Once again this year the seasonal battle is on. Institutions and the media are struggling with politically correct ways to wish their supporters the best of the season while Church leaders mount their own soap boxes with sermons and messages meant to preserve a quaint nativity story. The ongoing debates rage on; should we or should we not take the Christ out of Christmas.
There are multiple points to this debate that seem to get conveniently overlooked by the Christian community. Points such as:
1) The true roots of the December 25th date is entirely pagan. This is a date that has been appropriated by Christian leaders in an attempt to stamp out traditional meanings. Until AD 354 the birth of Christ was celebrated on January 6th.
a. Mid winter fertility festivals were first celebrated in ancient Babylon, Egypt and in the Germanic regions.
b. The birth of the ancient sun-god Attis in Phrygia and the Persian sun-god Mithras were celebrated on December 25th.
c. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a festival dedicated to Saturn on December 24th. During this festival, public places and homes were decorated with flowers and candles and gifts were exchanged. This tradition continues today.
d. Scandinavia is responsible for the festivities known as Yule. A secular festival celebrating the end of the growing season and the start of winter. The burning of the Yule log is completely embedded in the pagan worship of vegetation and fire as well as being associated with magical and spiritual powers.
e. The Celtic culture is responsible for many traditions considered today to be Christian. Mistletoe and holly were used to decorate homes and altars as symbols of fertility.
f. Evergreens were brought into pagan homes and decorated as a reminder that winter will end and the gods will once again bless the inhabitants with warm weather.
2) Most of these pagan celebrations included raucous partying, gift giving and gluttonous eating and drinking; much the same way Christmas is celebrated today. This is a stark contrast to the simplicity of the nativity.
3) Christians do not even agree on what sect started using this date as the birth of Christ. Even today the debate continues between the Catholic and the Lutheran churches in Germany.
I wonder if appropriating these traditions and calling them Christian really serves to take away their power. After all are these principalities not part of what the church is fighting against.
No argument made by any church can take away the stripped down fact that every year, millions of devoted Christians world wide adopt pagan rituals to participate in the years biggest celebration.
So the question remains, should we take the Christ out of Christmas. Absolutely, the nativity does not belong there. Biblical scholars agree that it very unlikely that Christ was born in December favoring the month of September as a more likely time.
Seems that the best solution to this would be to give the pagans back their holiday and have a nice simple celebration of the birth of Christ sometime in September.
and if we time it right, it would not even have to interfere with our annual Socialist Labor Day celebrations.
Jon Valade
There are multiple points to this debate that seem to get conveniently overlooked by the Christian community. Points such as:
1) The true roots of the December 25th date is entirely pagan. This is a date that has been appropriated by Christian leaders in an attempt to stamp out traditional meanings. Until AD 354 the birth of Christ was celebrated on January 6th.
a. Mid winter fertility festivals were first celebrated in ancient Babylon, Egypt and in the Germanic regions.
b. The birth of the ancient sun-god Attis in Phrygia and the Persian sun-god Mithras were celebrated on December 25th.
c. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a festival dedicated to Saturn on December 24th. During this festival, public places and homes were decorated with flowers and candles and gifts were exchanged. This tradition continues today.
d. Scandinavia is responsible for the festivities known as Yule. A secular festival celebrating the end of the growing season and the start of winter. The burning of the Yule log is completely embedded in the pagan worship of vegetation and fire as well as being associated with magical and spiritual powers.
e. The Celtic culture is responsible for many traditions considered today to be Christian. Mistletoe and holly were used to decorate homes and altars as symbols of fertility.
f. Evergreens were brought into pagan homes and decorated as a reminder that winter will end and the gods will once again bless the inhabitants with warm weather.
2) Most of these pagan celebrations included raucous partying, gift giving and gluttonous eating and drinking; much the same way Christmas is celebrated today. This is a stark contrast to the simplicity of the nativity.
3) Christians do not even agree on what sect started using this date as the birth of Christ. Even today the debate continues between the Catholic and the Lutheran churches in Germany.
I wonder if appropriating these traditions and calling them Christian really serves to take away their power. After all are these principalities not part of what the church is fighting against.
No argument made by any church can take away the stripped down fact that every year, millions of devoted Christians world wide adopt pagan rituals to participate in the years biggest celebration.
So the question remains, should we take the Christ out of Christmas. Absolutely, the nativity does not belong there. Biblical scholars agree that it very unlikely that Christ was born in December favoring the month of September as a more likely time.
Seems that the best solution to this would be to give the pagans back their holiday and have a nice simple celebration of the birth of Christ sometime in September.
and if we time it right, it would not even have to interfere with our annual Socialist Labor Day celebrations.
Jon Valade
[BIBLE]I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.[/BIBLE] 
