What’s Wrong with the Practice of Christmas?
Whether or not it is appropriate to celebrate Christmas seems to be a perplexing issue for many individuals, even though the word “Christmas” does not appear in scripture. The inability of religious leaders to effectively provide biblical evidence against this celebration has led to its widespread adoption by countless individuals from a wide range of religious backgrounds. Even though we live in an era where knowledge has increased, access to that knowledge has been broadened, and inquiries into the origin and history has been heightened, the onslaught of fabrications for this day has remained on the rise. Ministers attempting to discredit this celebration are themselves discredited when they take scriptures out of their original context in order to prove their case. Assertions that the Bible condemns the celebration of Christmas are met with great resistance by supporters of the festival, who argue, how a testament that doesn’t mention the word Christmas might be used to condemn its celebration. Ministers who selectively denounce certain secular observances while participating in others are often branded as hypocritical. Others who contend that the tenth chapter of Jeremiah describes Christmas are ridiculed.
The Word of God, through Jeremiah, not only condemns Christmas, it condemns any celebration that adopts pagan customs – Deuteronomy 18:10; Jeremiah 10: 1- 5; Galatians 4: 1-11; therefore, the names like Christmas and Halloween need not be given, so long as the pagan origins can be proven. Admonishing the saints not to learn the ways of the heathen was scripture’s method of denouncing heathen practices. Jeremiah offered this rationale by identifying the customs of the people as vain. Anything that is “vain,” is fruitless, lacks worth, and does not yield its desired outcome. Religion (man’s way of worshiping God) esteems celebrations not supported by scripture above those that are. Of all the holy days, both given and recorded in scripture, man rejects them for their own.
Neither the Father nor the Son has ever condoned the celebration of birthdays. This type of celebration was derived from pagan traditions. Christmas is the celebration of a birthday. It also combines a wide range of heathen, pagan and secular practices, from around the world that has been forbidden by God. The internal evidence of Scripture shows that the celebration of birthdays were observed by leaders of ungodly nations : a) an Egyptian Pharaoh – Genesis 40:20, and b) King Herod – Matthew 14: 5- 6; Mark 6:21. The people of God did not celebrate birthdays; they esteemed the day of one’s death above the day of one’s birth – Ecclesiastes 7: 1; furthermore, Communion, observed during the Passover festival, shows the Lord’s death until he comes, not his birth.
Many Christians believe that they can celebrate the joys of the Christmas season without supporting its negative aspects, but it seems that supporting the celebration also supports the fabrications passed down from generation to generation.
What’s wrong with the practice of Christmas? It’s easier to identify what’s right with it. Nothing! Via the celebration of Christmas, those that support this festival lie in the following ways:
- a) They lie through music; singing verses that say Christ was “born in a manger,” which could not have been possible unless Mary, too, was in the manger,
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. “ Luke 2: 7
b) They lie on scripture by misrepresenting them as part of the Christmas celebration. They add to or delete from what scripture says. They do this by:
- asserting that December 25th is the actual date of the birth of Christ,
- suggesting that Saint Nicholas, whose sled is pulled by reindeer, delivers presents throughout the world in a single night,
- Contributing biblical references of gift giving at the birth of a king to the early church when biblical examples show the practice among members of ungodly nations, on behalf of their ungodly leaders. The wise men were not from Jerusalem, they brought this tradition to Jerusalem to honor the new born king.
- Implying that the early Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth when they did not
- kissing beneath the mistletoe, and
- Santa Clause entering homes via the chimney.
If the bible commanded believers to “learn not the way of the heathens“, it comes as a surprise that most would continue to follow in a way that is full of pagan (heathen) traditions. It is these traditions, that have been woven into mainstream religion, that will responsible for Satan deceiving the entire world. (Revelation 12:9)
Pagan Practices within Christmas
Yuletide is used now as a synonym for the Christmas season in general. In a more narrow sense it can refer to the “12 days of Christmas,” usually counted from Christmas on December 25 to the arrival of the Three Kings on January 6 (Epiphany). Before the arrival of Christianity, Germanic pagans, including the ancestors of English Christians, celebrated the Winter Solstice as Yule. The Yule log represented the renewal of the sun.
Mistletoe- Before mistletoe became an excuse to kiss people at Christmas parties, it was an important symbol in ancient Celtic religion. Mistletoe figures in the story of the Norse god Baldur. (Also spelled Balder and Baldr.) Baldur was the most beloved of the Norse gods. All the gods loved him except Loki the mean-spirited troublemaker.
Deck the Halls (original English title: “Deck the Hall”) is a traditional Yuletide and New Years’ carol.
Christmas Tree– Not having evergreen trees, the ancient Egyptians considered the palm tree to symbolize resurrection. They decorated their homes with its branches during the winter solstice.
“The first decorating of an evergreen tree began with the heathen Greeks and their worship of their god Adonia, who allegedly was brought back to life by the serpent Aessulapius after having been slain. The Christmas tree 
tradition dates back to Western Germany in the 16th century. They were called “Paradeisbaum” (paradise trees) and were brought into homes to celebrate the annual Feast of Adam and Eve on DEC-24. 4. German immigrants first brought this tree to America in 1700.
We, as true believers, should be more concerned about what pleases the Father than what pleases family and friends.It is time for the world to turn their hearts back to the one that gives us life, and worship him in spirit and in truth.
