Not all Christians drink the Christmas Kool-Aid. Arnold Hampton, minister of the United Church of God in Columbia, Md., hasn't celebrated the holiday since 1966. "It's not in the Bible. Jesus never mentioned it," he says in a Washington Post article about Christians who reject Christmas because of its pagan and secular trappings. The Associated Press is reporting that the first Christmas celebration was tied to a pagan shrine in Rome.
Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen, meanwhile, exposes the pagan and anti-Semitic roots of Christmas here. He covers topics few pastors with touch: Dec. 25 is not the birthdate of Jesus, and the fourth-century church modeled Christmas after Saturnalia, a Roman holiday that venerated the harvest god Saturn. "Historically, Dec. 25 is a day on which Jews have been shamed, tortured and murdered," Kelemen says. "Many of the Christmas customs, including Christmas trees, mistletoe, Christmas presents and Santa Claus, are just modern incarnations of the most depraved pagan rituals ever practiced on this planet."
Posted by Jeff King at December 24, 2007 12:49 PMGood post Jeff, Many will not slaughter this sacred cow in order to keep the peace between family members. Christmas has nothing to do with Yeshua or YHVH. YHVH has already given us the ways in which to honor Him.
Blessings
Rick Gozhanskij
Posted by: Rick Gozhanskij at December 27, 2007 04:23 AM