Is it okay for a Christian to celebrate Hannukah?

[LeahRose]

Some people call it "judaizing" but I don't think it is. What do you consider judaizing?

 

[BryanW92]

If you celebrate the holiday because you know its history and the reasons for celebrating it, then it's not judaizing. If you celebrate it because you believe that all things Jewish are better than the Christian version (i.e. you believe that it is just "Jewish Christmas"), then you are judaizing.

 

[Steeno7]

Some people call it "judaizing" but I don't think it is. What do you consider judaizing?

It's a Jewish holiday that commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E.

Are you Jewish??

 

[LeahRose]

BryanW92, what if you think Christmas is not Christian, but pagan? Is it okay to celebrate Hanukkah as an alternative?

 

[LeahRose]

It's a Jewish holiday that commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E.

Are you Jewish??

My husband's ancestors are Jewish. It might be nice to teach the kids their ancestry.

 

[LeahRose]

I just want to add that this thread wasn't started to debate if Christians should or shouldn't celebrate Christmas. I just want to know if there is anything wrong with a Christian celebrating Hanukkah.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I just want to add that this thread wan't made to debate if Christians should or shouldn't celebrate Christmas. I just want to know if there is anything wrong with a Christian celebrating Hanukkah.

it's wonderful.
the more that a christian learns about Jewish Scripture(the Bible) and the Jewish Messiah (Yahshua (Jesus) ) and Jewish Life and Customs including Customs and Life of First Century Jewish Christians
the better.
there may be exceptions, Yhvh knows.

 

[LeahRose]

it's wonderful.
the more that a christian learns about Jewish Scripture(the Bible) and the Jewish Messiah (Yahshua (Jesus) ) and Jewish Life and Customs including Customs and Life of First Century Jewish Christians
the better.
there may be exceptions, Yhvh knows.

Thank you for your response. Do you know anything about judaizing? That is what confuses me.

I definitely think all Christians should learn more about our Jewish Messiah and His ways. I would like to know more about how the early Christians lived (both the Jewish and Gentile believers).

 

[NannaNae]

LEAH.. I can only tell you my experience..

when you let your family free of having to buy you gifts on days you don't believe in anyway.. at first they are put out..and then they are greatly relieved.
grandparents can then still get your kids 8 small small gifts( like candy / sweets and fruits ) if they want to.

but mostly what we decided to do was hold our annual poker / sometimes bunko.. tournament and dredle tournament for the kids> every one has to bring a one pound bag of shiny chocolate kisses or whatever.. for the entry fee... and we have a awesome great night all night playing games and laughing and eating choclate and other sweets.

Now Jews do more fried foods like donuts and stuff my family can't eat wheat , donuts .. sweet and fried in oil being the idea...

SO we talk about Jesus conception and we do a Sabbath prayer the way Mary would have said it and compare that to what the angels tell her. and we pray for his light and his wisdom for our next year. we show the scriptures everytime Jesus is mentioned speaking during Hanukkah those are all so important , and we tell a quick version of the temple cleansing- it's Hammer time / the more traditional Hanukkah story .
so we have a poker night .. and someone walks home with 10 - 20 -30 lbs of chocolate every year.. now some of us leave the game with some of our chocolate to eat....and we are all eating our chocolate all through the game.. some of the favorite chocolates will be made to become higher denominations like those yummy ones are worth than more plain kind.. .. because everyone wants those kinds ..

kids get more candy than any hollow-hells days.

and it is a blast.. and we all learn something or maybe don't forget somethings are important.. like laughing and games and good clean fun with family and friends. and we don't have to worship pagan gods days and we don't have to be materialistic to have a great time.. we used to have a white elephant game also.. it had to be used and a joke or like their worst gift ever...white elephants. and there was always a elephant gift, a nice one to fight over..and make it funny and for laughs..

we get to set our family free to just be at our house and have fun.. they don't have to go into debt for us and they don't have to spend money they don't have on us.

 

[LeahRose]

LEAH.. I can only tell you my experience..

when you let your family free of having to buy you gifts on days you don't believe in anyway.. at first they are put out..and then they are greatly relieved.
grandparents can then still get your kids 8 small small gifts( like candy / sweets and fruits ) if they want to.

but mostly what we decided to do was hold our annual poker / sometimes bunko.. tournament and dredle tournament for the kids> every one has to bring a one pound bag of shiny chocolate kisses or whatever.. for the entry fee... and we have a awesome great night all night playing games and laughing and eating choclate and other sweets.

Now Jews do more fried foods like donuts and stuff my family can't eat wheat , donuts .. sweet and fried in oil being the idea...

SO we talk about Jesus conception and we do a Sabbath prayer the way Mary would have said it and compare that to what the angels tell her. and we pray for his light and his wisdom for our next year. we show the scriptures everytime Jesus is mentioned speaking during Hanukkah those are all so important , and we tell a quick version of the temple cleansing- it's Hammer time / the more traditional Hanukkah story .
so we have a poker night .. and someone walks home with 10 - 20 -30 lbs of chocolate every year.. now some of us leave the game with some of our chocolate to eat....and we are all eating our chocolate all through the game.. some of the favorite chocolates will be made to become higher denominations like those yummy ones are worth than more plain kind.. .. because everyone wants those kinds ..

kids get more candy than any hollow-hells days.

and it is a blast.. and we all learn something or maybe don't forget somethings are important.. like laughing and games and good clean fun with family and friends. and we don't have to worship pagan gods days and we don't have to be materialistic to have a great time.. we used to have a white elephant game also.. it had to be used and a joke or like their worst gift ever...white elephants. and there was always a elephant gift, a nice one to fight over..and make it funny and for laughs..

we get to set our family free to just be at our house and have fun.. they don't have to go into debt for us and they don't have to spend money they don't have on us.

That sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks for posting. Have you always done this or did you used to celebrate Christmas?

 

[NannaNae]

That sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks for posting. Have you always done this or did you used to celebrate Christmas?

almost 25 years.. but we moved to an area where lots of people think poker is evil and Christmas and easter is good.. so hum... it hasn't' been a big deal with friends like it was before we moved.. now it is more family.
but weekly poker( bible studies) are sure to be all the rage here soon if houston's lie- ideas and if charities loose their charity status.. weekly poker will start spreading.....

 

[BryanW92]

BryanW92, what if you think Christmas is not Christian, but pagan? Is it okay to celebrate Hanukkah as an alternative?

Why celebrate anything? If Christmas is pagan, as you say, then what is Hannukah? Most of the trappings of American Hannukah are just Christmas anyway, and the real reason of Hannukah is a temple that was destroyed by pagans almost 2000 years ago and the site is now occupied by a Satanic religion that is a mockery of God.

Hint: a Christian can celebrate Christmas without the pagan stuff. After all, Jesus was born. He does still live and will come again and that's a good reason to celebrate.

 

[pescador]

I just want to add that this thread wasn't started to debate if Christians should or shouldn't celebrate Christmas. I just want to know if there is anything wrong with a Christian celebrating Hanukkah.

Absolutely not. Celebrate Hanukkah.

 

[pescador]

it's wonderful.
the more that a christian learns about Jewish Scripture(the Bible) and the Jewish Messiah (Yahshua (Jesus) ) and Jewish Life and Customs including Customs and Life of First Century Jewish Christians
the better.
there may be exceptions, Yhvh knows.

I agree 100%.

 

[pescador]

Why celebrate anything? If Christmas is pagan, as you say, then what is Hannukah? Most of the trappings of American Hannukah are just Christmas anyway, and the real reason of Hannukah is a temple that was destroyed by pagans almost 2000 years ago and the site is now occupied by a Satanic religion that is a mockery of God.

Hint: a Christian can celebrate Christmas without the pagan stuff. After all, Jesus was born. He does still live and will come again and that's a good reason to celebrate.

You are wrong. The real reason to celebrate Hanukkah is to remember God's grace by his supplying oil for eight days to the Maccabeans when all hope was lost. Eventually they regained control of Jerusalem from the Seleucids and rededicated the temple to God.

 

[NannaNae]

You are wrong. The real reason to celebrate Hanukkah is to remember God's grace by his supplying oil for eight days to the Maccabeans when all hope was lost. Eventually they regained control of Jerusalem from the Seleucids and rededicated the temple to God.

yep I wonder how many times in our walk we must hold the ground , apply the oil of his grace until we can win our temple back for him?

maybe daily!