Why do they use Jesus in Christmas as a scam?

Question

Some people say he was born on Christmas but he wasn't.

Answer 1

Jesus never celebrated his Birthday and any of his true followers NEVER celebrated Christmas. The date of Jesus birth is not even recorded in the Bible.

Christmas has alot of pagan roots.
We as true Christians would be wise to stay away from false customs. If Jesus would have celebrated then we would have no problem with it, and we would celebrate. But Jesus commanded us to observe his death.

It's just a greedy holiday that brings no honor to Jehovah God or his Son Jesus Christ.
Halloween, Easter, and others are just pagan holidays.

Answer 2

You are right, he was not born Dec. 25th. The Bible never says when he was born. Many think he was born in the year -0-. There was no year -0-.

The Bible does tell us the day, date, time, and age he was to the half year, when he died though. God made sure we know that. His birth was not important. He came to die for us so he would have to have been born. It's his death that is important.

The reason Jesus is used at Christmas is to make $. The way that started is the Roman's wanted Christian's to celebrate the worship of the son god, which is Dec. 25 every year. So they said it was his birthday. Even today, true Christians don't celebrate X-Mas.

Answer 3

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.

Answer 4

Follow the money. Big business makes a huge amount of money from Christmas, Hallow e'en and every other holiday. It is unfortunate when they deliberately use Jesus Christ at Christmas time. Perhaps it is a good thing that they also include Santa Claus at Christmas.

Answer 5

Christmas comes from Christs mass that was to remember his birth and life it is sad it has become so commercialized.

Answer 6

Everything that were given on this earth, can be used in good ways and can be abused, theirs nothing wrong with acknowledging the birth of jesus no matter what his birthdate was. The important issue is he was a gift to us to save us from our sins. So why not give gifts of love in celibration to others.

Answer 7

People who don't recognize Christ Jesus and celebrate His birth are the scam.

Answer 8

a marketing ploy by retail chains most likely

Answer 9

Money

Answer 10

The Birthday of Jesus Christ?

In his book The Story of Christmas, Michael Harrison writes:

"First of all, it must be noted that, despite the efforts of innumerable scholars, it has not yet been proved upon what day . . . Christ was born."

The Bible is silent about the date of Jesus' birth. Writings of early "church fathers" are divided on the matter. Clement of Alexandria (of the second and third centuries C.E.) refers to some who believed that Jesus was born on April 19 or 20. Others preferred May 20. Still others pointed to January 1, January 6, March 21, March 28 and many other dates. The Catholic Encyclopedia comments that "there is no month in the year to which respectable authorities have not assigned Christ's birth."

Is that not significant to you? Is it not clear that if God wanted people to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ he would have had the date recorded in the Bible? You will recall that the Bible does contain the date for the Passover and for the memorial of Christ's death. (Ex. 12:6, 14; 1 Cor. 11:23-25; Luke 22:7-20) Apparently it was not God's will for anyone to celebrate the birth of his Son, Jesus. It is not surprising, therefore, to read in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge: "There is no historical evidence that our Lord's birthday was celebrated during the apostolic or early postapostolic times."

But the churches of Christendom are determined to celebrate Jesus' birth. By the year 354 C.E. most churches set the date for this on December 25. Where did they come up with that date?

The Date and Customs of Christmas

Scholars mention two explanations for the date December 25. One is due to a calculation attributed to a certain Hippolytus of the third century C.E. According to this calculation, Jesus died on March 25 and he was conceived thirty-three years earlier on the same date. It has been pointed out that nine months from there would give December 25 for the date of Jesus' birth.

The second opinion is that December 25 was chosen because of its being the day for the pagan celebration of "the birth of the Unconquered Sun," known as the Brumalia in the Roman Empire. This followed the week-long festival of the Saturnalia (December 17-24) at the time of the winter solstice. At this time of year the daylight period begins to get longer. The pagan Romans believed that the sun-god, Mithras, was conquering the darkness and gloom of winter. According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, this second point of view "remains the most plausible explanation for the dating of Christmas."

The book The Story of Christmas tells of the date December 25:

"It was, in particular, the greatest feast day of the Mithraic religion, which appeared, for a time, to be rivalling the Christian faith as the state religion of the Roman Empire. . . . The reverence that the Mithraists paid to 25 December certainly had its influence in deciding the Church authorities in fixing the official birthday of our Saviour on 25 December.

"To select 25 December, then, as the official date of the Nativity was to adapt, to the service of Christianity, a feast of immemorially ancient origins and world-wide observance."

Professor A. H. Newman explains that Catholic religious leaders saw fit to make "the birthday of the Son of God coincide with that of the physical sun." So the date for Christmas resulted from a compromise with pagan sun worship.

What about the "merry customs" of Christmas, such as the brightly lit and gayly decorated tree, holly, mistletoe, the yule log and the practice of exchanging gifts? Are these Christian customs?

Professor Edvard Lehmann writes in Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics: "Most of the Christmas customs now prevailing in Europe, or recorded from former times, are not genuine Christian customs, but heathen customs which have been absorbed or tolerated by the Church. . . . The Christmas feast has inherited these customs chiefly from two sources-from Roman and from Teutonic paganism." Some customs even come from ancient Babylon.

Does It Make Any Difference?

In spite of this, the churches of Christendom go on celebrating Christmas year after year. To them it makes no difference where Christmas came from. All that seems to matter is that it is a time of fun that is now thought to be Christian. A Roman Catholic priest replied to a letter of inquiry to the Knights of Columbus on this matter, as follows:

"The evolution of certain objects or feasts used in some form of pagan worship is of no importance. When the Church begins missionary work among a new group of people, the Church regularly takes what is good from the customs and habits of the people and re-interprets such in the light of the teachings of Christ. If formerly something was associated with error, the Church re-educates the people in the light of Christian revelation and gives the object or custom new meaning for the future."

Do you accept that line of reasoning? Is the origin of Christmas really of "no importance"? Can a church system 'reinterpret' something pagan and thereby make it acceptable to God and Christ Jesus? What does the Bible have to say about this?

Consider the case of the Israelites whom God liberated from slavery in Egypt and brought into the "promised land" of Canaan (later called Palestine). While in Egypt, the Israelites had become acquainted with many religious customs of that land. The inhabitants of their new home, Canaan, too, practiced many religious traditions. What if the Jews were to adapt some of the religious practices of Egypt and Canaan to the worship of the true God, Jehovah? Would God take the view that 'it makes no difference as long as the worship now honors me'?

Note God's own opinion of this matter, as recorded at Deuteronomy 12:30, 31: "Beware of . . . asking 'How did these nations worship their gods? I will do the same way.' You are not to do the same way for your God Jehovah." (Byington's translation) You may recall God's displeasure at the nation of Israel when they adopted the idolatrous Egyptian practice of calf worship. Even though they claimed that the calf represented Jehovah and that this was a "festival to Jehovah," God said to Moses: "Your people . . . have acted ruinously."-Ex. 32:4, 5, 7.

In the first century of the Common Era another problem arose concerning religious customs. Jews who became Christians had formerly celebrated "the seasonal festivals of Jehovah" (Passover, Pentecost and the Festival of Booths) at which they were commanded to "rejoice before Jehovah your God." (Lev. 23:2, 40) Yet Christians were not to continue even these celebrations. (Gal. 4:9-11) If festivals that God himself instituted were now to be discontinued, certainly Christians would keep away from pagan practices!

What Will Christmas Mean for You?

It would be good for all to reflect seriously on this matter. Concerning pagan religious practices, Christians are commanded: "Quit touching the unclean thing." (2 Cor. 6:17) The Bible also admonishes: "Now that you have put away falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor."-Eph. 4:25.

Do you wish to obey those Scriptural commands? Could you do so and at the same time engage in a celebration admittedly rooted in paganism and one that suggests a false date for the birth of Jesus Christ? Would not doing so mean that you love pleasure more than God and his truth?-2 Tim. 3:4; Rom. 1:25.

Christmas can mean a time of testing for many. They may be aware that Christmas smacks of paganism and is displeasing to God. But their family, friends and neighbors may go in big for the celebration. The pressure to 'go along with the crowd' can become severe.

What will this test reveal about you this year? Will it demonstrate to all that your love of God exceeds any desire you may have to please humans? Remember, the Bible shows that Jehovah God should be the supreme object of your love and fear.-Matt. 22:37; Isa. 8:13.

But what about the children? Is it not cruel to deprive them of the delights of Christmas presents and merriment? Actually, such a view is short-sighted. We have seen that some youngsters become depressed, even suicidal, at the Christmas season because it fails to solve their problems.

If you refuse to celebrate Christmas, this does not mean that you will never give gifts to your children, or to anyone else for that matter. Anytime throughout the year can be suitable for family fun and for giving presents.

Consider, for example, Jehovah's witnesses. They do not celebrate Christmas, but neither they nor their children suffer because of this. Actually, it is a relief for them. Gone is the compulsion to give, gone the frantic 'Christmas shopping' that leaves so many drained physically and emotionally. Christmas means none of these things to Jehovah's witnesses.

And think of the benefits to the children. There are now many happy occasions throughout the year instead of one. Just imagine the squeals of delight as a child receives an unexpected gift from Mom or Dad. How thankful he is for it! How reassured of his parents' love! And how much better that his appreciation go to the real giver rather than to a nonexistent Santa Claus!

In contrast, the annual gift giving at Christmas does not induce thankfulness. Instead, people expect to receive presents. Many become highly insulted if they do not get anything. Even those who receive gifts are often disappointed if the gift does not meet their expectations.

What will Christmas mean for you this year? Will it mean an opportunity to show that your love of God and his truth is the strongest force in your life? Or will it mean a compromise with something you know is displeasing to God? What Christmas will mean for you is really up to you.