| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ( F ) CHRISTMAS - PAGAN WORSHIP AND SYMBOLISM Since Christmas in reality is the Christs’ Mass which deals with His death, how did it become involved to represent the birth of Christ? For detailed information concerning the origin of the Christmas festival refer to the following websites: www.banner.org.uk/misc/xmas1.html www.jesus-is-lord.com/origin.htm www.religioustolerance.org/winter_solstice.htm www.yrm.org/wrapped_xmas.htm http://dokimos.org/shepherdsvoice/catholic/catholic_the_truth_about_christmas http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/xmasreas.html http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/pagan.htm www.jesus-is-lord.com/christm3.htm http://www.oocities.org/cut2thechase_ca/humbug.htm http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_sel.htm http://www.zenzibar.com/Articles/christmas.asp http://www.wcnet.org/~dshomody/breakfast.html http://walkinthelight.ca/messiah's%20birth.htm http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa122397b.htm www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract4.html http://nlbchapel.org/articles.htm http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/CHRISTMAS.htm http://www.exam8.com/xmas/xmas3.htm http://www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn49/christmas.htm The actual practice of the Christmas festival was not celebrated by the early church for the first few hundred years of the churchs’ existence. Christmas was instituted by the Roman Catholic Church ( RCC ) in order to bring more pagan people, under the authoritative umbrella of the RCC by compromising and accommodating the pagan practices with church symbolism, ( http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/CHRISTMAS.htm#F17 / http://www.piney.com/His31.html / http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/Xmas_ch2.htm / http://www.biblestudy.org/question/holidays.html ). The historical roots behind Christmas are worldly and heathen; 4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. - James 4:4 Of particular issue is the Christmas tree. In the prophet Jeremiah it is written; 1. Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: 2. Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. - Jer. 10:1-5 Gods’ instruction and command could not be more clear. Do not learn the way of the heathen whose customs are vain. In the following verses, the descriptive words go about describing a particular heathen activity which the Lord rejects. Though these passages do not specifically mention the Christmas tree by name they nonetheless provide a evident similarity to the yearly practice of setting up and decorating such a tree. In light of this, it is no wonder that within the New Testament gospels which write concerning Christs’ birth into the world, there is absolutely no mention of a decorated tree set up for the purpose of honoring the Christ child. Moreover, there is also a complete absence in all of the New Testament regarding Christians obtaining and decorating a Christmas tree. Why would this be? Simply because God specifically forbids such activity as it is a heathen practice. In the history of mans’ religions, trees were symbols of that which was sacred. The Druids believed that the oak tree was sacred and would conduct their ceremonies in a sacred grove of oak trees. The Celts also worshipped the oak tree. The Egyptians and Babylonians held the palm tree as sacred and in Rome it was the fir tree. For the Scandinavians, the fir tree was sacred to their god Odin. The Phrygians and worshippers of Mithras worshipped the pine tree. Among other greeneries which were held in high honor of ancient pagan worship were the holly, mistletoe and ivy. http://www.banner.org.uk/misc/xmas2.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 |