Following on from a
discussion I was having in another thread, I wondered what your view of Christmas and Easter is?
Some Christians do not celebrate them at all, but others do, including some Fundamentalist Christians.
I don't see anything wrong with them as Christians took what were pagan celebrations and turned them into Christian ones, much as we took Passover and turned it into Easter.
Hmmmmmmmm!:thumbs:
Regarding Easter, from the KJV:
The Passover is celebrated on the 14th of Nissan in the Jewish calendar.
Herod being both Jewish and Romanish was acquainted with the pagan celebration, Easter,
which followed closely upon the heels of Passover, during the feast of unleavened bread.
Easter was a pagan custom, but a custom celebrated by some apostate Jews as well as the Romans.
The KJV actually connects the time
to the first apostle martyred (James) with the intent of continued persecutions of Christians...i.e. Peter.
The Passover had come, but it was during the feast of unleavened bread that followed, and more specifically after the pagan celebration of Easter, when he planned to dispatch Peter.
I do not know his intention for waiting until after the pagan celebration of Easter unless he wanted to make an example of the followers of Jesus without creating a concern among the orthodox Jews or the apostate and pagan followers in Jewry regarding the status of their own safety and permission to practice their religions in peace.
I do not think that we correctly date the Lord's resurrection, but the worldly identification of 'Easter' does tie it into a calendar which was more gobally acceptable by the Catholic Church and the common calendar, whereby we may customarily
agree together to remember and celebrate our risen Lord.
As the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ spread, the interest in idolatry, associated with the pagan Easter, became lost (somewhat in practice, though not to history or study of origens) and became a celebration to the God above all gods.
I view Christmas also as a paganly appointed time, but a time which has become traditionally acceptible for celebrating the birth of our Lord.
For one thing, the shepherds would have brought the sheep in for protection from winter if the birth of the Christ child had been in November, December or later.
In such an event, it is doubtful there would have been room in a stable or a manger vacant to lay the babe after he was born.
I do think it is fitting to celebrate the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord, and remember it is He that we glorify and proclaim and not a calendar date that we worship with observance......
imo, Peace!
windcatcher
I will preach sermons at the correct time, but will celebrate the holiday at the time appointed by man.
That's when I can get off from work to travel and visit family!
I wonder why every person who does not celebrate Christimas and Easter does call each day by its name rooted in paganism and mythology?
I would like to know why those same people buy gas for their cars and support Islam with its profits?
Here at the BB we celebrate those two holidays, and Halloween, by rehashing again and again whether or not it is right to celebrate them.
It has evoked a shipload of posts which are accessible by using the "search" function.
Sometimes this issue reminds me of when I was a kid and we had moles on the farm. You could tell if a mole lived near by the the little mounds and small holes but they could not always be noticed especially if the grass was very tall.
I do agree with others that it's important to understand the origins of the holiday, even from the pagan side, but are we not commanded to take their altars and use them to worship God somewhere in Deuteronomy?
Oh, and as far as Father's Day goes, I think perhaps they be a little more respectful of fathers and offer sacrifices of ribeyes...:saint:
I celebrate the birth of Christ; not Christmas. Christmas is pagan.
I celebrate "Resurrection Sunday; not Easter. Easter is pagan.
Both Christmas and Easter are religious holidays, wherein many people worship. Remember that fact. It makes a big difference when it comes to the etymology of other words. For example "Sunday" worship of the sun, is simply defined as the first day of the week, or in some people's mind the last day of the week-end. It doesn't have that religious connotaton in many people's mind for we live in a secular society, not a religious one. Whereas Christmas is automatically thought of as the birth of Christ, Sunday is rarely or never thought of the worship of the sun. Therein is the difference. Thus Thursday, the worship of "Thor;" Saturday, the worship of "Saturn," etc. This is not what people have in mind. It is not the definition. It is not a religious day. It is not the dictionary definition, but only the etymology. If I gave you the etymology of my real name you would have to treat me as a god if you were going to be literal. It is not a Biblical name, but a Greek name. Would Paul accept a name as Jupiter, a name of a god, and the worship that went with it? We don't pay too much attention to the meaning of names today. Paul knew he was being called the name of a god. He refused the name on that basis, and the worship that went along with it. My parents were not saved, and gave no thought to the meaning of the name, except that they thought that it was Irish, and not Greek. But it you call me by the etymological meaning of my name you are calling me a god. In conclusion, etymologies mean little when defining the word in today's present culture. Word's change meaning. Conversation used to mean "behavior." Now it means "dialogue," "speech," "communication," etc. You get the idea.
Do I support Islam when I buy gas and oil? The answer is no! I happen to live in oil rich Alberta. We have the second largest reserve of oil in the world. And our natural gas reserves are one of the largest in the world as well. In natural gas, even now we supply California. I won't even speak of electricity, another one of our exports, because that has nothing to do with Islam. By purchasing oil in Alberta we contribute to our own economy. Every year Alberta has a huge surplus, so large it has to debate on what to do with it. For a couple years it gave every taxpayer in Alberta a $400.00 rebate, that is $400.00 cash (a check from the government) to deposit in your account with no strings attached. There was so much surplus because of the winfall in the oil and gas revenues that were not budgeted for, that the government was actually at a loss what to do with it all. Alberta is completely debt free, and doesn't run a deficit of any kind. And we certainly don't contribute to the cause of Islam when we purchase our oil and gas.
You may contribute to Islam, but I don't.
==The early American Puritans (including the Pilgrims) did not celebrate Christmas or Easter since neither holidays are Biblically commanded. They viewed those holidays as pagan. While I agree with the Puritans that no Biblical command exists to celebrate these holidays I don't think the Bible would forbide the celebration of these days. The reason is that we are celebrating the work of God, what God has done to bring salvation to mankind. That is indeed something to celebrate. So, yes, I celebrate both Christmas and Easter.
As I posted on the thread on the poll about whether or not you celebrate either one of these holidays, I personally prefer not to celebrate either one of these holidays.
However, if someone else wishes to celebrate them, that doesn't bother me.
In matters such as this, I prefer to apply the principle mentioned in Romans 14:5-6.