Christmas/Holidays

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by Sam

1 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the Lord: Do not learn the way of the nations, or be dismayed at the signs of the heavens; for the nations are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are false:

Many people focus on the part about the tree but i do not. I focus on the part above. The customs of Christmas are exactly what these verses were talking about. Maybe not exactly as in this verse was talking about this particular festival... but exactly... as in this was, indeed, the way of the heathen nations and was something God never wanted his people to learn.

We pride ourselves on so many things the catholics took from paganism that we have gotten rid of yet we still have our pet pagan worships that we love, adore and maintain.

[Nitehawk013]

Oh come on! Take a pill and look around for a moment.

If you want to blast the commercialization of the holiday, Ill stand beside you and scream too. But the "pagan" stuff is an old dead useless horse. It is meaningless. Yeah I bet God is just SOOOO offended that there are "pagan" aspects invovled in Christmas considering the ONLY people aware of such "paganism" are scrooges and cranky "scholars".

NO ONE knows or cares about the sun god anymore. No one cares about any sort of pagan roots to having a tree. There is NOTHING pagan about getting famly together to eat a meal and give gifts. No one knows anything about any pagan roots to lights.

It's pretty hard for something to be pagan worship when no one who has those things is aware of anything remotely pagan about them. The tree isn't pagan when no one thinks of it as anything but a tree. The lights aren't pagan when no one thinks of them as anything but pretty lights. The day itself isn't about sun god worship when no one even believes there is a sun god.

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

Oh come on! Take a pill and look around for a moment.

If you want to blast the commercialization of the holiday, Ill stand beside you and scream too. But the "pagan" stuff is an old dead useless horse. It is meaningless. Yeah I bet God is just SOOOO offended that there are "pagan" aspects invovled in Christmas considering the ONLY people aware of such "paganism" are scrooges and cranky "scholars".

NO ONE knows or cares about the sun god anymore. No one cares about any sort of pagan roots to having a tree. There is NOTHING pagan about getting famly together to eat a meal and give gifts. No one knows anything about any pagan roots to lights.

It's pretty hard for something to be pagan worship when no one who has those things is aware of anything remotely pagan about them. The tree isn't pagan when no one thinks of it as anything but a tree. The lights aren't pagan when no one thinks of them as anything but pretty lights. The day itself isn't about sun god worship when no one even believes there is a sun god.

According to the word of God... God does. And He is not a no one in my books.

[Nitehawk013]

If God is so angry about CHristmas because it has pagan roots no one knows about, then would God also be angry and condemn men who partake of meat offered to idols when they didn't knwo it was meant for idols?

Yet God inspired Paul to write just the opposite. Give thanks and eat giving no mind for what it was intended for. It may have been meant for idols, but that didn't matter.

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

If God is so angry about CHristmas because it has pagan roots no one knows about, then would God also be angry and condemn men who partake of meat offered to idols when they didn't knwo it was meant for idols?

Yet God inspired Paul to write just the opposite. Give thanks and eat giving no mind for what it was intended for. It may have been meant for idols, but that didn't matter.

I'm not going to continue in this volley this year.

Scripture and factual history vs a retort based upon personal opinion equals a continuous loop with no progress.

[Trouvere]

I have seen both sides and been on both sides of this argument. I think its a good time
for the church to have services and use every opportunity to win someone to Jesus.
I am not an advocate of Christmas nor a dictator of choice. We don't do it in our household. My husband feels the same about it as does Brother D4T. However we
don't go out and condemn others. People have to come to their own convictions and
conclusions.

[Nitehawk013]

If it's a conviction then I say fine. Good for you. You better be true to what God deals with you about.

But don't try to spin scripture to support some anti-Christmas humbuggery. It's a crock. If God didn't tell Paul to condemn those who ate meat intended for idols, then there is no foundation for condemning people over celebrating a holiday that was meant for idols over 2 millennia ago.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

If God is so angry about CHristmas because it has pagan roots no one knows about, then would God also be angry and condemn men who partake of meat offered to idols when they didn't knwo it was meant for idols?

Yet God inspired Paul to write just the opposite. Give thanks and eat giving no mind for what it was intended for. It may have been meant for idols, but that didn't matter.

The Jehovah Witness are a big turnoff to me. So, I will celebrate Christmas in its entirety - trappings and wrappings!

It's a wonderful time of year to celebrate, decorate, visit with family members and fellowship in general. It's a wonderful time. They can't put out enough Santa Clause figures to make people forget - Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

I don't think there is anything wrong with setting aside a particular time of year to, specifically, celebrate the day Jesus was born in a manager. That doesn't mean, as Christians, we don't celebrate that all year long. It's the same as setting aside that one day - your special day - your birthday. No difference, IMO.

[Digging4Truth]

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

If it's a conviction then I say fine. Good for you. You better be true to what God deals with you about.

But don't try to spin scripture to support some anti-Christmas humbuggery. It's a crock. If God didn't tell Paul to condemn those who ate meat intended for idols, then there is no foundation for condemning people over celebrating a holiday that was meant for idols over 2 millennia ago.

Okay... one more post... LOL...

The analogy you give between eating meat offered to idols and practicing Christmas is flawed.

In the situation Paul was dealing with there was pagan ritual... and then meat offered in that pagan ritual.

Paul never said it was okay to take part in the pagan ritual. He said it was okay to eat the meat that was sold as an aftermath of the pagan ritual.

What Paul was saying would be tantamount to saying that it was okay to buy Christmas candy etc.

Wouldn't you agree that Paul was not stating that they could take part in the ritual itself but only stating that they could eat the food product that was associated with the ritual?

[Trouvere]

Originally Posted by Nitehawk013

If it's a conviction then I say fine. Good for you. You better be true to what God deals with you about.

But don't try to spin scripture to support some anti-Christmas humbuggery. It's a crock. If God didn't tell Paul to condemn those who ate meat intended for idols, then there is no foundation for condemning people over celebrating a holiday that was meant for idols over 2 millennia ago.

Yes but then Nitehawk if someone does have a conviction over it then those
who do so don't have to condemn them for obeying their conviction and what
they feel the Word teaches. That reasoning goes both ways. We are not
to let our liberty be a stumbling block.