Why do christians insist on holidays being 'christian holiday's' when they know that they are not?

Question

i am coming to find that most christians believe that they are celibrating pagan holidays.. but just dont care.. and they call them christian holidays anyways. i understand the idea of being compfortable and wanting to spend time with your family and friends and things like that.. but... why celibrate the holiday if you dont believe in it? why not just get together with your family on a different day and trade presents for fun or something like that?

please dont think that i am putting down christians.... i am a strong christian myself.. i just think it is funny that people either.. ignore the truth that december 25th they are actually celibrating some sun god.. or they know that.. but they just dont care... its not even jesus birthday... i am just curious to see some of the responses... not trying to put anyone down.

Answer 1

i learn more every day

Answer 2

Well Christmas, I thought, was originally Christian (Even though the idea of an important Winter holiday existed widely before that, I thought that the early early Church changed a Roman holiday into Christian to entice Romans to convert).

But a lot of holidays, when the people converted to Christianity, were fused with the old Pagan ones (like Easter celebrated rebirth and life, hence the fertile rabbit mascot and the eggs, became a holiday about the rebirth of the important figurehead, Jesus).

That and the fact that a lot of Christians assume that everything their God created and every holiday ('cept Halloween, a coincidentally very important Pagan fall/harvest holiday that since they were unlike the Christians MUST promote Satanism).

Answer 3

It's a tradition from the Roman Empire. When they conquered the Greek Empire, which was pantheistic they gave all the Gods, Roman names, so the Catholic Church gave all the holidays of all the peoples their own names. Some cultures such as the Voodoo and Santeria Religions gave their Gods Christian names but kept their characteristics so they could worship as always and keep the Christians in the dark. At this point, What Christians, call the Christian faith and what Catholics call the various Protestant sects hardly exists. The countless division of beliefs and rewritings and interpretations of the Bible, has led to nothing more than reactionary political opinions.

Answer 4

Well I would say that you already know the answer. They either don't know or don't care. I am pagan and personally I don't care whether they celebrate at the same time or not. Christians celebrate Christmas, Pagans celebrate Yule or Winter Solstice, there is also Kwanzaa around this time right? and Hanukkah (if I spelled that wrong I apologize greatly), and I am sure there are more that I am not knowledgeable about. It really all comes down to we all need to get along and stop trying to be superior to everyone else. Superiority just causes wars and deaths.

Answer 5

I can't answer for "most Christians" - but as far as I'm concerned, I don't celebrate "Christian Holidays." The only holy days I celebrate are those "appointed times" given by God in Scripture, which incorporate all the events the church celebrates. It's not exactly a popular position, but I don't "do" Christmas or Easter, not mainly because of their lingering pagan elements, but because they are substitutions of the original, so to speak.
That's not to say I don't celebrate other days - 4th of July - Thanksgiving - etc. - but I don't consider them "holy." If I reject the authority of the Roman Catholic Church - that has to extend to their right to replace these days with "Christian" alternatives. Folks may not like it (and I may loose a fan or two) - but they have to admit at least I'm consistent.

Answer 6

As a pagan, I can tell you that CHRISTmas is a solely Christian holiday, the context is about Christ. No one is celebrating it but them.
Now do they use and borrow pagan traditions? Sure they do, but who can blame them. They're fun! Trees and lights and wreaths and eggnog and wassailing. I don't care if they use them. I mean yes its frusterating when they swear up and down that they are the only ones who have ever used it and invented it all, but I'm not going to claim Christmas as pagan. YULE is pagan. We get 12 days, they get one. We still win. hehe

Answer 7

It has always been in our nature to do what we want instead of what God wants, it started with eve and has continued that way. Just look at Gods people when He brought them out of Egypt, they had God right there with them, performing miracles , everyday and still they rejected His laws and wanted to go back to Egypt, back into slavery, We as humans never have enjoyed being told what to do. It takes a real woman or man with maturity to actually do what God says.

Answer 8

Christains celebrate Christmas because they are christains & not pagans! They celebrate the birth of Christ by various means; one of exchanging gifts because it is better to give than receive. Plus, the wise men gave Jesus gifts on his birthday, Christmas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule

It's up to person's beliefs as to what they chose to celebrate.

Answer 9

Yes, you are so right. Why not have Christmas on the Fouth of July then we can celebrate Christ's birthday and the birth of our Christian Nation at the same time..

great Idea, thanx.

Answer 10

Well the catholic Church is the one who started it, personally I celebrate Christ Resurrection and Death and Birth every day of my life...

besides its always nice to spend the day with family and give gifts. and if I have kids I'm so not going to fool them into believing in Santa clause.....

Answer 11

Perhaps our Christian holiday just happens to be on the same day as the pagan holidays.

I don't think that Christians should be blamed if their holiday is more popular.