Should Christians Celebrate Christmas?
- Thread starter mAlice
- Start date
This argument of Christmas is/is not Christian and Christians should/should not celebrate Christmas has been going on for decades if not centuries.
Is Dec. 25th Jesus' birthday? Probably not. It is more likely the day when the magi found him as a toddler in Bethlehem. Remember that the magi studied the stars. The stars are what led them to seek Jesus. Here is an interesting site about what the star of Bethlehem may have been. http://www.bethlehemstar.com/
But back to the topic. What harm does it do to celebrate any birthday? And is it a requirement to celebrate one's birthday on the actual day of birth? Seems to me that many birthday celebrations are put off to Saturdays, so the celebration is a different day every year. What about birthday celebrations of kids that are left on "door steps" every year? When was the child actually born? No one actually knows. Probably educated guess can get it to within a few days, but the actual date and time is a mystery to all except those who were present. So a day is picked and that becomes the birthday celebration day.
December 25th was selected as the day of celebration of the birth of Jesus. If it coincides with other celebrations, so what. Go into a room of just 23 people and the odds are more than 50% that at least two of them share a birthday. Increase the number to 100 people and it is almost a certainty.
I don't particularly like the deception of Santa, but I don't go around bursting bubbles either, but when a kid is old enough to ask, they are old enough to be told the truth. Keeps Truth and just good feelings separated.
The question could be, "Should Christians be friends with non-Christians?" The answer: of course.
Anyway, Merry Christmas and I'll keep Jesus at the center of my celebration.
Is Dec. 25th Jesus' birthday? Probably not. It is more likely the day when the magi found him as a toddler in Bethlehem. Remember that the magi studied the stars. The stars are what led them to seek Jesus. Here is an interesting site about what the star of Bethlehem may have been. http://www.bethlehemstar.com/
But back to the topic. What harm does it do to celebrate any birthday? And is it a requirement to celebrate one's birthday on the actual day of birth? Seems to me that many birthday celebrations are put off to Saturdays, so the celebration is a different day every year. What about birthday celebrations of kids that are left on "door steps" every year? When was the child actually born? No one actually knows. Probably educated guess can get it to within a few days, but the actual date and time is a mystery to all except those who were present. So a day is picked and that becomes the birthday celebration day.
December 25th was selected as the day of celebration of the birth of Jesus. If it coincides with other celebrations, so what. Go into a room of just 23 people and the odds are more than 50% that at least two of them share a birthday. Increase the number to 100 people and it is almost a certainty.
I don't particularly like the deception of Santa, but I don't go around bursting bubbles either, but when a kid is old enough to ask, they are old enough to be told the truth. Keeps Truth and just good feelings separated.
The question could be, "Should Christians be friends with non-Christians?" The answer: of course.
Anyway, Merry Christmas and I'll keep Jesus at the center of my celebration.
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foodcritic
New Member
foodcritic
New Member
That is a reasonable conclusion however I think it just as reasonable to celebrate his birth (at whatever date we agree upon).
mAlice
professional daydreamer
It's fitting, since everything about christians is fabricated or stolen from older belief systems.
Hmmm. There is quite a bit about the prophesied birth of the Messiah in the Old Testament and a detailed account of His birth in the New Testament. But the most important is His resurrection. People are born and die all the time. Only a very few have ever been resurrected and only one of those died for us to become our Savior.
The date of His birth and the date of His death and even the date of His resurrection and the date of His ascension pale in comparison to the actual purpose of the events themselves.
- God chose from the beginning of creation to become man.
- God chose from the beginning to provide the means to reconcile us to Him because He loves all of us.
- God provided the perfect Gift to us.
- God provided us the Perfect Promise.
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
foodcritic
New Member
I am not sure what you mean. What the catholic church often did was incorporate a pagan holiday in an effort to "Christianize" it. :shrug:
I don't have a problem with that per se.
mAlice
professional daydreamer
Zguy28
New Member
Troll much?
mAlice
professional daydreamer
Just a little.
mAlice
professional daydreamer
Gods that arose from virgin births
Mut-em-ua
Tammuz
Zoroaster
Tukulti-Ninurta II
Ashurbanipal
Ra
Krishna
Karna
Attis
Auge
Dionysus
Horus
Melanippe
Hercules
Mithras
Gods that were proclaimed as Saviours
All of the following were suggested to be divine. All were considered
'saviors'. All died in ways that resemble the death of Jesus. Some are
rumored to have risen from the dead.
Quirinus of Rome, 506 BCE
(Aeschylus) Prometheus, 547 BCE
Wittoba of the Telingonesic, 552 BCE
Quexalcote of Mexico, 587 BCE
Alcestos of Euripedes, 600 BCE
Mithras, 600 BCE
The Hindu Sakia, 600 BCE
Iao of Nepaul, 622 BCE
Bali of Orissa, 725 BCE
Indra of Tibet, 725 BCE
Hesus of the Celtic Druids, 834 BCE
Thammuz of Syria, 1160 BCE
Atys of Phrygia, 1170 BCE
Crite of Chaldea, 1200 BCE
Chrishna of India, 1200 BCE
Thulis of Egypt, 1700 BCE
Hercules was born of the union of a God
(Zeus) and a mortal woman. He was intended by his father to 'save'
mankind. He spent time in the wilderness and was tempted by his
adversary (the Hebrew word for adversary is Satan). He died with his
mother and some of his followers present. At the moment of his death
he cried out "It is done.". The man who was responsible for his death,
by betrayal, went and hanged himself when the deed was done.
Hercules was called the 'Prince of Peace', had a virgin mother, had a
father who was a god, was 'the only begotten son' of his 'god father',
was called 'saviour', and had the title 'the good shepherd'.
Resurrection
Damuzi
Inanna
Mithras
Bacchus
Aeneas
Proserpina
Adonis
Cronus
Cybele
Dionysus
Orpheus
Persephone
Baal
Osiris
Tammuz
Ishtar
Odin
Baldar
Attis
Mut-em-ua
Tammuz
Zoroaster
Tukulti-Ninurta II
Ashurbanipal
Ra
Krishna
Karna
Attis
Auge
Dionysus
Horus
Melanippe
Hercules
Mithras
Gods that were proclaimed as Saviours
All of the following were suggested to be divine. All were considered
'saviors'. All died in ways that resemble the death of Jesus. Some are
rumored to have risen from the dead.
Quirinus of Rome, 506 BCE
(Aeschylus) Prometheus, 547 BCE
Wittoba of the Telingonesic, 552 BCE
Quexalcote of Mexico, 587 BCE
Alcestos of Euripedes, 600 BCE
Mithras, 600 BCE
The Hindu Sakia, 600 BCE
Iao of Nepaul, 622 BCE
Bali of Orissa, 725 BCE
Indra of Tibet, 725 BCE
Hesus of the Celtic Druids, 834 BCE
Thammuz of Syria, 1160 BCE
Atys of Phrygia, 1170 BCE
Crite of Chaldea, 1200 BCE
Chrishna of India, 1200 BCE
Thulis of Egypt, 1700 BCE
Hercules was born of the union of a God
(Zeus) and a mortal woman. He was intended by his father to 'save'
mankind. He spent time in the wilderness and was tempted by his
adversary (the Hebrew word for adversary is Satan). He died with his
mother and some of his followers present. At the moment of his death
he cried out "It is done.". The man who was responsible for his death,
by betrayal, went and hanged himself when the deed was done.
Hercules was called the 'Prince of Peace', had a virgin mother, had a
father who was a god, was 'the only begotten son' of his 'god father',
was called 'saviour', and had the title 'the good shepherd'.
Resurrection
Damuzi
Inanna
Mithras
Bacchus
Aeneas
Proserpina
Adonis
Cronus
Cybele
Dionysus
Orpheus
Persephone
Baal
Osiris
Tammuz
Ishtar
Odin
Baldar
Attis
ItalianScallion
Harley Rider
As a kid, I enjoyed Christmas for the presents. What kid wouldn't?
After salvation came along, in 1989, I started to really try to celebrate the "spirit of the season": You know: "peace on earth, goodwill toward men"? Of course, in the world today, we have neither so I just use Christmas as a time for myself to relax and enjoy the many good childhood memories I have from my parents even thought they are both deceased. I've stopped 98% of all gift giving and try to focus on what Christmas represents.
To answer the OP question: It doesn't matter. It is NOT a sin to celebrate it and not a sin not to. I really despise Christians who speak out totally against Christmas. They're sensationalistic idiots! Speak out against the commercialism of it and that's fine but to discount it completely is wrong (IMHO). I remember how there used to be a real respect for Christmas. Schools were closed no matter what "religion" the kids followed. Fighting wars was stopped for the day and almost all businesses were closed. There was a spiritual power at work at Christmas.
The commercialism that Christmas has turned into is a sin. The focus has come off of the birth of Christ and turned materialistic and God speaks out against that many times in the Bible.
As others have said, December 25th is not the actual birth of Christ and I really don't have a problem that the Catholic church put the celebration on that day (right over the pagan sun god holiday). That's all! TYVM mAlice
After salvation came along, in 1989, I started to really try to celebrate the "spirit of the season": You know: "peace on earth, goodwill toward men"? Of course, in the world today, we have neither so I just use Christmas as a time for myself to relax and enjoy the many good childhood memories I have from my parents even thought they are both deceased. I've stopped 98% of all gift giving and try to focus on what Christmas represents.
To answer the OP question: It doesn't matter. It is NOT a sin to celebrate it and not a sin not to. I really despise Christians who speak out totally against Christmas. They're sensationalistic idiots! Speak out against the commercialism of it and that's fine but to discount it completely is wrong (IMHO). I remember how there used to be a real respect for Christmas. Schools were closed no matter what "religion" the kids followed. Fighting wars was stopped for the day and almost all businesses were closed. There was a spiritual power at work at Christmas.
The commercialism that Christmas has turned into is a sin. The focus has come off of the birth of Christ and turned materialistic and God speaks out against that many times in the Bible.
As others have said, December 25th is not the actual birth of Christ and I really don't have a problem that the Catholic church put the celebration on that day (right over the pagan sun god holiday). That's all! TYVM mAlice
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ItalianScallion
Harley Rider
:fixed: You forgot one:
The only man proven to have risen from the dead by His own power:
Jesus
Don't ask me to prove it or we'll be off topic.
Zguy28
New Member
Care to cite sources?
ItalianScallion
Harley Rider
mAlice how can you even cite Hercules as an example??? Santa Clause is more real than he...
libertytyranny
Dream Stealer
Ever read the genesis stories of other cultures? Enuma Elish for instance? I cannot recall many of the others (my mythology class was a year ago, i will have to dig out my notebook) but there are countless stories from all times that have the same classic themes...parthenogenesis, sacrifice, creation of animals and humans, death, resurrection, son/sun, the spoken word ( I remember the yoruba vividly, very cool African creation myth having to do with the spoken word).... I don't think this means that any one culture "stole" from another, indeed many came up with the ideas isolated from one another and in different times...rather I think it means that these themes are unique to mankind, not just one culture or religion. I think it is reasonable to believe that there is one truth, interpreted differently among the cultures of our world.
As for Christians celebrating Christmas...why not? A day set aside for the celebration of our savior's birth cannot do harm.
Zguy28
New Member
Here is an interesting link discussing Genesis and other ANE literature.
Is Genesis merely a rip-off of other ANE lit?
God all will have to kneel before and proclaim Lord: Jesus. He is the reason for the season.
libertytyranny
Dream Stealer
Interesting. But it isn't just the enuma elish with these themes, there are about 50 or so that I read in one semester alone. That article seems to be looking for specifics that are the same and that is not so, but in terms of themes they are all so similar it is amazing. Again, I dont for one second think cultures were "stealing" cosmogonies and cosmologies from each other..they simply reached the smae conclusions independently. Yes the floods were different in the two stories (and the bajillion other flood stories), but it doesn't change the fact that water (life-giving) destroys (life-taking) and then it begins anew..so what if the birds were different or if it is a turtle that carries them, an ark, or it is rain or water from the earth..it amounts to the same thing.