Today we are going to talk about Christmas. No, we will not be talking about Santa Claus, gifts, reindeers or food or most especially considering the tons of food we have in Christmas,we are going to talk about something important. We are going to answer a very important question, should Christians celebrate Christmas.
I read an article the other day somewhere in the internet stating that Christmas is a pagan holiday and that as Christians we should not celebrate Christmas.
It is true that pagan festivals were held in the Roman world during the month of December, the most well-known being Saturnalia, which began on December 17 and honored the god Saturn. Saturnalia involved public feasting, gift-giving, and a temporary relaxation of normal social conventions. Other winter celebrations also existed in Roman society, as seasonal festivals were common in many ancient cultures.
However, the presence of pagan festivals in December does not by itself establish that Christmas originated as a pagan celebration. Historical evidence shows that early Christians were already reflecting on the date of Christ’s birth before the time of Emperor Constantine. Some Christian writers used theological reasoning (rooted in Jewish tradition) to calculate Jesus’ birth date, particularly the belief that a prophet’s conception coincided with the date of his death. Since Jesus’ crucifixion was placed around March 25, this reasoning led some Christians to propose December 25 as the date of His birth (Strange logic but just read more on this). At the same time, the Bible does not provide an explicit date for Christ’s birth, and the date of December 25 is therefore not conclusive. Early Christians did not unanimously agree on a single date, and various proposals existed in different regions. Some scholars have suggested that Jesus may have been born in the spring or early fall, often citing factors such as shepherds watching their flocks at night and agricultural patterns. While September or October are sometimes proposed, these estimates are probable rather than certain, and no single date can be established with historical certainty. As a result, December 25 should be understood as a traditional and symbolic date, not a dogmatic or historically proven one.
Because of this, it is historically inaccurate to claim that Christmas “without doubt” came from pagan origins. While Christmas developed within a cultural context that included pagan winter festivals, there is no clear evidence that it was deliberately created as a pagan celebration or as a direct replacement for one. Rather, Christian observance of Christ’s birth developed gradually, and its meaning was shaped by theological reflection on the Incarnation.
With this in mind, the key question here is, should we as Christians celebrate Christmas? This is a gray area since the Bible does not explicitly say “THOU SHALT NOT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS OR THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.” We should then go back to the Bible and see what it says with regards to gray areas.
Take note that as Christians whatever we do we should do all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) And if we should celebrate the birth of Christ it is because we want to give God the glory and thank Him for sending His Son, Jesus Christ in order to save us from the clutches of sin and hell.
The apostle Paul writes in Romans 14 verse 5 “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. “
Hence, if you personally believe in your heart that you should celebrate the birth of Christ, than you should go ahead and celebrate. It does not matter if you celebrate it on September, October or even December 25. The issue there is that you are not doing it for anyone or anything else; you are doing it for the Lord. If you do not believe in celebrating the birth of Christ in December than don’t. No person should judge you. “Let every man be persuaded in his own mind” A Christian is not less of a Christian whether he celebrates the birth of Christ in December or not. The reason for such argument is answered by the Apostle Paul in verse 6 of the same Chapter.
“He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. . . “
So if you are celebrating the birth of Christ in December or on whatever date, you are doing it for the Lord, and if you are not celebrating Christmas in any other date, you are also doing it for the Lord.
The Apostle Paul writes further in verse number 10 of the same chapter: “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
Those who celebrate the birth of Christ in December should not judge those who do not celebrate it at all. And those who do not celebrate the birth of Christ should not judge those who celebrate it in December or on whatever date they wish to celebrate it.
Should a Christian celebrate “Christmas” ?. . . whether the answer is yes or no, it does not matter for as long as you are doing it for the glory of God.
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CHRISTMAS IS OF COURSE A PAGAN RITUAL AS ALL OTHER CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS ARE ALSO OF PAGAN ORIGIN (SEARCH : HISTORY OF RELIGION) CHRISTIANITY WAS NOT FOUNDED BY JESUS CHRIST AS WHAT PEOPLE WANT US TO BELIEVE. THE TRUTH IS CHRISTIANITY WAS FOUNDED AND PROPAGATED IN CONSTANTINOPLE BY THE PAGAN ROMAN EMPEROR CONSTANTINE TOGETHER WITH HIS MOTHER REYNA ELENA BETWEEN THE YEARS 340 AND 360 AD. THE BIBLE ON WHICH THE “NEW” RELIGION WAS BASED, FOCUSED ON JESUS CHRIST AS THE SON OF GOD. THIS WAS SUPERVISED AND EDITED BY THE HIGH PRIEST IRENEAS AND WAS RESEARCHED AND COMPILED FROM THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS BY THE CLERICS OF BYZANTIUM WHO WERE THEN CALLED AS “CATHECHISTS” FROM WHICH THE WORD CATHOLICS CAME FROM. WHEN THE “NEW”RELIGION WAS MANDATED BY EMPEROR CONSTANTINE TO BE THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF BOTH THE ROMAN AND BYZANTIUM EMPIRES, THE CATHECHISTS ADOPTED PAGAN RITUALS AND CELEBRATIONS AND INCORPORATED THESE INTO THE NEW RELIGION AND THUS WAS FOUNDED THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. SO, IF YOU TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT HISTORY, YOU WILL BE AMAZED TO FIND OUT THAT CATHOLICSM EVOLVED FROM PAGAN BEGINNINGS . . . . SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
I agree with some (take note NOT ALL) of the comments of William Mcanz about the beginings of the Catholic church.
However, it is certainly not true that Christianity started with the Catholic church. The Book of Acts chapter 11 verse 26 says “. . . And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Most scholars say that the book of Acts was written between A.D 70 to A.D 100. On the other hand Constantine, who was considered by many as the one who started to merge pagan belief and the Christian faith bringing forth Catholicism, started this new faith sometime in A.D 324. On the other hand the followers of Christ were already called Christians more than 300 years even before Constantine was born. It just so happens that the followers of Catholicism were also called Christians because they also follow the teachings of Christ, however because of the influence of Constantine, some pagan beliefs has been incorporated into the Catholic faith.
I do not agree with the view that Christianity did not start with Jesus Christ. Christianity started with Jesus Christ. That is why in Antioch they were called “Christians” there because a “christian” means “One who follows Christ” or “Followers of the teachings of Christ”
Having read and studied the Scriptures, I read your artcile on this with a real sense of being uplifted. It’s sadly rare to find people using Scripture, both the word and the spirit, to show a tolerant interpretation. I had not done the research and thinking through on this one. I’ve been troubled in my mind by it, running into people, many loved ones as well, with such strong views on the matter.
The case you build for this position on this matter is beautifully constructed and well written. I believe it is the accurate answer to the matter. Thank you. I wish there were more articles like this instead of people using Scripture to build a “one way is right” case. It is so common, and so often the Scripture is grossly quoted out of context. At the least, it these kinds of teachings lead to the opposite results of the injunction, “Love one another as I have loved you.”
Is a Christian’s Decision to Celebrate Christmas a Part of Christian Liberty?
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 (nothing about celebrating pagan hoildays) To you Gentile Christians — leave the Jewish Christians alone, because they are not violating any Scriptural commands by their actions 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.
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. Be honest with you this is a time where merchants profit, not for us. We get caught up in “this time of year” that most sucisded and nervous break downs happiens between now and that evil pagan day of Valentine
“”. . . Learn not the way of the heathen,. . . For the customs of the people are vain- for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not… But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities”
(Jer. 10:2-4, 8). If you bring something back from another country (gift) to the U.S. one must go through CUSTOMS
Noah Thomas: I respect your opinion and if you are doing it for the Lord then that is no problem with me.
Granting Christmas has “pagan origins” (which is not true as I have stated) but just because a holiday has pagan origins does not mean that you should not celebrate it. If you are celebrating it with paganism in mind, then that of course if idolatrous and a sin against God. But if you are celebrating it because of another reason and one of those reason is because of the Lord then I believe there is no problem with that and I also believe that we should not judge people who believe otherwise.
Like birthdays for example, birthdays is accused to be of “pagan” origin (which is not in reality). But if you celebrate your birthday as a way of thanking God that you were born in this world, then you are doing it to the Lord. This is what Paul was percisely saying in the Scripture I pointed out.
You cannot also say that I have taken the Scripture out of context because I have considered most of the Pauline epistles and basically the New Testament applies to all believers in today’s church age because if it doesn’t where are we suppose to derive the basis of our conduct as christians ?