Should a Christian celebrate Christmas ?

[Scott Hutchinson]

I understand the pagan roots of Christmas or saturnalia is where it originated from,but the question remains can one put up a Christmas tree without worshipping it,or participate in Christmas customs without worshipping idols ?
I do some holiday things,and I am aware of the origin of these things.
I do respect brothers and sisters who abstain from all Christmas customs.
I do enjoy exchanging gifts,to be honest since I have been married I have never had a tree,but I don't cast people into the pit that do have one.
To some I would be a compromiser,but I can't please everybody.

I have always told my girls the truth about Santa Claus and such,but I am involved in some holiday things so to one faction I'm proably a heathen.
We have never hunted easter eggs,at my house also,but I'm not out here lamblasting everybody.

My advice would be to study the origin of things,pray and then the Holy Spirit guide you in what you should do.

[Scott Hutchinson]

Another thing I know the dates of Holidays like Easter and Christmas are suspect,but at least at this time of year,people acknowledge the birth of Christ who may not have otherwise.

[pastorrush]

My point exactly , Bro. Scott.

[Godsdrummer]

Religion

I have been thinking the last few days about religion. I do that a lot these days, it seems that I am coming to the understanding that people don't like change. Take Christmas traditions, christians very where celebrate the holidays as a christian holiday. Yet when someone questions this we get all up in arms and argue that it is alright to celebrate this pagan holiday as a christian holiday. Even when faced with facts that all the the traditions are based on idol worship with the names changed. Of course it goes well beyond this, I have seen doctrine's preached that cause division in the kingdom of God. doctrine's again based on tradition where one group believes different than another, and therefore condemns others because they may not hold as high of convictions as others.

Here is the big question I have. Do Apostolics truly believe that God gave them new salvational revelation in the early 1900's that would bring such division to the kingdom of God that would divide the church world in half? How aragant can one get. Can we truly believe that for hundreds of years that God let people go to hell because they did not have the understanding that was reveled in the early 1900's? I think not. God is no respector of persons and is not willing that any should perish. Yet with our way of thinking God sends hundreds and thousands to hell because they don't follow your our of thinking.

For a group of people that can't agree on what is sin and what is not that condemns others because they don't see our "plan of salvation" yet will stand and say it is ok to celibrate a pagan holiday that was formed for pagans by pagans in order to allow idol worshipers to call themselves christians.

True christianity is not determined by whether you have baptized according to our formulat or whether one speaks in tongues or follows a mans list of "standards of holiness". True christianity is determined by accepting by faith the gift offered through the cross, establishing a personal relationship with God by which the fruits of the spirit will be manifested.

I have seen too many tongue talking, oneness pentecostals, manefest a judgemental, pharisee spirit, with gossiping, prideful attitutedes stand up and say to another spirit filled brother or sister that they are not saved because they did not get salvation just the way they did.

Might I remind you that Peter asked when the Gentiles received the Holy Ghost who can refuse baptism seeing that God saved even the Gentiles because of their faith. By giving them the Holy Ghost even as he did us. This was before they were baptized.
Act 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Act 10:44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
Act 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Going beyond this because we have been taught something for years and it has been passed down from generation to generation we accept this as truth. Without searching the scriptures for ourselves. We cannot be indoctrinated by studying a different thought other than what we believe. Too many times we refuse to accept truth when it is staring us in the face simply because it is different than what we have been taught and we refuse to ask God and get into the word and take a new look at what are our traditions.

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

Let the yearly arguing and condemnation begin. LOL.

You left out fleshly justification.

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

I think God probably shakes his head over His people complaining about a holiday that in 2010 is pretty universally hailed as a celebration of said God's birth. LOL.

God had a birth?? Wow

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by Jason

bump

Trouble maker!!!

[comeasyouare]

Originally Posted by Scott Hutchinson

I understand the pagan roots of Christmas or saturnalia is where it originated from,but the question remains can one put up a Christmas tree without worshipping it,or participate in Christmas customs without worshipping idols ?
I do some holiday things,and I am aware of the origin of these things.
I do respect brothers and sisters who abstain from all Christmas customs.
I do enjoy exchanging gifts,to be honest since I have been married I have never had a tree,but I don't cast people into the pit that do have one.
To some I would be a compromiser,but I can't please everybody.

I have always told my girls the truth about Santa Claus and such,but I am involved in some holiday things so to one faction I'm proably a heathen.
We have never hunted easter eggs,at my house also,but I'm not out here lamblasting everybody.

My advice would be to study the origin of things,pray and then the Holy Spirit guide you in what you should do.

I see this as a good post with good, legitimate questions. I did an extensive research and study on the historical origin of the holidays many years ago and wrote a book and tract on the holidays. Back then we put everyone in Hell along with the Catholics for celebrating them. Since then I've learned better.

It is indisputable that Christmas began in a Babylonian festival in worship of the sun at the winter solstice and was later transformed into a "Christian" festival by the Catholic Church. But, the MODERN DAY celebration of Christmas has nothing to do with the pagan worship of ANCIENT civilizations. Such associations have long been erased. In our country Christmas is not strictly a "Christian" observance but also a secular holiday having been named a national holiday by Congress.

It is impossible to worship the idol gods and goddesses of the ancient Roman Empire. One cannot worship stautes that no longer stand in the forum, bath houses, etc., and within Temples that are gone! The worship of the old gods was destroyed by Rome when Constantine made "Christianity" the official state religion. Well, I might say idolatry took on a mystery form, hidden in "Mystery Babylon." (Rev. 17:5)

The worship of the true God, who is invisible, is a spiritual worship (St. John 4:23), but idolatry is a falling down to physical statues, images of gods that could be seen. The temples, altars, priesthoods, images and cults of the gods are gone and cannot be resurrected in any type of spiritual worship. No one today worships SATURN or MITHRAS or MARY or an evergreen tree in the MODERN DAY celebration of Christmas. I see that the pagan elements have long been erased.

[renee819]

My concern is the little and little compromise of the Church. Neither do I believe in a dictatorship of the Ministers, telling people, “you can’t do this or that.”

But I am all for the education of Christians that might not know any better. However, each must make up their own mind, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

I can understand why many don’t want to give up Christmas. You will pretty much become a loner, whether you want to be or not. You will not only be mocked by the world, but shunned by your family as well as the church. But should that stop us, when we learn the truth? Or should we compromise and go along with the world?

That is the question, that everyone has to settle in their own heart. I used to like Christmas, although I knew there was something wrong, and never taught my children about Santa Claus, nor the Easter Bunny, nor even the Tooth Fairy.

And then about 25-30 yrs ago, through study, especially the book—“The Two Babylon’s,” I found where the roots of Christmas came from. That did it for me, I haven’t celebrated since then. I still love to get to-gather with my family. It might be a week before or a week after, whenever everyone can be there. But they know my stand, and I told them, I won’t be buying any gifts, neither do I want them to give me any. However, they still do give me gifts. Which I feel a little guilty in accepting.

One year, I did refuse to accept any gifts. Some of my husbands people acted like I had slapped them in the face. So After that, I decided to take the gifts graciously, and say nothing else about it.

It’s not an easy decision. It boils down to, how much are you willing to compromise.

[Heavenslove]

Christmas is the wrong date.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. - Luke 2:8-11 KJV

The Shepherds do not live out with their flocks(abiding in the field) at Christmas, the latest is around October.

I had personal revelation(a great glory was felt by me about this) to confirm Yahshuas birth around the time of Sukkot.

Bible scholar Michael Rood also teaches this if you do not have the prophetic insight and want some proof.

The revelation I recieved(around the time of Sukkot) had 2 messages "A child is born" and "He was a Nazarite from the womb". I simply could not stop saying these 2 verses. They were intensely interesting and I repeated them under a feeling of glory from the Ruach HaKodesh. This is how the Holy Spirit gift operates in me sometimes.

www.pleaseconvinceme.com(I don't know anything about the trustability of this website but I just googled it) expounds on Luke 2:8

Notice a couple of things here. It is clear that the shepherds are living in the fields with their sheep. The Greek word translated here in the New American Standard Version as “staying out” is ‘agrauloúntes’. It means that they were staying over night; the shepherds were ‘camping out’, so to speak. In the KJV, the expression translated as “abiding in” the fields with their sheep. They are not out on a day trip, at least not according to the scripture. They are actually living out there with their flock! This certainly seems to indicate that we are within the range of time when shepherds drove their sheep into the open fields and stayed with them for the May to October time period. They are already out there at the time of Jesus’ birth, and they apparently have not yet returned. If nothing else, this seems to indicate that Jesus is born sometime between May and October, and certainly not as late in the winter as December.

'santa' is 'satan' spelt different