Holidays and Holydays

[BibleDisciple]

What do SDA's think of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is going on now, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Easter?

 

[BobRyan]

What do SDA's think of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is going on now, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Easter?

We don't have a denominational position on it - but in general we try go find something else to do on Halloween outside of the ghost theme, and make Easter about the action of Christ at the cross and His resurrection.

My family likes to give out candy at Halloween time and include Gospel tracts with the candy hand out. And we read the book "Desire of Ages" on the Life of Christ reading the chapters near the time of His resurrection - for "easter". Using that same commentary we read about the birth of Christ - at the time of "Christmas" esp Christmas eve and Christmas day. (And we give gifts... but in my family we recently started shifting the gift giving over to new years day)

Our denomination has a very very big focus on Yom Kippur as a major focus in its founding. But we think that the old way of calculating the start of the year (New Moon and barley harvest) is the Bible approved time that like Pentecost and Passover in Christ's day - predicts important events at the end of time.

Just like Passover was a predictor for the very day Jesus would die on the cross - so Yom Kippur was a predictor for the very day that the judgment in heaven would start.

 

[Gary K]

What do SDA's think of the Feast of Tabernacles, which is going on now, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Easter?

I haven't "celebrated" halloween for decades. It's origins are satanic rather than Christian.

Thanksgiving? Yes, because of it's origins that teach gratitude. Hanukkah? No. Not from seeing anything wrong with it, but have just never given it much thought, I'm not a feast keeper. Christmas and Easter? These have been so corrupted and commercialized that it doesn't really have much meaning anymore in our society. The celebrations I see come from pagan origins so I see them as negatives. The idea of Christ's birth, life, death, and rising from the dead are very important, but I think there are far more appropriate ways to celebrate that than to celebrate using pagan symbology. We should celebrate Jesus' entire life by living life by His principles and honoring Him by our lives made new through those principles. Why? Because Jesus came for the reason the angels announced: to save His people from their sins. I see honoring Jesus by living a life like His as far more meaningful and appropriate.

 

[BibleDisciple]

BobRyan, I've always wondered why Rosh Hashanah was considered the Jewish new year. I've never heard the Day of Atonement considered the new year, but I know that it does start the Jubilee year.

The calendar that God gave Israel was simple. After you have 12 months, see if there is ripe barley that is necessary for the commanded Wave Sheaf offering. If there is none, then wait another month and inspect again. Months are observed by the moon. The problem with it is that it makes it hard to plan.

There are no illusions to Halloween having any Christian origins. It's sad that it is now a huge commercial holiday. I view it as emblematic of what Satan can offer. God offers eternal life in His glorious kingdom. Satan offers undead creatures like skeletons, ghosts and zombies, but he can't even fulfill that.

I really wonder what God thinks of man-made holidays, like Hanukkah, Christmas, and Easter. The last 2 have the disadvantage of ancient pagan practices on those same days and were selected for that reason.

 

[reddogs]

Like most of what was brought in to the church in Rome, the 'holy days' are just more of the pagan tradition and Hanykkah is not from God either, but Jewish tradition to change what God gave them, the menorah, from the seven candlesticks with all its meaning to what you find in the temple/synagouges today, the menorah with nine. What is Hanukkah? - 18Doors

 

[BibleDisciple]

How many SDA churches have Christmas trees set up this time of year? I had the viewpoint that Adventists did not take a position on Christmas, but someone quoted Ellen White as saying:

“God would be well pleased if on Christmas each church would have a Christmas tree on which shall be hung offerings, great and small, for these houses of worship.”

 

[BobRyan]

How many SDA churches have Christmas trees set up this time of year? I had the viewpoint that Adventists did not take a position on Christmas, but someone quoted Ellen White as saying:

“God would be well pleased if on Christmas each church would have a Christmas tree on which shall be hung offerings, great and small, for these houses of worship.”

True - we are not as a denomination opposing Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Christ or the Easter season as a time to remember the sacrifice Christ made for mankind and his resurrection to take up His role as our High Priest in heaven.

But we do recognize that a lot of pagan and secular baggage is attached to these celebrations and so try to avoid that aspect.

 

[BibleDisciple]

Where do Christmas trees come in? It's one thing to participate in the celebration of Christ's birth on December 25, but why get involved in Christmas trees and other traditions that really aren't Christian?