Take Your Stand for True Worship

CHRISTMAS-NOT CELEBRATED BY EARLY CHRISTIANS 

A person's worship could be contaminates by false religion as it relates to popular holidays.  Consider Christmas, for example.  Christmas supposedly commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, and nearly religion that claims to be Christian celebrates it. Yet, there is no evidence that the first-century disciples of Jesus observed such a holiday.  The book Sacred Origins of Profound Things states:  "For two centuries after Christ's birth, no one knew, and few people cared, exactly when he was born." 

Even if Jesus' disciples had known the exact date of his birth, they would not have celebrated it. Why?  Because, as the World Book Encyclopedia says,  the early Christians "considered the celebration of anyone's birth to be a pagan custom."  The only birthday observances mentioned in the Bible are those of two rulers who did not worship Jehovah.  (Genesis 40:10; Mark 6:21) Birthday celebrations were also held in honor of pagan deities. For example, on May 24 the Romans celebrated  the birthday of the goddess Diana. On the  following day, they observed the birthday of their sun-god, Apollo.  Hence, birthday celebrations were associated with paganism, not with Christianity. 

There is another reason why first-century Christians would not have celebrated Jesus' birthday. His disciples likely  knew that birthday celebration were connected with superstition. For instance, many Greeks and Romans of ancient times believed that a spirit attended the birth of each human and protected that one throughout life.  "This spirit had a mystic relation with the god on whose birthday the individual was born," says the book The Lord of Birthdays.  Jehovah certainly would not be pleased with any observance that would link Jesus with superstition.  (Isaiah 65:11, 12) So how did Christmas come to be celebrated by many people? 

Next time: Take Your Stand for True Worship/ THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS 

From the book:  WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH?