What denomination does not celebrate Christmas?

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Politics, not pagan.

Politics was, and is, pagan.

 

[Lost4words]

The birth of Jesus is a very important event. For anyone to think otherwise has not read scripture properly.

 

[thecolorsblend]

Christmas is a practice adapted from pagan religion.

Muh paganism

Why December 25?

 

[Knee V]

Our ancestors were pagans and they lived lives. That is what it is. Much that we have received pertaining to how we live our lives, we have received from our ancestors. If we are going to dismiss things as "pagan" because pagans did things, then nearly everything in the world and in our day-to-day lives is "pagan". Pagans drank water. Pagans ate food. Pagans had children. Pagans built houses. Pagans spoke to each other in languages. Pagans felt joy in Springtime. Pagans celebrated a bountiful harvest. Pagans kept this spirits up in the Wintertime when the year was the darkest, and would otherwise have gone mad from depression.

Pagans did some other things in ignorance, to be sure. But they were just people, our own somethingth-great-grandparents, and they were just living out their lives. This idea that anything our ancestors did has to be rejected outright because it's "pagan" is, in my humble opinion, a horribly incoherent and logically inconsistent idea. No, I am not going to worship Thor, or sacrifice my children to the rain god. But I am going to celebrate God appearing to man in the flesh at His birth, and if that celebration happens to coincide with the day that some other festival was held by some group that may or may not even be my own ancestors, I don't really care. That doesn't somehow change the fact that I am celebrating the life of Christ.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

But where do pagans go when they perish ? I would not follow them.....

 

[Albion]

Considering her son saw himself as a trinity, a Caesar god man, the reincarnation of Jesus and of course the sun god whose festival day was dec 25th, it is no wonder that 'official' date was chosen. Politics, not pagan.

Since no historian I've ever read would say the things that are alleged here about Constantine, I have to wonder where they came from. Are there any links, etc.?

 

[thecolorsblend]

Our ancestors were pagans and they lived lives. That is what it is. Much that we have received pertaining to how we live our lives, we have received from our ancestors. If we are going to dismiss things as "pagan" because pagans did things, then nearly everything in the world and in our day-to-day lives is "pagan". Pagans drank water. Pagans ate food. Pagans had children. Pagans built houses. Pagans spoke to each other in languages. Pagans felt joy in Springtime. Pagans celebrated a bountiful harvest. Pagans kept this spirits up in the Wintertime when the year was the darkest, and would otherwise have gone mad from depression.

I generally agree. And I get the sneaking suspicion that a lot of CF members use "paganism" interchangeably with "the occult". It's obvious that you understand that they're not the same thing, of course. But I don't think that's necessarily universal around here.

 

[timothyu]

Even witches which are considered occult, worship nature and creation, just not the Creator. Typical of many religions, immersing themselves in their surroundings rather than what is outside. As for worshipping evil, well all of mankind does that everyday when they put their self interests before the will of God. We are just as adversarial as the adversary. What I am seeing is a group that prefers to take no responsibility for their human condition, preferring instead to point the finger elsewhere to justify themselves. All part of the original sin.

 

[charsan]

I generally agree. And I get the sneaking suspicion that a lot of CF members use "paganism" interchangeably with "the occult". It's obvious that you understand that they're not the same thing, of course. But I don't think that's necessarily universal around here.

I also might add that some bring out the pagan card to say "Look how Christian I am because I don't do anything pagan" except they do like breath, eat, say the day of the week, use computers and on ad infinitum. The pagan card that Christians bring out is just another version of that old sin Pride imo

 

[mmksparbud]

Churches that do not keep Christmas

Seventh Day Adventists
Jehovah's witnesses
Some Apostolic Churches
Some Pentecostal Churches
and dozens of Non denomination Churches

We understand that Dec 25 is not the birthdate of Jesus---we do understand it is of pagan origin. But we do celebrate the birth of Jesus on that date and do have Christmas parties and give gifts. We are constantly reminded that it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the gifts are not the object! Christ is! We do some Christ centered Holiday decorations. Christmas is not forbidden, esp. for children, but "Christ is the reason for the season," not the tree and other pagan rituals. We have no exact date of His birth. Let's just say we underplay it as opposed to outright banning it. Same for Easter---bunnies and rabbits and eggs have nothing to do with the birth of Christ, they were from pagan fertility rites. But we certainly do celebrate the risen Savior.

 

[timothyu]

If you replace a Ford with a Chevy, that does not make the second car a Ford.

 

[Knee V]

But where do pagans go when they perish ? I would not follow them.....

Then don't drink water. Pagans drank water.

 

[timothyu]

And sorcerers have made it safer to drink.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Then don't drink water. Pagans drank water.

I think it is written "dust to dust", not "water to water".
Yahuweh says something about learning the wickednesses and idolatry of the pagaans, and the results thereof.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

And sorcerers have made it safer to drink.

But it's not......

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

If you replace a Ford with a Chevy, that does not make the second car a Ford.

Does the first car remain a Ford ?

 

[bbbbbbb]

To provide a bit of perspective on the present situation in a fairly typical modern non-Christian society, I am writing this from Hanoi, Viet Nam. Here in Hanoi there is absolutely no knowledge concerning the American holiday of Thanksgiving, but most of the stores are heavily advertising (in English) their Black Friday sales. These sales are no preparatory to Christmas gift-giving or even remotely related to Thanksgiving. It is an American sales gimmick that has been embraced by commercial interests here, pure and simple.

As for Christmas, the only thing hinting at the holiday here are a few elaborate Christmas trees erected usually at shopping malls, not for any intrinsic meaning, but simply as a decorative means of bringing in more shoppers in the relatively lackluster period leading up to the primary holiday of Tet, which occurs according to the lunar calendar in late January or early February.

 

[Albion]

Many, or most, of us are aware that this is the situation in Asia (not VietNam only) and that it is the case for the reasons you outlined. How that sheds light on the basic question of this thread, however, has eluded me.

It cannot be that it proves Christmas or Christmas celebrations to be inherently pagan or a perpetuation of paganism or a result of Constantine's evil designs (!) or another of those arguments we often hear. So...?

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

I've never been able to find the direct proof of this claim. I've also heard a counter argument that Christmas was based on the belief that Christ was conceived on the 25 of March. 9 Months from that date is Christmas, hence why we celebrate the birth of Christ on that day.

Overall I don't take this argument seriously as it seems to only want to disestablish instead of establish anything good to replace it. What would you suggest we do instead on December the 25th? Would you replace the theme of Christ's birth, move it to another day and then have pastors talk about what exactly? What do we stand to benefit from doing away from Christians that we couldn't just benefit by having us focus on the incarnation?

What is so terribly wrong with a day focused on the incarnation?

 

[bbbbbbb]

Many, or most, of us are aware that this is the situation in Asia (not VietNam only) and that it is the case for the reasons you outlined. How that sheds light on the basic question of this thread, however, has eluded me.

It cannot be that it proves Christmas or Christmas celebrations to be inherently pagan or a perpetuation of paganism or a result of Constantine's evil designs (!) or another of those arguments we often hear. So...?

My point was merely to illustrate the fact that Christmas has never been a solely religious holy day, but has always been a syncretic holiday carrying various degrees of non-Christian cultural traditions. Whether or not Constantine or anyone else can be proven to have originated this celebration is actually quite irrelevant. Any individual efforts would have failed without the common cultural practices to support it.