Kit Sigmon
Well-Known Member
Just my personal opinion. Perhaps the day of the year has pagan roots, but the object of celebration during Christmas is far from being Pagan. I am of the persuasion that there is nothing wrong, biblically, with celebrating Christmas for the purpose of honoring the birth of the Savior.
However, I try to lead my family out of the pagan elements that still persist in the tradition, such as Santa Claus, the mythology of elfs and flying reindeer, etc. in order to "purify" the holiday in a sense, to sanctify it unto the Lord rather than giving into the idiosyncrasies of our culture; hopefully by doing that my kid(s) will grow up always associating Christmas with the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah, as opposed to associating it with Santa Claus and presents.
In the Bible...
Deuteronomy 12:29 "When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land,
30 take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.'
31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
32 "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
God does not want His people to make up additional religious days to celebrate, 'specially if they have any ties to paganism.
Pagan religion Mithras...
December 25th be the day of celebration of the birthday of the sun-god Mithra.
Perhaps it should also be mentioned that one of the key features of Mithraism was Sunday observance. The reason that this seems to be relevant is that the Roman Emperor Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to make a profession of Christ, was also the first Emperor to make Sunday laws...which he began to do on March 7, 321.
A few years later, Emperor Constantine(former follower of Mithras?) convened the Council of Nicea in 325 AD that declared: 1) The Roman Sun-day or day of the Sun was to be the Christian sabbath.
2) Rules regarding seasonal prayers, penance, and indulgences.
3) That the Catholics believed that Jesus was God in some fashion.
4) Passover would be on Sunday and not the biblical date of Nisan 14.
Constantine, only one year after convening the Council of Nicea, had his own son Crispus put to death.
Later he suffocated Fausta (his wife) in an overheated bath.
Then he had his sister's son flogged to death and her husband strangled.
Throughout his reign, Constantine treated the bishops as political aides.
He agreed to enforce whatever opinion the majority of the bishops formulated.
sources: Babylon Mystery Religion, 1981, Ralph Woodrow Association, pp. 55-59.
Ibid., pp. 47-54 Also, Seymour, The Cross in Tradition, History, and Art, 1897, New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, pp. 9-26.
And another part to Mithraism is birthday celebration.
The Bible show birthdays be celebrated by pagans... Genesis 40:20-22; Matthew 14:6-11.
The Lore of Birthdays (New York, 1952) by Ralph and Adelin Linton, on pages 8, 18-20 had this to say:
The Greeks believed that everyone had a protective spirit or daemon who attended his birth and watched over him in life.
This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born. The Romans also subscribed to this idea. . . . This notion was carried down in human belief and is reflected in the guardian angel, the fairy godmother and the patron saint. . . . The custom of lighted candles on the cakes started with the Greeks. . . . Honey cakes round as the moon and lit with tapers were placed on the temple altars of [Artemis]. . . . Birthday candles, in folk belief, are endowed with special magic for granting wishes. . . . Lighted tapers and sacrificial fires have had a special mystic significance ever since man first set up altars to his gods.
The birthday candles are thus an honor and tribute to the birthday child and bring good fortune...
Upvote
0