Is Christmas celebration a biblical doctrine?

Question

Aid your answer with biblical quotations that support this festival. Did the Apostles ever celebrate christmas? Why the much ado about christmas? And who is sure about the real date of Christ's birth? Please help as this is already causing confusion in christendon

Answer 1

No - it was a Roman holiday that was adopted by the early Church in order to gain more popular acceptance.

Answer 2

Well, Christmas is basically just a birthday celebration. No basis for it in the Bible and the Apostles didn't celebrate it (as far as we know). The early Christians used pagan holidays and tried to merge them with Christian celebrations and ideas. All Soul's Day is the same time as the Celts Samhain, Christ's birth was set to coincide with the Roman feast of Saturnalia. So the exact date is nowhere to be found either. Why the much ado? I think (purely opinion here) it is because Christmas is an occasion of pure happiness, unlike Easter, which is preceeded by 40 of guilt and sadness. Christmas was a happy time for Christians and that sense of happiness seems to have caught on with non-Christians celebrating the ideas of peace and love, if not the actual birth of Christ idea.

Answer 3

While there is little biblical evidence of any celebration of Christmas occuring (obviously, nothing before Jesus' death) there is also little or no evidence of anybody celebrating any birthday within the new testament, outside of Jesus' original birth.

Because we have so little facts about what family life would have been like with Mary and Joseph and Jesus, we have no evidence whatsoever as to how (or if) they celebrated Jesus' birthday every year.

Even in the acts, there is no mention of Paul writing anything specifically related to a day set aside for Jesus, which is strange considering that such days (especially for well-known personages) are almost always a public event.

Because there is so little 'evidence', one is only left with imagination and interpretation. However, a good parameter for judging the relative merits of Christmas is how well the holiday coincides with the instructions and teaching of Jesus.

Matthew Ch. 14 tells of how Jesus fed 5000 people who came to hear him speak. Rather than turn people away, he fed them. Does the holiday of Christmas feed people, does it feed their spirits, does the spirit of giving feed their need to think of others, does it bring out a spirit of generosity, however brief, in even normally stingy people?

Far better to light, and gather around, a candle than curse the darkness.

Answer 4

The Bible doesn't mention anything about Christmas. It is doubtful the apostles celebrated Christmas, as they were too busy spreading the word and avoiding persecution. No one is sure about the real date of Christ's birth.

Perhaps if you were a Christian you would understand more.

Answer 5

Christmas is just a birthday celebration... it is not an official festival of God but it is just tradition... just like any birthday celebration of someone notable... we celebrate Washington's birthday in the US...for the same reason....

someone made up the date when they started the tradition...they did not know the real date ( month and day). Possibly, Jesus celebrated his birthday when he was here, as anyone would celebrate, but not as a religious event.

christmas is a nice reminder of God's goodness to man.it is a time of love for others, in memory of Jesus, who loved everyone

Answer 6

There is no reference in the Bible of Christmas. It was not and is not a christian things as it was adapted from pagan worship. They celebrated the birthday of the sun god between the period 20 -25 december and when church, paganism, politic etc mixed together at Nicea Rome, the pagan day was adopted to represent the birth of Christ.

Answer 7

the fact that cristmas wasnt even around untill the rain or constantine can give you proof that christmas has nothing to do with the bible. jesus want born in december. nowhere in th ebible does it state that you ahve to celebrate the birth of the so called savior. the fact that it coinsides with a pagan holiday and many pagan traditions are pasted off as christian traditions of christmas pretty much disproves that the bible says anything about christmas. ooo and theres the fact that christmas wasnt even started yet by the time the last book of the bible was written soo yeah i think i have given enough proof for that matter

Answer 8

Dec 25th was a Pagan Holiday back in the Roman Empire. When the Emporer changed his religion to Christianity he took all the Pagan holidays and changed them to represent Christian events. Jesus was actually born sometime in October, as the historical records indicate that is when the census was taken in Bethlehem. No one in the Bible celebrated Christmas. Only Jewish feasts are spoken of in the Bible.

Answer 9

You have shepherds that came and later wise men brought gifts. The reason for the celebration is Jesus was God and loved us so much that He came to earth. I don't think the date matters. My brother doesn't remember mine until he does his, 3 months later. It is the thought that counts. But I believe there should be more celebration on Easter when He rose victorious from the grave.

Answer 10

Christmas is traditionally the birthday of ancient gods like Mithras, Osiris and Bacchus. Later on, when they created the Jesus myth the date was simply integrated into the new religion.