Why do Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, when birthday celebrations are a pagan tradition...?

Question

...of which a 1st century Jew would not have approved?

Answer 1

When Rome finally got around to celebrating Christian holidays, they had no record of when they occurred. It was logical to adopt their own pagan holidays to the new religion. They simply had no idea when Jesus was actually born, and we still don't.

Answer 2

Yes, I admit that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on the wrong date. He was not born in winter. He was not born on December 25. The Bible does that state the date when He was born. However, when the Roman Empire made Christianity as the official state religion, the Pagan celebration of Saturnalia was replaced by the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

Did you know that Jesus is glad that His birth is being celebrated even though it is wrong? Why is He glad? Because the spirit of the celebration is for the true Savior or the Covenant of God. So we should be glad as well. This is what the Holy Spirit told us in His sermon on 1986 October 30. The full text of the sermon is at http://www.geocities.com/peacecrusader888/sermon013.htm.

Do you believe in revelations of the Holy Spirit? Would you believe that the Holy Spirit revealed to us that Jesus was born on May 23? He did not state the year though. I first heard this date in June 1983. It was only in 2004 that I checked it out after I have proven another revelation—the crucifixion of Jesus on August 17—to be true and correct. The year of His crucifixion was 1 BC.

After two years of research, I finally proved that May 23 is true and correct also. The year was 33 BC. The results of my study for your scrutiny is at http://www.geocities.com/peacecrusader888/birthmay23.htm.

Who could be correct in both dates? There are almost 24,000 intervening dates between 33 BC and 33 AD. And the window when birth occurred is very narrow. Did you know that had I proven Him wrong, I would have withdrawn my faith in Him?

I leave the decision to you whether you will believe this May 23, 33 BC birth of Jesus or not. Suffice it to say, the dates came from no other than the Holy Spirit who we talk to. I did not just pick them out of thin air. I just checked them out.

Hopefully, in the near future, we will be celebrating the birth and crucifixion of Jesus on their correct dates.

Answer 3

According to Jocephus early Jews did not celebrate birthdays, associating them with magic and drunken excess. Birthdays seemed to have originated with Mithraism, a Persian religion that appears more and more to me to be the direct ancestor of modern day christianity.

Either way, December 25th was the day that those who worshipped Mithra celebrated his birth from a virgin mother... oh yeah, and by the way was attended by shepherds, ate a last supper with his followers, was depicted with a halo over his head, was believed not to have died but ascended to heaven, would return at the end of the world to send the righteous to heaven and the wicked to hell.....

I'm sure you see the similarities. =) These practices began to be introduced into the Roman empire around a hundred years before Jesus' birth.

Anyways, Aurelian declared December 25th the official state birthday of Mithra, then later Constantine declared it the official state birthday of Christ, when he declared Christianity the official state religion of the Roman empire back in ... 325 CE? Something like that.

Christians celebrate this day because of sheer tradition and ignorance. Well, it's also a good excuse to spoil the kids and feel happy about yourself and your life. I guess. I just get depressed by the rampant materialism.

Look up Mithraism, it's quite humorous to see the parallels.

Saul

Answer 4

I think I as a Christian have a different view of Christmas. Yeah, non Christians celebrate one way and the Christians celebrate the birth of Christ.

I look at the day, as a day to bless my family with gifts, and food, and be thankful that GOD has allowed us to be together one more year. Since, it's at the end of the year, it's also a way to reflect on the entire year, and ponder the upcoming year.

I think the meaning of Christmas has been lost in the shuffle and we need to make the meaning more personal, not traditional.

Answer 5

Because modern Christianity is not really based on Jewish tradition. In fact, when Christianity was legalized around 300-400 AD, not quite sure on the exact year, by the Roman Empire, many pagan rituals and structures were added, and Christianity in its pure form was almost lost. I don't think celebrating birthdays is in anyway a bad form of pagan ritual or anything, but maybe you could enlighten us.

Answer 6

We celebrate Christmas :)
Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. Christmas festivities often combine the commemoration of Jesus' birth with various secular customs, many of which have been influenced by earlier winter festivals. The date as a birthdate for Jesus is traditional, and is not considered to be his actual date of birth.

Answer 7

hi Woo, long term not see and it appears like a sparkling photograph--effective. thank you for the history on birthdays, i did not understand that. At my age i will do with out the party apart from nonetheless being alive. As for as Christmas--the date is the start date of Mithra of the Pagan faith of an analogous call of BC six hundred Babylon. yet Christians realize it isn't the truly start date of Jesus and that's now a prepare with out any religious significant so no injury accomplished. same for our very own start dates---the history has been lost over the eons of time and we have fun for an excuse to have tarts, presence, relatives gatherings, a great time--all or a number of those. In that sense it does no injury, nor does it cut back our devotion to God and our Savior Jesus. i could even honor your start date given the prospect, I carry no animosity in direction of you for a number of your reducing questions and as consistently desire you the very ideal.

Answer 8

Christians have always taken deep cultural traditions of other societies, and Christianized them. This has helped eliminate the barriers accepting Christianity. There is nothing intrinsically evil in the celebration of birthdays. You celebrate your birthday, don't you?

Answer 9

no body celebrate "Christmas" for the birth of Christ or anything anymore. it's just a materialistic holiday mass produced by cooperate America. no holidays have significance anymore. and to answer your question, most people don't know why they believe what they believe, they do it because it's tradition for them. most of the religious holidays are around the time that pagan holidays are, they just moved them a few days back or forward and labeled them something involving their religion

Answer 10

We celebrate in appreciation of Jesus paying the ultimate price for our sins. We should be thankful daily.Before the pagans were, Jesus was.

Answer 11

Christians should be celebrating Christ's birth on a daily basis.It is however not a sin to have a special day that you dedicate to his birth. Pagans generally have the most lights, decor, santa stuff and are very materialistic, whereas Chrisitians dedicate the time to Christmas hymns, sermons on Christ's birth, family time together, etc. It's not about rituals or pagan things, it's about a relationship with Christ our Lord. Pagans just try to look at it from a bad angle to prove to themselves that it's okay to live the way they are when deep down, they know they are most likely spending their eternity in hell.