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Argument : Christmas Traditions are from Paganism
Posted : 3 Dec, 2011 12:38 PM
Argument : Christmas Traditions are from Paganism
Another argument against the celebration of Christmas as it has been done for years is the claim that many of the traditions found in the celebration of Christmas were brought over into Christianity from pagan practices. These include the yule log, the tree, special feasts or meals, and mistletoe. How can we justify these things? Isn't it just like celebrating Halloween?
A number of Old Testament passages are sometimes used to condemn the use of Christmas trees such as: Jeremiah 10:2-5; Isaiah 40:19-20; 44:14-17. (See verses in introduction above.)
Answers and Considerations: Some Historical Facts about our Traditions The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible says: Gradually a number of prevailing practices of the nations into which Christianity came were assimilated and were combined with the religious ceremonies surrounding Christmas. T
he assimilation of such practices generally represented efforts by Christians to transform or absorb otherwise pagan practices. The Feast of Saturnalia in early Rome, for example, was celebrated for 7 days from the 17th to the 24th of December and was marked by a spirit of merriment, gift giving to children and other forms of entertainment. Gradually, early Christians replaced the pagan feast with the celebration of Christmas; but many of the traditions of this observance were assimilated and remain to this day a part of the observance of Christmas.
Other nations, the Scandinavians, Germans, French, English and others, have left their mark . . . as well (pp. 804, 805). Concerning these ancient elements, The Christian Encyclopedia says: Various symbolic elements of the pagan celebration, such as the lighting of candles, evergreen decorations, and the giving of gifts, were adapted to Christian signification.
Later as Christianity spread into northern Europe, the Celtic, Teutonic, and Slavic winter festivals contributed holly, mistletoe, the Christmas tree, bonfires, and similar items. Finally, Unger's Bible Dictionary adds: The giving of presents was a Roman custom; while the yule tree and yule log are remnants of old Teutonic nature worship. Gradually the festival sank into mere revelry . . . . The custom was forbidden by an act of parliament in 1555; And the reformation brought in a refinement in the celebration of Christmas by emphasizing it Christian elements. But what about passages like Jeremiah 10? Some believe this condemns the celebration of Christmas and especially the use of the Christmas tree.
Is Jeremiah telling us to avoid the customs of the nations? No. Jeremiah 10 is a denunciation of the making and worship of idols and not the decoration of evergreen trees in the home. This passage is not a categorical denial of all the customs of the nations. It is only a command to avoid those customs that are contrary to the revelation of God to Israel. There were many customs that Israel and the nations had in common that were not wrong. This passage in Jeremiah and others like it in Isaiah had to do with idolatry. First, Jeremiah warns against astrological worship--the worship of the sun, moon, and the stars. Second, he warns against going into the forest to cut down trees to be carved into an idol in some form whether human or animal, and then worshipped and prayed to for guidance, for protection, and blessing (cf. Isa. 44:14-17).
Some have tried to tie the reference to the green tree in Jeremiah 3:6, 13 to the reference in 10:3f to further justify condemnation of the Christmas tree, but this refers to the idolatrous groves of trees used as a place for idol worship and revelry.
Issues Facing Us Today (1) The pagan associations were lost long ago.The names of the days of our week also had their origin in pagan beliefs. Thursday originally stood for the Germanic god of the sky or of thunder. Tuesday stood for Tiw, the god of war. And Wednesday is derived from Woden, the chief god in Germanic mythology. Sunday and Monday were related somehow to the worship of the sun and the moon. Saturday is from Saturnus, or Saturn, and Friday comes from Fria, the goddess of love.
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!
The same applies to the traditions of Christmas. If one observed the days of the week or the Christmas season with their ancient associations in mind, certainly it would be wrong. But many of these things, as with our Sunday, have been given Christian connotations.
The evergreen tree is a symbol of the eternal life which Christ, the Son of God, offers to man via another tree, the cross (Rev. 2:7; 22:2, 14). The presents under the tree can remind us of God's gift and our need to give of ourselves to others as those who have received God's gift of life through Christ. Even without seeking special significance in the traditions of Christmas, you could still celebrate this season for the joy and family fun the season can bring.
I would like to suggest that believers can capitalize on the Christmas season as a family tradition and as a learning experience much like the Old Testament Passover was to be used by Israel. It all depends on the spirit and attitude in which it is done.
We can be very negative and critical, or we can be positive and use the season as a time to remember and commemorate the birth of the Savior. We can use it as a time to demonstrate love for others in a special way, and to be together as a family like we do on Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July, or New Years. We can make something evil out of it or something good.
(2) Facts of Scripture Concerning the Celebration of Christmas In view of what we have seen, the Bible is silent from the standpoint of our Christmas traditions. However, because of our freedom in Christ under grace, we are at liberty to celebrate Christmas.
The important point is that the Bible simply does not condemn the celebration of Christmas even in the traditional form and we have liberty in Christ to choose to do so. Scripture does, however, set down principles which should affect the way we celebrate it. These principles warn and protect us from the distortions we find in the world.
Today in many companies and offices, Christmas is celebrated with wild, drunken parties where there is no regard for the reason for the season--the birth of the Savior of the World. It becomes just a time of merriment and a time to tie one on. Today people often spend lavishly on gifts and go deeply in debt. They buy things they can't afford, which nobody needs, and sometimes can't even identify. The response is "Hey, thanks. What is it?" Children get caught up with the gifts and the toys and lose sight of the Savior--or never hear about the Lord as God's gift of His Son that we might have life.
Through the Christmas message, Parents often fail to teach the spirit of giving as an outworking of one's relationship with God through faith in Christ, God's gift to the world. Finally, some may observe the season as they would observe lent, as a religious holy day that must be observed to gain points with God, or to become more spiritual. But it doesn't have to be like this. Even the gift aspect can be done in such a way that it is instructive, meaningful, in keeping with one's budget, and in keeping with biblical teaching concerning Christian stewardship.
(3) Ancient traditions are often distortions of original revelation. Many of the customs of Christmas originated in ancient Babylonian paganism and were related in various ways to the mother-child cult. But an important concept is often missed here. Originally, many of the ideas of these pagan practices may have had their roots in the truth of the Old Testament or divine revelation from God as: In Genesis 3:15, we have the promise of the Savior through the seed of a woman.
In Isaiah 7:14, we have the promise that this Savior will come through the virgin birth. A number of passages use the symbol of a tree to point to the promise of life through the Messiah. Genesis 2:9: 3:17, 22; Revelation 2:7; 22:2, 14 all speak of a tree of life, some historic, some prophetic. Isaiah 4:2; 11:1; 60:21; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15 and Zechariah 3:8; 6:12 all speak of the branch of the Lord as the work of God. These verses form a whole line of prophecies concerning the branch of the Lord, the shoot, that would spring forth and become a tree of life both to Israel and the nations. So, when we come to the New Testament, we find reference to a tree of life that is available to believers in Christ.
In view of these Old Testament prophecies, I believe four things are evident: These ancient customs of the nations were originally introduced into the religious life of the nations by Satan to distort the original promises and truth of God which these customs would portray.
For instance, in the mother-child cult of ancient Babylon, the mother was the primary object of worship, not her son. This was a distortion of the promise of Genesis 3:15. These customs came from a basic need in man (one built in by God) for the truth and need of a Savior.
The practices, though in perverted form, did portray a deliverer, the provision of eternal life, the gift of God through the seed of a woman, a divine branch from heaven as the means of reconciliation to God. The principle is that these customs cast surprising light on the revelation of God's grace as they originally came from God in the beginning of human history. As with the story of the flood, the temptation, and the fall of man, they all became perverted from that which we find in the inspired Word. However, in many cases, they did point to original revelation from God and maybe even customs that were originally pure.
Today, our Christmas traditions have lost their original pagan significance or connotations. In some cases, the distortions were corrected by the reformers over two hundred years ago, but they did not see fit to condemn the celebration of Christmas.
(4) The celebration of Christmas falls under the category of doubtful things. It is argued that since Scripture does not clearly rule out the celebration of Christmas; its celebration falls under the category of debatable or doubtful things covered by the principles of Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 and 9.
In summary, these passages teach us the following principles: Every believer must become convinced in his or her own mind (Rom. 14:5). We must not judge or look upon other with contempt who do not come to the same conclusion that we do (Rom. 14:3, 4, 13). Just as there is nothing evil in meat sacrificed to idols, so there is nothing inherently evil in the traditional Christmas with the tree, presents, carols, and decorations. Such things become what people make them by their attitudes and beliefs (Rom. 14:22-23; 1 Cor. 8:4-8; 10:19).
The ultimate issue is our attitude, the reasons, and how if one decides to celebrate the Christmas season in some fashion. (5) Some Options to Consider: If you have doubts or misgivings, do away with any observance of the Christmas season all together. But do not become a Scrooge and look down on those who do celebrate it (Rom. 14:-5).
Cut out some or all of the traditional elements like the tree, presents, etc., but spend the season reflecting on the birth of the Savior through the Word and the singing of carols. Keep the season's traditions--the tree, presents, and decorations--but divorce them of any religious tones. Use this part of the season simply as a family tradition for fun and family togetherness.
But remember the birth of Christ through carols, reading the Christmas story, and times with other members of the body of Christ. Keep the Christmas traditions and use them to illustrate and focus on the truth of Jesus Christ.
(1) The tree speaks of the Lord and the eternal life which He gives; (2) The presents speak of God's love and gift to us of His Son and of our love for one another. Make the emphasis more on giving rather than receiving. (3) The mistletoe speaks of the gift of God's righteous branch, and the kiss or hug stands for kissing the Son in faith--an expression of faith in Christ as God's means of salvation and reconciliation (Psalm 2).
The problem is that many believers are already carnal or marginal in their spiritual life and they get caught up in the rat race and secularization of the season. People spend far more than they can afford. They seek relief from their burdens and seek happiness in the glitter and merry making of the holidays, rather than in the person of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
They look for the season to give joy, rather than the Person of the season. They expect from the season what only God can give. As a result, depression and suicide reaches its peak during the Christmas season and immediately following it. Argument: Uncertainty of the Date of Christ's Birth As one who has specialized in biblical chronology, Dr. Harold W. Hoehner, professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, wrote: Jesus Christ entered into the history of our world, Christianity, therefore, has historical basis.
The backbone of history is chronology. Whereas history is a systematic account of events in relation to a nation, institution, science, or art; chronology is a science of time. It seeks to establish and arrange the dates of past events in their proper sequence. Thus chronology serves as a necessary framework upon which the events of history may be fitted (BIB SAC, Vol. 130, # 520, Oct.-Dec., 1973, p. 338).
The argument is that Christ could not have been born on December 25 or even in the winter, so the entire celebration is wrong, even the time of the year. Answers and Considerations: By considering the chronological notes in Scripture such as Luke 2:1, "it seems that the evidence would lead one to conclude that Christ's birth occurred sometime in the winter of 5/4 B.C." (Hoehner, p. 350).
Our concern here is not with the year, but with the month Christ was born--or at least the time of year, i.e., winter or spring. Is a winter date out of the question? Is it possible or maybe even probable? 1. Hoehner points out that the traditional date for the birth of Christ as December 25th dates back to as early as Hippolytus (A.D. 165-235).
In the Eastern church January 6th was the date used for Christ's birth. But this is still a winter date and not far removed from December 25th. 2. Chrysostom (A.D. 345-407) in 386 stated that December 25th is the correct date and hence it became the official date for Christ's birth except in the Eastern church which still retained January 6th. 3. One of the main objections has been that sheep were usually taken into enclosures from November through March and were not out in the fields at night. However, this is not as conclusive as it sounds for the following reasons: (a) It could have been a mild winter. (b) It is not at all certain that sheep were always brought into enclosures during the winter months. (c) It is true that during the winter months sheep were brought in from the wilderness, but remember, Luke tells us the shepherds were near Bethlehem rather than in the wilderness. This indicates, if anything, the nativity was in the winter months. (d) The Mishnah tells us the shepherds around Bethlehem were outside all year and those worthy of the Passover were nearby in the fields at least 30 days before the feast which could be as early as February (one of the coldest, rainiest months of the year).
So December is a very reasonable date. James Kelso, an archaeologist who spent a number of years living in Palestine and who has done extensive research there says this: The best season for the shepherds of Bethlehem is the winter when heavy rains bring up a luscious crop of new grass. After the rains the once-barren, brown desert earth is suddenly a field of brilliant green.
One year when excavating at New Testament Jericho, I lived in Jerusalem and drove through this area twice every day. At one single point along the road, I could see at times as many as five shepherds with their flocks on one hillside. One shepherd stayed with his flock at the same point for three weeks, so lush was the grass. But as soon as the rains stopped in the spring, the land quickly took on its normal desert look once again. Since there seem to have been a number of shepherds who came to see the Christ child, December or January would be the most likely months (James Kelso, An Archaeologist Looks At The Gospels, p. 23-24).
We also need to remember that Scripture does promise rewards for godly behavior or faithfulness for believers in Christ. Salvation is a gift through faith alone in Christ alone, but crowns, metonomy for rewards, are promised for faithful and obedient living (1 Pet. 5:4).
To read the complete article please visit: http://bible.org/article/should-christians-celebrate-christmas
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