DON’T KEEP · Christmas Celebrations Before Christ 1 Different Dates for Christmas Proposed 2 Early Christians Did Not Celebrate Christmas 2 Pagan Origin of Christmas Customs 4

DON’T KEEP

CHRISTMAS

This booklet is a free educational service, provided by the “Church of God, a Christian Fellowship inCanada,” in collaboration with the “Church of the Eternal God” in the United States of America.Printed in Canada in 2001. This booklet is not to be sold.

Scriptures in the booklet are quoted from the New King James version ((c)1998 Thomas Nelson, Inc.Publishers) unless otherwise noted.

Author: Norbert Link

Contents

Christmas Celebrations Before Christ 1

Different Dates for Christmas Proposed 2

Early Christians Did Not Celebrate Christmas 2

Pagan Origin of Christmas Customs 4

How Pagan Customs became “Christianized” 10

Church of Rome Ordered Christmas Celebrations 12

Satan—the Author of a Universal Myth 17

Counter Arguments of the Carnal Mind 19

Don’t Mix Pagan Customs with the Worship of God! 20

Could Christ Have Been Born in December? 23

Don’t Add to or Take Away from God’s Word! 26

The Conclusion of the Matter 26

Don’t Keep Christmas 1

Were you shocked when youread the title of thisbooklet? Was your first

thought that the publishers of thisbooklet either embrace a non-Christianfaith, or that they are atheists?Surely, a person calling himselfChristian would not possibly suggestto NOT OBSERVE such an impor-tant Christian holiday, you might say.After all, it celebrates the birth ofour Savior, Jesus Christ! Or, does it?Have you ever questioned thevalidity of Christmas?

Is Christmas a biblically commandedfestival? Does the Bible even men-tion Christmas? Where did Christmasand its customs originate? How didChristmas become a Christianfestival? What do Christmas customshave to do with the birth of JesusChrist? And finally, what does Godhave to say about the celebration ofChristmas? Does it matter to Himwhether we keep Christmas? DoesHe approve of it? Or does He condemnit? The answers may astound you!

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONSBEFORE CHRIST

Actually, the origins of Christmasand its customs are no secret at all.Every good encyclopedia, as well asmany other publications, contain

information about the origins andcustoms of Christmas.

In 1994, Reader�s Digest publisheda book, entitled, �Why in the World?�Beginning on page 190, the questionis asked, �Why do we celebrateChristmas?� The authors continue:�If the question offends or the answerseems obvious, read on� A feastwith the semblance of Christmas,Sacaea, was celebrated thousands ofyears before Christ�s birth. In 2000BC, in what is now Iraq, a five-dayfestival with exchanges of gifts, theperformance of plays, accompaniedby processions and merrymaking,marked the death of winter andheralded the New Year� It is likelythat those beliefs from the Eastspread into central Europe� In thedepths of winter, for example, peoplelit bonfires in the hope of revivingthe dying Sun and bringing warmthto the ground. Also, they decoratedtheir homes with evergreens�hollyand firs�to show dormant seedsand lifeless plants that all was notdead. When the Sun eventuallyshone again, they rejoiced in theirsuccess and no doubt vowed torepeat the magic forever after.

�Further north, along the Balticand in Scandinavia, a winter festivalknown as Yule honored the gods

2 Don’t Keep Christmas

Odin and Thor. Great logs blazed,minstrels sang, famous legends wererecounted, and villagers drank lustilyfrom horns of mead.�

In this context, the EncyclopediaBritannica (1910-11), 11th edition,Vol. 6, points out on p. 294 that �inBritain the 25th of December was afestival long before the conversion toChristianity� The ancient peoplesof the Angli began the year on the25th of December��

Reader�s Digest�s �Why in the World?�continues on page 190: �In theRoman Empire, a week-long orgy offeasting and wild revelry, theSaturnalia, was held in mid-Decem-ber, when the sun was approachingits lowest. The winter solstice�theturning point of the year, when thelength of the day began to increase�was marked by a sacred day calledDies Natalis Invicti Solis (�Birthday ofthe Unconquered Sun�). During theSaturnalia, the Romans decked theirhouses with laurels and greenery;friends exchanged presents� It wasa season of general rejoicing, withgood will to all men.

�The Persians, too, burned fires atthe winter solstice. Their feast reveredMithras, the god of light and guard-ian against evil. Soldiers and tradersspread the worship of Mithras toEurope, where for a time the beliefrivaled Christianity. [Later in thisbooklet, we will discuss the worship

of this Persian god Mithras, as well asother pagan gods, in more detail.]

DIFFERENT DATES FORCHRISTMAS PROPOSED

�No precise date is known for thebirth of Christ, but it is certain thatHe was born late in the reign ofHerod the Great, king of Judea untilhis death in what we now call 4 BC.For centuries after His death, severaldifferent dates, from April to December,were proposed for the celebration ofChristmas. January 6, believed tomark Christ�s baptism, was widelyobserved as Christmas Day, and stillis in some countries by OrthodoxChristians�

�In time, Christians almosteverywhere accepted December 25as Christmas Day, a date coincidingroughly with celebrations for the wintersolstice, Yule and Saturnalia��

EARLY CHRISTIANS DID NOTCELEBRATE CHRISTMAS

The Encyclopedia Britannica(1910-11), 11th edition, Vol. 6, addson page 293: �As late as 245 Origen�repudiates as sinful the very idea ofkeeping the birthday of Christ �as ifhe were a king Pharaoh.��

Other early Christian writerslikewise objected to Christmascelebrations. As the Protestant ChurchLexicon, 1959, Vol. 3, points out onpage 1742: �The church of the time


of the martyrs rejected with disgustsuch a birthday celebration, pointingat the pagan birthday celebrationsand their cults.�

Tom Flynn writes on page 42 in�The Trouble with Christmas�: �[I]fyou wanted to search the NewTestament world for peoples whoattached significance to birthdays,your search would quickly narrowto pagans. The Romans celebratedthe birthdays of the Caesars, andmost non-Christian Mediterraneanreligions attached importance to thenatal feasts of a pantheon of super-natural figures.�

Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart,Vol. 3, concurs: �The celebration ofChristmas on December 25 in thechurch begins only in the middle ofthe 4th century. Until then, theopposition against it was in somecases very severe (Origen, Arnobius,Clemens Alexandria, Epiphanius),since it was considered a pagancustom to celebrate with festivitiesthe birthdays of kings.�

The Catholic Encyclopedia (1914),Vol. 3, p. 724, adds the following:�Christmas was not among the earliestfestivals of the Church. Irenaeus andTertullian omit it from their lists offeasts; Origen� asserts� that in theScriptures sinners alone, not saints,celebrate their birthdays.�

A more recent article entitled,�In Search of Christmas,� published

in the U.S. News & World Report,December 23, 1996, p. 56, explains:�The earliest celebrations of theNativity were surprisingly late. Thereis no record of official observance ofChrist�s birth until the fourthcentury� The third-century churchfather Origen had declared it a sin toeven think of keeping Christ�s birthday�There is no mention in the NewTestament of Christians gatheringto commemorate the birth of Jesus��

Continuing with the quote fromReader�s Digest�s �Why in the World?�on page 190: �In England after theCivil War, Oliver Cromwell and thePuritans outlawed Christmascelebrations as heathen� The samesituation had prevailed in the NewWorld since 1621, when a law passedby Governor Bradford of the Ply-mouth Colony prohibited Christmasobservance��

In a television interview in 1991,British scientist and ProfessorJ.M.Golby, co-author of the book,�The Making of the Modern Christ-mas,� commented as well on the factthat certain Protestant reformerscondemned the celebration ofChristmas, and why they did so. Hepointed out that �Calvin and Knoxwere very much against Christmasfor a variety of reasons, one of thembeing that� it�s not mentioned inthe gospels, so why celebrateChristmas? Secondly, by the 17th


century and the Reformation, thewhole association of Christmas withthe Roman Catholic Church�of thepomp and ceremony and feasts andso on�were anathema. And so that�sanother reason why Christmas wascondemned by men like Knox��

In the United States, Christmascelebrations became �as varied as thepeoples who had come to the NewLand. In general, Catholics, Episco-palians, Lutherans and the Dutchsettlers rejoiced, both in church andout, while Baptists, Presbyterians andQuakers tended to shun all obser-vance of the holiday.� (Editors of Life,�The Pageantry of Christmas,� p. 60).

An account in the New YorkTimes of December 26, 1855, reads:�The churches of the Presbyterians,Baptists and Methodists were notopen on Dec. 25 except where somemission schools had a celebration.They do not accept the day as a HolyOne, but the Episcopalian, Catholicand German churches were all open.�

PAGAN ORIGIN OFCHRISTMAS CUSTOMS

As we know, Christmas is closelyassociated with a variety of customs.Let�s look in detail at the origins ofsome of the most popular Christmascustoms.

Christmas CarolsRegarding Christmas carols, the

Reader�s Digest publication �Why inthe World?� says on page 192: �Thefirst Christmas songs, written in Latinand solemn in tone, were probablycomposed in the fourth century,when the Roman Church madethe festival a holiday. But carolsdate back to pagan times. The Greeksused them in plays, and Romans sangthem during the Saturnalia� Forcenturies, the Church banned carolsbecause of their heathen associations.�

Christmas GiftsAnother very popular custom

associated with Christmas is theexchange of presents. It is claimed thatthis custom originated with thebiblical example of the Magi or wisemen, giving presents to the ChristChild. However, Reader�s Digestpoints out the following in �Why inthe World?�, on page 194: �TheRomans gave gifts at their Saturnalia�Like so many other seasonal traditions,it is difficult to say whether that ofChristmas gifts has pagan or Christianorigin.�

But it is not really that difficult tosee that this custom is pagan inorigin. For instance, the Encyclopediaof Religion, 1987 ed., article �Christmas,�shows the association of exchanginggifts with pagan customs, when itstates: �Giving gifts at Christmasprobably originated with the paganRoman custom of exchanging gifts


(strenae) at the New Year.�The Bibliotheca Sacra, Vol. 12, pp.

153-155, concurs: �The interchangeof presents between friends is a likecharacteristic of Christmas and theSaturnalia, and must have beenadopted by Christians from thePagans, as the admonition ofTertullian plainly shows.�

But what about the idea that thecustom of exchanging presents atChristmas derived from the Biblicalfact that the Magi gave presents toChrist? Frankly, there is no associa-tion or connection whatsoever. TheMagi or wise men sought the �kingof the Jews.� And in approachingChrist as King, they followed theOriental custom of bringing Himpresents. They did not exchangepresents amongst themselves. It isalso interesting to analyze the kind ofpresents that they gave to Jesus.

Das Beste, a Reader�s Digestpublication, brought out a book in1990 entitled, �Wunder und Rätsel derHeiligen Schrift.� They point out onpage 278: �In one of his sermons, themonk Elfric wrote in the 10th

century, �The gold belongs to a king;frankincense belongs to services; andmyrrh is used for the bodies of thedead, so that they can be preservedlonger. The� wise men worshippedChrist and brought Him symbolicpresents. The gold represented Himto be a true king [cp. Rev. 19:16];

frankincense represented Him to bethe true God [and our High Priest,cp. Hebr. 4:14-15]; and myrrhrepresented the fact that He coulddie then, but that He is now immor-tal for all eternity.��

We should also note that theMagi did not visit Christ along withthe shepherds on the same nightChrist was born. Rather, they visitedJoseph, Mary and the Christ Child aconsiderable time after the birth ofJesus. They only appeared in Jerusa-lem after Jesus was born in Bethlehem(Matt. 2:1). When the Magi arrivedin Bethlehem, the family was stayingin a house (Matt. 2:11)�no longerin a stable (Luke 2:6-7). At thattime, Jesus was not a newborn babyor �Babe� (Luke 2:12, 16), but a�young Child.� (Matt. 9, 11, 13-15).Herod ordered the death of all malechildren, �from two years old andunder, according to the time which hehad determined from the wise men.�(Matt. 2: 16).

As an aside, the Magi, or wisemen, are misrepresented in the�Christmas story� in other respects aswell. The P.M. magazine publishedan article some time ago, entitled,�What do we know about the ThreeHoly Kings?� It pointed out:

�That they [the Magi] becamekings, can be accredited to thetheologian Tertullian (160 until220). He wrote, �in the east, Magi


were normally kings.� So we see howquickly the wise men of the Biblehad become kings� According toPersian tradition, these Magi weredescendants of the ancient Medianpriesthood� In the gospel, we arenot told how many they were. Theoriental churches speak of twelve Magi.

�Jacob of Edessa (640-708), oneof the most important ancientwriters of the Church of theJacobites, writes: �The Magi werefrom Persia, but they were not three,as portrayed by artists for the people,as derived from the threeness of thegifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense,but rather twelve, as can be seen inmany traditions. Those who camewere princes and well-respectedpersons from the country of Persia.Many people, more than a thousandmen, accompanied them, so thatJerusalem became very excited whenthey arrived.��

The article also speculates thatthe number of the Magi was reducedto �three,� not because of the threetypes of gifts mentioned, but becauseanother argument for the Trinity wassearched for. Allegedly, the remainsof the �three kings� rest today in thedome of Cologne in Germany. How-ever, P.M. notes that �the garments, inwhich the bones are wrapped, weremade in the second or third centuryafter Christ in Syria.�

The Christian Church �adopted�

the pagan custom of exchanging giftson December 25 and incorporated itinto its own �faith,� by giving it a�Christian� mantle. This custom wasnot taken from the Bible or the visitof the Magi in Bethlehem, and it hadnothing to do with the fact that theMagi had given presents to Christ.

Santa ClausClosely associated with the giving

of presents at Christmas time is thefigure of Santa Claus, also called St.Nicholas. Countless parents haveexplained to their surprised childrenthat it was �that old man with awhite beard and a red suit� whosecretly placed presents under theChristmas tree while they wereasleep. And the innocent childrenbelieved their parents, of course,until they learned the truth. Was it a�harmless� lie? Children have beenraised with the implicit teaching thatnot every lie is bad. So they, in turn,adopt that thought process in theirown lives. Or else, they began tomistrust their parents in other areasof life as well.

According to legend, there was aCatholic priest who allegedly gavegifts to children in December. Thispriest was supposedly the Bishop ofMyra, and he was called �Nicholas.�He reportedly died on December 6,326 AD. This is the �official�explanation, as to why the �day of St.


Nicholas� is celebrated today onDecember 6. Many historians doubt,however, that there is any legitimacyto this legend. They even questionwhether such a priest ever existed.

One record that was publishedunder Pope Paul VI in 1969 raisesdoubts whether Nicholas was a saintor whether he was only a �legendary�hero, if he even lived at all. Since1969, the Catholic Church has left itto its followers to decide for them-selves whether or not to worshipNicholas as a saint.

On the other hand, it is a histori-cal fact that pagans did worship apagan god that shows great similari-ties with the modern Santa Claus.This pagan deity was the old Ger-manic god �Wodan.� He was called�Odin� in Scandinavia. Wodan orOdin was a sun god. According topagan belief, he gave his life for theworld by �hanging on a tree� or a crossfor nine nights, after which he was�pierced by a spear.�

In Scandinavian legend, Odin [orWodan] was called �All-Father.� Hewas viewed as �the chief god in apagan trinity� and this trinitybecame the creator of man.� (cp. EarlW. Count, �4000 Years of Christmas,�1948, p. 52). In Germanic legends,Wodan [or Odin] had a holy tree,and when someone came close tothat tree on December 25, he foundpresents under it. In addition,

Wodan�s day on which he wasworshipped was December 6. Wodanor Odin is portrayed as an old manwith a big hat, a wide coat, and along gray beard, who is riding ahorse. Although the modern SantaClaus rides a sleigh pulled by rein-deer, this was not always the case.According to tradition, Santa Clausoriginally rode a horse.

Earl W. Count, B.D., Ph.D.,Professor of Anthropology, states in�4000 Years of Christmas,� on pp. 11and 54: �We do not really knowwhen the Christ Child� was born;or the time and place when Christ-mas was first celebrated; or exactlyhow it was that, over the centuries, abishop-saint of Asia Minor and apagan god of the Germans mergedto become Santa Claus� Of mostinterest to us, however, is the factthat Wodan [or Odin] has be-come�Santa Claus, or, as he isbetter called, St. Nicholas.�

Other pagan gods might havebeen responsible too for shaping themodern picture of Santa Claus. Inancient times, a fireplace served asthe natural entrance and exit of thegods of fire and solar gods when theyvisited homes. Each year, dressed in apointed fiery red cap and red jacket,fire-gods traveled from the distantheavens to visit homes and distributefavors or punishments. It should notbe hard to see the connection


between the ancient superstitionsabout hearth spirits and the modernfigure of Santa Claus using thechimney, with the shoes and thestockings hung by the fireplace.

Where did the name �SantaClaus,� or �Nicholas,� come from? InRevelation 2:6, we are introduced tothe sect of Nicolaitans which taughtand practiced wrong concepts anddoctrines. [They especially preachedthe heresy of �grace without works.�The Bible, on the other hand, makesit very clear that, although �eternallife� is offered to us by grace, as a giftfrom God, our reward is going to begiven to us �according to our works.�(Rev. 22:12).] Nicolaus, the founderof the sect of the Nicolaitans, was aGentile convert, but he later turnedaway from his conversion. This�Nicolaus� is none other than�Nicholas� or �Santa Claus.� InGerman, for instance, the similaritiesof these two names are even morestriking. �Nicolaus,� the founder ofthe �Nicolaitans,� is rendered inGerman as �Nikolaus��and �SantaClaus� in German is �Nikolaus� aswell.

In pagan legends, spirits or gods ofthe water were worshipped as �Nick�or �Nickel.� All of them wereworshipped on December 6. Femalegods of the water were called �Nixen�(the German expression for �mer-maids�). In these legends, Santa

Claus or St. Nicholas is accompaniedby a servant, called �Knecht Ruprecht.�In �The Pageantry of Christmas,�published by the editors of Lifemagazine, we are told on page 62:�Knecht Ruprecht, the assistant to St.Nicholas, � was as capable ofpunishing as he was of rewarding,and the horns on his head reveal hisdemonic origin� He was alsoknown as Black Peter.�

Christmas Candles &Christmas Cakes

Christmas candles play an ex-tremely important role in the celebra-tion of Christmas. But why do peoplelight candles at Christmas? Reader�sDigest�s �Why in the World?� explainson page 195: �Ancient peoples, awareof the changing seasons, lit fires toencourage the return of spring.Romans, during their Saturnalia,decked their homes with lighted candlesand greenery� When we put candlesor fairly lights on a Christmas treetoday, we are following traditions ofancient Rome.�

It is also �customary� to bakecakes around Christmas time. But this,too, is a pagan custom that theRoman Church adopted andincorporated into its belief system.The Kalifornische Staatszeitungpublished an article in its December21, 1984, edition, entitled, �OlderThan Christmas,� stating on page 25:


�The custom to bake at this time of year[at Christmas time] specially formedcakes is older than Christmas itself.The Egyptians and Romans sacrificedto their gods at the end of the yearloaf-shaped cakes, as well asanimals and men made out ofpaste or baking soda. Almost thesame symbolic figures can be foundamongst Germanic tribes whichasked the fertility goddess, at thattime, with bread sacrifices for herblessings of home and farmland. Forcenturies, the superstition waspreserved among the peoples thatChristmas cakes, fantasticallyformed, had power to bring aboutluck and fortune.�

The Christmas TreePerhaps the most cherished

Christmas custom of all is the Christ-mas tree. The Christmas tree, anevergreen tree, was a pagan object ofworship. It exemplifies on a largescale its pagan and demonic originsand the incorporation of pagancustoms into orthodox Christianity.

First, consider this quote from theReader�s Digest, �Why in the World?�On page 210 they discuss thequestion as to why people touchwood or knock on wood for so-called�good luck.� �The belief that touchingwood will placate the evil spirits goesback to pagan times, when treeswere held sacred as the abode of

gods. These gods� chose some treesto be ever green, a sign of immortality.Touching a tree was a mark of respectto the gods, a request for favor to begranted or thanks for one alreadygiven.�

One of those pagan gods wholived in sacred trees was Attis ofPhrygia (discussed more fully later inthis booklet). He was a god ofvegetation and a �tree spirit.� JamesG. Frazer points out in his book,�The Golden Bough,� on pp. 298,297: �The original character of Attisas a tree-spirit is brought out plainlyby the part which the pine tree playsin his legend and ritual� After hisdeath Attis is said to have changedinto a pine tree� At the springequinox (22nd March) a pine-treewas cut in the woods and broughtinto the sanctuary of [Phrygiangoddess] Cybele, where it wastreated as a divinity. It was adornedwith woolen bands and wreaths ofviolets, for violets were said to havesprung from the blood of Attis.�

Attis was not the only �treespirit.� The god of Egypt, Osiris, wasalso a tree-spirit. He was a pagan god�whose annual death and resurrec-tion have been celebrated in somany lands.� (James G. Frazer, TheGolden Bough, p. 301). Frazer alsopoints out, on page 309, that �ininscriptions, Osiris is referred to asthe �one in the tree.��


Then, Frazer introduces us to theGreek god Dionysus or Bacchus, thebull-shaped god of the vine. �Likethe other gods of vegetation�,Dionysus was believed to have died aviolent death, but to have beenbrought to life again; and his suffer-ings, death, and resurrection wereenacted in sacred rites.� (Frazer, p.322). In addition to being the god ofthe vine, Dinoysus was �also a god oftrees in general. Thus we are toldthat almost all the Greeks sacrificedto �Dionysus of the tree.� In Boeotiaone of his titles was �Dionysus in thetree.�� Amongst the trees particu-larly sacred to him, in addition to thevine, was the pine-tree. The Delphicoracle commanded the Corinthiansto worship a particular pine-tree�equally with the god.�� (Frazer, pp.321-322).

The pine tree was believed to bethe abode of pagan gods. Actually,pagan gods supposedly changed intopine trees. As such, the pine tree wasadorned with violets and treated as adivinity or deity�in fact, it wasworshipped as a god. The similaritieswith the modern custom of decorat-ing an evergreen or pine tree as aChristmas tree, and singing carols infront of it, are striking. And to thinkthat those practices derived from theworship of pagan gods or demons isfrightening!

Ralph Woodrow wrote in

�Babylon, Mystery Religion,� ed.1981, on page 152: �The Christmastree� recapitulates the idea of treeworship�, gilded nuts and ballssymbolizing the sun� All of thefestivities of the winter solstice havebeen absorbed into Christmas day�The Christmas tree [was absorbed]from the honors paid to Odin�ssacred fir.�

HOW PAGAN CUSTOMSBECAME “CHRISTIANIZED”

Professor Golby made additionalcomments on television regardingthe incorporation of the paganorigins of Christmas and its customsinto the �Christian� religion:�Christmas trees are evergreen�Obviously they are part of the oldpagan festivals� What I think is theamazing thing about the Christianchurch is the way it�s been able toabsorb things and accept them, infact, accept pagan figures, andincorporate them into the church.�

Francis Owen agrees. He stated inhis work, �The Germanic People,� onpage 209: �Many of the beliefs of thisancient Germanic religion� wereonly superficially modified by theteachings of the Christian church. Oldbeliefs and customs are hard toeradicate.�

It is a historical fact that theChristian church did not eradicatepagan Christmas customs, but it


rather embraced and incorporatedthe practices by giving them a�Christian� meaning. Listen to thisquote from the publishers of Life, in�The Pageantry of Christmas,� on page10: �The followers of Mithras, a Persiansun-god whose cult was brought toRome by returning legionnaires andbecame the chief rival of Christian-ity, celebrated December 25 as DiesSolis Invicti Nati (�Birthday of theUnconquered Sun�). The Romansthemselves had long celebrated thesolstice season as the Saturnalia,honoring Saturn, the god ofagriculture�The exchange of giftsbecame an important part of thefestivities [of Saturnalia]. They weresimple at first�wax candles or claydolls�but they slowly grew moreelaborate. Christians began absorb-ing these old customs and infusingthem with Christian meaning inorder to help spread the faith.Many Church fathers considered themethod dangerous�

�But most of the Christianmissionaries who moved into Centraland Western Europe as the RomanEmpire crumbled, followed theadvice of [pope] Gregory the Great.He wrote in 597 that they shouldnot try to put down pagan customs�upon the sudden,� but adapt them�to the praise of God.�

�In the North, at the Christmasseason, the missionaries found the

pagan adherents of the gods Wodenand Thor battling the winter�s evildarkness with huge bonfires. InCentral Europe, they found thebelief that at the death of the oldsun, witches and fiery demons came toearth to destroy the fertility of the NewYear, and could be dissuaded bypresents. In Britain, they foundDruids paying tribute to the victory ofevergreens over winter�s darkness. Themissionaries, heeding Gregory theGreat�s advice, made no effort to�cut off� the �evil customs.� As aresult, many of them survive ascherished Christmas traditions oftoday.�

Many other researchers andauthors have come to the sameconclusions. Arthur Weigall wrote in�The Paganism in our Christianity,� onpage 209: �The policy of the Churchis to adapt old pagan holy days toChristian ideas, and not to suppressthem� The festivals which we callChristmas and Easter are pagan,not Christian, in origin.�

Earl W. Count comments in�4000 Years of Christmas,� on pp. 25-27: �[During the Saturnalia,] thehalls of the Romans were deckedwith boughs of laurel and of greentrees, with lighted candles and withlamps�for the hovering spirits ofdarkness were afraid of light� Tothe Christians, the Saturnalia werean abomination, in homage to a


disreputable god [Saturn] who hadno existence anyway� The ChurchFathers discovered to their alarmthat they were� facing an invasionof pagan customs. The habit ofSaturnalia was too strong to be leftbehind. At first the Church forbadeit, but in vain�. If the Saturnaliawould not be forbidden, let it betamed. The Church Fathers nowsought to point the festival towardthe Christian Sun of Righteous-ness�. The Church finally suc-ceeded in taking the merriment,the greenery, the lights, and thegifts from Saturn and giving themto the Babe of Bethlehem.�

U.S. News & World Report,December 23, 1996, concurs on p.59: �Most widely held is the viewthat the holiday was an intentional�Christianization� of Saturnalia andother pagan festivals� As onehistorian put it: �The pagan Romansbecame Christians�but theSaturnalia remained.��

The Reader�s Digest article, �Whyin the World?�, points out on p. 191:�Worldwide, the Church in generaltook a pragmatic stance. Unable toban the pagan excesses that had becomepart of the celebration, it endeavored torid them of their undesirable features,and welcomed the refurbished ritesinto Christmas rejoicing as if theywere sacred. The old-time Christmascustoms survived, and new ones were

added. Christmas became, as we knowit today, a magical mixture of Christiandevotion and pagan pleasures, afestival that survives through populardemand.�

Yes, Christmas and its customs arepagan, not Christian, in origin. TheRoman Catholic Church, ratherthan eradicating them, gave them a�Christian� meaning. But that didnot make them Christian. TheDecember 1981 edition of the U.S.Catholic admits on page 32: �It isimpossible to separate Christmasfrom its pagan origins.�

The U.S. News and World Reportstated in its December 23, 1996edition, on page 60, that the Puritans�were correct when they pointedout� that Christmas was nothingbut a pagan festival covered with aChristian veneer.�

CHURCH OF ROME ORDEREDCHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

As we have seen, when theChurch was unable to forbid Christ-mas celebrations, the customs weregiven a superficial �Christian� meaningand, as such, were then permitted.Later on, though, they were actuallycommanded.

Religion in Geschichte undGegenwart writes in its third edition:�The origin of [Christian celebra-tions of] Christmas is to be seen inthe Church of Rome.�


The Encyclopedia Americana(1944), concurs: �A feast wasestablished in memory of this event[the birth of Jesus] in the fourthcentury. In the fifth century theWestern Church ordered it to becelebrated forever on the day of theold Roman feast of the birth of Sol,as no certain knowledge of the day ofChrist�s birth existed.�

It was the Roman CatholicChurch that ordered its followers tokeep the pagan customs of Christmasto demonstrate the �victory ofChrist, the true sun, over the pagancult� of sun worship. (Religion inGeschichte und Gegenwart).

As the San Diego Union Tribunepoints out on page 7 of its TV Weeksupplement for December 17-23,2000, Christmas �went from beingthe feast day of the risen sun to thefeast day of the risen son.� And thosenon-Catholic denominations thatobserve Christmas today as aChristian festival do not do so incompliance with biblical commands,but in obedience to the lead of theCatholic Church.

Worship of the Pagan GodMithra Today

We have already touched on thePersian god Mithra or Mithras onseveral occasions, and we saw thatChristianity did not eradicateMithraic teachings and customs, but

rather absorbed them. We want tofocus our attention now on thepagan worship of this Persian godMithra, as it is fascinating to see towhat extent Mithraic teachings andcustoms survived in modern so-called Christianity. The truth is quiteamazing!

The German �P.M.� magazinepublished a few years ago an article,entitled, �Can You Imagine to Believeon Mithras?� It began this way: �Anearly day in the year 180 A.D. Ausual Sunday in the harbor town ofOstia in front of the gates of Rome.Commotion in the different parts oftown. Everywhere we see groups ofmen moving through the narrowvillage quarters� But no one takesnote of them� Everyone knowswhere the men go to: It is Sunday,the day of the Sun�the men aregoing to services.

�Are they Christians? Do weexperience here a typical scene fromthe early days of this religion? No�the men worship another god. Mithrasis the name of that transcendentbeing from whom they expectsalvation. And each year in thewinter they celebrate his birthday:in the night of December 25 with asort of service which we could call todaymidnight mass�

�The Mithras cult still influ-ences our lives today� Mithras wasthe main god of the Roman legions.


In Germany alone, forty Mithrasrelics were unearthed�twelve ofthem in or close to Frankfurt� Itwas Emperor Constantine who waspushing in the Council of Nice(which is in Turkey today) in 325 tounite his subjects under one faith�Although the emperor himselfbelonged to the cult of the sunworship (he was only baptized on hisdeathbed), he decided on Christian-ity as the common confession for allthe Romans. In order to make thenew religion acceptable for thefollowers of Mithras, he declaredSunday as the common day of restfor all of his empire�

�Still another decision wassupposed to bring Christians andMithraites closer together: Thebirthday of Jesus was declared tobe on the same day on whichMithras was supposedly born (Inthe year of 354, the 25th of Decem-ber is mentioned for the first time).Until then, Christians had notcelebrated Christmas.�

The article also publishednumerous pictures and photographs.Under one of them, the following isstated: �In the late Mithras cult,the three-fold God appears�What relationship exists with theChristian Trinity is obvious.�

What is even more striking is thefact that the Bible nowhere teachesthe Trinity. God is identified as

consisting of two beings�the Fatherand the Son. The Holy Spirit is not aperson or the third being within theGod Family, but rather the emanat-ing power of God. But here we seehow this unbiblical concept of theTrinity found its way into Christian-ity�through pagan belief systemssuch as the belief system of Mithras,a cult which was both absorbed and,at the same time, �Christianized� bythe Roman Church.

The great influence and impactthat pagan concepts, as taught in theMithras cult, had on orthodoxChristianity cannot be underesti-mated and overemphasized. Listento this additional explanation fromEsme Wynne-Tyson�s �Mithras, TheFellow in the Cap,� as stated on pp. 22and 24: �From the first, Mithras wasequated with the Sun and withlight� In brief, he is a pagan Christ�Mithras was not only the Sun-God,but the Mediator between mankindand the Supreme Being� Hisbirthday was celebrated in theMithraic calendar on the 25th [of]December. Sunday� was consecratedto him, and known as the Lord�s Daylong before the Christian era. Hisrebirth was commemorated at Easter.�

Edward Carpenter pointed out in�Pagan & Christian Creeds: TheirOrigin and Meaning,� 1921, p. 21:�Mithra was born in a cave, and onthe 25th [of] December. He was


born of a Virgin� His great festi-vals were the winter solstice and theSpring equinox (Christmas andEaster). He had twelve companionsor disciples (the twelve months). Hewas buried in a tomb, from whichhowever he rose again; and hisresurrection was celebrated yearlywith great rejoicings. He was calledSavior and Mediator; and sometimesfigured as a Lamb.�

John M. Robertson wrote in�Pagan Christs, Studies in ComparativeHierology,� on pp. 305, 306, 327:�The first day of the week, Sunday,was apparently from time imme-morial consecrated to Mithra� Wehave some exact information as tothe two chief Mithraic ceremonies orfestivals, those of Christmas andEaster�, the birthday of the Sun-God and the period of his sacrificeand his triumph. That Christmas isa solar festival of unknown antiquitywhich the early Christians appropri-ated to their Christ�, is no longerdenied by competent Christianscholars� The truth is� thatMithraism was not overthrown; itwas merely transformed. It hadgone too far to be overthrown; thequestion was whether it shouldcontinue to rival Christianity or beabsorbed by it.�

As we have seen, it was absorbed.And many, if not most of its paganelements, customs, and teachings

were absorbed as well�given a�Christian� mantle. This is why theOrthodox Christian world celebratesSunday, even though God tells us tokeep the Sabbath holy�the timefrom Friday sunset to Saturdaysunset (cp. Ex. 20:8-11). (For moreinformation on this topic, pleaserequest a free copy of the booklet,�Europe in Prophecy�).

Listen to this remarkable quotefrom H.G. Well�s, author of fictitiousnovels such as �The Time Machine,�and �The Invisible Man.� He alsowrote, �The Outline of History,�pointing out on page 543: �It wouldseem the Christians adopted Sun-day as their chief day of worshipinstead of the� Sabbath, from theMithraic cult.�

And indeed they did. And due tothe Mithraic cult and other paganteachings, pagan annual holidayssuch as Christmas or Easter areobserved today. At the same time,orthodox Christianity does not keepthose annual days holy that God hasmade holy�such as Passover, Days ofUnleavened Bread, Pentecost,Trumpets, Atonement, or Feast ofTabernacles (cp. Lev. 23). Theadaptation of Mithraic and otherpagan teachings is the reason whynon-Christian customs are embracedand believed in as �Christian� doctrines.

Listen to this quote from Funkand Wagnall�s New Encyclopedia, Vol.


17, on �Mithraism�: ��the cult ofMithra, the ancient Persian god oflight and wisdom� Mithra becamethe god of the sun, which wasworshipped in his name� It was agreat rival to Christianity in theRoman world� Mithraism wassimilar to [so-called] Christianity inmany respects, for example, in � theadoration of the shepherds atMithra�s birth, the adoption ofSundays and of December 25(Mithra�s birthday) as holy days,and in the belief in the immortalityof the soul.�

Nowhere does the Bible tell us to�adore� shepherds. Those who dothat today while re-enacting thenativity scene, actually follow thepagan worshippers of Mithra. Neitherdoes the Bible teach that we have animmortal soul. Quite to the contrary,we are told by God that the �soulthat sins will die.� (Ezek 18:4, 20). Ifwe repent, then our souls will be�saved from death� (James 5:20).Rather than having a soul, immortalor not, man is a soul (cp. Gen. 2:7:�man became a living soul�). And ifman sins and does not repent of it,then man, the soul, will die theeternal death. The concept, then,that we have an immortal soul doesnot come from the Bible, but frompaganism and the cultic teachings ofMithra and other pagan gods.

That Mithraism did not die out,

but instead, survived in Christianity,can also be seen from this quotetaken from Funk and Wagnall�s NewEncyclopedia, Vol. 24, under �SunWorship�: �� In ancient Persiaworship of the sun was an integralpart of the elaborate cult of Mithras�Sun worship persisted in Europeeven after the introduction ofChristianity, as is evidenced by itsdisguised survival in such tradi-tional Christian practices as theEaster bonfire and the burning of theYule Log on Christmas.�

That Mithraism was the nationalreligion of Persia and a dominantforce in ancient times is alluded to inthe Bible as well. In Ezra 1:8 and 4:7we read about the Persian treasurer�Mithredath.� This word meansliterally, �gift of Mithra.� Prominentpeople were actually named afterthat Persian god.

Worship of the Pagan GodAttis Today

While the cult of Mithras had agreat influence on Christianity, theworship of Mithras was by no meansthe only pagan religion that found itsway into Christianity. As we alreadysaw, pagan worship of other godssuch as Saturn, Thor, Wodan orOdin was absorbed as well. And sowere elements from the cult of Attis,a god in Phrygia. We read in theWoman�s Encyclopedia of Myths and


Secrets about Attis:�The cult of Attis strongly influenced

early Christianity� Attis was a son ofthe Goddess�s earthly incarnation,the virgin Nana, who miraculouslyconceived him by eating an almondor a pomegranate� He grew up tobecome a sacrificial victim andSavior, slain to bring salvation tomankind. His body was eaten by hisworshippers in the form of bread. Hewas resurrected as the �Most HighGod�� Attis� passion was celebratedon the 25th of March [other sourceshave 22nd of March], exactly ninemonths before the festival of hisbirth, the 25th of December� Theday of Attis� death was BlackFriday� The god died and wasburied. He descended into theunderworld. On the third day hearose again from the dead� Thiswas the Sunday; the god arose inglory� Christians ever afterwardkept Easter Sunday with carnivalprocessions derived from themysteries of Attis.�

Michael Jordan writes about Attisin �Encyclopedia of God.� He pointsout: �In Christian times the Easterfestival took over the date of theAttis rites.� Have you ever wonderedwhy the Christian world keeps Easter,claiming that Christ was crucified ona Friday and resurrected on aSunday? The Bible nowhere men-tions Easter. The Bible nowhere

states that Christ was killed on aFriday and that He was resurrectedon a Sunday. In fact, He could nothave been, as He was to be dead inthe grave for three days and threenights, as Jonah was in the belly ofthe sea monster (Matt. 12:40). Youcannot count three days and threenights from Friday afternoon toSunday morning. Both history andthe Bible prove that Christ was actuallycrucified Wednesday afternoon andthat He was resurrected Saturdaybefore sunset. But as we just read,pagan gods such as Attis wereallegedly killed on a Friday andresurrected on a Sunday. And sothose pagan customs were incorpo-rated into the doctrines and practicesof the Roman Church by replacingpagan gods like Attis with Christ andgiving them a �Christian� mantle.

SATAN—THE AUTHOR OF AUNIVERSAL MYTH

It should be obvious that all ofthese similar legends involvingdifferent pagan gods and customsand rites, are part of a �universalmyth,� as John M. Robertson put it(�Pagan Christs,� p. 307).

Also, Edward Carpenter wrote in�Pagan & Christian Creeds,� begin-ning on page 25: �The similarity ofthese ancient pagan legends andbeliefs with Christian traditions wasindeed so great that it excited the


attention and the undisguised wrathof the early Church fathers. They feltno doubt about the similarity [andconcluded]� that the Devil�inorder to confound the Christians�had, centuries before, caused thepagans to adopt certain beliefs andpractices� Justin Martyr for in-stance describes the institution ofthe [so-called] Lord�s Supper asnarrated in the Gospels, and thengoes on to say, �Which the wickeddevils have imitated in the mysteriesof Mithra [and we might add Attis aswell], commanding the same thingto be done. For, that bread and a cupof water are placed with certainincantations in the mystic rites ofone who is being initiated you eitherknow or can learn.� Tertullian alsosays that �the devil by the mysteriesof his idols imitates even the mainpart of the divine mysteries.��

The Bible refers in numerousplaces to such demonic paganimitations of what Christ would do,or did do. For instance, Ezek. 8:13-15 describes the worship of �Tammuz�as an abomination. According tolegend, Tammuz, or Adonis, wasborn of a virgin at the time of thewinter solstice and was killed by aboar. Every year the maidens weptfor him. In the spring a festival of hisresurrection was held. (Carpenter, p.22). This pagan god Tammuz was aSummerian or Syrian god of vegetation,

a pagan counterfeit of Jesus Christ.In 1 Cor. 10:14-22, Paul refers to

pagan rites such as those of Mithraor Attis. Paul identifies them withidolatry and admonishes Christiansnot to have anything to do withthem: �Therefore, my beloved, fleefrom idolatry� The cup of blessingwhich we bless [during the annualmemorial of Christ�s death atPassover], is it not the communionof the blood of Christ? The breadwhich we break [at Passover], is itnot the communion of the body ofChrist? � What am I saying then?That an idol is anything, or what isoffered to idols is anything? Rather,that the things which the Gentilessacrifice they sacrifice to demonsand not to God, and I do not wantyou to have fellowship with demons.You cannot drink the cup of theLord and the cup of demons; youcannot partake of the Lord�s tableand of the table of demons.�

Worship of pagan gods and partici-pation in its customs are described inthe Bible as demon worship. And tointroduce pagan rites, which might insome cases look similar to Christianpractices, into the true worship of God,is identified with idolatry. Satan knewthat God would send Jesus Christ todie for mankind. Many Old Testa-ment scriptures foretell in greatdetail Christ�s first coming.

Satan�s strategy to oppose God


was twofold. First, he influencedpeople to create a universal myth ofa pagan Savior who would beworshipped under different names,and who would have some similaritieswith Jesus Christ and what He wouldaccomplish, so that people couldlater view Christ as only �another�Deliverer. Many historians believethat Satan�s universal myth beganwith the Nimrod of the Bible in Gen.10:8-12. Legend has it that this�mighty hunter� married his ownmother Semiramis. When he died,Satan inspired Semiramis to inventand spread the idea that Nimrod wasstill alive as a spirit being. Sheclaimed that a full-grown evergreentree sprang up overnight from a deadtree stump, and that Nimrod wouldvisit the tree and leave gifts there oneach anniversary of his birth,December 25. A slightly differentversion of this account is that theevergreen tree allegedly symbolizedNimrod�s son Tammuz, and thatNimrod came back to life as Tammuz.Later, Semiramis became known andwas worshipped under differentnames as the �Queen of Heaven.�

The second part of Satan�sstrategy to oppose God was to see toit that those who believe in andfollow Jesus Christ, the Son of God,would be bombarded with the[already existing] aspects of paganreligions, inducing them to absorb

those �in the honor and glory ofChrist.� Sadly, over the centuries,many who claimed to be Christian,did fall for Satan�s evil tactics andschemes by incorporating into theirworship of God certain pagandoctrines, customs and rites.

COUNTER ARGUMENTS OFTHE CARNAL MIND

Some may respond by saying, �Sowhat? Why not keep Christmasanyway? Even though Christmas is apagan festival and its customs arepagan in origin, I do it to honorChrist. And even though the Bibledoesn�t command us to keep it,doesn�t God give us the freedom tocelebrate the birthday of His Sonwhenever we want? And further, ifwe don�t like the �paganism� associ-ated with Christmas, why not justkeep Christmas solely to honorChrist, while leaving all the pagancustoms behind?�

Yes, we humans can come up withall kinds of reasons to hang on to ourtraditions and beliefs. We somehowwant to justify our actions ratherthan coming to terms with the truthof the matter, and it quickly becomesevident how strongly our beliefsentrench our customs. We don�t give upeasily, even when shown to be wrong.

For example, we know thatChristmas has become totallycommercialized, and it is being kept


alive by commercialism. As U.S.News & World Report points out inits December 23, 1996 article, onpage 64: �To turn Christmas into apurely religious celebration nowmight cheer those who want to �takeback Christmas.�� But such anobservance �would lack the culturalresonance and impact of a holidaydeeply rooted in the marketplace.� IfChristmas came to that� �we probablywouldn�t keep it as a society.��

And, while Christmas is widelytouted as a time of �peace on earthand good will toward men,� it is awell-known fact that Christmas isthe time of year in the Westernworld when more crimes are com-mitted than at any other time. It is atime when alcoholism runs rampant.It is a time when commerce reachesits peak of illogical and irresponsibleconduct and behavior, and peopleincur credit card debts that they cannever repay, only to fulfill their�obligation� to give gifts to others.Parents lie to their children, tellingthem that Santa Claus will comethrough the chimney to bringChristmas presents, and that if theydon�t behave, Santa Claus won�tbring them presents at all.

We know what the world saysabout Christmas, but what does Godhave to say about this celebration?Although the word �Christmas� isnever used in the Bible, are there

guidelines and principles on how tolook at this issue? Absolutely! Let�s see.

DON’T MIX PAGAN CUSTOMSWITH THE WORSHIP OF GOD!

Do you know that you can besincere in your worship of God andChrist, and still worship in vain?Christ clearly said in Matt. 15:7-9:�Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah proph-esy about you, saying: �These peopledraw near to Me with their mouth,and honor Me with their lips, buttheir heart is far from Me. And invain do they worship Me, teaching asdoctrines the commandments of men.��Who can doubt that the celebrationof Christmas and the observance ofits customs are pursuant to thecommandments of men? Nowhere inthe Bible are we told to do thesethings! And Christ said, this kind ofreligious worship which is based onmen�s traditions is �in vain��it isuseless. Rather, we are expressly toldhow to worship God.

Note what God told Israel abouthow to and how not to worship Himas recorded in Deut. 12:29-32:�When the Lord your God cuts offfrom before you the nations whichyou go to dispossess, and youdisplace them and dwell in theirland, take heed to yourself that youare not ensnared to follow them,after they are destroyed from beforeyou, and that you do not inquire after


their gods, saying, �How did thesenations serve their gods? I also will dolikewise.� You shall not worship theLord your God in that way; forevery abomination to the Lordwhich He hates they have done totheir gods� Whatever I commandyou, be careful to observe it; you shallnot add to it nor take away from it.�

The celebration of Christmas andof Christ�s birth in general is in clearviolation of the above-stated command.The very date and festival of Christ-mas were adopted from paganism,and so were its customs. ProfessingChristians celebrating Christmastoday may think that they do it tohonor and worship God�but theyrepeat exactly the rites that pagansused to serve their gods�and Godthunders at us: �You shall notworship the Lord your God in thatway!!!� They added Christmascelebrations to their worship, whiletaking away the observance of God�strue annual Holy Days.

Notice the comments of the RyrieStudy Bible regarding the passage inDeut. 12:30: �The Israelites were noteven to inquire about the worship ofthe Canaanites, lest they be temptedto incorporate aspects of it into theirworship of God.�

Who can honestly deny that thisis exactly what happened in regardto Christmas celebrations? OrthodoxChristianity adopted or incorporated

pagan holidays such as Christmasand Easter, rather than suppressingthem. They appropriated pagancustoms to the worship of JesusChrist, rather than rejecting andoverthrowing them. This practice iscalled �syncretism� and is stronglyprohibited in Scripture. God tells usnot to engage in it, but to rid our-selves from everything pagan.

Notice 2 Cor. 6:14-17: �Do not beunequally yoked together withunbelievers. For what fellowship hasrighteousness with lawlessness? Andwhat communion has light withdarkness?� And what agreementhas the temple of God with idols?For you are the temple of the livingGod� Therefore, come out fromamong them and be separate, says theLord. Do not touch what is [spiritu-ally] unclean, and I will receive you.�

Christmas Cakes Condemnedin Scripture

For example, note God�s condem-nation of a religious custom thatancient Israel and Judah wereengaged in, as recorded in Jer. 7:16-18: �Therefore, do not pray for thispeople, nor lift up a cry or prayer forthem, nor make intercession to Me;for I will not hear you. Do you notsee what they do in the cities ofJudah and in the streets of Jerusa-lem? The children gather wood, thefathers kindle the fire, and the


women knead dough, to make cakesfor the queen of heaven; and they pourout drink offerings to other gods,that they may provoke Me to anger.�

The �Queen of Heaven� has beenidentified as the Assyro-Babyloniangoddess Ishtar or Istar (Ryrie StudyBible; Rienecker�s Lexikon zur Bibel,both commenting on Jer. 7:18), fromwhich the name �Easter� is derived.Actually, Ishtar is just another nameof Semiramis, the mother/wife ofNimrod. Although primarily areference to Easter customs, Jer. 7:18does also include the baking ofChristmas cakes. As we saw earlier,that custom was in place long beforeany �Christian� celebration ofChristmas, and it was done to honorpagan deities.

Christmas Tree Condemnedin Scripture

Let�s also notice Jer. 10:2-5: �Thussays the Lord: �Do not learn the way[Note in the Lamsa Bible: �Reli-gion�] of the Gentiles; do not bedismayed at the signs of heaven, forthe Gentiles are dismayed at them.For the customs of the peoples arefutile; for one cuts a tree from theforest, the work of the hands of theworkman, with the ax. They decorate itwith silver and gold; they fasten it withnails and hammers so that it will nottopple. They are upright, like a palmtree, and they cannot speak; they

must be carried, because they cannot gothemselves. Do not be afraid of them,for they cannot do evil, nor can theydo any good.�

Here we find a description of theChristmas tree. Some have said,however, that Jer. 10 only talks abouta wooden idol that was carved out ofa tree, but that it does not refer todecorating a Christmas tree per se.Remember, though, that the pagansbelieved that their gods�Attis,Osiris, Dionysus�lived as tree spiritsin pine trees. They believed that theirgods actually changed into those trees,and they carried these sacred trees toa certain place of worship, decoratedthem, and adored them as deities.

Jer. 10 condemns any kind ofreligious worship that includes thedecoration of a pine tree or a �greentree� (1 Kings 14:23), as well as thereligious doctrines associated withsuch customs. Lamsa continues Jer.10:8 as follows: �But altogether thevain doctrines of wooden imageworship shall be utterly destroyedand consumed.�

Some say they don�t worship theChristmas tree, and that it�s, there-fore, all right to decorate a pine treeat Christmas time. However, that isnot the way God looks at it. Whenthe Israelites made a golden calf,they argued in a similar fashion.Exodus 32:1-4 records: �Now whenthe people saw that Moses delayed


coming down from the mountain,the people gathered together toAaron, and said to him, �Come,make us gods [Margin: �Or a god�]that shall go before us; for as for thisMoses, the man who brought us outof the land of Egypt, we do not knowwhat has become of him.� AndAaron said to them, �Break off thegolden earrings which are in the earsof your wives, your sons, and yourdaughters, and bring them to me.� Soall the people broke off the goldenearrings which were in their ears,and brought them to Aaron. And hereceived the gold from their hand,and he fashioned it with an engrav-ing tool, and made a molded calf.Then they said, �This is your god, OIsrael, that brought you out of the landof Egypt!� So when Aaron saw it, hebuilt an altar before it. And Aaronmade a proclamation and said,�Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.��

The Israelites used the pagan idolof an animal for the worship of God.They did not believe that Godlooked like a calf, but they used it asa cultic element in their worship ofGod, thinking that it somehowrepresented God. They thought theywere worshipping God�after all,they were celebrating a feast to theLord�and, that their use of a pagancult object in that worship wasacceptable to God. The same can besaid about the Christmas tree as

described in Jeremiah 10. This treewith its gold, silver and blue andpurple decorations (Jer. 10:9)�today, we could add �silver tinsel��was used as a cultic means or objectto worship God. But, that is exactlywhat God condemns.

When the Israelites, at the timeof Moses, built the golden calf, theyinvented their own cultic objectsand means of worship, as well as thetime for their religious festival. Theyhad obviously adopted these worshiprites from their stay in pagan Egypt.But, God did not accept that kind ofworship, nor does He do so today. InHis eyes, they corrupted themselves(Ex. 32:7) and they worshipped thecalf, not God (Ex. 32: 8). God is ajealous God. He insists that He beworshipped in the way that He hasset before us. Otherwise, our worshipwill not be accepted�it will beuseless and in vain (Mark 7:5-9, 13).

COULD CHRIST HAVE BEENBORN IN DECEMBER?

We have established many factsthat show that the festival we call�Christmas� was actually beingcelebrated by various cultures forthousands of years before the birth ofJesus Christ. We have read quotesfrom various publications that boldlypresent the pagan roots of Christmas,along with related customs, whichare totally unrelated to Christ. But,


even if it were acceptable to cel-ebrate Christ�s birthday [which it isnot], do we know when He was born?

Again, we will quote from Profes-sor J.M. Golby, the British historianwho co-authored the book entitled,�The Making of the Modern Christ-mas.� In the aforementioned televi-sion interview in 1991, he made thefollowing insightful comments andobservations regarding the origin ofChristmas and its customs:

�The Christian church has alwaysbeen very clever in incorporating otherpractices and going along with thingsand then turning them towards Chris-tianity. And in pagan times you hadmidwinter festivals, and you hadreligious festivals which were paganand very much associated withthings like the going down of thesun. And during winter it was goingdown�would it ever return? And soyou had a day in which you cel-ebrated the sun. And the Mithraicreligion, which was a very importantreligion in the later Roman Empire,had a particular day that celebratedthis. And it so happens that itcoincides with December 25th,which the Christian church thenadopted as the day of Christ�sbirth� There is nothing in thegospels to show that Christ wasborn on the 25th of December. Infact, it�s clear that he wouldn�thave been. There wouldn�t have

been shepherds out in the fields.It�s just the wrong time of year��

In addition to the fact thatshepherds would not have been inthe fields on December 25, there isanother reason why Christ could nothave been born around December 25.Dr. Cunningham Geikie discussesthis additional reason in Holy-Daysand Holidays, in the article, �Christ-mas at Bethlehem.� He writes: �Thetwenty-fifth day of December� haslittle in its favor [for the date of thenativity of Christ] beyond the fact thatit was the day on which, in antiquity,the return of the sun from its winterabsence was kept� It could hardlyhave been at that season, however,for such a time would surely nothave been chosen by the authoritiesfor a public enrollment, whichnecessitated the population�straveling from all parts to their nataldistricts, storm and rain makingjourneys both unsafe and unpleasantin winter��

The fact that shepherds wereliving out in the fields (cp. Luke 2:8)and that a public enrollment wasconducted at the time of Christ�sbirth (cp. Luke 2:1-7) clearly provesthat Christ could not have beenborn anywhere near December 25.Sheep were never in the field duringthe winter months. From the middleof October until the middle ofMarch, the sheep would be kept


inside, in stables or barns. Duringthat time, there was too much rain,wind and even frost and snow.

The newspaper Wynne Progresspublished an article on December21, 1967, entitled, �The ChristmasStory,� in which it pointed outnumerous discrepancies between thebiblical record and Christmastraditions. It stated, �As for the dateof December 25, that was chosenby the church during the fourthCentury A.D�. The choice seemsto have been dictated� by a desireto Christianize the Roman revel thatmarked the winter solstice. Thebiblical evidence plainly indicatesthat Jesus was born during the latesummer or early fall. That is thetime of year when Palestinianshepherds take their flocks into thefield to graze at night.�

Check any chart of the Israeliteyear. It will show that the seventhmonth, the month of Tishri, inSeptember/October, ends with thebeginning of the rainy season. Duringthe eighth month, the month ofMarcheschwan, in October/Novem-ber, the weather is �rainy.�

The ninth month, Chislev, inNovember/December, marks thebeginning of winter, with rain and snow.Christ made it clear that a flight ofHis Church had better not takeplace �in winter,� Matt. 24: 20, asthis would be very unpleasant, due to

the severe weather conditions. Songof Solomon 2:11 reads: �The winteris past, the rain is gone.� Note alsoEzra 10:9, 13: �It was the ninthmonth, on the twentieth of themonth; and all the people [in Jerusa-lem were] trembling� because ofthe heavy rain� �But there are manypeople; it is the season of the heavyrain, and we are not able to stand outside.��

Finally, the tenth month, Tebeth,in December/January, is designatedas the �coldest month of the year,with hail and snow.� There is noway that Christ could have beenborn at the end of December, while apublic enrollment was going on, andwhile shepherds and sheep werestaying over night in the field. Evenif it did not snow at that time, thecold weather and the rain wouldhave made it impossible for bothshepherds and sheep to be in thefield at night. Further, the Romanauthorities would not have chosenthat time of year for a public enroll-ment. Rather than having been bornin the winter, it is most likely, as waspointed out before, that Christ wasborn in late summer or early autumn.

But then�Christ nowhere taughtthat we should even celebrate Hisbirth�and most certainly not atChristmas time�and most emphati-cally not with pagan customs, ritesand concepts.


DON’T ADD TO OR TAKEAWAY FROM GOD’S WORD!

Moses reminded ancient Israel ofa timeless principle when it comes totrue worship. We read in Deut. 4:1-2:�Now, O Israel, listen to the statutesand the judgments which I teach youto observe, that you may live, and goin and possess the land which theLord God of your fathers is giving toyou. You shall not add to the wordwhich I command you, nor takefrom it, that you may keep thecommandments of the Lord your Godwhich I command you.� (Cp. Deut.12:32, Rev. 22:18&19).

We find the same admonition inProverbs 30:5-6: �Every word of Godis pure; He is a shield to those whoput their trust in Him. Do not addto His words, lest He rebuke you,and you be found a liar.�

The entire �Christmas story� is alie and a deception, created by menunder the influence of Satan, who isthe father of lies (John 8:43-45). So ifwe contend that Christmas is a festivalthat honors God, then we add to God�sWord, which has nothing to say aboutthe celebration of Christmas. God willrebuke us, and we will be found �liars,�since we have misrepresented God.

Let�s also note how the apostlePaul approached the Christians inCorinth. Remember, that theCorinthians had been involved, prior

to their conversion, with all kinds ofpagan practices, including worship ofa special pine tree. Paul was un-doubtedly aware of that. And so hetells them in 1 Cor. 4:6: �Now,brothers, I have applied these thingsto myself and Apollos for your benefit,so that you may learn from us themeaning of the saying, �Do not gobeyond what is written.�� (NIV)

A similar reminder is recorded inthe second letter of John. He statesin verse 9: �For if you wanderbeyond the teaching of Christ, youwill leave God behind; while if youare loyal to Christ�s teachings, youwill have God too.� (Living Bible).

Those who do celebrate Christ-mas �go beyond what is written,�and �wander beyond the teaching ofChrist,� thereby leaving �God behind.�

THE CONCLUSION OF THEMATTER

We have laid before you the trueorigins of Christmas and its customs,and we have shown from the Biblethat God condemns Christmascelebrations. Knowing this, askyourself, �Should I celebrate Christ-mas?� We feel the answer is obvious.The decision, however, is yours tomake (Deut. 30:15-16, 19-20). Youhave heard the conclusion of thematter (Eccl. 12:13). We challengeyou to act on it.


United StatesChurch of the Eternal God

PO Box 270519San Diego, CA 92198

CanadaChurch of God, ACF

Box 1480Summerland B.C V0H 1Z0

United KingdomGlobal Church of God

PO Box 2111Derby DE1 1ZR

BelgiumLe Siecle A Venir

Allee du Grand Cheniat, 30B-6280 Loverval

PhilippinesChurch of the Eternal God

142 Nagimit St., Nova Tierra VillageLanang

8000 Davao City

Documents

DON’T KEEP · Christmas Celebrations Before Christ 1 Different Dates for Christmas Proposed 2 Early Christians Did Not Celebrate Christmas 2 Pagan Origin of Christmas Customs 4