December 21, 2007

A True Christian Look at a Non-Christian Christmas.

Millions all over the world are in the throes of preparing for Christmas and the holiday festivities.

But historically how real is this time of celebration? Although this festival has no biblical support, most people shrug that off as irrelevant. It’s traditionally a time for family, friends and goodwill, so does it matter if it’s not really when Christ was born?

Christ told His followers, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). The irony is that this most popular of festivals, ostensibly kept in His honor, has little to do with truth. Christmas in December has a lot to do with tradition. The Catholic Encyclopedia states plainly that Christmas “was not among the earliest festivals of the Church.” Rather, this Catholic source cites the festival as an example of a doctrine or custom “transmitted from one generation to another as a tradition.”

Early Beginnings - Why Winter and Why December 25?

Nowhere in Scripture does it suggest that Jesus was born in winter.

On the contrary, the shepherds who saw the angels announce His birth would not have been out in their fields in December; the winters were too cold and rainy. The census that brought Jesus’ parents to Bethlehem could not have happened in winter: it would have been impossible to put so many people in motion at that time of year.

However, the solar feast of Natalis Invicti “birthday of the unconquered sun”, was celebrated on 25 December and has a strong claim to the Christmas date. That feast commemorated the birth of the Persian mystery god Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness, whom the Romans worshipped.

Some historians speculate that the Roman winter festivals were incorporated into Christianity as they realized Non-Christians were not likely to relinquish their celebrations. It was against this political and cultural backdrop that pagan Roman celebrations became mixed in with the customs of traditional Christianity.

Why Gift Giving?

This tradition is another carry-over from a Roman festival–Saturnalia. This festival is also related to the first day of winter and the “return of the sun” and was the merriest feast of the year for the Romans. America has embraced this idea and the commercialism that starts on Black Friday runs unabated through December 24th.

Is Doing Good The Same As Doing Right?

While it might seem as though Christmas is a harmless holiday about spreading a little happiness and doing something good for family, friends and needy strangers, there is a more serious side to this issue: doing the “good” thing doesn’t necessarily equate to doing the “right” thing.

The ethical issue is that no matter how good things may seem from a human perspective, they can be quite wrong from God’s perspective. The Bible talks of “a way that seems right to a man,” stating that such a way has grave consequences (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).

Perhaps it’s time to dream of a right Christmas. Special Report: Ghosts of Christmas Past