Should a Christian celebrate christmas or easter?

[KohenMatt]

If a Christian wants to celebrate Jesus' birth, death or resurrection, they should celebrate them truthfully and accurately. Not on blatantly false dates that were only chosen to coincide with worshipping other gods. A Christian should care about worshipping God in spirit and in truth instead of according to the traditions of men.

 

[Nehemiah6]

Not on blatantly false dates that were only chosen to coincide with worshipping other gods.

Whatever may have been the ancient origin, that is now past history and there is no changing the date. However, the Bible gives Christians the liberty to either hold certain days in esteem, or simply disregard them. So why don't you simply disregard the celebration of the birth of Christ?

It is not a biblical imperative, but it has its uses in that the Gospel can easily be presented. After all one simply has to ask an unbeliever "Do you know whose birthday is being celebrated?" Chances are most will say "It's the birthday of Jesus" or "It's the birthday of Jesus Christ" (they will probably not say "the Lord Jesus Christ"). Then you could ask them "Do you know who Jesus is and why He came to this earth?" Chances are that this person will say "No, I really do not know". Well then that is your opportunity to share the Gospel.

There is no question that (a) Christmas has been highly commercialized and (b) a fictitious Santa Claus has replaced Christ. But Christians can simply disregard all this and teach their children that Santa Claus does not exist nor delivers gifts. Christians can also use this time to share their blessings with those who are less fortunate, or are in some kind of pain or distress at this time.

So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. (Luke 14:21-23)

 

[KohenMatt]

Whatever may have been the ancient origin, that is now past history and there is no changing the date.

Why couldn't there be a changing of the date? Doing things a certain way just because its the way we've always done it, knowing full well it's not correct is ignorant and prideful.

However, the Bible gives Christians the liberty to either hold certain days in esteem, or simply disregard them. So why don't you simply disregard the celebration of the birth of Christ?

I choose to celebrate Jesus' birth during the Biblical Fall Feasts days, which is closest to His actual birth. I believe worshipping and celebrating God in worship AND in truth (or accuracy) is important to genuine worship.

After all one simply has to ask an unbeliever "Do you know whose birthday is being celebrated?" Chances are most will say "It's the birthday of Jesus" or "It's the birthday of Jesus Christ" (they will probably not say "the Lord Jesus Christ"). Then you could ask them "Do you know who Jesus is and why He came to this earth?" Chances are that this person will say "No, I really do not know". Well then that is your opportunity to share the Gospel.

I think this excercise can be helpful, until we meet someone who knows that Jesus wasn't born on December 25th or anywhere close to it. Then the knowledgable skeptic can ask in return "Why do you celebrate on a day that you know isn't correct?" And then we're left to explain and defend pagan worship, syncretism and man-made tradition.

Celebrating Jesus's birth is a worthy form of worship, I just think it should be done more accurately.

 

[MichaelZ]

I agree that Christmas is a great opportunity to share our faith.

And I concur that we should celebrate Christmas and Easter EVERY day!

 

[Diakonos]

We can celebrate Christmas and Easter for the same reason Jesus celebrated Hanukkah (a non-Levitical holiday).

 

[ThereRoseaLamb]

Why couldn't there be a changing of the date? Doing things a certain way just because its the way we've always done it, knowing full well it's not correct is ignorant and prideful.
.

Actually this has been discussed to death. But now experts, or those who study these things, have come back around to believing that Jesus was actually born on or near the date we celebrate.

I choose to celebrate Jesus' birth during the Biblical Fall Feasts days, which is closest to His actual birth. I believe worshipping and celebrating God in worship AND in truth (or accuracy) is important to genuine worship.

Well you have no proof of that one way or the other. We simply don't know.

I think this excercise can be helpful, until we meet someone who knows that Jesus wasn't born on December 25th or anywhere close to it. Then the knowledgable skeptic can ask in return "Why do you celebrate on a day that you know isn't correct?" And then we're left to explain and defend pagan worship, syncretism and man-made tradition.

Celebrating Jesus's birth is a worthy form of worship, I just think it should be done more accurately.

Well when we have more proof, perhaps. But Christmas is also the time people are allowed time off. If you change the date families can't get together, one of the main things we do on Christmas.

 

[Nehemiah6]

I think this excercise can be helpful, until we meet someone who knows that Jesus wasn't born on December 25th or anywhere close to it. Then the knowledgable skeptic can ask in return "Why do you celebrate on a day that you know isn't correct?" And then we're left to explain and defend pagan worship, syncretism and man-made tradition.

Not at all. The response should be thus: "Christians know that the birth was Christ was probably in early to mid September (some say mid- to late September). So what if December 25 was the date of a pagan festival and is now for a Christian festival? What matters now is whether the reason for the birth of Christ is presented, along with the Gospel".

 

[glf]

Unto the pure, all things are pure; but unto the defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure...
The Lord looks to the heart.
Happy is the man that condemns not himself in the thing that he allows.

 

[blueluna5]

Do you, as a Christian, celebrate christmas or easter and what do you think of it?

Christmas
Fact #1
The Bible never mentions the word "christmas", neither does it ask us to celebrate something on December 25th.

Fact #2
"But I only celebrate it to honor Him..." The only way to remember Jesus is the way He asked us, of course:

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
- 1 Cor 11:24-26

Fact #3
December 25th used to be the day on which the sun god was worshiped in the Roman empire. It was not the date of birth of Christ.


Easter
Fact #1
The Bible never mentions the word "easter", neither does it ask us to celebrate something on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring.

Fact #2
The word "easter" in Acts 12:4 is transliterated from the Greek word for Pasha. The word "easter" is derived from "eostre/eastre" of the Babylonian pagans.

Fact #3
If we should be celebrating a specific feast, God would have definitely put it in His Word to make sure. After all, all the feasts the Jews celebrate each year are found in the Bible. They are: 1. Passover, 2. Unleavened bread, 3. Firstfruits, 4. Pentecost, 5. Feast of trumpets, 6. Day of atonement, 7. Feast of tabernacles.

Yet, we can't find a verse that states:
"Behold! The Lord thy God hath made thee an appointed time to remember the lamb which was slain for mankind; it shall be at the twelfth month and on the twenty fifth day of the month that ye shall have a feast and on it ye shall eat, and ye shall drink, and ye shall take a tree for thy house and shall put it there as an ornament. This hath the Lord of hosts spoken, and ye shall do it as I am the Lord thy God."


Both christmas as well as easter have no origin in the Bible, neither did the first apostles celebrate these feasts.
Do you celebrate them and what are your thoughts on it?

No hate comments please! Show me where I have stated something that is a lie. Show me where it says in the Bible we should celebrate christmas or easter the way many Christians do.

In the ancient days they thought it would be easier to transfer to Christianity by keeping a lot of the pagan traditions and switching it to Christian. So that's why it aligns like that.

You have to be careful and actually read the Bible for it instead of relying on "stories" from the holidays.

I love it though. If you have kids it's a huge mistake not celebrating Christmas and Easter. If you take away everything fun your child won't care to be a Christian or be miserable in the process. It's a great way to teach the Bible around holidays. I love the Christmas music and movies (some which are Christian). It's a great tradition.

I had a student whose family was jehova witness. They don't celebrate any holidays including birthdays. I would always get a rant about the holidays..basically every month. But you know what I may have been the only person to ever wish this kid happy birthday and give him 1 day to feel special. The thought is depressing and almost seems abusive, but at the very least very sad. If you ever listened to the song "mad world" then you will understand... the tradegy of taking holidays away from kids.

"Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday, happy birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen"

 

[Underwhosewings]

In the ancient days they thought it would be easier to transfer to Christianity by keeping a lot of the pagan traditions and switching it to Christian. So that's why it aligns like that.

You have to be careful and actually read the Bible for it instead of relying on "stories" from the holidays.

I love it though. If you have kids it's a huge mistake not celebrating Christmas and Easter. If you take away everything fun your child won't care to be a Christian or be miserable in the process. It's a great way to teach the Bible around holidays. I love the Christmas music and movies (some which are Christian). It's a great tradition.

I had a student whose family was jehova witness. They don't celebrate any holidays including birthdays. I would always get a rant about the holidays..basically every month. But you know what I may have been the only person to ever wish this kid happy birthday and give him 1 day to feel special. The thought is depressing and almost seems abusive, but at the very least very sad. If you ever listened to the song "mad world" then you will understand... the tradegy of taking holidays away from kids.

"Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday, happy birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen"

As a young child I was first made aware of birthdays when my mother said to me, “oh, it’s your birthday today,” and that was it.
Dad gave us birthday gifts from age 9.
Birthdays were not a big deal.
Us 5 siblings were very content.
We had the bare necessities.
We were taken on holiday trips 4 times a year.
A simple outing on most weekends, to the grandparents, fishing or just a drive.
A back yard to play ‘hide and seek’ etc.

Not to forget Sunday school every Sunday, that was very precious for me.

 

[TMS]

To the original question...

There is no doubt that both Christmas and Easter are pagan ceremonies with Christian names given.

But if someone celibates the birthday or death of Jesus on these pagan dates with the right motives and a Godly Spirit, I'm sure God will not condemn them.

 

[Mosie]

The issue isn't that people aren't studied up on the subject. There averages 2-3 anti-Christmas threads, and at least one anti-Easter thread every year. And I've been here since 2011.
I personally object to this "Pagan roots" complaint with the fact that you are surrounded daily, and use daily, things with Pagan origins, yet do so without complaint. I've yet to meet anyone that is equally as verbally outspoken and vehemently driven to purge Other Pagan based things out of their life, or the lives of others.
And every year I post this point and have yet to see anyone of them acknowledge it or accept that it's a double standard.

Good Points, but please explain: purge Other Pagan based things out of their life, or the lives of others. ?

 

[Subhumanoidal]

Good Points, but please explain: purge Other Pagan based things out of their life, or the lives of others. ?

Well two examples are wedding rings and the names of the days of the week. Days of the week are named after pagan God's. Wedding rings are rooted in paganism. But I don't see anyone making threads on those topics. Those people will wear wedding rings though. And daily honor pagan gods.

 

[Mosie]

If a Christian wants to celebrate Jesus' birth, death or resurrection, they should celebrate them truthfully and accurately. Not on blatantly false dates that were only chosen to coincide with worshipping other gods. A Christian should care about worshipping God in spirit and in truth instead of according to the traditions of men.

Amen!

 

[Mosie]

Well two examples are wedding rings and the names of the days of the week. Days of the week are named after pagan God's. Wedding rings are rooted in paganism. But I don't see anyone making threads on those topics. Those people will wear wedding rings though. And daily honor pagan gods.

I know about the days of the week, but have not heard that wedding rings are pagan...very interested. I think we all are on a personal journey.."working out our salvation with fear and trembling'..meaning..when you are growing and walking the the Lord, as you become more mature in your Faith...God calls us to give up those areas of compromise....any thoughts?
For example, secular movies and music I used to listen too....If I sense it offends God, then I won't listen to it.

 

[Tall_Timbers]

At the end of the day, after the arguments are done, days like Easter and Christmas are what each of us individually make of them.

 

[Mosie]

At the end of the day, after the arguments are done, days like Easter and Christmas are what each of us individually make of them.

I hear what you are saying but God calls us to 'no compromise'...we can't be lukewarm and celebrate pagan holidays and not celebrate the Biblical Feasts in the Bible. Remember God hates the lukewarm.

 

[Cameron143]

At the end of the day, after the arguments are done, days like Easter and Christmas are what each of us individually make of them.

It's getting to the end of the day that seems to be the problem. And great, now people will dispute over when the day actually ends.

 

[Nehemiah6]

I hear what you are saying but God calls us to 'no compromise'...we can't be lukewarm and celebrate pagan holidays and not celebrate the Biblical Feasts in the Bible. Remember God hates the lukewarm.

The pagan holidays were replaced by Christian feasts and festivals about 1700 years ago. Today almost nobody sees Christmas day and Easter Sunday as pagan festivals. While Constantine should not have substituted pagan holidays to "Christianize" them the fact remains that both Christmas and Easter can be used very effectively to reach the unsaved with the Gospel. And that is really what matters. Paul quoted a pagan unbeliever in Scripture to prove a point. Did that make it wrong? At the same time you have the liberty to disregard all such holidays if they bother you. God has given you that liberty.

 

[Tall_Timbers]

I hear what you are saying but God calls us to 'no compromise'...we can't be lukewarm and celebrate pagan holidays and not celebrate the Biblical Feasts in the Bible. Remember God hates the lukewarm.

Given your reply, I don't believe you "heard" what I said.