What do you believe about the story of Christmas and Jesus?

Question

It seems some have decided to give a history lesson and not what they believe in. Others believe in some of the stories and some not at all. That is fine. I believe in the story of Christ and his birth. That to the Christians is the main theme of Christmas. Santa and company came from several versions of stories passed down in homes in all places around the world and I think mainly in Europe. Some of those tales spin around the St. Nickolas of old who gave things to children in or near his home village. So gift giving has a profound background. As for Santa and his friends, over the years the stories have grown to include Ruldoph a rednosed reindeer, Frosty the snowman, and others....that part of Chrismas is fun and should stay that way. As for those that think parents are telling their kids wrong about Santa maybe they never had imaginations to start with. That is part of the magic of Christmas, and Santa does exist in those of us who believe in giving to others.

Answer 1

I believe the story about the birth of Jesus, what is the story about christmas?

Answer 2

Um, We celebrate Christmas for the birth of Christ.
His birth is not a fairy tale, you may not believe anything between his birth and death. But a fact is that he was born on
December 25 1 ACN (for "Ante Christum Natum", or "before the birth of Christ"), and assigned AD 1 . The year 1.was his birth, on December 25.

Jesus Christ is Real. His Existence has been documented, and there is proof.

Answer 3

I'm Hindu and yes I also belive in the story of Jesus Christ, but the story of Christmas -> Santa Clause, thats just a fairy tale for the kids....no?

Answer 4

First of all it is the Story about the Birth of Jesus. MANKIND decided to call it Christmas and make it Dec.25th. We have no way of knowing when Christ Birthday is so we should celebrate his birth everyday not just once a year. CHRISTIANS , that is Members of the Church of Christ do not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday.


Back to Christ's Birth Story;

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. ( DOES NOT SAY HOW MANY WISE MEN)

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east , and are come to worship him,...
...And lo the star, which they saw in the east went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was...
...went in...fell down and worshipped him... they presented unto him gifts; gold , frankincense, and myyrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

...An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him to flee into Egypt with Mary and Jesus, and was there until the death of Herod. Then the angel appeared again and told him to go into Israel, and they did and dwelt in Galilee, And he came , and dwelt in the City called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazareen.
Matthew Chapter 2

Answer 5

I dont like to over-analyze the holidays.
I am catholic but I follow a lot of the Hindu ideas. I like to open myself to everything this time of year and do my best to "fall in Christmas", and not let the bad parts of it get me down.
I love it all...Santa, Baby Jesus, Christmas trees, and I try to not get too down when it's all over.
Merry Christmas!

Answer 6

it's not a fairy tale. birth of jesus christ. giving and being thankful of what u have and get for christmas.

Answer 7

Is Christmas a celebration based on the Bible?

Date of the celebration

M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia says: “The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of N[ew] T[estament] origin. The day of Christ’s birth cannot be ascertained from the N[ew] T[estament], or, indeed, from any other source.”—(New York, 1871), Vol. II, p. 276.

Luke 2:8-11 shows that shepherds were in the fields at night at the time of Jesus’ birth. The book Daily Life in the Time of Jesus states: “The flocks . . . passed the winter under cover; and from this alone it may be seen that the traditional date for Christmas, in the winter, is unlikely to be right, since the Gospel says that the shepherds were in the fields.”—(New York, 1962), Henri Daniel-Rops, p. 228.

The Encyclopedia Americana informs us: “The reason for establishing December 25 as Christmas is somewhat obscure, but it is usually held that the day was chosen to correspond to pagan festivals that took place around the time of the winter solstice, when the days begin to lengthen, to celebrate the ‘rebirth of the sun.’ . . . The Roman Saturnalia (a festival dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture, and to the renewed power of the sun), also took place at this time, and some Christmas customs are thought to be rooted in this ancient pagan celebration.”—(1977), Vol. 6, p. 666.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia acknowledges: “The date of Christ’s birth is not known. The Gospels indicate neither the day nor the month . . . According to the hypothesis suggested by H. Usener . . . and accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar, January 6 in the Egyptian), because on this day, as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun). On Dec. 25, 274, Aurelian had proclaimed the sun-god principal patron of the empire and dedicated a temple to him in the Campus Martius. Christmas originated at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome.”—(1967), Vol. III, p. 656.

Wise men, or Magi, led by a star

Those Magi were actually astrologers from the east. (Matt. 2:1, 2, NW; NE) Although astrology is popular among many people today, the practice is strongly disapproved in the Bible. (See pages 144, 145, under the main heading “Fate.”) Would God have led to the newborn Jesus persons whose practices He condemned?

Matthew 2:1-16 shows that the star led the astrologers first to King Herod and then to Jesus and that Herod then sought to have Jesus killed. No mention is made that anyone other than the astrologers saw the “star.” After they left, Jehovah’s angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt to safeguard the child. Was that “star” a sign from God or was it from someone who was seeking to have God’s Son destroyed?

Note that the Bible account does not say that they found the babe Jesus in a manger, as customarily depicted in Christmas art. When the astrologers arrived, Jesus and his parents were living in a house. As to Jesus’ age at that time, remember that, based on what Herod had learned from the astrologers, he decreed that all the boys in the district of Bethlehem two years of age and under were to be destroyed.—Matt. 2:1, 11, 16.

Gift giving as part of the celebration; stories about Santa Claus, Father Christmas, etc.

The practice of Christmas gift giving is not based on what was done by the Magi. As shown above, they did not arrive at the time of Jesus’ birth. Furthermore, they gave gifts, not to one another, but to the child Jesus, in accord with what was then customary when visiting notable persons.

The Encyclopedia Americana states: “During the Saturnalia . . . feasting prevailed, and gifts were exchanged.” (1977, Vol. 24, p. 299) In many instances that represents the spirit of Christmas giving—an exchanging of gifts. The spirit reflected in such gift giving does not bring real happiness, because it violates Christian principles such as those found at Matthew 6:3, 4 and 2 Corinthians 9:7. Surely a Christian can give gifts to others as an expression of love at other times during the year, doing so as often as he wants to.

Depending on where they live, children are told that gifts are brought by Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Père Noël, Knecht Ruprecht, the Magi, the elf Jultomten (or Julenissen), or a witch known as La Befana. (The World Book Encyclopedia, 1984, Vol. 3, p. 414) Of course, none of these stories are actually true. Does the telling of such stories build in children a respect for truth, and does such a practice honor Jesus Christ, who taught that God must be worshiped with truth?—John 4:23, 24.

Answer 8

I believed the Nativity because it makes me believe that miracles happen in every little way.....I believed Santa because it reawakens the child in me...and all those as they make me relive the fantasy with it...after all it's what we believe in that matters...

Answer 9

It has been written down.

Answer 10

It's a nice fairy tale.