I've been hearing that christmas is a pagan holiday:however, me myself do belive that it is a holiday to celebrate the birth of christ?
Just needing some clarification if Jesus was really born on December 25?






God Bless

charlotte234s

I always believed it's a celebration of the birth of Jesus.. where did you hear it was a pagan holiday?

Synnen

Jesus was probably NOT born on 12/25. No one knows for sure when he was born.

However, the Roman Saturnalia takes place at that time of year, and to convert pagans, the Christians started celebrating the birth of Christ at that time (the gift giving and stuff comes from that tradition), so that people could continue the celebration and just call it a better reason.

Most other Christmas traditions come from other pagan traditions as well. The Christmas tree from Pagan Germany, the Mistletoe from the Celts/Druids, the holly from many pagan traditions.

So essentially--the early Christians took a pagan holiday (based on the Winter Solstice, really) and used it for THEIR holy day so that they could gain more worshippers. Does that make celebrating a mass for Christ at the time, when they don't KNOW when his birthday was, a bad, evil, non-Christian thing to do? Well, that's up to you and your church leader. Jehovah's Witnesses do NOT celebrate Christmas because the Bible doesn't say anything about celebrating the birth of the Son. Catholics (from my rememberances) make it a solemn, ritualistic, joyful thing. Other religions have other traditions, many of them overlapping.

I look at it like this:

Christians celebrate the birth of the SON this time of year, and Pagans celebrate the birth of the SUN.

charlotte234s

Wow, that's interesting!

RickJ

Good concise summary, Synnen.

Here are more details for anyone who's interested: CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Christmas

miykle

G'Day ; It wasn't "early Christians", if you read the works of Clement he knew nothing of it,but Constantine and his mother set it up when he conquered Constantinople (?) and set up the Catholic church. Jesus was not born on Dec.25 if He had been the shepherds would have frozen to death and so would their sheep.
The most significant day was His resurrection, that is the day He gained the victory "this day have I begotten thee".
Still if you want to have a lovely time with the family and friends and spread a little love and joy go your hardest and just ask Jesus to join you, He likes a family get to gether to you know !!!
Blessings <M>

Emland

My mom, the Church Lady, also agrees that Jesus wasn't born at the end of December simply because there would have been no sheep in the field like mikle said.

She believes the church chose that day because it is shortly after the equinox and the days start getting longer - something to celebrate and thank God for. It also neutralized the Pagan holidays. Although the date is off, I don't think Jesus would mind us celebrating his birthday - it's the thought that counts, right?

Fr_Chuck

Well yes first "christmas" is a christian holiday, it comes from the expression Christ mass or a service at church to honor the birth of Christ, While of course no one beleives that was actually his birth, or even the right time of year, it was a day chosen.

And no it was not chosen as a way to get more members, and it was not chosen as a way to celebrate a pagan holiday.

at that time in Rome ( I have the exact date and which Bishop of Rome at home in my notes ) but in the 300's, the Bishop of Rome had several issues, first it was still illegal to be a Christian, so on pagan holidays if they did not have some celebration, they stood out, and then if they had some celebration on a non pagan holiday, they also stood out.

So they had Christian holidays and celebrations, on days that also happened to be a pagan holiday also. This does not make Christmas a pagan holiday, if you are a Christian and celebrate christmas it is a christian holiday, if you are a heathen and celebrate the sun rising then it is your holiday.

There are items, such as santa's, christmas trees, hanging lights and the such which have no real christian meanings but also may not be heathen either if not used that way. The Christian use of the christmas tree is traced back to Germany with several traditions.

Capuchin

Hmm?

Don Juan Be Rich

type in zeitgeist in Google. Watch first part of movie. Very compelling thoughts there