Celebrating Christmas "technically" makes you a christian?

Question

Lol, im sorry im just wondering.
I always celebrate it, so do my parents, but my parents are both, well my dad believes in god but doesnt assign himself to any religion and my my mother is agnostic. Anyways, Christmas in our household is always a really big thing, but has never been a "Were celebrating jesus's birthday thing" considering ive been brought up with the whole idea that i can be whatever i feel like ( i have rather liberal parents ) Dont get me wrong, it isnt all about the gifts, its about having family and friends come together, we sing songs, its really not so superficial that we only care about the presents. I was just wondering if it really makes you a christian, even if you dont believe in that. It sounds dumb, i know, but im 15, therefore allowing myself to ask slightly dumb and juvenile questions. Kay, ill stop rambling now =P

Not trying to prove anyone wrong Bad liberal, just asking a question =P

wow, for religion and spirituality, people are pretty hostile in this section hehe =P

Again shane, not looking to prove anyone wrong.
and i am aware of the whole pagan thing, my moms family is pagan =]

Answer 1

Blessings to you! lol....Just fyi: I think you're precious!

Myself, being a pagan, i do celebrate christmas, but not in the religious sense. For my household, it is also a time of family and friends, playing dominoes and cards, stuffing ourselves with food, and enjoying the children opening their presents.
As for the adults, we aren't financially rich, but we do have great fun...gag gifts, etc...or things like my mom sending me a Betty Boop Pez Dispenser! :) These are the things that memories are made of and that is how we spend our holidays.
As for religious affiliations, my dad: christian, my brother: mormon, my sister: self proclaimed luthern, one child:egyptian deities, one child: atheist, one child just plain ol confused! lol

Blessings to you and yours!
)o(
Trinity

Answer 2

Celebrating Christmas might be a beginning, but no it doesn't make you a Christian. My mother in law used to say they should put poinsettias and lilies on the altar every Sunday, maybe people would show up more often. She even made a point of not going on Christmas to make sure there'd be a seat for those who only came then. Think of what a poor world this would be if no one celebrated Christmas. There's more than enough ill will in the world, and unfortunately those who call themselves Christian are often the source. More power to those who keep Christmas without being Christian, I think He's happier with them than those who go about spouting His name while hating the rest of the world He came to redeem. Christmas was never Jesus' birthday. Its place in the Church calendar didn't even come into being until the fourth century. Those who criticise Christians who celebrate it anyway entirely miss the point, and can hardly be called Christians themselves. The world NEEDS a time to celebrate Peace and Life, and the wonderful gift of Christ's Incarnation, even if that is only done with a time of sharing, loving, giving, and forgiving with those closest to us.

Down home I used to always laugh at the Midnight Mass on Christmas, because you could always tell who the Baptists were at the service. They were the ones who refused to kneel or stand when everybody else did. Midnight Mass was a tradition, beautiful with all the music, incense, manger scene, and candles, but they drew the line at worshipping.

My mother in law was a staunch Methodist. All her children, raised in a strong church tradition, married devout Catholics.

At 15 you're asking one of the most important and adult questions there is, one which shows that you are thinking and testing the values that are important in life. I hope you'll continue to ask it, and find answers that help you make the right decisions for the right reasons.

Answer 3

Not unless Santa Claus is "technically" Jesus.

Actually, Christmas can be celebrated as either a religious holiday or a secular holiday these days. For a lot of people, it is pretty much a mix of both. However, some Christians try to make it purely religious, while some other people ignore the religious aspects all together. Its sort of a spectrum with two extremes.

A lot of modern pagans celebrate Christmas too. They usually call it Yule, however. Generally, most of the pagans have a pretty traditional Christmas with a Christmas tree, presents, mistletoe, etc, etc. Modern pagans usually feel pretty comfortable with these traditions since most of those traditions were originally pagan anyways.

(Actually, its sort of appropriate to celebrate the "birth of Jesus" with a pagan holiday. Almost everything Jesus supposedly did came from earlier pagan mythology. The Egyptian god Osiris was killed, rose from the dead, promised his followers eternal life, and went to rule the afterworld long, long before the Jesus story was ever concocted. So, since Jesus is really a form of various pagan gods that were stolen and rearranged slightly, it is appropriate to celebrate his birth with a pagan holiday that was stolen and rearranged slightly).

So, really, Christmas can be whatever you want it to be without you needing to feel like you are putting yourself in any particular group.

Of course, some religious groups actually seem to be hostile towards Christmas, like Jehovah's Witnesses and other fringe types. So, I guess, the only thing you would really be doing for sure by celebrating Christmas is taking yourself out of any association with those people.

A Jewish friend of mine once told me that his family celebrated Christmas too. However, instead of calling it "Christmas" they called it "Jews Go To the Movies Day".

Answer 4

No Ruby you're not asking a dumb question.

I don't believe celebrating Christmas for the family and friends automatically makes you a Christian. Christmastime (the Holidays) and things like Christmas trees, candy canes, etc. mean different things to a lot of people. Christians have religious symbolism in those things, sure, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the world can't have a Christmas tree or get together on Christmas to be with family and friends.

Answer 5

Celebrating Christmas technically makes you a pagan!
Real Christian like the early apostles NEVER celebrated any birthdays!
Christs Birthday was never mentioned ny DATE in the Bible.
Real Theologians will tell you He was born in the end of October to early November...not at the celebration of the sun god. Saturnalia, or any other pagan Holiday.
So celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December, either makes you a GOOD pagan or a STUPID uneducated pseudo Christian.
I don't personally celebrate Christmas or Easter because they were originally Pagan Holy Days.
There are very few True Christians left who refuse to bend to public opinion and take part in these thinly veiled Pagan Holy Days.


I think the best thing I can say for a Christian, If you cannot find it as a celebration by name in the BIBLE....DON'T DO IT EITHER.

Answer 6

No, participation in a celebration doesn't technically or in any other way make you a Christian.

Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ doesn't even make you a Christian. Being a follower of Jesus Christ, trying to live by the example that he left as a human being and by what he said, is what, in MY book, makes someone a Christian.

And yeah, it is perfectly possible for Christmas to be a very spiritual and personal celebration for family and friends without being a strictly 'Christian' celebration. To be frank I think that this is the way that most people celebrate Christmas. Just have fun with your family I think that's what a big part of Christmas should be about anyway.

Answer 7

The only thing that makes you a Christian is admitting you are a sinner, believing that Christ died on the cross for your sins and wants to give you the free gift of eternal life with Him, and lastly, calling on Jesus, asking Him to forgive your sins and trusting in His free gift of salvation. I strongly encourage you to trust Christ as your Savior and actually become a Christian, since it is the one and ONLY way into heaven, but, to answer your question, no, just "celebrating" Christmas does not make you a Christian.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

John 14:6 - ...I (Jesus Christ) am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father exept through Me.

Answer 8

At least in America, Christmas is a dual-natured holiday. Some focus on Santa, others on Jesus.

But celebrating Christmas does not make you a Christian and gets you no brownie points with the big guy upstairs.

Answer 9

Yule is a pagan celebration it is the same time as Christmas.
The christmas celebrations are taken form old pagan traditions so in effect its not Christian but pagan in origin.

Call it what you will Celebrate the rebirth of the Sun or the birth of Christ its all in how you view it. Just have fun.

Answer 10

This is not a stupid question. Always feel free to ask as many as you want. Its one of the few ways you learn.

The definition of Chirstmas is the annual festival of the CHRISTIAN church commemorating the Birth of Jesus. So to truely celebrate Christmas you have to be Christian.

The early christian church, in part created the formal holiday of Christmas to entice pagans to convert to Christianity. Many cultures had winter festivals, because work was less during this time. The church kept many of the festivities and the date of December 25th to help entice the Pagans. Many Pagan gods had a b-day of Dec. 25th. Also to help entice them to convert to Christianity many traditions and practice were also kept. It much easier to get someone to convert if you include their customs.

So in order to truely celebrate the true meaning of Christmas yes you have to be a Christian. However many people celebrate it anyways who are not because it is a time of festivities. Many people say they are enjoying the holidays so that they do not associate themselves to the Christian portion of Christmas and Holidays. So feel free to exchange gifts, sign songs, and enjoy this time of year.