THE FALLACY OF CHRISTMAS

Every year, the inhabitants of the Earth “merrily” rush to shop and organize for Christmas which is considered by many as one of the most important occasions of a year. However, the celebration of Christmas on December 25 (Conybeare, 1899) has no valid evidence or guidance from the Holy Bible. To prove that Christmas celebration is unbiblical, we have to search through murky water of the historical emergence of Christmas day and its pagan origin.

Christmas’ history

Conybeare (1899) stated that before the introduction of December 25, people celebrated the feast of baptism (the spiritual birth) and the fleshly birth of Christ on the same day of January 6 with an argument that Jesus got baptized on his thirtieth birthday. Nevertheless, nowhere in the Bible teaches that we must celebrate his fleshly and spiritual birthdays, let alone assign any specific days for them. At Antioch, John Chrysostom delivered a homily (speech or sermon, according to Collinsdictionary.com) leading to the inference by Conybeare (1899) that the new feast Christmas to celebrate Christ’s birthday is under observation “not earlier than 376 A.D.” In Constantinople, according to the records of an Armenian writer in the 11th century with unclear authority, Christmas was first celebrated in 373 A.D. (Conybeare, 1899). Furthermore, Conybeare (1899) inferred that “the birth from the virgin was celebrated in Rome as early as the year 366.” Thus, we can see that Christmas was not observed in early Christian circles and that it was developed from another false doctrine that celebrated both fleshly and spiritual births of Christ on January 6.

Also, December 25 has a clear pagan origin. To preserve the originality and clarity of the writing, we will look at the direct quote that Conybeare (1899) also quoted from De Temporum Ratione by Bede “the Anglian peoples began the year on December 25, on the day on which we now celebrate the birth of the Lord; and they then called the very night, which is now sacrosanct to us, by the vernacular name of modranecht, that is, the night of mothers, by reason, we suspect, of the ceremonies which they conducted on it, watching throughout its length.” Notice “the night of mothers.” Similarly, Germans still call Christmas Weihnacht (Conybeare, 1899). The word “yule” by old Scandinavians points to “the feast of the solstice or turn of the sun” because the shortest day is over on December 25 (Conybeare, 1899). In Italy and Latin countries, Christmas also started to be observed in the 4th century, coinciding with the pagan festival from the Saturnalia (December 17-24) to Brumalia or Breuima (December 25- “the feast of the shortest day”) followed by the Sigillaria in which parents gave dolls to children (Conybeare, 1899). The farther Eastern Christians around Edessa rejected and accused the new Christmas as an element of “idolatry and sun-worship” (Conybeare, 1899). Rome and several Christian sects in the past have a history of incorporating erroneously pagan practices and beliefs to pollute pure doctrine of Christ (Conybeare, 1899). Many considered Christ as “the sun in heaven”; and many turned their prayer position toward “the rising sun” (Conybeare, 1899).

The religious reform in the 17th century altered the way of Christmas celebration in Europe (History.com Editors, 2009). In 1645, Oliver Cromwell, along with “his Puritan forces”, dominated England and made efforts to cancel Christmas, although Charles II resumed it after he “was restored to the throne” (History.com Editors, 2009). When the pilgrims who “were even more orthodox” arrived in America, they made sure that Christmas was not observed as a holiday (History.com Editors, 2009). In Boston, “from 1659 to 1681”, Christmas celebration was unlawful (History.com Editors, 2009). Only until June 26, 1870, Christmas was considered a federal holiday (History.com Editors, 2009).

In addition to no validation from the authority of the Holy Bible to celebrate Christmas, the occasion involves wicked and secular elements such as the decoration of the Christmas tree and popularization of the narrative of Santa Claus (History.com Editors, 2009), which has nothing to do with the birth of Christ.

Christmas tree

Waxman (2019) wrote that the origin of the Christmas tree seemed to stem from Germany in the Middle Ages. In 1419, there was a celebration of the feast day of Adam and Eve with “evergreen fir with apples tied to its branches” to represent the tree of knowledge (Waxman, 2019). This celebration went against God’s law that forbade any forms of idolization toward man. Then, Christmas trees became popular in the US (Waxman, 2019). One reference pointed to “a pine tree in North Carolina in 1786” (Waxman, 2019). Students from “a school for American Indians run by Moravian missionaries” were sent to go and get a tree for Christmas in 1805 (Waxman, 2019). “In the first half of the 19th century in the Midwest and further West”, the use of trees for Christmas occurred with examples of “German immigrants in Texas” performing tree decoration (Waxman, 2019). However, the decoration of the Christmas tree was popularized through the illustration of prince Albert, queen Victoria, and their children gathering around a decorated tree with gifts placed under it (Waxman, 2019).

The Bible warns us so many times about the evil practice of using green trees in rituals. The Bible repeatedly condemns this act.

1 Kings 14 23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.

2 Chronicles 33 3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

2 Chronicles 34 4 And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.

Collinsdictionary.com defined a grove as “a group of trees that are close together” ("Grove definition and meaning | Collins English dictionary," n.d.). It appeared that the rituals that were performed to please idols often took place under green trees. When people decorate trees for Christmas today, they make offers to idols such as Baalim without knowing it or not.

It is sinful to celebrate Christmas. Image is for the purpose of illustration only. Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

Santa Claus

Another element of Christmas celebration that needs to be condemned is Santa Claus. The story of Santa Claus can be traced back from the legend of St. Nicolas, a monk who was born around 280 A.D. in Turkey (History.com Editors, 2009). The monk donated all his wealth and traveled to help the poor and the sick in the countryside (History.com Editors, 2009).

Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, composed a poem named “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicolas” in 1822, describing Santa Claus, a merry man flying from house to house to give toys (History.com Editors, 2009). Cartoonist Thomas Nast drew a version of Santa Claus wearing red and having a white beard in 1881 (History.com Editors, 2009). It became the version of Santa Claus that people use today (History.com Editors, 2009).

To conclude, it is sinful to celebrate Christmas because the Holy Bible does not authorize such activity. The use of the Christmas tree and its decoration, as well as the story of Santa Claus, are the inventions and traditions of men, not of God. We must repent. We must not celebrate Christmas. We must not do any things associated with Christmas. It is a pagan festival. It is a worldly festival. Anyone celebrating Christmas, decorating a tree for Christmas, and honoring Santa Claus will go to hell. This is a warning. We must repent.

It is sinful to celebrate Christmas. Image is for the purpose of illustration only. Photo by Laura James from Pexels

References

Conybeare, F. C. (1899). The History of Christmas. The American Journal of Theology, 3, 1-21. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3152491

Grove definition and meaning | Collins English dictionary. (n.d.). Collins Online Dictionary | Definitions, Thesaurus and Translations. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/grove

History.com Editors. (2009, October 27). History of Christmas. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas A&E Television Networks. Last updated 2021, November 9

Waxman, O. B. (2019, December 5). How Christmas Trees Became a Holiday Tradition. Time. https://time.com/5736523/history-of-christmas-trees/ Updated: 2020, December 21

Sam Christian

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Vocabulary and grammar checks were done with the help of Collinsdictionary.com, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs.

The Bible used is the King James Version by Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59856-461-7. Some texts were inspired by boldfaced words and reference systems from this Bible book.

References were included using the citation generator https://www.citefast.com/ with APA 7th Ed style. The incorporation of citation and quote were also partly based on APA 7th Ed style.

Photos are from Pexels.com