Christmas Debate

  • Thread starter Thread starter NolePaul2005
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Yep, in the bible, a bunch of shepherds and wise men came by to celebrate Christ’s birthday. That shouldn’t be too hard to find in the bible.

There’s no record of Christ celebrating it in later years in the bible, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the He didn’t celebrate it. Does this mean that we should never do anything that it doesn’t say He did in the bible?

How do we celebrate anyone’s birthday? We but presents for them, make cakes, put up decorations. So for Christmas, we do this for one another, as Christ says ‘whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me’.

As for the date, we don’t know for sure, so Dec 25 is as good as any other day. Do you think that Christ would prefer that we just forgot about him altogether, just because we’re not sure of the date? Of course not! Christmas is a great tradition and one that keeps our focus on God, why should we not celebrate it?
 
It always frosts my you-know-what when I see other Christians screaming about how Christmas is unChristian, or that celebrating it is satanic. The refrain is always the same: “The Apostles never celebrated Christmas! It’s a tradition that developed many years later! There’s nothing in the Bible about Christmas! Christmas came from Pagan origins! Christmas is from the Devil!” (and all the rest of their paper-thin arguments).
My response is basically this: who cares if its not (at least not explicitly) in the Bible? There’s nothing explicit about the Holy Trinity in the Bible either. Who cares if it is a tradition that started later? Who cares if pagans used trees or yule logs or drank eggnog before these practices were incoporated into Christmas? Who cares if December 25 used to be the date for the Roman Pagan festival Saturnalia? So what? You know why none of this matters? Because when I wake up every Christmas morning, the first thing that comes to my mind is not, “I can’t wait to get downstairs and light up some incense before the Pantheon and engage in a little ancestor worship!” The first thing that comes to my mind is not, “Man, that tree over in the corner is a wonderful tribute to Isis and Mithra!” In fact, none of the Christians I knew growing up ever believed or behaved in an unChristan manner on Christmas, nor do any of those I know now! Imagine that. Crazy, huh?
Admittedly, when I was a kid the first thing on my mind Christmas morning was toys. Toys still play a significant part in my enthusiasm for Christmas, but as a more mature Christian, however, I know this: Jesus is the reason for the season. What it all comes down to is that Christmas is another day in which we honor our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is simply a day in which we remember a less common theme of His life: His birth. And we celebrate it, as a way of honoring Him. There’s nothing wrong with that, and if anyone says otherwise, they are either uninformed, crazy, or dishonest.**
 
Hi Paul, here is an archieve of past christmas cards from the whitehouse, I only count one that said merry christmas

whitehouse.gov/president/holiday/cards/

I think the criticism of bush’s card are unwarrented when one looks at this tradition within the context of the whitehouse. Most of the past presedients simply had “seasons’ greetings” thats it.
 
I’m going to assume that the problem you have with that university message board thread is with some posters’ assertion that Christmas isn’t Christian.

In addition to what the other posters have said, I’d like to stress the importance of celebrating Christmas, especially in light of theological issues the early Church struggled with. Celebrating Christmas reinforces the fact that we believe in an incarnate God. We are not just commemorating the birth of a prophet, teacher, or all-around nice guy. We are not commemorating the appearance of a spirit who will lead us into secret knowledge. We are commemorating the physical incarnation of almighty God for the purpose of mankind’s salvation, and that is reason to celebrate. It doesn’t really matter what date was chosen.

Also, just because some objects or rituals used to be pagan doesn’t make them evil. I am of the opinion that many things in other religions, especially pre-Christian religions, actually point to the truth of Christ. Just think about all the stories in other religions that bear strong similarities to the central stories of salvation. I don’t think these are cases of bastardization or corruption of our stories, but rather cases of foreshadowing of our stories. We acknowledge that ancient Judaism contained many foreshadowings of Christ. Obviously, not everyone in that time were Jews – it was kind of an exclusive club. Why is it not possible that God placed foreshadowing stories and images in those other cultures specifically to pave the way for Christianity later? Every single formerly pagan symbol that I’ve encountered in Christianity has a valid Christian symbolism and a valid reason to be used in the celebration of my faith.
 
You know, Christmas is not only a Christian holiday, it’s also a national holiday. For most workers, it is a paid holiday. I hope the people bashing Christmas will also turn in their holiday pay back to the company. If they hate Christmas, and call it a pagan holiday, they should, so they can keep their consience clean. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
 
Luke 2:10-11 And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a GREAT JOY which will come to ALL THE PEOPLE; for to YOU is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Well, looky here, GREAT JOY to ALL THE PEOPLE. How else to express this GREAT JOY than to celebrate?!!!

Luke 2:13-14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest…

Well, as I read it, heaven and earth was celebrating!!!

No Christmas in the Bible?..hogwash!

God bless,
Blessed Advent
Peace on earth
 
40.png
oremus:
Luke 2:10-11 And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a GREAT JOY which will come to ALL THE PEOPLE; for to YOU is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Well, looky here, GREAT JOY to ALL THE PEOPLE. How else to express this GREAT JOY than to celebrate?!!!

Luke 2:13-14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest…

Well, as I read it, heaven and earth was celebrating!!!

No Christmas in the Bible?..hogwash!

God bless,
Blessed Advent
Peace on earth
Click to expand...
AMEN!
 
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