians could also be helping the
spiritually needy by buying and giving them tracts, books, etc.) We "steal" from
our families what they need and what we owe them in order to buy gifts for those
who don't need them.
D. Do Not Commit Adultery -- At this "special" time of the
year, lustful thoughts are actually encouraged; e.g., teens are allowed to go to
parties and stay out later, thereby having temptations put in front of them that
otherwise wouldn't be there. Christmas parties for adults also encourage evil
thoughts through the use of the mistletoe, etc. (According to Matt. 5, such
thoughts constitute adultery. At the very least, spiritual adultery
is encouraged by the "season.")
E. Do Not Murder -- Envy and hate of my brother (which,
according to Matt. 5, is equal to murder) because he has more than me or because
he receives a larger Christmas bonus than me, is encouraged at Christmas time.
We also tend to spiritually sacrifice our children to the "god of Christmas" via
greed, selfishness, etc.
F. Honor Father and Mother -- Christmas gift-giving is not an
honor to parents; the term "exchanging" gifts (i.e., giving in expectation of a
return) is a dead give-away of the mockery associated with this tradition.
G. Remember the Sabbath and Keep It Holy -- Although we
recognize that the Lord's Day is not the "Christian Sabbath," clearly the Lord's
Day is to be kept for worship and observed as such. Yet when Christmas Eve,
Christmas Day, or the day after Christ-mas falls on a Sunday, most churches
adjust the Lord's Day to accommodate Christ-mas, usually by canceling the
regularly scheduled Sunday evening service. Most of its members are too busy or
too tired to attend services anyway.
H. Do Not Take the Lord's Name in Vain -- "Christ" and "mass"
are two words that are totally opposite from one another, and to connect the two
is to blaspheme the name of Christ. By taking a pagan celebration,
"Christianizing" it, and calling it a celebration of the birth of Christ, is
most certainly taking the Lord's name in vain. (A good example of the
willingness of the professing church to profane the name of the Lord would be
the title of a popular children's Christmas concert production -- The
Divine Ornament. Imagine, identifying our Lord with a pagan ornament to
hang on a pagan tree! What insult! What blasphemy!) In addition, some professing
Christians use religion ("Christ's birthday") as a cloak to cover the evils of
covetousness, idolatry, greed, immorality, etc. -- all excuses to give vent to
evil lusts.
I. Do Not Make Yourself Any Carved Image -- Nativity scenes,
"pictures" of Christ, Christmas cards with "pictures" of Jesus, etc., all
violate this command. God has given us His Word, not images, to teach us about
Christ (1 Pe. 1:23; Dt. 4:12, 15-19).
J. Have No Other Gods Before Me -- The "god of Christmas" is
idolatrous! Looking to the Christmas season for happiness, joy, and fulfillment,
rather than through a pure, personal, and Biblical relationship with Jesus
Christ, is idolatry.
IV. Is a Christian's Decision to Celebrate Christmas a Part of Christian
Liberty?
A. Romans 14:1-13 -- This passage is speaking of Jews who were
observing the Old Testament Jewish holy days/festivals and dietary laws even
though they were now believers in Christ; but they were also judging their
Gentile brothers-in-the-Lord who did not observe the Jewish customs. Likewise,
the Gentile Christians were judging their Jewish brothers who were seemingly
caught-up in ceremonial law. Paul was thusly saying, "To you Gentile Christians
-- leave the Jewish Christians alone, because they are not violating
any Scriptural commands by their actions (i.e., it's a "disputable" matter
[doubtful or gray area] and not a moral issue). To you Jewish
Christians -- it's okay for you to observe the Jewish festivals and dietary laws
because they were given by God in the Old Testament, and thereby, are
considered to be previously approved worship forms, but don't judge
your Gentile brothers, because there is no Biblical command for either of you to
continue to observe these things." (Actually, it wasn't "okay" [see IV.C.
below], but Paul allowed it as an act of an immature/weaker brother
[see II.G. above].) If a moral issue is involved (i.e., a practice that is
covered in Scripture), then this passage and its application to Christian
liberty (i.e., the freedom to engage in practices not prohibited by
Scripture) would obviously not apply. And as brought out earlier in this report,
the celebration of Christmas appears to be such a moral issue, because its
celebration is not only not from God, but is from ancient paganism
itself!
B. 1 Corinthians 8:4-13 -- The Gentile Christians, who had been
raised in an idolatrous system, were having a problem with their Jewish brothers
who were eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. (Apparently, this was
the only "healthy" meat available.) Similar to the Romans 14 passage above, Paul
says that eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols is not a moral
issue, and thereby, is not prohibited. However, Paul does not
say that it is okay to go into the pagan temple itself; in fact, in other
passages (1 Cor 10:14, 18-21), Paul specifically prohibits getting involved
with the pagan feasts. In other words, it's not a moral issue to partake in
the byproducts of a pagan religious system (note, however, that
there is no indication here that the Jewish Christians were using the "idol
meat" as part of their worship), but it is not okay to partake in the
religious system itself (because the corrupt character of the participants would
be harmful for believers). Rather, we must be separate from the worldly system
(2 Cor 6:14-7:1). Therefore, when items (byproducts) associated
with a pagan religious system not only develop religious associations of their
own, but have been integrated into what would otherwise be true Christian
worship (as the celebration of Christmas has clearly become in our culture),
then we should pull away from them so that there is no confusion over our
allegiances.
C. Galatians 4:9-10; Colossians 2:16-17 -- Both these passages
of Scripture refer to the Jewish holy days under Old Testament law.
If Christians were not even to observe the Old Testament
holy days -- days that did have divine sanction, for a time -- they
certainly don't have the liberty to observe pagan holy days!
D. James 4:11 -- James is saying that Christians may only judge
a brother on matters determined in God's Word (i.e., moral issues). If a matter
is not covered in the Word, then these are matters of Christian liberty (á la
Rom. 14:1-13 and 1 Cor 8:4-13), and he who judges in these areas of Christian
liberty is, in effect, judging and condemning the Word of God as being an
imperfect standard to which the judge, thereby, refuses to submit. On the other
hand, since we have clear Scriptural precept that condemns the things that go on
around December 25th in the name of Christ, the celebration of Christmas does
not appear to be a matter of liberty, but one of moral conduct.
V. The Right Response
A. Quench Not the Holy Spirit (1 Thes 5:19-22) -- Test all things
against the Scripture and line-up beliefs and actions with what is true (i.e.,
do not treat with contempt the Word of God). If one is convinced that to
celebrate Christmas is sin, then he and his family must not compromise with the
world or the church by participating in any Christmas celebrations (Rom. 14:23).
B. Avoid Traps of the Devil:
1. Lack of Zeal -- One who never considers why he does certain
things, but he just does them because he always has or because his parents
always have; one who acts on emotions rather than on facts.
2. Lack of Truth -- One who does things for good reasons and
right motives (i.e., plenty of zeal), but not in truth.
C. Realize that Christians Celebrating Christmas as the Day of Christ's
Birth Makes No More Sense than Adding Any of the Following Days as Special Days
of Christian Celebration: -- (Remember, the Bible's focus on the birth
of Christ is for the sole purpose of documenting his virgin birth, his
incarnation, and the fulfillment of His prophetic Messiahship. Like the
tongue-in-cheek suggestions below, one must also remember that there is no
Biblical warrant, precedent, nor precept for the remembrance of the day of
Christ's birth as a day of special religious celebration.)
1. Baptism Celebration -- Why not have three days of swimming
parties in the summer in order to celebrate/symbolize Christ's three days in the
grave? We could even pick a time based upon our speculation of when
John the Baptist baptized Jesus!
2. Ascension Celebration -- Why not have one day set aside
every year for hot-air balloon rides in order to celebrate Christ's ascension to
heaven?
3. Miracle Celebration -- There is considerable Biblical focus
on Jesus' miracles (even more than on his birth), so why not have
one day set aside every year to celebrate the first of Christ's miracles? And
since that was the turning of water into wine (John 2), why not have "Christian"
wine-tasting parties?
D. Avoid the Rationalizations that:
1. "Christmas Provides a Festive Time to Share the Gospel" --
One cannot take something condemned in God's Word and "use it" to spread the
Gospel; neither will God bless it to spread His Word. Unacceptable worship and
the "mixing-in" of unholy/pagan forms is surely not the normal means through
which God blesses the faithful. Satan works to blend together his system with
God's system, because when unacceptable worship (paganism) is blended with true
worship (God's truth), true worship is destroyed. In fact, any time one mixes
pagan ideas and practices with the pure religion of Christ, it is condemned in
Scripture as the heinous sin of idolatry! God has always detested taking those
things dedicated to idols and using them to worship Him. As a matter of fact,
this "special time of the year" is probably more a hindrance to the
receptiveness of the gospel message than a help. Much of the celebration
observed by our contemporary society deludes people into assuming that God is
pleased, when in reality, He is offended by false religion, pseudo-worship, and
alien philosophies. The ecumenical spirit and a counterfeit "love" under the
guise of "peace and goodwill among men," more than likely dulls one's
sensitivity to his desperate need to repent of sin and be reconciled to a holy
God.
2. "Christmas is Merely the Honoring of Christ's Birth" --
Someone says, "I know Christmas is of pagan origin, but I still think it's not
wrong for a church to have a special time for honoring Christ's birth." But
since when did Protestants believe that Christians have the right to add to the
Bible? Is the church a legislative body? Are we to follow the Bible in our faith
and practice, or the thinking of fallible men? If we have the right to add a
special holy day to the Christian economy, then we can add 10,000 other things.
Then we will be no better than the false cults and the Roman Catholics who
follow heathen traditions! [Besides, celebrating Christ's birth is a form of
worship. But since Christmas is a lie, those who celebrate it are not worshiping
in "spirit and truth" (John 4:24).]
3. "All I'm Doing is Putting Christ Back into Christmas" -- The
modern conservative cry to put Christ back into Christmas is absurd. As detailed
earlier in this report, Jesus Christ was never in Christmas. It's a lie to say
He was. He has no part in a lie. When anyone takes the truth and mixes it with a
lie, they no longer have the truth. They have changed the truth into a lie.
Neither is it possible to take a lie and mix it with enough truth to change the
lie into the truth. You still come out with a lie. One may say, "Well, I know
it's not the truth, but I'll put Christ back in Christmas and glorify God in it
then." No, you won't. Christ never was in Christmas. You cannot change a lie
into the truth. It should in reality be called Baal-mass, Nimrod-mass,
Tammuz-mass, Mithras-mass, or Mary-mass. Christ-mass is a lie. Why use a lie as
a good time for a fundamental truth (the incarnation) of the Christian faith?
4. "I'm Using Christmas to Witness for Christ, Just Like the Apostle
Paul Did" -- Some say that all they are doing is taking the "truth"
from Christmas (i.e., the incarnation of Christ) and "cultivating" it as the
Apostle Paul did (Acts 17/Mars Hill), taking the opportunity of the season to
witness to a lost world. This would be fine if these Christians were actually
doing only as Paul did. Paul, in addressing the Greek philosophers
on Mars Hill, proclaimed to them that their "unknown god" to whom they had
erected an altar, was none other than "the God who made the world and all the
things therein." Paul was not intimidated by the pagan surroundings and
symbolisms, nor did he berate the Greeks for their error, but merely showed them
the truth of the gospel of Christ.
But do Christians really use the "opportunity presented by the season" in the
same way as Paul used the opportunity of the pagan altar? Do Christians
personally stand in front of their hometown public displays of Xmas (Nativity
scenes, etc.) and preach the gospel? To paraphrase Paul, do they say: "Men of
Indianapolis, I see that in every way you are very religious; what you worship
as something unknown, I am going to proclaim to you"? Do they come out of the
public schools, where they have just attended their children's Xmas programs,
and preach to the attendees about the true God who has been grossly
misrepresented in the program they have just witnessed?
Hardly. Even to most of those who understand the true origin of Xmas, this
"unique time of year" means inviting unbelievers into their homes to gather
around the Xmas tree, to enjoy the beauty of the wreaths, absorb the heat from
the Yule log, etc., reasoning that they are only using the pagan forms and the
pagan festival season as an opportunity to witness. If Paul meant this in Acts
17, he would have met the people in the Athenian temple or in his or their
homes, gathering around their idols that he had Christianized and was now using
as a part of his worship. Most of the people who decorate their homes and
churches with Xmas trees, holly wreaths, Nativity scenes, etc., all supposedly
to be used as "opportunities" via "Xmas coffees," neighborhood "grab bag" gift
exchanges, Xmas concerts, etc., are thoroughly convinced that they're doing God
a service. And since they are not involved in the crass secular
"commercialization" that the world revels in, but have instead "put Christ back
in Xmas" (so to speak), they reason that all is Biblical and pleasing to God.
5. "It Doesn't Mean Anything to Me" -- Many Christians who
routinely make a habit of picking-and-choosing which Biblical commands they will
or will not obey, have likewise carried this practice over into a justification
for celebrating Christmas. They claim, "but the Christmas tree, mistletoe, Santa
Claus, etc., don't mean anything pagan to me, so I'll exercise my Christian
liberty and partake in all of it." Obviously, if one were to take such a
cavalier approach to the physical world (i.e., "I can drink rat poison because I
choose not to regard it as poison"), it would likely lead to a quick physical
death. Why, then, do Christians think they can avoid spiritual harm by ignoring
God's spiritual warnings?
6. "The 'Connection' Has Been Broken" -- There are those who
clearly recognize the pagan nature of the various Christmas worship forms and
practices. Nevertheless, many of these Christians claim that because of the long
passage of time from their pagan inception to the present (6,000 years?), the
"connection" to paganism has been sufficiently diminished to allow the adoption
of these forms and practices into our Christian worship and celebration. While
it may be true that most symbols have lost their original demonic meaning and
significance in a modern society, it is strangely bizarre and ironic that
Christendom seeks to commemorate Christ's birth with the faded symbols of Satan.
And even though some of God's people may be naive and ignorant about the source
of these things, surely God is not. Can such things please Him? And think about
this -- if it were possible to "disconnect" current practices from their
pagan/occultic roots, why does Scripture not provide us any guidelines as to:
(a) how much time is necessary for
the "neutralization"/disassociation process to occur; and (b) which of the hundreds of ancient pagan rites would then be acceptable
for adaptation into Christian worship (since some are obviously much more
pagan/occultic than others)?
7. "There Are Hundreds of Other
Items of Daily Life that Have a Pagan Origin" -- It is said, "Such
things as the wedding ring, certain clothing customs, the modern division of
time into hours and minutes, the names of the days of the week, etc., all have
pagan connections in their origins, so isn't it a contradiction on your part to
say that their meanings have sufficiently changed while Christmas's
meanings have not?" But we are not saying that their meanings have changed. The
question is one of using things of pagan origin in our worship of Christ. So we
would ask the question back, "Which of these pagan items do we focus on to
celebrate the birth of Christ? Or which of these is 'Christianized' and brought
into our weekly worship of, or our daily devotion to Christ, as you do with the
pagan forms and traditions of Xmas?" The origin and meaning of a custom,
tradition, or form does not take on significance unless it is somehow
specifically incorporated into, or lined up with, our worship. As we have
already detailed in the section on Christian liberty (Section IV.B.), these
rings, clothing customs, etc. would be merely the byproducts of
paganism, not paganism itself, and they have developed no
religious connotations or associations of their own, as have the Xmas customs
and traditions.
8. "Baptism (and Circumcision) Have Pagan Origins and God Still Gave
Their Use in Scripture, So What's Wrong With Using the Pagan Forms of
Christmas?" -- This argument is frequently made by pastors who say that
to be consistent, those who would have us forbid the forms, symbols, and
traditions of Christmas should also be calling for us to abandon believer's
baptism; i.e., shouldn't the would-be banners of Christmas be saying, "Since the
ancient mystery religions practiced forms of baptism, therefore baptism is a
pagan custom and should be outlawed for the believer in Christ"? This is a
strange argument for anyone to make, particularly a theologian (and, in our
opinion, reveals a low view of Scriptural admonitions). If baptism were absent
from the Bible, as using pagan forms and traditions to celebrate or commemorate
the birth of Christ are totally absent, there would then be no Biblical
justification for baptism. But God has not commanded us to celebrate or
commemorate Christ's birth in any way. He has commanded us to baptize
(Matt. 28:19).
E. Abstain From the Observance of Christmas -- What, then,
ought to be the Christian's response to this and other pagan and Roman
inventions? It cannot be denied that they are pagan, pure and simple, from
beginning to end. God gives us specific instructions in His Holy Word:
Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen ... (Jer. 10:2).
These words are perfectly clear. What rational options do we have as Bible
believing Christians?
VI. Conclusion
The very popularity of Christmas should cause the Christian to question
it. Anyone and everyone can celebrate Christmas without question -- outright
pagans, nominal Christians, and even Buddhists and Hindus. If, in reality,
December 25th were a date set by God to remember the birth of Jesus, there is no
doubt that the world would have nothing to do with it. After all, God has
commanded one day in seven -- the Lord's Day -- to worship Him. Does the world
observe it? Of course not. As expected, the world loves Christmas, but hates the
Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:18, 23-25). It shuns anything pertaining to true
religion. Shouldn't the Christian be just a little suspicious of a celebration
in which the whole sinful world can join without qualms?
One way to test the Scripturalness of our practices is to reflect on what we
would expect missionaries to teach new converts in a foreign culture. We assume
that they would use the Bible as their guidebook. If they could start new local
churches without importing American culture encumbered with Roman Catholicism,
liberal Protestantism, and crass commercialism, wouldn't it be wonderful?
Missionaries who have urged new converts to forsake all pagan superstitious
relics have later been questioned about the apparent inconsistency of their own
American Christmas customs. Nationals perceived them as idolatrous even though
the missionaries were oblivious to that possibility!
When Christmas is exposed for what it really is, this angers people. It angers
Evangelical Protestant people! And there is reason why it
does so. When the pagan celebration of Christmas is rooted up, and rejected,
then what has become a Protestant tradition is, in effect, being
rejected! And that is why people become angry. It began as a Roman
Catholic holy day, and then it became a Protestant holy day. And if anyone dares
show it up for what it really is, they face the wrath of the Protestant
religious machine. And these days, that can be very ugly.
Christmas is a thoroughly pagan holiday -- in its origin, in its trappings, and
in all its traditions. Perhaps we should contemplate the words of Charles Haddon
Spurgeon, delivered in a Lord's Day sermon on December 24, 1871:
"We have no superstitious regard
for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present
ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first, because we
do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be
said or sung in Latin or in English; and secondly, because we find no
Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the
Saviour; and consequently, its observance is a superstition, because [it's]
not of divine authority. Superstition has fixed most positively the day of
our Saviour's birth, although there is no possibility of discovering when it
occurred. ...
"It was not till the middle of the third century that any part of the church
celebrated the nativity of our Lord; and it was not till very long after the
Western church had set the example, that the Eastern adopted it. Because the
day is not known, therefore superstition has fixed it; ... Where is the
method in the madness of the superstitious? Probably the fact is that the
holy days were arranged to fit in with the heathen festivals. ... We venture
to assert that if there be any day in the year of which we may be pretty
sure that it was not the day on which the Saviour was born, it is
the twenty-fifth of December. ... regarding not the day, let us,
nevertheless, give God thanks for the gift of His dear Son."
And from Dr. H.A. Ironside's Lectures on the Book of Revelation (1920: p. 301):
"It is a lamentable fact that
Babylon's principles and practices are rapidly but surely pervading the
churches that escaped from Rome at the time of the Reformation. We may see
evidences of it in the wide use of high-sounding ecclesiastical titles, once
unknown in the reformed churches, in the revival of holy days and church
feasts such as Lent, Good Friday, Easter, and Christ's Mass, or, as it is
generally written, Christmas. ... some of these festivals ...
when they are turned into church festivals, they certainly come under the
condemnation of Galatians 4:9-11, where the Holy Spirit warns against the
observance of days and months and times and seasons. All of them, and many
more that might be added, are Babylonish in their origin, and were at one
time linked with the Ashtoreth and Tammuz mystery-worship. It is through
Rome that they have come down to us; and we do well to remember that Babylon
is a mother, with daughters who are likely to partake of their mother's
characteristics ..."
And, finally, from Alexander Hislop's
1916 classic, The Two Babylons: Or the Papal Worship:
"Upright men strove to stem the
tide, but in spite of all their efforts, the apostasy went on, till the
Church, with the exception of a small remnant, was submerged under Pagan
superstition. That Christmas is a Pagan festival is beyond all doubt. The
time of the year and the ceremonies with which it is still celebrated, prove
its origin."
We can summarize by saying that nowhere
in Scripture are we commanded to commemorate the birth of our Lord, and God the
Father evidently deemed it unwise to make the date known. Hence, it will always
remain unknown and is not to be ceremoniously remembered and celebrated. (In
fact, as pointed out in the Ironside quote above, God has warned us about
getting entangled with any special days [Gal. 4:10]). Notice though, that we
are commanded to remember Him in His death (but no special day was
specified for this either):
"Take, eat; this is My body which
is broken for you; this DO in remembrance of Me" (Luke
22:18,19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).
To commemorate His death is Scriptural.
Any day of the year will do. To commemorate His birth is non-Scriptural, even
extra-Scriptural (Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:19), whether one chooses
December 25th or any other day.
If God had desired us to remember the
day of Christ's birth, He could have left us the precise date. But if He had, He
would have vindicated every astrologer in the past 2,000 years. In occult
circles, the anniversary of a person's birth is the most important metaphysical
day of the year. The Bible recognizes no such significance. It is intriguing
that there are only two birthday celebrations recorded in the entire Bible and
they were both those of ungodly kings -- and both resulted in an
execution (Gen. 40:16-22 and Matt. 14:6-10/Mark 6:21-27)!
The Apostle Paul says: "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross [not
the manger] of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified
unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14). By itself, we find no salvation in
the birth of the Lord Jesus, for salvation was only made possible through His
death (i.e., His shed blood) and resurrection. Our focus should be on the cross
and our ascended Savior, not in a cradle.
Those who love Jesus should certainly
rejoice that He was born and lived amongst us as a man. But if we truly want to
glorify Him and bear testimony of who He is, we must stop marrying that blessed
gift with the debauchery of paganism. If we want to honor His birth, let it be
done as He would have done it: year-round unselfishly serving our fellow man as
an unending act of love for our God. Let us put away all of the mixture of pagan
customs and take up His mantle and His pure worship, and show the confused world
that there is a difference.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
1. Assemblies of Yahweh. The
Case Against Christmas. Sacred Name Broadcaster, Bethel,
PA,23 pp.
2. Becker, R.F. The Truth About Christmas. Chapel Library,
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3. Blanton, Raymond. The Christmas Lie. Highways & Hedges Tracts,
Liberty, SC, 13 pp.
4. Buday, George. The History of the Christmas Card. Putman Pub.,
New York, 1954, 304 pp.
5. Dager, Albert James. "The Origins of Christmas Traditions,"
Media
Spotlight Special Report Redmond, WA, 1985, 2 pp.
6. Dickey, D.J. & Shetler, Earl. "Should A Christian Celebrate Christmas?"
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Vernonia, OR, 10/89: three-part sermon series --
each on a 90-minute audio cassette tape.
7. Dossey, Donald.
Holiday Folklore, Phobias and Fun: Mythical Origins,
Scientific Treatments & Superstitious "Cures." Outcomes Unltd. Press,
Asheville, NC, 1995 (paper ed.), 232 pp.
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Evangelical Dictionary of Theology.
Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1984, pp. 218-221.
9. Halff, Charles.
The Truth About Christmas. The Christian-Jew
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10. Halff, Charles. "Is Christmas a Jewish Holiday?"
Message Of The
Christian Jew. November-December 1993, pp. cover, 1,2 & 7.
11. Helgerson, John C.
Considering the Christmas Issue. The Church
of the Open Bible, Burlington, MA, 12/31/90, 12 pp.
12. Hislop, Alexander.
The Two Babylons: Or The Papal Worship.
Loizeaux Bros., Neptune, NJ, 1959:Second Edition, 330 pp.
13. Kohler, John.
Our Baptist Heritage. Heritage Baptist Church,
Salem, IN, Vol. 2, No. 3, 11/92, 8 pp.
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Sharpsburg, GA, 8 pp.
15. Nissenbaum,
Stephen. The Battle for Christmas. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1997, 381
pp.
16. Pink, A.W. Xmas . Chapel Library, Venice, FL, 6 pp.
17. Schneider, Michael. Is Christmas Christian? Chapel Library,
Venice, FL, 15 pp.
18. Spurlin, Ed. Where Is The Christ In Christmas. Voice in the
Wilderness, Milford, NH, 11/92, 8 pp.
19. Spurgeon, C.H. "Joy Born At Bethlehem," A Sermon: Delivered on Lord's Day
Morning, December 24th, 1871. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, pp.
697-698.
20. Unknown. My Lord Has Not Told Me To Do It: The Christian and "Christmas.
" Chapel Library, Venice, FL, 4 pp.
21. Unknown. 10 Reasons Why Christmas Is Unscriptural. Chapel
Library, Venice, FL, 8 pp.
22. (Vine, W.E.), Gospel Tract Publications.
The Collected Writings of W.E.
Vine, Volume 5. Glasgow, Scotland, 1986, pp. 436-439.
23. Willcock, Shaun.
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Bible Based Ministries, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, 1992, 76 pp.
24. Wilson, Greg.
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Christ Out of Xmas. Landmark Independent Baptist Church, Archer, FL,
4 pp.
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