Why Is The "Christmas Spirit" So Different?

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Originally Posted by Truthseeker

So one who gives up his pagan customs has a weak conscious? Oh the poer of the christmas spirit and the length gone to misapply scripture for that magical time of year.

No. You consistently mix up what we are saying. The newly saved pagan only has a weak conscience (not conscious, btw) when they do something that was associated with a false god, though an innocent act in and of itself without the element of intention towards worshiping the false god, and it is too much for the memory of the weak believer. They are so pulled away from the Lord with guilt and condemnation that they must totally refrain from such a thing. The activity cannot be separated from the false god worship in such a weak conscience, so they sin against their own conscience.

A conscience tells what is right or wrong. And a weak one is not "educated" enough to know the true difference, and memories and emotional ties cannot be broken from it, so the weak have to stay away from it altogether.

Someone who KNOWS it is a pagan rite, but no more believes the false god exists than a hippo has fifteen elephant trunks, and does an activity for the pure purpose of giving gifts (since gift giving is a perfect example) alone, has a strong conscience. He knows the activity is innocent IN AND OF ITSELF APART FROM ANY INTENT TO WORSHIP.

Again, it is extreme legalism to tell someone they are worshiping a false god when they are putting gifts under a decorated tree for the sole purpose of giving gifts, just because IT APPEARS like a pagan bowing down to a tree and sacrificing a gift to it. When we judge someone for a purposed act of false worship when the person has absolutely no conscious intention of honouring any such non-existent god, WE ARE THE WORST OF LEGALISTS.