who's stealing christmas?

Question

no offence is meant in this question at all so pls no rude answers!
christmas is the time of year where christians celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(yes we know the dates are wrong, but it's the intention that counts).
what annoys me is that all those anti christians and anti religion people who slag us off all year round jump on the idea of a big party and drink and be merry,. give gifts and generally steal christmas.
now we're a sharing lot and want everyone to celebrate theLord. but your not are you? you've turned christmas into a mass commercialised festival.
even mps are refusing to christmas lights such, in fear of offending non christians!
its our celebration and its called CHRISTMAS for a reason, a religious one.
its a religious festival
Christmas, the birth of Christ

anyones opinon?

Answer 1

That's because now that it's a federal holiday, it has turned into a secular celebration. Christians have stolen practically all of their holiday traditions from pagan ritual.

Do you honestly think Jesus was born on December 25th?

Christmas isn't an exclusively Christian holiday, little miss possessive. Do you want us to stop eating, drinking, having parties, and being merry simply because you don't like the idea of us non-believers celebrating a pagan holiday?

For a Christian, you sure are spiteful. Tsk tsk.

Answer 2

It started early.... this year DaVinc tried unsuccessfully to steal Easter... isn't there a Dr Suess book like that "Duh Vinch that Stole Easter"?? But...no worries, "the light shines in the darkness and the darkness could not overcome it"
SInce Chrsitmas is around the longest night of the year, it seems appropriate to think about tthe light of the world then, no?

as far as throwing a party!! by all means ...throw a Christmas party at an old folk home!! a soup kitchen or an orphanage!!
Take a gospel tract of book and tape on a Christmas chocolate (to sweeten the deal!!) with a candy cany thrown in and hand them out. "For Your Joy" by John Piper is good for that.

play Michael Card's "scribbln in the sand" CD or Amy Grant's Emmanuel song!! WOW Christmas with 3rd day singing "DO you hear what I hear" are all great for the Holy day

I also recommend some good books and activities
Ray Van DerLaan has a great DVD available on Christmas from Focus on the family 1-800-A FAMILY where he tours Bethlehem and Israel Jews for Jesus has a terrific Christmas book called "Mary's First Christmas" for children. Vegitales has the Toy that Saved Christmas

Answer 3

Well...you just admitted that Christmas isn't even technically the birth date of your christ, yet you still celebrate it.

In fact, wikipedia says this about Christmas:

Some Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6, January 7, January 18, or even not at all. The date of Christmas Day is determined by various traditions rather than relying on historical research, which generally points to dates earlier in the year. Of those scholars who believe in a historical Jesus, the vast majority of them agree that the precise birthdate is unknown.

In case you missed that...Christmas Day is determined and celebrated based on various TRADITIONS....aka, gift giving, decorating, and all those "commercial" traditions.

There would BE NO CHRISTMAS DAY if it weren't for that. It's not like it's a significant day for Christians. You all admit it's not the date of birth for your savior, so why celebrate it if not for all the traditions and family celebrations?

Not to mention, the first Christmas was celebrated in 336 (The earliest known observance of Christmas on December 25th was the year AD 336 in Rome, as recorded in a calendar of the period.)

BUT, the pagans/Roman Empire had already fixed December 25th as winter solstice in 227!!!!!!

It's even believed (not absolute, as there are no absolutes) that the early Christians adopted this day for their Christ-mass so that they would be less conspicuous in the observance of their holiday.

Answer 4

Hi there,

I'd say most of the non-believers or of those who don't practise, in America, comes from religious roots. Therefore they had the habit of celebrating Christmas and since this habit is a very nice one they haven't stopped when they lost their faith.

Furthermore, I'd ad that for lots of people Christmas is mostly about bringing fellows tighter in happiness and love. This perspectives might even help us understand why so many who have non-christian religious practises adopted Christmas, most people are appealed by an occasion to get together and love one and other.

So I'd say you shouldn't be offended by the fact that non-christian celebrate Christmas, for in this occasion they are practising one of your lord's precept "love one and other".

On the other hand, I genuinely understand the problems you have with the mercantile practises imposed in Christmas. For that I'd say the merchants have entered the temple and they will keep on doing so until we chase them out of it.

Best regards to you and yours

Answer 5

Last year there was a backlash against the way Americans treat Christmas in Europe. They are getting tired of our making it more than a simple family observance. Eastern Christians (Greek, Russian, etc.) also do like the push to force them to have it in December rather than January 5th, as it has been for 1700 years.

Answer 6

Who's stealing Christmas?

Well, I believe the Roman Catholics stole it from the pagans.

We are not intended to celebrare the birth of our Lord - but you may if you wish. The Scriptures are silent on the time and observance of his birth. Yet it may bring you ito compromise and bondage.

[how turn ye to the weak and beggerly elements whereunto ye desire to be in bondage? ye observe days and months and times and years, I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain,(Galatians 4/) ]

But we are taught specifically to celebrate the Lord's death for us. That is what is central and vitally important.

Take care that you do not detract from God's commandments by your choosing to celebrate something He, as it were, passes over.

Why do you want to join with the world and pagans and Roman Catholics? It seems to me that you are likely stealing from God when you do this.

Still you are free to do as you think best.

Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regards the day, regards it unto the Lord, and he that regards not the day to the Lord he does not regard it.

Answer 7

Within your own house and heart, no one can take that which you do not give. If you hold to the value that Jesus is the reason for the season then you should be making sure your family shares in the joy of what you are celebrating. This is particularly true for the children. There is nothing wrong with Santa and gifts, but they need to be taught thatChristmas is so much more than that. We as parents are the only ones who can give them 100% of what we want them to carry with them as adults. If left to society your children will get societies values. Quite frankly, I am not all that impressed with society today so I choose to teach my children what I think is important for their spiritual , emotional, and physical health. At least them I have given them a foundation to build upon and I cannot sit here and whine about how they were given a raw deal as children, please forgive them when they do wrong. Hopefully they will know better and will be able to stand up to face the consequenses of their own actions instead of blaming others.

Answer 8

Early Christians borrowed (stole) the holiday from the pagans. Almost every society that goes through a cold winter has some kind of celebration. Think about how bleak and dismal winter would be without anything to look forward to.

When I look at a modern Christmas, it would appear to me that the pagans have stolen te holiday back.

Answer 9

Trouble is, this Jesus fellow of yours chose to be born on the same day as Apollo, Osiris, Mithras and a dozen other deities, that is to say, in the middle of winter, at the time of the longest night, which is an event celebrated by many cultures throughout history; you therefore have no prior claim to this festival, it is not exclusively Xtian, it was just co-opted by the church. In fact, there is very, very little about 25/12 that has anything to do with your dead Nazarene! Sorry!

Answer 10

Just try taking down the six foot manorah because it might offend the non-Jewish, and you'll have a law suit on your hands. Try to take Christ out of Christmas to appease the non-Christian, and everyone's ok with that. Something is screwy about that. Let Christians celebrate Christmas, Jews their Hannakah, Muslims their Ramadan, Pagans their Yule and any other group their December holiday and let it go.