Your first reaction might be, how could anyone even ask? Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. How could we Christians not celebrate?
You might be surprised in an internet search to find a number of Christians who believe it is wrong to celebrate Christmas. As far as organized Christian groups, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, United Church of God, Christadelphians and some non-denominational groups do not believe in celebrating. The main objection is the supposed pagan origins of Christmas.
PAGAN ORIGINS?
Christmas does not have pagan origins, but there were winter celebrations that were pagan. Christians are not celebrating a pagan holiday because the pagan holiday was the Saturnal and we are not worshipping the god of Saturn. All of these ancient meanings with their beliefs and associations were lost long ago. When Friday roles around we don’t think about Fria, the goddess of love. On Saturday we don’t think about it as Saturn’s day, but as our day off.
OTHER CELEBRATIONS
Before the time of Jesus and the Apostles, the Jews adopted two new celebrations – Hanukkah (beginning 139 BC) and Purim (began prior to 400 BC). Jesus and the Apostles never advised against these celebrations. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul said, “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—” (Col 2:16 NAS95)
Did you know that some pagan religions practiced baptism? Does not make Christian baptism a sin. Of course not. The practice of baptism in pagan religions seems to have been based on a belief in the purifying properties of water. In ancient Babylon, according to the Tablets of Maklu, water was important as a spiritual cleansing agent in the cult of Enke, lord of Eridu. In Egypt, the Book of Going Forth by Day contains a treatise on the baptism of newborn children, which is performed to purify them of blemishes acquired in the womb.
“Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.” (Romans 14:4-6 NAS95)
Just because the world distorts something, that does not make it evil, as long as we avoid the distortions and use it as God intended or in a way that does not go contrary to God’s character and holiness. A good illustration is the beauty of sexual love within the bonds of marriage.
“To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.” (Titus 1:5 NASB).
CHRISTMAS TREE
In Europe, Pagans in the past did not cut down whole evergreen trees, bring them into their homes and decorate them. That would have been far too destructive of nature. But during the Roman celebration of the feast of Saturnalia, Pagans did decorate their houses with clippings of evergreen shrubs. They also decorated living trees with bits of metal and replicas of their God, Bacchus.
The Prophet Jeremiah condemned as Pagan the ancient Middle Eastern practice of cutting down trees, bringing them into the home and decorating them. Of course, these were not really Christmas trees, because Jesus was not born until centuries later, and the use of Christmas trees was not introduced for many centuries after his birth. Apparently, in Jeremiah’s time the “heathen” would cut down trees, carve or decorate them in the form of a god or goddess, and overlay it with precious metals. Some Christians currently feel that this Pagan practice was similar enough to our present use of Christmas trees that this passage from Jeremiah can be used to condemn both:
Jeremiah 10:2-4: “Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 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.” (King James Version).
The very next verse, 10:5, goes on to say, “Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” This passage and the passages that follow make it crystal clear that the “decorated tree” that Jeremiah was talking about in 10:3-4, was a tree that was cut down and made into an idol, a very common custom in the ancient world. 10:8-10 also confirms this, where the wooden idols are contrasted with the LORD, who is the true and living God.
We think that the problem with Christmas is not the forgotten pagan celebrations which occurred around the same time, rather it is the over commercialization and replacing Jesus with Santa Claus.
CONSCIENCE
We are NOT saying that the Christian SHOULD celebrate Christmas, but rather that a Christian CAN celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas time. We believe it is a matter of conscience. If it bothers your conscience or if it is not about celebrating Jesus birth, then do not participate.
1 Corinthians 10 and Romans 14 show that we should not behave in a way that stumbles our brother to violate his conscience. Paul argues that it is okay to eat meat offered to idols. After all, it is just meat. However, Paul indicates that if it stumbles our brother, we should refrain.
Now isn’t meat offered to idols related to pagan worship? And yet Paul says it is okay to eat it.
In our own case, probably we are buying products from companies that publicly support immoral and anti-biblical views. The point is that if we are not engaging in pagan worship or immortal acts, etc. then we are okay.
JESUS BIRTHDAY
The religious rulers in Jesus day were overly legalistic creating a multitude of additional rules above and beyond the Law of Moses. For us there is the same danger of such an intense devotion to the details of the Bible in such a way that we miss the spirit and essential thrust of a passage. Mountains are made out of mole hills and the truth is missed. One is busy counting the number of letters in a sentence rather than listening to its instruction. Jesus said, “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” (Matt 23:24 NASV)
There is scriptural precedent for commemorating and remembering the birth of Christ. This is in keeping with the events that occurred around the time of Christ’s birth These include:
The appearance of the angel of the Lord with the glory of the Lord to announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds (Lk. 2:10-12).
The response of the angels at the announcement of Christ’s birth (Lk. 2:13-14).
The actions of the shepherds who left their flocks to go and see which was nothing short of a celebration (Lk. 2:15-20).
And the arrival of the men from the east bearing gifts as much as a year to two years later (Matt. 2:1-12).
EXCESSIVE RULES
The problem is that to create rules about what holidays that Christians cannot observe is none of our business and a way a ruling body of men can gain control over a group. If the Bible does not forbid something, should we? Does this sound like the rule making of the Scribes and Pharisees by which they controlled people? Matt 23:24 (NASV) “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
Mark 7 (NASV) “7 ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’ 8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” 9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. 10 “For Moses said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER’; and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH’; 11 but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ 12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
We should not be adding extra rules and burdens to God’s people that are not laid out in the Bible.
At the council in Jerusalem, the Apostle Peter did not want to burden the Gentile brethren and recommended they only avoid immorality and that which would stumble the potential Jewish converts.
Acts 15:19-21 “19 “Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20 but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. 21 “For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
I am not saying for example that we should celebrate birthdays or Christmas. However on what basis can we condemn other Christians it they want to celebrate? I don’t know of any Christians who worship the Christmas tree. I think the problem is that the holiday tends to be too commercialized and secular. However why not show others by example how to worship Jesus properly, by celebrating Jesus in reading the Biblical account to the family and children, not in promoting Santa Claus at Christmas time? If that bothers you, then don’t do it. But why should we judge and condemn others who consider it a time of remembering Jesus and following the example of gift giving by the wise men and by Jesus gift of his life to mankind?.
JESUS RESURRECTION
Since in ancient times, Easter celebrated the goddess of fertility Ishtar. However, does that make it a sin for Christians to remember Jesus’ resurrection on the Sunday after the Memorial?
There is, of course, the New Testament precedent for believers meeting together on Sunday. In essence this is a celebration of the Lord’s resurrection. The early church automatically did this, but Scripture does not command us to do so. In fact, the early church at first met daily and took the Lord’s Supper daily, but we don’t do that today. Why not? Because these are not binding. We are not under the Law. Believers meet on Sunday because of its significance and because the early church set a precedent for it, but it was never commanded in the Bible. Believers did it out of love and adoration for the risen Savior.
The point is this: If the early church could celebrate the resurrection without a specific command from God, only the spirit of legalism or the letter of the law would forbid the celebration of Christ’s birth as a special season of joy and adoration. Ultimately, the issue is not the season, it’s the attitude and reason behind it and the distortion of it. Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water.
We do not know the exact date Jesus of Jesus birth, although we think it was approximately October 1. So we could not really celebrate his exact birth date and know it for sure. Interestingly, December 25th would be the approximate date of Jesus conception, so it is certainly a time that relates to his birth.
Those who want to celebrate, they can set an example by placing the focus where it belongs, on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”” (Lu 2:10-14 NAS95)