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Do some Christmas traditions have pagan origins?
It has been erroneously claimed that Christmas simply is a Christianized version of ancient, pagan mid-winter festivals. This myth is more of a conspiracy theory than a fact, and is more often than not rooted in poor scholarship and wild speculations. The angels rejoiced over the birth of Jesus, and the event was recorded in the Bible, to be remembered by believers (Luke 1:46-2:38). Obviously, we are free to rejoice and commemorate His birth as well!
Then what about the date: the 25th of December? We don’t know with certainty whether or not this was the actual birthday of Jesus, but we do know that countless Christians have believed it was since the 3rd century. Through research and biblical calculations, various excellent scholars reached the conclusion that Jesus was born on this particular date. Sure, certain pagan religions did celebrate holidays on or close to this day. But no matter which date or season the Church picked for their holiday, some pagan religion – somewhere in the world – would celebrate a pagan holiday at the same time. The Church did not compromise with paganism or Christianize a pagan holiday. Rather, they offered an alternative: a brand-new holiday, Christmas!
This Christian birthday-celebration of Jesus is associated with Bible readings, special services, lit candles and gift-giving. Christmas is actually more like the Jewish Chanukah feast, and nothing like the pagan mid-winter festivals, which were more like wild carnivals filled with superstition, magic rituals, sacrifices, indulgence, and orgies.
Our most popular and beloved Christmas symbols are entirely Christian, and were never part of any pagan religion anywhere. The first Christmas tree was decorated by Protestant Christians in 16th century Germany, the Advent wreath was invented by Johann Hinrich Wichern in the 1830s (also in Germany). These symbols are evangelistic tools and have an entirely Christian meaning.
As Christianity, and the celebration of Christmas, moved into new areas, certain pagan elements did sneak into Christmas. This includes, for example, the mistletoe and the north-European Yule log. Why was this permitted? The Church is multi-cultural. We want to welcome all nations to accept Jesus and worship the one, true God. When a person accepts Christ and becomes a Christian, he or she must cease living in sin. A lot of times, however, there are elements in different cultures that are not directly sinful; they are neutral and may be given a new meaning. This includes customs like decorating with mistletoe and burning logs. Obviously, these are part of God’s creation, not man-made symbols or shaped figures. So some Christians, in some cultures, kept these customs and gave them a new meaning (mistletoe represents the crown of Christ). This is pretty much like keeping and changing the meaning of other previously pagan customs, such as leaving flowers on the graves of our loved ones or showering newlyweds with rice.
So how do we handle these supposedly pagan elements? One alternative is to keep in mind that Christians celebrated Christmas for generations, long before reindeer and holly were added to the celebration. Otherwise, if you consider keeping these customs, consider whether or not they have a pagan significance to you. Can you use them to honor God, commemorate the birth of Christ and teach others about Jesus? Can your ex-pagan customs be used as evangelistic tools; why and how?
As we have seen, there is nothing wrong in rejoicing at the birth of Jesus (even the angels did)! And we are free to do this annually, even on a new holiday that we may invent for ourselves, to the glory of God (Esther 9:18-32).
So whether you choose to celebrate Christmas (Jesus’ birthday) or not, make your decision based upon what would honor God the most in your life. Whatever we do, let’s do it for the Lord, and always keep our focus on Him… Christmas is all about the King of kings that once was born as a fragile, little Jewish baby boy in the town of Bethlehem.
Article From: gotquestions.org
http://www.gotquestions.org/Christmas-traditions.html
It has been erroneously claimed that Christmas simply is a Christianized version of ancient, pagan mid-winter festivals. This myth is more of a conspiracy theory than a fact, and is more often than not rooted in poor scholarship and wild speculations. The angels rejoiced over the birth of Jesus, and the event was recorded in the Bible, to be remembered by believers (Luke 1:46-2:38). Obviously, we are free to rejoice and commemorate His birth as well!
Then what about the date: the 25th of December? We don’t know with certainty whether or not this was the actual birthday of Jesus, but we do know that countless Christians have believed it was since the 3rd century. Through research and biblical calculations, various excellent scholars reached the conclusion that Jesus was born on this particular date. Sure, certain pagan religions did celebrate holidays on or close to this day. But no matter which date or season the Church picked for their holiday, some pagan religion – somewhere in the world – would celebrate a pagan holiday at the same time. The Church did not compromise with paganism or Christianize a pagan holiday. Rather, they offered an alternative: a brand-new holiday, Christmas!
This Christian birthday-celebration of Jesus is associated with Bible readings, special services, lit candles and gift-giving. Christmas is actually more like the Jewish Chanukah feast, and nothing like the pagan mid-winter festivals, which were more like wild carnivals filled with superstition, magic rituals, sacrifices, indulgence, and orgies.
Our most popular and beloved Christmas symbols are entirely Christian, and were never part of any pagan religion anywhere. The first Christmas tree was decorated by Protestant Christians in 16th century Germany, the Advent wreath was invented by Johann Hinrich Wichern in the 1830s (also in Germany). These symbols are evangelistic tools and have an entirely Christian meaning.
As Christianity, and the celebration of Christmas, moved into new areas, certain pagan elements did sneak into Christmas. This includes, for example, the mistletoe and the north-European Yule log. Why was this permitted? The Church is multi-cultural. We want to welcome all nations to accept Jesus and worship the one, true God. When a person accepts Christ and becomes a Christian, he or she must cease living in sin. A lot of times, however, there are elements in different cultures that are not directly sinful; they are neutral and may be given a new meaning. This includes customs like decorating with mistletoe and burning logs. Obviously, these are part of God’s creation, not man-made symbols or shaped figures. So some Christians, in some cultures, kept these customs and gave them a new meaning (mistletoe represents the crown of Christ). This is pretty much like keeping and changing the meaning of other previously pagan customs, such as leaving flowers on the graves of our loved ones or showering newlyweds with rice.
So how do we handle these supposedly pagan elements? One alternative is to keep in mind that Christians celebrated Christmas for generations, long before reindeer and holly were added to the celebration. Otherwise, if you consider keeping these customs, consider whether or not they have a pagan significance to you. Can you use them to honor God, commemorate the birth of Christ and teach others about Jesus? Can your ex-pagan customs be used as evangelistic tools; why and how?
As we have seen, there is nothing wrong in rejoicing at the birth of Jesus (even the angels did)! And we are free to do this annually, even on a new holiday that we may invent for ourselves, to the glory of God (Esther 9:18-32).
So whether you choose to celebrate Christmas (Jesus’ birthday) or not, make your decision based upon what would honor God the most in your life. Whatever we do, let’s do it for the Lord, and always keep our focus on Him… Christmas is all about the King of kings that once was born as a fragile, little Jewish baby boy in the town of Bethlehem.
Article From: gotquestions.org
http://www.gotquestions.org/Christmas-traditions.html
