28/12/2020
CHRISMAS NOT CELEBRATED BY EARLY CHRISTIANS
A person’s worship could be contaminated by false religion as it relates to popular holidays. Consider Christmas, for example. Christmas supposedly commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and nearly every religion that claims to be Christian celebrates it. Yet, there is no evidence that the first century disciples of Jesus observed such holiday. The book sacred Origins of Profound Things states: “For two centuries after Christ’s birth no one knew and few people cared, exactly when he was born.”
Even if the disciples had known the exact date of his birth, they would not have celebrated it. Why? Because, as The World Book Encyclopedia says, the early Christians “considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.” The only birthday observances mentioned in the bible are those of two rulers who did not worship Jehovah. {Genesis 40:20; Mark 6:21} birthday celebrations were also held in honor of pagan deities. For example, on May 24 the romans celebrated the birthday of the goddess of Diana. On the following day, they observed the birthday of their sun-god, Apollo. Hence, birthday celebrations were associated with paganism, not with Christianity.
There is another reason why first century Christians would not have celebrated Jesus’ birthday celebrations were connected with superstition. For instance, many Greeks and romans of Ancient times believed that spirits attended the birth of each human and protected that one throughout life. “The spirits had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individuals was born,” says the book The lore birthdays. Jehovah certainly would not be pleased with any observance that would link Jesus with Superstition. Isiah 65:11, 12 so how did Christmas come to be celebrated by many people?
THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS
It was not until several hundreds of years after Jesus lived on the earth that people began to commemorate his birthday on December 25th. But that was not the date of Jesus’ birth, for evidently took place in October.* So why was December 25 chosen? Some who later claimed to be Christian likely “wished the date to coincide with the pagan roman festival marking the ‘birthday of the unconquered sun.’ “(The New Encyclopedia Britannica) In winter, when the sun seemed weakest, pagans held ceremonies to get this source of warmth and light to come back from its distant travels. December 25 was thought to be the day that the sun began its return. In an effort to convert pagans, religious leaders adopted this festival and tried to make it seem “CHRISTMAS”.
The pagan’s roots of Christmas have long been recognized. Because of its unscriptural origin, Christmas was banned in England and in some of the American colonies during the 17th century. Anyone even stayed home from work on Christmas day had to pay penalty. Soon, though, the old customs were back, and some new ones were added. Christmas once again became a big holiday, and that is what it still in many lands. Christmas has with false religion, however, those who want to please God do not celebrate it or any other holiday that has its roots in pagan worship.
I want to illustrate something regarding to this Christmas of a thing.
“SUPPOSE YOU SAW A PIECE OF CANDY LYING IN THE GUTTER. WOULD YOU PICK UP THAT CANDY AND EAT IT? OF COURSE NOT! That candy is unclean. Like that candy, holidays may seem sweet, but they have been picked up from unclean places. To take a stand for true prophet Isaiah, who told true worshippers: “Touch nothing unclean.”----Isaiah 52:11.
