Religion/Christmas Related Question - Please Answer?

Question

Hey people. I was just thinking how Christmas comes from the birth of Jesus Christ, and is in fact of a celebration of that occasion. However, it has become a world renowned event and is celebrated by the majority. Even those who are of other religions. Do you think it's fair for people of non-Christian relgions to prosicute and complain against Christian's evangelistic manner and presence in this world if they are to celebrate an occasion that's from the Christian faith. Is it hypicritical for religious people to try to tread down everything Christians believe is, work for and try to do when it goes against what they believe, but accept an event like Christmas into their homes because it benefits them? Or has Christmas moved away from it's religious meaning and truley just become a world celebrated event? Thoughts please!

To all of you Pagan idiots who think Christmas came from u. Hate to prove u wrong, but ure celebration was on the 21st of December originally, and has nothing to do with Christmas. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ and has nothing to do with that little feast u have 4 days earlier, i mean lets face it. The event is named after Christ. CHRISTmas, now pagans... get ure facts right. Christmas is solely based on celebrating the birth of Christ, u lot just tried to immerge ure little tradition with the event for a little bit of publicity didn't ya? SO SHUT IT!

in answer to Earl D... all ure facts have come from Scientist and Historians. Scientists believe that we cam from monkeys that were formed on an earth that came in to being because... it appeared! scientists think that we will one day be 700 feet tall, and scientists predicted 50 years ago that the world would be under water by now, yet u believe them when they talk of somehting u support eh? as for historians, the equipment they use to date objects recently dated an umbrella to 677 BC. so ure facts were formed from nothing, sorry to burst YOUR bubble mate.

'Raven's Voice' and 'Girl Wonder'... u know what ure idiots. 'Girl Wonder' it's people like u who make me sick, just because someone gave a valid opinion in answer to my question which doesn't reflect ure wrong, in accurate and completely off the point answer it doesn't mean she is being rude, k? and as for 'Ravens Voice' NO, the christians didn't steal Christmas... the Pagans celebrated the 25th of December because their non existant God of whatever was born on that day right. Before that religion was even created, Jesus was born on that day... then the Pagans turned up, created a celebration on the 21st, realised no one wanted to celebrate it cos their God doesn't exist, moved it to the 25th and conjoined it with Chrismtas and then stamped their name on it. Basically, because the birth of Jesus happened... it's celebrated. Because the Pagan God doesn't exist... it isn't. k? GET URE FACTS RIGHT PEOPLE

Answer 1

To say Christmas was stolen from the Pagans is ridiculous. Ok so maybe the idea came from there but we celebrate Christmas (that is why it is Christ Mass) because we celebrate the birth of Christ. Unfortunately it has become for most just a jolly excuse for a booze up and stuff your face silly and spend more than you can afford on pressies. Don't get me wrong I am not a kill joy but in between all the festivities people should remember what Christmas is for - the celebration of the birth of Christ. I am not a Christian, but a Spiritualist but I do believe in God and Jesus. To answer your question - yes, Christmas is just an excuse for everybody, whatever their religion, to have a good time and give and receive pressies. It is for their own benefit. PS In what way Girl Wonder am I being rude? I have a right to my own opinions as well as you have. I would NEVER knowingly be rude to anyone, that would be against my spiritualist principles. Read the Addition Details above.

Answer 2

Christmas has become, to many, a secular holiday. But then, to many others, Christmas is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, coming to us in human form to redeem us and be our salvation. Christmas was actually a pagan holiday to begin with and was to acknowledge the winter solstace. Christians of the time, took over the holiday and put their Christian beliefs into it and Christianized it. The winter solstace was set as the date of celebration of Jesus birth, and the tree became a symbol of the hope of all Christians in that Jesus came into the world and the lights on each tree are to commemorate that event as Jesus was the "light of the world". etc. There's much more to it than I've stated here but basically it is the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. Others see it as a day off from work, a chance to get and give presents, etc. The answer is some still look to Christmas as the day of Jesus birth and others view it as just a secular holiday devoid of religious content.

Answer 3

You are right only in the fact that Christmas has to do with Jesus ben Joseph. About everything else, you are spitting in the wind. It's amazing what you can find on Christian sites about Christmas for those who can read.

In Anglo-Saxon times, Christmas was referred to as geol, from which the current English word 'Yule' is derived. The word "Christmas" is a contraction meaning "Christ's mass." It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038. The words for the holiday in Spanish (navidad) and French (noël) refer more explicitly to the Nativity. In contrast, the German name Weihnachten means simply "hallowed night."

The earliest reference to the celebration of Christmas is in the Calendar of Filocalus, an illuminated manuscript compiled in Rome in 354. In the east, meanwhile, Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus as part of Epiphany (January 6), although this festival focused on the baptism of Jesus.

Christmas was promoted in the east as part of the revival of Catholicism following the death of the pro-Arian Emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378.

Pagan Scandinavia celebrated a winter festival called Yule, held in the late December to early January period. Yule logs were lit to honor Thor, the god of thunder, with the belief that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year. Feasting would continue until the log burned out, which could take as many as twelve days.

The Romans held a festival on December 25 called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, "the birthday of the unconquered sun." The use of the title Sol Invictus allowed several solar deities to be worshipped collectively, including Elah-Gabal, a Syrian sun god; Sol, the god of Emperor Aurelian (AD 270-274); and Mithras, a soldiers' god of Persian origin.

A winter festival was traditionally the most popular festival of the year in many cultures, in part because there was less agricultural work to be done during the winter. From a religious point of view, Easter was the most significant feast in the church calendar. Christmas was considered less significant, and the early church opposed the celebration of birthdays of church members.

Ya know, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea if Christians went back to celebrating Christmas the way it was intended and leave all the icky stuff, like feasting, giving gifts, singing songs and being happy to the rest of us.

Answer 4

> but ure celebration was on the 21st of December originally

Actually, it wasn't. The solstice is Dec 21 in the Gregorian calendar, the current one that started getting used back in the 16th century (to account for issues with "date drift" regarding solstices/equinoxes, which in turn messed up the date scheme for Easter). Prior to that, folks used the Julian calendar, which had the solstice placed on Dec 25.

The fact is, there are a number of religions that celebrate a holiday at this time of year, with fairly similar themes - rebirth, hope in times of darkness, etc. It's human nature, and has happened since prehistory. Christmas certainly is the most well-known of these - but it's also pretty easy to look around and notice that Christmas has moved beyond its original religious meaning. The fact that so many people are celebrating the secular nature of several winter holidays is do to that universal yearning for hope.

Answer 5

I believe God is pleased that, despite the actual birthdate of Jesus being unknown, one day a year is set aside to honor the Miracle of the Incarnation. Certainly people have made it into way they want it to be, some good and some bad: pagan holiday-four-days-late. a day for over-indulgence, a season for tedious office parties, a day to make the retail business break even before the year ends, a day for honoring those we love, a day to give gifts, a day to get gifts, a day to help the poor, a time to see friends and family you never would see otherwise, a day to worship God, an excuse for plays and pageants. But thankfully The Christ is remembered, accidentally or on purpose, and maybe even honored. It doesn't make me mad. Without meaning to, even the unbelievers give credence to Jesus' birth being the most important birth in history.
PS: For those connecting all the traditions of Christmas back to paganism: The gift-giving tradition goes back to the 4th Century Christian Bishop of Myra, a one St. Nicholas by name, whose day is December the 6th on the Christian calendar. The lights/candles go back to Hannukah, which Jesus himself celebrated at the same time of year as Christmas.

Answer 6

Sorry to burst your bubble but most theologians and historians have been saying that Jesus was born in the Spring for at least 40 years that I know of and I first saw it on a religious program.

There is no record of a census or tax in Bethlehem in December of any year in the time of Jesus.

Shepards would not be tending sheep in the fields at night in the single digit temperatures of the Palestine desert.

Go check the tempertures in Palestine right now. Go to weather dot com and see if you'd stay out all night.

Pagan Emperor Constantine and his gathering of what were to become the Catholic Bishops sat down and picked out days.

Since Jesus arose on a Sunday they decided to make that the official holy day even though Jews use fridaynight to saturday night, as Jesus would have. Jesus was a faithful Jew and his sabbath was Saturday.

They picked out when Easter would be and Eastern Orthodox often celebrate it on another day because they still use the Old calendar system.

Constantine was trying to convert Pagans to this new religion and hence he seem to feel it was best to put the new Christian holidays near the Pagan ones, which always come near the Solstice of quarterly season changes.

The last supper and crusifiction of Jesus and the day he arose is a FIXED day in time. It does not move. We only celebrate that once every 100 years or so on the accurate day.

Jesus was about to celebrate Passover and expected his disciplies to continue the Passover tradition and incorporate him into it by remembering him when they ate the unleavened bread and drank the scaramental wine. Passover usually occurs long before Easter, at least 6 days or more and starts on a different day each year.

Christmas coincides with the Pagan Solstice and the JEwish Chanuakah. Jesus celebrated Chanuakah as he was Jewish and they light candles, have a bush and give presents.

PAgans have a Yule log and a festival.

Also the tradition of giving presents comes from the Three Wisemen and others who brought presents to Jesus at his birth.

Chanuakah is generally always celebrated in December, but the date moves because the JEws were on a Lunar calender.

Now, here's a paradox and remember I'm a believer in God and Jesus.

Easter -- the death and resurrection, moves each year. So we change the DAY we celebrate the Crusifiction and resurrection. Why do we not change the date of his birth each year?

His DEATH changes, but not his birth. That's a severe paradox. JEsus DIES on different days but always gets born on one specific day.

Since, apparently, no records exist and no one ever documented exactly when Jesus was born, other than to say his parents were in Bethlehem for the census, which did occur around the period when Jesus would have been born in the springtime, but that historical fact was not known then, they wanted a day to celebrate his birth and apparently just picked this one randomly.

Since we don't celebrate his crusifiction on the right (actual) day nor do we celebrate his resurrection on the right (actual) day, what does it matter when we celebrate his birth!

They picked days for these and we follow them.

If you're Catholic or Protestant you celebrate Easter on ONE Sunday.

If you're Russian, Romanian, Greek or Turkish Orthodox, you celebrate it on a DIFFERENT Sunday than the others.

And the Seventh Day adventists, a NEw Age christian based religion, celebrates the Sabbath on Saturday. Every other Christian sect on Sunday. The Jews still use Fridaynight to Saturday night.

There are historical facts. If you'd like, to there, search the records, do digs and MAYBE you can uncover evidence to show a December census WAS taken, currently no one can document such and event.

Hence, the facts don't meet the Bible.

In absence of concrete facts, we Celebrate on the traditional day that has been done since just after 300 AD

I have been trying to pin down exact days for a while using the computer and Jewish calendar calcuators and historical evidences.

I have what I view to be the fixed day of the last supper and resurrection and I celebrate on that day. I also celebrate the day before Passover and on Passover and I celebrate BOTH Easters.

I'd like to pin down his birthdate as well.

The best bet would be the historical tax records that are known about the Census.

I don't give much credibility to the scientific Nova theory, as it would not meet the Biblical explaination of the star being at one angle as seen by the Wise Men and then overhead when they arrived in Bethlehem.

That MUCH change would require travel of many hundreds of miles in a North/South direction. So it was not a Nova they saw, nor a comet.

Even if I found that date, I would still celebrate Christmas.

We need days of rememberance, even if they aren't the right days.

We do it with Presidents day now, and with Veterans day. Neither of those days existed 50 years ago. Then we had Armesist day and the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln.

Now they're just "generic days."

And that's what Christmas and Easter are. Generic days for birth and death so we have a day to remember Jesus on.

Of course I remember God and Jesus all the time.

Answer 7

I was just wondering..and I am religious and Christian, how you put up such a fight about Pagans claiming Christmas is theirs and yet you can believe Christ was actually born on Dec 25, how many lambs have you seen born in Dec?? I think it is more likely that Christ wasn't born in Dec but the Spring, but we celebrate it as a event rather than an actual day, as decided by the Romans I believe.

Answer 8

Hey,

I think that today Christmas encompasses more than just the birth of Christ and has very subjective connotations. For example, the modern ideas of Father Christmas and the Christmas tree are completely unrelated to Jesus to the extent that it begs the question whether the average person, on Christmas morning, handing out their presents by the Christmas tree, is really doing it for the sake of Jesus...? I really don't think so, and the Christians out there who do, I doubt are very concerned about the capitalist side of the festivity anyway. Each to their own i say!

Answer 9

Others here have talked about it first being a pagan celebration.

I would like to talk about something different. Evangelical Christians are not the only Christians in the world. I know they
think they are. I grew up in a fundlementalist home and my parents are born again evangelical Christians. But it's fairly elitest. Even as a very young girl I couldn't figure out how they thought we were the only ones going to Heaven. Back then (I'm 58) they even thought the Baptists were not getting into Heaven.
And forget about Catholics. I don't know why, but evangelicals
think they are the only Christians. Weird. Elitest. Nonsensical. Blind to the facts.

Answer 10

The origins of Christmas are certainly religious based; however, it has become (thanks to mass-marketing) a non-religious holiday throughout the world celebrated by many of other faiths. They are celebrating it more as a "national" or "world" holiday of GIVING than of Jesus Christ. I don't think this is a problem.

Think of Halloween and its origins....however, today we simply celebrate it as a day for go to strangers houses in costume and get free candy. No harm...no foul.

I think if Christmas provides others the opportunity to care and give to others less fortunate regardless of the motivation, this is a positive thing.

I hope this helps...