Advice Needed Concerning Christmas

[Apostolic1]

I no longer observe Christmas or Easter, because I know they are just rebranded pagan holidays. I don't try to push that belief on anyone else, although I rarely get the same consideration. Those who sort of understand it will say things like, "well, it won't hurt for you to come eat dinner with us, will it?" I have very loving brethren who truly want me to share their holidays with them, and I appreciate that love. So, I don't want to hurt their feelings. What is the best way to refuse invitations politely? How to I shut down the pressure tactics gently? What do I say when people give the customary holiday greetings?
(Please don't think I am trying to start an argument here. I have never had much social grace. I really need this advice.)

 

[Kenny'sID]

How to I shut down the pressure tactics gently?

Gracefully accept their invitation.

I do get why you don't want to celebrate it, but these are actual Christian holidays to some, regardless of their original intent, and at the very least, not pagan to almost all.

That said, and forgive my being blunt, but I think you are going way too far with this.

 

[Kenny'sID]

I have never had much social grace.

Thank you for being honest there, it was a very good idea, and that my be the root of what's going on here. And no offense intended at all, many of us, especially myself, are far from perfect in the area of Social Graces.

 

[Radrook]

First no one likes to be turned down. Also, most people don't like to be told that they are wrong in reference to Christmas and will attribute your new concept to being brainwashed by a denomination that they classify as a cult. So in their case there really is no graceful way to respond to their invitation. However a few might be interested and your preaching might be deemed informative and helpful. You are the best judge on how to proceed in each individual case.

 

[Apostolic1]

That said, and forgive my being blunt, but I think you are going way too far with this.

That may very well be, but that's something I have to figure out. So far everytime I have compromised on something, though, it's come back to bite me. I just don't want to hurt feelings.

 

[Radrook]

That may very well be, but that's something I have to figure out. So far everytime I have compromised on something, though, it's come back to bite me. I just don't want to hurt feelings.

There are people whose feelings are hurt if you tell them that there is a God who expects upright moral behavior from them. Hurting feelings is unavoidable for Christians. In fact, Jesus said that the world would hate Christians as they had hated him because they are no part of this evil world just as he was no part of this wicked world.. .


John 15:19
If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.

 

[Kenny'sID]

That may very well be, but that's something I have to figure out. So far everytime I have compromised on something, though, it's come back to bite me. I just don't want to hurt feelings.

I understand and sometimes hurt feelings cannot be avoided, but in this case, maybe the question should be, is there really anything to compromise on? At best, some are simply Celebrating the birth of Christ, and at worst, a secular version of that including a Saint in a red suit, and the spirit of giving.

There are certain things I myself will not compromise on, ever, but as you say, you have to figure it out for yourself. However, I would suggest you consider the fact that you don't have to celebrate a thing by showing up. It's like going to a party with sex/drugs and AC/DC, as long as you don't take part in the sin, there is no sin.

 

[Kit Sigmon]

I no longer observe Christmas or Easter, because I know they are just rebranded pagan holidays.
Interesting... so then, all believers are merely "rebranded sinners"....who have been :redeemed"... an rebranded by the Lord...we are saints, thanks be to Jesus who makes this so!

I don't try to push that belief on anyone else, although I rarely get the same consideration. Those who sort of understand it will say things like, "well, it won't hurt for you to come eat dinner with us, will it?" I have very loving brethren who truly want me to share their holidays with them, and I appreciate that love. So, I don't want to hurt their feelings. What is the best way to refuse invitations politely?
In Chapter 12 of Romans, you will find that we're to be living sacrifices.
We're to love(agape) one another with brotherly affection.
We're to rejoice with those who're rejoicing and to mourn with those who mourn.
We're to bless those who persecute us, not curse.
And as much as it be possible, live in peace with one another.

How to I shut down the pressure tactics gently?
Don't engage... love(agape) them. There were times when Jesus kept silent.
What do I say when people give the customary holiday greetings?
Wish them a Happy Lord's day...after all, it do say in the Bible that this is the day the Lord has made and we're to rejoice, an be glad in it....so rejoice and be glad in it (each day.) Psalm 118:24


(Please don't think I am trying to start an argument here. I have never had much social grace. I really need this advice.)

You see, all days are God's days, He made them and established them.
So, the "holidays" weren't pagan first...they be the Lord's first.
Also... God has established His feasts that we can celebrate... see Chapter 23 of Leviticus.
Jesus celebrated them; he also took part in a wedding celebration in Cana.

It was man who took certain days and declared them this or that...but man don't trump God.
You can celebrate and be glad in each day, whether it be a man-made holiday or not...cause you will be celebrating it according to what God said first. God's days, He made them and we can celebrate them according to scripture.

As believers we're to be shining His Light where ever we go.
Jesus say to follow Him, so follow Him... he walked along side many uneducated, lowly men, who he would teach the Word of God. Jesus also talked to and dined with sinners, a pharisee, tax collectors etc...with whom he'd show agape and share the Word of God either by oral report or deed.

 

[Apostolic1]

Thanks, y'all.

 

[seeking633]

I no longer observe Christmas or Easter, because I know they are just rebranded pagan holidays. I don't try to push that belief on anyone else, although I rarely get the same consideration. Those who sort of understand it will say things like, "well, it won't hurt for you to come eat dinner with us, will it?" I have very loving brethren who truly want me to share their holidays with them, and I appreciate that love. So, I don't want to hurt their feelings. What is the best way to refuse invitations politely? How to I shut down the pressure tactics gently? What do I say when people give the customary holiday greetings?
(Please don't think I am trying to start an argument here. I have never had much social grace. I really need this advice.)

I know exactly where you're coming from because I followed the same path out of an upbringing in the most populated of religious organizations (hint: rhymes with wrath-nick).

I've been through many phases and perspectives on this whole issue and there are basic truths that I still adhere to:

1. Christmas came out of paganism ("Feast of Saturnalia") and was adapted by those who held to a belief in Christ.
2. There are many sincere Christians who see nothing wrong with Christmas as a chance to get together with friends and family to enjoy their company.
3. Christians are a light to an age which is in spiritual darkness. Some of that light comes from potential Christmas dinner companions and some from you. Don't keep it hidden from others.

I know it all feels like a compromise but recall that even Jesus dined with Pharisees.

 

[DiscipleHeLovesToo]

i'm glad to see someone else that understands...treat it like any other dinner invitation; if you don't want to go, tell them that you plan to spend a quiet evening with the Lord, and ask for a raincheck

 

[AvgJoe]

I no longer observe Christmas or Easter, because I know they are just rebranded pagan holidays. I don't try to push that belief on anyone else, although I rarely get the same consideration. Those who sort of understand it will say things like, "well, it won't hurt for you to come eat dinner with us, will it?" I have very loving brethren who truly want me to share their holidays with them, and I appreciate that love. So, I don't want to hurt their feelings. What is the best way to refuse invitations politely? How to I shut down the pressure tactics gently? What do I say when people give the customary holiday greetings?
(Please don't think I am trying to start an argument here. I have never had much social grace. I really need this advice.)

I know that what I'm about to share isn't answering any of the questions but I have to share it anyway. You've come to a conclusion about Christmas, based on one or more sources, but have you sought out the other side of the story? Was Jesus' birth celebrated before the 4th century? Christians & pagans, who imitated whom? Here is an interesting, heavily referenced, work on this issue, here~~~> http://biblicalblueprints.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/December25JewishStyle.pdf . Pages 2-10 goes into the history of the issue, pages 10-14 discusses who imitated whom and the date of Jesus' birth is discussed on pages 22-40.

God bless!

 

[Der Alte]

I no longer observe Christmas or Easter, because I know they are just rebranded pagan holidays. I don't try to push that belief on anyone else, although I rarely get the same consideration. Those who sort of understand it will say things like, "well, it won't hurt for you to come eat dinner with us, will it?" I have very loving brethren who truly want me to share their holidays with them, and I appreciate that love. So, I don't want to hurt their feelings. What is the best way to refuse invitations politely? How to I shut down the pressure tactics gently? What do I say when people give the customary holiday greetings?
(Please don't think I am trying to start an argument here. I have never had much social grace. I really need this advice.)

I know exactly where you're coming from because I followed the same path out of an upbringing in the most populated of religious organizations (hint: rhymes with wrath-nick).
I've been through many phases and perspectives on this whole issue and there are basic truths that I still adhere to:
1. Christmas came out of paganism ("Feast of Saturnalia") and was adapted by those who held to a belief in Christ.
2. There are many sincere Christians who see nothing wrong with Christmas as a chance to get together with friends and family to enjoy their company.
3. Christians are a light to an age which is in spiritual darkness. Some of that light comes from potential Christmas dinner companions and some from you. Don't keep it hidden from others.
I know it all feels like a compromise but recall that even Jesus dined with Pharisees.

About which day the birth of the Savior is observed. So what? Pick a day, any day, it will probably have some significance to some religious group somewhere.
.....How about "Good Friday", nothing wrong with that day is there? Oops seems like Friday is the day Muslim consider to be their equivalent of "Sabbath."
.....Now as for Christmas and Easter being associated with some pagan day, have you ever seen any credible, verifiable, historical evidence showing this? I haven't! I have been a Christian since Johnson was president and a member of this forum for 15+ years. Every year around Christmas and Easter this forum is flooded with "Christmas is pagan, ""Easter is pagan" posts. And every year I and others have asked for evidence and I have never seen any.
.....Any Christian is free to not observe Christmas and Easter as they choose. But if one identifies as a Christian they should not condemn or criticize other Christians who do observe Christmas and Easter, by stating that both days are pagan, with zero evidence. By credible, verifiable, historical evidence I don't mean copy/paste from random websites or some religious group. Such evidence would be written at or about the time of the happening by a participant or direct eye witness. The writings of the early church fathers come to mind.

 

[Deadworm]

The early church used the popularity of pagan holidays as an evangelistic tool. Since pagans treasured their celebration of certain holidays, the church used this practice as momentum for redirecting this celebration to Christ's birth and resurrection. They could find warrant for this reinterpretation of holidays in Scripture. For more effective evangelism, Paul observes Jewish holidays and rituals when he is ministering to Jews, and then turns around and honors pagan customs when he ministers to pagans: "To the Jews I became as a Jew in order to win the Jews;...To those outside of the Law (i.e. Gentile pagans) I became as one outside the Law..., so that I might win those outside the Law...I have become all things to all people, so that I might by all means win some (1 Corinthians 9:20-22)."

You may have your own reasons for refusing to celebrate Christmas and Easter, but many (including myself) would view yoiur refusal as an act of disrespect for Christ's virgin birth and bodily resurrection and for biblical principles that teach compromise in order to promote a more effective witness.

 

[fm107]

I no longer observe Christmas or Easter, because I know they are just rebranded pagan holidays. I don't try to push that belief on anyone else, although I rarely get the same consideration. Those who sort of understand it will say things like, "well, it won't hurt for you to come eat dinner with us, will it?" I have very loving brethren who truly want me to share their holidays with them, and I appreciate that love. So, I don't want to hurt their feelings. What is the best way to refuse invitations politely? How to I shut down the pressure tactics gently? What do I say when people give the customary holiday greetings?
(Please don't think I am trying to start an argument here. I have never had much social grace. I really need this advice.)

Hi Apostolic1,

I agree with you about Christmas and Easter. My only advise would be to be polite, state why you don't celebrate it and state you don't want to go against your own convictions. That should be enough.

I'll take a moment to state the 2 ways I hear Christians try to justify celebrating christmas:

"We can use this occasion to remember Christ"
Jesus said do this in remembrance of me (breaking of bread). Luke 22:19. Not to celebrate something with pagan roots on December 25th which is really just celebrating a big lie (santa, reindeer, elfs, the Lord's birth was probably never even Dec 25th).

"Good can come out of it - people can hear the nativity story!"
God can make good come out of lots of things but just because there is a possibility of good coming out of something does NOT give justification for doing something. That sort of reasoning is natural and not spiritual.

 

[AlexDTX]

I no longer observe Christmas or Easter, because I know they are just rebranded pagan holidays. I don't try to push that belief on anyone else, although I rarely get the same consideration. Those who sort of understand it will say things like, "well, it won't hurt for you to come eat dinner with us, will it?" I have very loving brethren who truly want me to share their holidays with them, and I appreciate that love. So, I don't want to hurt their feelings. What is the best way to refuse invitations politely? How to I shut down the pressure tactics gently? What do I say when people give the customary holiday greetings?
(Please don't think I am trying to start an argument here. I have never had much social grace. I really need this advice.)

I understand the difficulty. I do not participate in organized religion anymore, and when another Christian learns that I am a follower of Christ, the question always comes up, "Where do you go to church?" as if that is the defining factor of a true believer. I used to say, I am the Church, but that never helped. Now I tell them that I have a home fellowship, which has become more acceptable.

Everything we do is unto the Lord. Paul said to the Romans:

Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
Rom 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Rom 14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
Rom 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
Rom 14:8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

For those who celebrate Christmas, they do so unto the Lord. For those who recognize the root of Christmas in the Feast of Saturnalia, they do not observe Christmas unto the Lord. God knows our hearts, but people do not. We all have seasons of life, and few believers recognize those seasons in others. I would say to those invitations, "No thank you, I have other plans." Those plans may be to stay home and pray or watch TV, it does not matter, for it is none of their business.

 

[Rescued One]

The wise men weren't held up as a bad example for honoring Christ's coming to earth. The shepherds were encouraged to find the Babe:

Luke 2
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Christmas is a marvelous opportunity to remind our families of why the Father sent His Son to us.

 

[Der Alte]

The early church used the popularity of pagan holidays as an evangelistic tool. Since pagans treasured their celebration of certain holidays, the church used this practice as momentum for redirecting this celebration to Christ's birth and resurrection. They could find warrant for this reinterpretation of holidays in Scripture. For more effective evangelism, Paul observes Jewish holidays and rituals when he is ministering to Jews, and then turns around and honors pagan customs when he ministers to pagans: "To the Jews I became as a Jew in order to win the Jews;...To those outside of the Law (i.e. Gentile pagans) I became as one outside the Law..., so that I might win those outside the Law...I have become all things to all people, so that I might by all means win some (1 Corinthians 9:20-22)."

I do not believe that 1 Cor 9:20-22 supports Paul "turns around and honors pagan customs when he ministers to pagans." I don't believe that Paul would have done anything that supported any pagan practice which violated scripture.
......If I may use myself as an example. My wife is Korean and I have attended Korean churches for 30+ years. I have not worn shoes in my home for 30+ years. I do not wear shoes in any of our Korean friends' homes. When I meet a Korean I shake hands with both hand and bow slightly. I never address anyone by their first name always Mr. X, Miss Y or title such as Pastor. It is considered an insult to hand someone something with only one hand.
.....Those and many other customs I observe when I am around Koreans but not when I associate with Americans. I do not do anything which violates scripture. I think that Paul did the same thing. 1 Cor 9:20-22 certainly does not support the argument that pagan special days were co-opted in any way by Christians.

You may have your own reasons for refusing to celebrate Christmas and Easter, but many (including myself) would view yoiur refusal as an act of disrespect for Christ's virgin birth and bodily resurrection and for biblical principles that teach compromise in order to promote a more effective witness.

I agree with this.

 

[Sheep4Christ]

Hi.If something makes you uncomfortable then simply don't do it.You're concerned with not hurting anyone's feelings and that's a good thing but if you don't want to take part in something that you feel isn't right then you don't have to. I'd just politely decline the invitation if it were me.

 

[Der Alte]

. . . For those who recognize the root of Christmas in the Feast of Saturnalia, they do not observe Christmas unto the Lord. . . .

Now having made this assertion, can you provide any credible, verifiable, historical evidence that it is true? I have never seen any such evidence. Anyone is free to not observe Christmas as they choose but I don't think they are free to call Christmas pagan or based on some pagan special day without evidence.