IS CHRISTMAS REALLY CHRISTIAN?
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AN ESSAY BY ADAM WIEMERS
© Copyright 2007 |
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Christmas is celebrated the world over by Christians and non-Christians alike. It is true, however, that the celebration is largely associated with Christianity. After all, it is supposedly the commemoration of the birth of Christ the founder of the Christian congregation and the propagator of the Christian faith. Many engage in the Christmas celebration without a clear understanding of its origins and meanings. It is lamentable that more people do not question a
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holiday whose traditions have almost nothing in common with that which it is supposed to be revering. How does an evergreen tree, Santa Clause, mistletoe and “decking the halls” have anything to do with the birth of Christ the child? The answer may surprise many. The fact is that nearly every tradition associated with Christmas is derived from pagan rites and rituals that put it at odds with the teachings of the one who it celebrates, Jesus Christ. |
WHY DECEMBER 25th?
The first point of contention is the date that Christmas is celebrated on, December 25th. This is claimed to be the birth date of baby Jesus but there is absolutely no evidence to support this. In fact, most historians agree that the birth of Christ most likely occurred in the fall, not the winter. They point to the fact that when Jesus was born the shepherds were said to be “living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks.” (Luke 2:8) Winter near Bethlehem is cold and sometimes snowy and no shepherd would be staying outdoors with their flock at that time of year. Also, Jesus was 30 years old at the time of his baptism (Luke 3:21-23) and he lived for another 3 ½ years before he was executed by the Romans on Nisan 14, a date that corresponds to our end of March beginning of April. Count backwards 33 ½ years from that time and it puts you in the fall, not the winter.
Why then is Christmas celebrated on December 25th? It has much to do with the worshiping of pagan gods by the heathens, a practice detested by the God of the bible.
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Many of these celebrations took place for centuries before the birth of Christ. For example, the History Channel web site explains that “In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on December 21 or December 22 and is called the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and...had become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well.” (The History Channel website, 2005, "The History of Christmas") The Encyclopedia Romana reveals that many Christmas traditions were adapted from a Roman celebration called the Saturnalia. It explains that "at the time of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar), Saturnus, the god of seed and sowing, was honored with a festival." It also states that “by the middle of the fourth century AD, [many of] its rituals had become absorbed in the celebration of Christmas." (Encyclopedia Roman, 2007, “Saturnalia”) It is obvious by these two references that the end of December was a time of pagan celebration that was adopted as the birth date of Jesus Christ. |
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OTHER TRADITIONS AND THEIR ORIGINS
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What about some of the other festivities associated with Christmas such as the decking the halls, the Christmas tree, mistletoe, and the burning of a yule log? They are all directly borrowed from pagan rites which are despised by the God of the bible. According to christmas-tree.com the Christmas tree and other decorative plant life associated with Christmas are themselves a part of the worship of what the bible derogatively calls “strange gods”. (Genesis 35:2; Deuteronomy 31:16) It tells us that the ancient Egyptians used evergreens in their worship and decorated their homes with them during the winter solstice. The Romans used these plants to worship Saturnus, their god of agriculture. (Captain Jack’s Christmas Tree Farm Network, |
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2007, “Christmas Tree Tradition has Ancient Origins”) Additionally, Sara Williams describes how druids employed mistletoe during their winter solstice rituals. She says “white-robed Druid priests would cut the oak mistletoe with a golden sickle. Two white bulls would be sacrificed amid prayers that the recipients of the mistletoe would prosper.” (Williams, 2007, “Mistletoe”). It is also noteworthy that got-wicca.org, a site self proclaimed as a “Pagan Blog and Information Site” tells us that “Yule is the time when Wiccans and Pagans honor the Goddess for giving birth to the sun (the God). Yule is celebrated on the night of the Winter Solstice.” (Wiccan/Pagan Blog and Information Site, 2007, “Yule”) |
THE STORY OF THE MAGI
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To a Christian, this should all be very disturbing. What’s even more disturbing is that even events recorded in the bible describing the birth of Christ have been twisted to appear pleasant and innocuous when they actually hide a sinister truth. Take, for example, the story of the wise men who came to visit baby Jesus. Few people actually stop to think about what this story is really telling us. First of all, were these men (literally “Magi”) likely to be used by God to praise His infant son? Unlikely. Wikipedia.org gives us some insight into who these wise men really were and where they came from. It explains that “The word Magi is a…specific occupational title referring to the priestly caste of a branch of Zoroastrianism known as Zurvanism. As part of their religion, these priests paid particular attention to the stars, and gained an international reputation for astrology…Their religious practices and use of astrology caused derivatives of the term Magi to be applied to the occult in general and led to the English term magic.” (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2007, “Biblical Magi”) These men were practicing many of the things that the God of the bible finds abhorrent and came from a land far removed from his people and worshipers. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) In fact, it took them so long to arrive that when they visited Mary she was now living in a house and Jesus was referred to as being a “young child”. (Matthew 2:11) If, then, it is unlikely that God would have called these Magi to meet His son, who did? The bible does not say but an examination of the relevant passages will assist us in getting a good idea. |
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The events begin in Matthew 2:1-3 where it says: "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled."
Notice that the star they followed did not lead them to Jesus immediately; it first led them to Herod the king. Was this an accident? It is hard to believe considering what the bible says about the accuracy of this stars’ navigational powers. Matthew 2:9 points out that it “came and stood over where the young child was”. Then consider that Jerusalem is a city located nearly ten miles North of Bethlehem. Why then did the star first lead them to Herod before directing them to Christ the child? Whoever was controlling the star knew that Herod would want to have the child destroyed. In fact, Herod explicitly asks the wise men to "Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also." (Matthew 2:8) It is, in fact, God who warns the Magi in a dream not to return to Herod. When Herod realizes he has been duped he orders the slaying of all children 2 years of age and under. Does it sound to you like God sent that star? If God didn’t send it, then who did? Just ask yourself who has the ability to conjure an astrological illusion and who would use that power to try to have Jesus destroyed.
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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
We have considered a large amount of evidence that exposes Christmas as a holiday steeped in paganisms and the worship of heathen gods. But how should that affect professed Christians? Many are unfazed by this knowledge. They often claim that the origin of a celebration is not as important as the reasons why it is currently observed. This may seem like a logical argument to some. However, it is not the place of a Christian to determine for themselves what is and is not acceptable to their God. Only the God they worship can do that and he specifically states at Isaiah 55:8, 9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts...For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are...my thoughts than your thoughts.” But how can we know what the God of the bible thinks about this? By taking note of how he reacted to a similar situation involving his ancient people, the Israelites.
In Exodus chapter 32 we read how Moses had |
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been gone on Mount Sinai for many days and the people were anxious to begin worshiping God. They convinced Aaron to make for them a golden calf to aid them in this regard. The golden calf was a pagan idol used in the rituals of the ancient Egyptians, their former captors. However, the Israelites had no intent on using it in a pagan rite; they would employ it in the worship of their own God. Note that after finishing the calf they exclaim “To morrow is a feast to the LORD.” (Exodus 32:5) Did God overlook the pagan origins of their festivities since their motives were pure? Absolutely not! In verse 7 of Exodus 32 He says that the people "have corrupted themselves". In fact, God felt so strongly about it that he states in verse 10 of that same chapter "Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them." Yes, God was so angered by their actions that he wanted to destroy them.
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It is a sobering thought that nearly every tradition associated with the Christmas celebration is steeped in pagan rituals and heathen god worship. The origins of these practices can not be ignored by a Christian who wishes to have their God’s favor. Those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus’ way of life must make a close examination of this ubiquitous holiday and ask ourselves, is Christmas really Christian?
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Click here to read a humurous article on Christmas by
Robert Kirby, a Salt Lake Tribune columnist.
Links to References
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