Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem
It is the "Silly Season" and let's face it, it's no secret that christians are so divided among themselves that they cannot agree on even the most basic of principles from wether or not a woman can preach to wether a christmas tree is "scriptural". There's no need to re-invent the wheel and try to find the answers to various christmas related questions. So here's an article written by a christian to christians, regarding christmas. Erm... need I say more?
PLEASE NOTE: I do not advocate the beliefs the writer advocates, I include extracts of his article here, simply because it is well researched and basically shows how the bible itself speaks against "christmas"..
All rights of the extracts of this article to its author David C Pack .
"C
atholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, under “Christmas”: “Christmas was
not among the earliest festivals of the Church…the first evidence of the feast
is from
Egypt.” Further, “Pagan customs centering around the January calends
gravitated to Christmas.” Under “Natal Day
,” Origen, an early Catholic writer,
admitted, “…In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a
great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and
Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this
world” (emphasis mine).
The
Encyclopedia Americana, 1956 edition, adds, “Christmas…was
not
observed in the first centuries of the Christian church, since the Christian
usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than
their birth…a feast was established in memory of this event [ Jesus's birth] in
the
fourth century. In the fifth century the
Western Church ordered the feast to
be celebrated forever on the day of the Mithraic rites of the birth of the sun
and at the close of the Saturnalia, as no certain knowledge of the day of
Christ's birth existed.”
It was
300 years after Christ before the Roman church kept Christmas, and not
until the fifth century that it was mandated to be kept throughout the empire as
an official festival honoring “Christ.”
Can "Christ" Be Honored by Christmas?
The most common justification that one will hear regarding Christmas is that
people have replaced old pagan customs and intents by asserting that they are
now “focusing on Christ.” I have heard many say that they are “honoring Christ”
in their Christmas-keeping. The problem is that God
does not say this is
acceptable to Him! Actually, He plainly commands against it! Keeping
Christmas dishonors Christ! He considers everything about it to be an
abomination! We will soon see why.
"Christ" said, “But in
vain they do
worship Me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men” (
Matt. 15:9). Christmas is not
a command of God—it is a tradition of men. "Christ" continued, “Full well you
reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own
tradition” (
Mark 7:9). Every year,
throughout the world, on December 25th, hundreds of millions do just that!
We will see that God plainly commands, “Follow not the way of the heathen.”
But most people do not fear God, and He allows them to make their own decisions.
Human beings are free moral agents—free to obey or disobey God! (...)
Was "Christ" Born on December 25th?
"Christ" was born in the
fall of the year. Many have mistakenly believed He was
born around the beginning of winter—December 25th! They are wrong! Notice the
Adam Clarke Commentary, volume 5, page 370, New York edition: “It was
custom among Jews to send out their sheep to the deserts about the Passover
[early spring], and bring them home at the commencement of the first rain.” The
first rains began in early-to-mid fall. Continuing with this same quote: “During
the time they were out, the shepherds watched them night and day. As…the first
rain began early in the month of March-esvan, which answers to part of our
October and November [begins sometime in October], we find that the sheep were
kept out in the open country during the whole summer. And as these shepherds had
not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had
not yet commenced, and that, consequently, (Jesus) was not born on the 25th of
December, when no flocks were out in the fields; nor could He have been born
later than September, as the flocks were still in the fields by night. On this
very ground, the nativity in December should be given up. The feeding of the
flocks by night in the fields is a chronological fact…See the quotations from
the Talmudists in Lightfoot.”
Luke 2:8 explains that when "Christ" was born, “there
were in the same country shepherds
abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flock
by night.” Note that they were “abiding” in the field.
This never happened in December. Both
Ezra 10:9-13 and the
Song of Solomon 2:11 show that winter was the rainy
season and shepherds could not stay on cold, open fields at night.
Numerous encyclopedias plainly state that "Christ" was not born on December
25th!
The Catholic Encyclopedia directly confirms this. In all
likelihood, "Christ" was born in the fall! A lengthy technical explanation would
prove this point.
Since we now know that December 25th was nowhere near "Christ's" actual
birthdate, where did the festival associated with this date come from?
Now read this quote under “Christmas”: “In the Roman world,
the Saturnalia
(December 17) was a time of merrymaking and exchanging of gifts. December 25 was
also regarded as the birthdate of the Iranian mystery god Mithra, the Sun of
Righteousness. On the Roman New Year (January 1), houses were decorated with
greenery and lights, and gifts were given to children and the poor. To these
observances were added the German and Celtic Yule rites when the Teutonic tribes
penetrated into Gaul, Britain and central Europe. Food and good fellowship, the
Yule log and Yule cakes, greenery and fir trees, gifts and greetings all
commemorated different aspects of this festive season. (..)” (
Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed.,
vol. II, p. 903).
A final quote about the selection of December 25th as the birthdate of "Christ"
is necessary. Note an article in
The Toronto Star, December 1984, by
Alan Edmonds, entitled, “We owe a lot to Druids, Dutch”: “The Reformation cast a
blight on Christmas. By then, of course,
clever ecclesiastical politicians had
adopted the Pagan mid-winter festival as the alleged birthdate of Jesus, of
Nazareth, and thrown in a few other Pagan goodies to make their takeover more
palatable.”
December 25th was not selected because it was the birth of "Christ" or because
it was even near it. It
was selected because it coincided with the idolatrous
pagan festival Saturnalia—and this celebration must be carefully
examined. In any event, we do
not know the exact date of "Christ's"
birth. (...)
What About Santa Claus?
Parents reason that they owe the whole Christmas myth to their
children! Christmas traditions are focused primarily on kids, and they are
certainly the center of most of what happens. I know because I kept seventeen
Christmases. My older sister and younger brother and I were the recipients of
much and the givers of very little on that day—and it all started with the Santa
Claus lie.
Some years ago, a priest in New Jersey told his Sunday school class that
Santa was a myth. The outrage from parents and his supervisors was swift. He had
“killed Santa!” He had “destroyed family tradition!” He had “usurped family
authority,” the article continued. He was officially censored by his superiors
for being “overzealous and insensitive.”
His crime? He told the
truth!
According to
Langer's Encyclo-pedia of World History, (article
“Santa”),
“Santa” was a common name for Nimrod throughout Asia Minor. This was
also the same fire god who came down the chimneys of the ancient pagans and the
same fire god to whom infants were burned and eaten in human sacrifice among
those who were once God's people.
Today Santa Claus comes from “Saint Nicholas.” Washington Irving, in 1809, is
responsible for remaking the original old, stern bishop of this same name into
the new “jolly St. Nick” in his
Knickerbocker History of New York.
(Most of the rest of America's Christmas traditions are even more recent than
this.)
“Old Nick” has long been recognized as a term for the devil.
In
Revelation 2:6 and
15, we
read about a “doctrine of the Nicolaitanes,” which Christ twice tells His Church
“[He] hates.” Let's analyze the word Nicolaitane. It means “follower of
Nicholas.”
Nikos means “conqueror, destroyer.”
Laos means
“people.” Nicolaitanes, then, are people who follow the conqueror or
destroyer—Nimrod.
If you have believed that following Christmas is an innocent
Christian custom, let this truth sink in!
Is It "Scriptural" to Exchange Gifts?
Merchants regularly report that over 60% of their annual retail sales occur
during the Christmas shopping season. This represents a tremendous amount of
gift buying. Most today believe that gift-giving comes from the Bible example of
the “three wise men” (
the Bible gives no number) presenting gifts to Christ. Is
this true? Where did exchanging gifts come from, and what does God's Word say
about it?
The
Bibliotheca Sacra states, “
The interchange of presents between
friends is a like characteristic of Christmas and the Saturnalia, and must have
been adopted by Christians from the pagans, as the admonition of Tertullian
plainly shows” (Vol. 12, pp. 153-155).
Like every other aspect of Christmas, the shocking truth is that
even this
supposed Christian custom does not come from the Bible. It is an irony that
people love to believe they are following the custom of the wise men giving to
Christ, when actually they are giving
almost exclusively to each other!
What hypocrisy! Christ is completely forgotten.
The Bible actually teaches that Christians should not keep birthdays.
Numerous scriptures make this principle clear. (...) However, what if you went to a birthday party that had
been prepared for you and everybody gave gifts to each other and you were left
out? The idea is ridiculous! If this happened, you would say that people were
being selfish and forgetting you.
In fact, most people give to others on
Christmas merely because they expect to receive gifts themselves!
Let's briefly return to the “wise men” who gave gifts to Christ. The
scripture describing this is
Matthew 2:1-11: “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?…And when they were come into the house, they saw the
young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:
and
when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him
gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.”
It is commonly supposed that these were birthday presents for “baby Jesus.”
But is this what the Bible actually says? Absolutely not! First, it is important
to note that they
did give the gifts to Jesus. They did not stand in
his presence and exchange gifts among themselves or give them to others. The
gifts were “presented
unto Him.” Also, they arrived well after his
“birthday.” This is another reason these could not have been “birthday
presents.” (...)
Origin of the Christmas Tree
No article about Christmas is complete without some explanation of the
“Christmas tree.” We have touched on it without directly focusing on it.
The
modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. But the Germans got it from the
Romans, who got it from the Babylonians and the Egyptians.
The following demonstrates what the Babylonians believe about the origin of
the Christmas tree: “
An old Babylonish fable told of an evergreen tree which
sprang out of a dead tree stump. The old stump symbolized the dead Nimrod, the
new evergreen tree symbolized that Nimrod had come to life again in Tammuz!
Among the Druids the oak was sacred, among the Egyptians it was the palm, and in
Rome it was the fir, which was decorated with red berries during the
Saturnalia!” (Walsh, Curiosities of Popular Customs, p. 242).
Frederick J. Haskin's
Answers to Questions states, “
The Christmas
tree is from Egypt, and its origin dates from a period long anterior to the
Christmas Era.” Did you know this—that the Christmas tree long preceded
Christianity?
Most aspects of Christmas are not referred to in the Bible. Of course, the
reason is that they are not from God (The reader should remember this article was written by a christian writer, not by the blogger yesimmuslimdealwithit) (...) The Christmas tree, however,
is directly mentioned in
the Bible! Turn to
Jeremiah 10:2-5,
“Thus says
the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen…For the customs of the people are
vain: for one cuts 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. They are upright as the palm
tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not
afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do
good.”
This plain description of the modern Christmas tree is clear.
(The bible )directly
refers to it as “the way of the heathen.” Just as directly, He commands His
people to “
learn not the way of the heathen,” calling these customs
“
vain.” Verse
23 adds a remarkable and
powerful statement: “O
Lord, I
know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks
to
direct his [own]
steps.” God must teach people how to live.
Man
simply cannot figure out God's ways for himself. (Note from yesImMuslimDealwithit - please read this again - Christians will tell muslims that they do not need laws because they are set free.. so no, I'm not agreeing with the writer in all he says, but I want readers to note what christians themselves say about christmas - their OWN bible denounces it.)
There is no room in Jeremiah 10 to believe, as
some have tried to suggest, that because these trees are powerless of
themselves, it is not really forbidden to have a Christmas tree. God
condemns the putting up of pagan (Christmas) trees with this plain Bible
command!
The Source of Holly Wreaths, Yule Logs and Mistletoe
The
Encyclopedia Americana states,
“The holly, the mistletoe, the
Yule log…are relics of pre-Christian time.” In other words, paganism! The Yule
log was commonly used in a rite of Teutonic nature worship.
Frederick Haskin further states, “The use of Christmas wreaths is believed by
authorities to be traceable to the pagan customs of decorating buildings and
places of worship at the feast which took place at the same time as
Christmas.”
The
Encyclopedia Britannica, under “Celastrales,” exposes the origin
of the holly wreath: “
European pagans brought holly sprays into their homes,
offering them to the fairy people of the forests as refuge from the harsh winter
weather. During the Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival, branches of holly
were exchanged as tokens of friendship. The earliest Roman Christians apparently
used holly as a decoration at the Christmas season.”
There are dozens of different types of holly. Virtually all of them come in
male and female varieties—such as “Blue Prince and Blue Princess” or
“Blue Boy and Blue Girl” or “China Boy and China Girl.” Female holly plants
cannot have berries unless a nearby male plant pollinates them. It is easy to
see why the holly wreath found its way into pagan rituals as a token of
friendship and fertility!
Christmas is incomplete to many unless it involves
“kissing under the
mistletoe.” This pagan custom was natural on a night that involved much revelry
done in the spirit of drunken orgies. Just like today, this “kissing” usually
occurred at the beginning of any modern Saturnalia/Christmas celebration. I will
never forget having to always kiss my friends' mothers
upon entering each of
their houses every Christmas. It was the first thing that we did. I hated
it—but it was something I “had to do”!
Mistletoe was considered to have special
powers of healing for those who “reveled” under it.
The
Encyclopedia Britannica, under “Santalales,” states, “
The
European mistletoe is thought to have had special ritual significance in
Druidical ceremonies and lives in folklore today, its special status as the
Christmas mistletoe having come from Anglo-Saxon times.” Mistletoe is a parasite
that lives on oak trees. (Recall that the Druids worshipped in oak tree groves.)
The ancient Celtics (associated with the Druids) used to give mistletoe as an
herbal remedy to barren animals to make them
fertile. It is still
referred to as “
all healer” in Celtic.
(Yesimmuslimdealwithit comment - and yes, it is a medicinal herb, but it should not be used for any spiritual purpose for only ALLAH heals!)
Like mistletoe, holly berries were also thought to be sacred to the sun god.
The original “sun log” came to be called the yule log. “
Yule” simply means
“wheel,” which has long been a pagan representation of the sun. No wonder people
today commonly speak of the “sacred yule-tide season.”
What Should You Do?
Finally, let's examine what God told His people they should do and the way
they ought to teach their children.
Human beings do not want to obey God (
Rom. 8:7). They would rather
follow their own “imagination.” They do not understand that God wants their
lives to go “well.” He wants happiness, joy and blessings to flow into people's
lives. All these are the results of obeying Him.
God inspired Moses to warn parents of the grave responsibility that they have
in what and how they teach their children. Notice His instruction in
Deuteronomy 6:1,
6-7,
20-21,
25: “Now these are the
commandments…which the
Lord your God commanded to teach
you, that you might do them in the land where you go to possess it…And these
words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart:
And you shall
teach them diligently unto your children, and shall talk of them when you
sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when
you rise up…
And when your son asks you in time to come, saying, What
mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the
Lord our God has commanded you? Then
you shall say unto your son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the
Lord brought us out of Egypt with a
mighty hand…And it shall be our righteousness,
if we observe to do all these
commandments before the Lord our
God, as He has commanded us.”
God took Israel out of Egypt—out of the customs of the world around them and
revealed His Law to them. He does not want His people going back to the
traditions, customs and ways from which He has called them.
(note by yesimmuslimdealwithit - the writer sounds like a muslim, doesn't he? After all, he's basically saying one should submit to the laws of Allah, as written in the thorah, right? Submission to Allah's will, to the will of God, has a name - its translated in arabic as "ISLAM".)
When all of the interconnected traditions, filled with the symbolism of
worshipping an ancient pagan, humanly devised god, are taught, this is not
worshipping the true Creator.
The prophet Isaiah was inspired to write, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your
voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression” (
58:1).
I have done this.
Notes from yesimmuslimdealwithit - why would the writer weep for the transgressions of the christians, aren't christians free from all transgressions because of "the cross" - oh wait - the cross is also a pagan symbol - !!
Wether you are christian or not, christmas is not. Wether you are christian or not, you should not be hanging up christmas trees, exchanging gifts or participating in anything remotely christmassy. May our muslim brothers and sisters who participate "FOR THE FUN OF IT" take heed - Shirk is not a game, and since christmas is actually orignated in PAGAN and IDOLATROUS beliefs, is it not, then, idolatry? May Allah guide us all, and grant us the truth, always, for truly if the christians believed that the truth would set them free, they would seek the truth. CONVENIENCE is not the same as faith.
