Should I Celebrate Christmas?
by David Padfield

Around the first of November you can see billboards which tell us to "Put Christ back into Christmas." People everywhere claim Christmas is too commercialized and say that we are overlooking the real meaning of Christmas. Some preachers will ask, "What are you going to give Christ on His birthday?" Most churches will organize Christmas plays, cantatas, and programs.
Since Christmas is recognized by most people as a religious Holy Day, it would be good for us to study its meaning. Considering Christmas has the word Christ in it, it should have some connection with the Lord. If there is a connection with the Lord, we should be able to turn to the New Testament and read of this observance. However, upon a careful examination, we fail to find a single reference to this day in the word of God.
When did men first start observing this special day?
To answer this question, we have to go outside the New Testament. Historians tell us it was nearly three centuries after the death of Christ before a day was set aside for a special observance for His birth. "Christmas was for the first time celebrated in Rome in 354, in Constantinople in 379, and in Antioch in 388." (Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Norval Geldenhuys, p. 102). A well known preacher during this time mentioned the late origin of Christmas. "Chrysostom, in a Christmas sermon, A.D. 386, says, 'It is not ten years since this day was clearly known to us, '" (Unger Bible Dictionary, p. 196). "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church, and before the fifth century there was no general consensus of opinion as to when it should come in the calendar, whether January 6th, March 25th, or December 25th." (Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 5, p. 641).
When was Jesus born?
It comes as a shock to many individuals that the Bible does not tell us when Christ was born; but we are reasonably certain He was not born in December.
Nearly everyone remembers reading about the appearance of an angel to the shepherds. In Luke 2:8 we read, "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night." This rules out the birth of Christ as a winter event. "According to this statement, Jesus cannot have been born in December, in the middle of the rainy season, as has been since the fourth century supposed , According to the Rabbins, the driving forth of the flocks took place in March, the bringing in of them in November, " (Critical and Exegetical Handbook To The Gospels of Mark and Luke, H.A.W. Meyer, p. 273).
Adam Clarke makes this observation: "It was a custom among the Jews to send out their sheep to the deserts, about the Passover, and bring them home at the commencement of the first rain; during the time they were out, the shepherds watched them night and day. As the Passover occurred in the spring, and the first rain began early in the month of Marchesvan, which answers to our part of October and November, we find that the sheep were kept out in the open county during the whole of the summer. And as these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on the twenty-fifth of December, when no flocks were out in the fields." (Adam Clarke's Commentary, p. 857).
What about the three wise men?
In every city across America you can see the famous "nativity scene" with the shepherds, Mary and Joseph, baby Jesus and the "three wise men." I do not know how many wise men there were, but I am certain they were never at the manger! Matthew tells us when they found Jesus they went "into the house" (Matthew 2:1-11). No mention is made of the manger. "They came to Jerusalem after Jesus had been presented in the temple, and taken back to Bethlehem, and, therefore, when the infant Jesus was more then forty days old. They must have come at least forty days before the death of Herod, for he spent the last forty days of his life at Jericho and the baths of Callirrhoe; the wise men found him still at Jerusalem. Jesus must, therefore, have been at least eighty days old when Herod died." (The Fourfold Gospel, J.W. McGarvey, pp. 42,43).
Who decided to make December 25 the birthday of Christ?
This credit goes to the Roman Catholic Church. They explain it like this: "Numerous theories have been put forward through the last 2,000 years to explain Dec. 25 as Christmas Day. The most likely one, however, the one most generally accepted by scholars now, is that the birth of Christ was assigned to the date of the winter solstice. This date is Dec. 21 in our calendar, but was Dec. 25 in the Julian calendar which predated our own , The solstice, when days begin to lengthen in the northern hemisphere, was referred to by pagans as the 'Birthday of the Unconquered Sun'. During the third century, the Emperor Aurelian proclaimed Dec. 25 as a special day dedicated to the sun-god, whose cult was very strong in Rome at that time. Even before this time, Christian writers already had begun to refer to Jesus as the Sun of Justice. It seemed quite logical, therefore, that as Christianity begun to dominate the religious scene in the Roman Empire, the date of the 'new-born sun' should be chosen as the birthdate of Christ. Apparently, it bothers some people that the date for Christmas has its roots in a pagan feast. Be that as it may, it's the best explanation we have for the choice of Dec. 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus." (The New Question Box, p. 28-29).
This December observance originated with pagans as a feast day to their sun-god, Mithra. It was changed into a "Christian holy day" by the Roman Catholic Church.
Don't you think we need to observe the birth of Christ?
People often ask this question, but I usually ask this in return, "Why should we?" 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that God has given us "all things that pertain to life and godliness." Everything I need to know of a religious nature has been revealed in the Bible. 1 Peter 4:11 says that if I speak, I must speak "as the oracles of God." If God would have wanted us to observe the birth of Christ, he most assuredly would have told us!
How should I remember Jesus? God has left three memorials to Christ -- all of which point to His death and resurrection.
First, water baptism reminds us of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:3-4).
Second, the Lord's supper is a constant reminder of His death. As we partake of the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, we "proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26).
Third, our worship on the Lord's day, the first day of the week, reminds us of His resurrection (Matthew 28:1; Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10).
God does not want His Son remembered as a baby lying in a manger, but as the suffering Saviour and now resurrected Redeemer.

Do you really expect anyone to read this. Did you skip summary writing in school?

If you cant read, LEave.

@POST

MY sentiments EXACTLY

A-town:

Did you skip summary writing in school?

Hi @A-town, there's really no need to get touchy (as Gamine has noted). I think posting the whole body of the original writer's (David Padfield) thoughts is in order and saves us the time of going to another webpage to read it all through.

Well i was interested, thats y i opened the page. Still don't see why it can't be summarized.

Here's another view that celebrates Christmas:

    Conclusion:

         ●  It is Christian to celebrate the Lord's birth.
         ●  To celebrate Christmas on December 25 is not pagan,
             as Christians are not worshiping a pagan deity.
         ●  The days of the week are all named after pagan deities,
             but that does not make the day pagan.
         ●  The whole world rejoices and sings, "Oh little town of Bethlehem"
             and "Christ the new born King is born". There is no excuse for not
             celebrating Christ's birth.

          source: Truth or Fable.


         _____________________________________________________________


Okay, I remember having read something like David Padfield's thoughts and reasons for not joining in the celebrations of Christmas. Let me recall one of his reasons why he would not like to celebrate Christmas:
[list][list]

Nearly everyone remembers reading about the appearance of an angel to the shepherds. In Luke 2:8 we read, "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night." This rules out the birth of Christ as a winter event. "According to this statement, Jesus cannot have been born in December, in the middle of the rainy season, as has been since the fourth century supposed.

[/list][/list]

Even when David Padfield quotes commentaries from Adam Clarke in support of an October date, he failed to realize that Clarke's commentary worked against his own argument! Why? Because Clarke noted that "it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and that, consequently, our Lord was not born on the twenty-fifth of December, when no flocks were out in the fields." (Adam Clarke's Commentary, p. 857)." What did Mr. Padfield hope to achieve by basing his convictions against Christmas on "presumptive argument"?!?

Well, for anyone still arguing about the impossibility of sheep in winter, please understand that this has been practised among shepherds around the world! Time and space would fail me to go through every place where this has happened; but a few will be effective to the case:

   

   

   

   

   

   

   


   
       . . . and, of course, I enjoy winter too!

    Oh c'mon! You really don't expect me to show my face up there, did you?!?


Don't make yourselves the victims of needless arguments. Just enjoy the wonderful gift of God - Jesus Christ the Redeemer! Shalom.

Awww

Cute Sheeps

I really don't have anything against the celebration of christmas, but i think it is important we undertsand the origins of what we practise it is also neccessary for us to know what actually is doctrine and what is church tradition. A lot of christians confuse this issues. Imagine some pastors asking you to give Jesus something for his birthday

Is it to give to Jesus or to pastor?

Well;
Jingle bells jingle bells
Jingle all the way

KunleOshob:

Imagine some pastors asking you to give Jesus something for his birthday

I'm quite saddened to actually hear some ministers fall prey to such mentality. Very, very sad indeed. However, don't be too strung up on "origins" of this and that - seeking an understanding of the background of some issues is good sometimes; but it doesn't help to make such backgrounds the overriding issue in what affects our faith. This is why some people even as Christians have become too driven to draw a parallel their faith and paganism! What they fail to understand is that they end up hurting themselves even more.

Are there any core Christian tenets that were not plagiarised from the pagan cults of the Roman empire at the time? If there are, I would like to know.

huxley:

Are there any core Christian tenets that were not plagiarised from the pagan cults of the Roman empire at the time? If there are, I would like to know.

If the pagan cults of the Roman empire seems to be your worry, you could easily focus on them. To leave them and be constantly disturbed about Christianity is a testimony already that you just don't know where to draw the line.

How are you anyway?

pilgrim.1:

If the pagan cults of the Roman empire seems to be your worry, you could easily focus on them. To leave them and be constantly disturbed about Christianity is a testimony already that you just don't know where to draw the line.

How are you anyway?

Hello my dear. Am fine. And thanks for asking. How about you? Passed all ya exams, I expect.

Am not worried one bit by the pagan cults. I just enjoy reading up history and the origins of Christianity. Very fascinating. If you haven't yet, take a look at the Egyptian Book of the Dead. It will amaze you just how similar that religion is with Judeo-Christianity.

Lol @huxley,

My exams are in series - part of them them are in regular school programmes, others are external exams I sit to improve my career prospects. Anyhow, I'm doing good.

huxley:

Am not worried one bit by the pagan cults. I just enjoy reading up history and the origins of Christianity. Very fascinating. If you haven't yet, take a look at the Egyptian Book of the Dead. It will amaze you just how similar that religion is with Judeo-Christianity.

Hehe, to be honest with you, I have not read that book from back-to-back cover and don't think it is one of the texts I would like to waste time on - not for any disaffection; but because there are other texts where I can find an unbiased approach to the history of religious symbolisms.

That one may read issues that are "similar" does not make the Biblical faith a plagiarism of those rites. There are other symbolisms in other religions that one may read about - many of them also using precise Biblical expressions, and I have outlined a few of these before. Just mention any suggestion that they were plagiarized from the Bible, and you will find such speed with which their adherents will come here breathing down our necks. Want to try an experiment to verify this fact? Okey-dokes. . . here again: 

      Expressions derived from* Christian terms for Jesus: the Son of God --

                ↙    The Bahá'í Faith - also refer to Jesus as the Son of God

                ↙   The Grail Message - also refer to Jesus as the Son of God


      Expressions derived from* Christian terms for God: the Trinity --

                 ↙    The Bahá'í Faith - also speaks of God as a Trinity

                 ↙    The Grail Message - also speak of God as a Trinity


Yet, in all of this, we understand that these terms, although all similar, are not to be confused for precisely the same way that Christianity speaks of them. Who plagiarised what from who? Just wait a mo. . . you go soon see them breathe in here sharp-sharp!


So, my dear huxley. . . the charge of "plagiarism" against Christianity from the rites of Egyptian passages is unfounded. At best, there are people who force that meaning into these readings - and in many other places, objective scholarship has demonstrated the fact that Christianity did not plagiarize these tenets.

Better watch out and you better not cry santa claus is coming to nairaland so be good for goodness sake!!
Hehehehe I like christmas no be small, I need to go start to polish my sunday school bata shoe plus to Iron all of my thrift collector khaki shorts and my headmaster socks, hehehehe.

Better watch out and you better not cry santa claus is coming to nairaland so be good for goodness sake!!
Hehehehe I like christmas no be small, I need to go start to polish my sunday school bata shoe plus to Iron all of my thrift collector khaki shorts and my headmaster socks, hehehehe.

but pilgrim some things were thief and put for inside bible na?

Chrisbenogor:

but pilgrim some things were thief and put for inside bible na?

Me, I no be your lawyer to decide that case!
But as for Christmas and whatever go make you go polish your shoe, na halleluyah I go dey sing!

I don't celebrate christmas the commercial way. We never did as a child. I will not have a christman tree in my house and my kids willnot get christmas gifts from me. I don't mind having a sign that says "JESUS IS THE REASON" or something like that or use the opportunity to tell my children the story of Christ's birth and why he was born. They will ask questions but they need to know that all the santa bullshit is just that bullshit

@Poster,
While i am not against celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, I wish to inform you that Jesus Christ was NOT born on the 25th of December. The birth os Christ was MOVED to that day by the early roman catholic church as a compromise to allow the ROman pagan worshippers to accept/accommodate Christianity.
Trace your facts well and you'll be shocked.
As a result , i see it more as a dishonor to shift your Savior's birthday in an attempt to please man. I see it as debasing. Christ was really born in October.
for all those who will doubt, here is a simple check. Christ lived 33 ¹/₅ years. Calculate abd you will see that from december to easter (when he died) will give not give you the actuall length of his stay on earth. It ill only be 33 ¹/₅ years if you calculate from early october.
Obrigado

Sorry for the mistake
Christ lived 33 ¹/₂ years.
That was a typographical error.

@Ellyptical
Wetin concern vulture and barber na, sofa the chicken dey to wack no wahala abeg give me your date and venue.