The Unofficial Anti-Christmas Thread

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by John Atkinson

By your logic then I can and should go out and buy a statue of Buddha and stick a label that says "Jesus" on it and set it on my mantle with a candle burning beside it and by so doing I am honoring God by taking back an idol and changing it's name.

That logic is seriously flawed Bro. Sorry.

People wouldn't believe it anyway. 'Cause they know Jesus didn't walk around looking like a Sumo Wrestler.

[nahkoe]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

People wouldn't believe it anyway. 'Cause they know Jesus didn't walk around looking like a Sumo Wrestler.

LOL!

But what if He did!?

[John Atkinson]

I want to share with you something I TOTALLY LOVE about Christmas:



FRUITCAKE!

Man I love fruitcake.

[Pressing-On]

Originally Posted by nahkoe

LOL!

But what if He did!?

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by John Atkinson

By your logic then I can and should go out and buy a statue of buddha and stick a label that says "Jesus" on it and set it on my mantle with a candle burning beside it and by so doing I am honoring God by taking back an idol and changing it's name.

That logic is seriously flawed Bro. Sorry.

Eventually buddha and it's customs with be redeemed by christians.

[OnTheFritz]

Originally Posted by Truthseeker

Eventually buddha and it's customs with be redeemed by christians.

Yep. Just like Buddhists.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by John Atkinson

\That is what the catholics did, send in a priest, adapt the local stuff into the catholic religion to keep the natives happy, build a church on the old temple site and you gots religion.

The Catholics were engaged in conquering the culture. We whine and complain about our culture becoming increasingly secular and godless… yet when Christians attempt to integrate the message of Christ into the culture people such as yourself whine and cry about that.

Why not just surrender the nation to Satan and be done with it??? I say no way! Find any and all ways to bring Christ GLORY in the midst of our culture.

So why do we want to "take back" something we neither want nor need? It isn't about puritanical ascetism, it is about not worhipping at the altar of idols nor feasting at the table of demons.

An idol is NOTHING. Of course, weaker brothers are easily offended by it, as Paul pointed out. I’d not force you to observe cultural customs such as Christmas trees or what have you… but at the same time… don’t accuse me of worshipping at the altar of idols or feasting at the table of demons for giving gifts, reading the Nativity, and having Christmas cookies with my family.

As for the scriptures regarding Holy days, the churches of Acts were much different than those today... they were comprised of both Jewish and Gentile believers, a mix that often came into cultural clash. The "Holy Days" Paul was refereing to were the Jewish feasts and calendar days... Not the local pagan day set aside for Mithras, Minerva or whoever.

The principle is established. A holy day is in the eye of the observer.

He was instructing the gentiles to let the Jews regard the feast of tabernacles or whatever if they want, and the Jews to not expect the gentiles to observe them if they didn't want. And if a gentile convert wanted to celebrate passover.. fien. let him.

And the gentiles not to judge the Jews for regarding it if they disiered, and the Jews not to allow anyone to judge them over it.

Nothing to do with "taking back" or "Christianizing" times and seasons that honor false gods.

You can retreat into ascetism if you like. But if you do… you have no right to complain about our degrading culture. Period. Either get in the fight or get out of the way.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by nahkoe

Aquila, I know you're going to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about, and that what I'm saying is absolutely impossible. I said it all too when I was cautioned.

But, I know well the path I walked to where I ended up. More and more, your posts concern me. You're playing with a fire you don't understand. Please be cautious. The line gets very blurry the closer you get to it and you may not realize you're over it until you no longer care.

Do you have accountability with someone who will tell you like it is? Don't discount what they have to say if you do. And if you don't, please consider finding someone you can trust to bounce your ideas off of.

And you're wrong. There are at least three types of Christians. I definitely flee from pagan ways and I also take every thought and purpose captive into obedience to Christ. This shouldn't be an either/or.

I guess I’m not Christian for celebrating Christmas??? If that’s the case…. I guess I never have been.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Truthseeker

I just can't wait til we redeem the madi gras!

We redeem something by cleaning it up. We’ve done a fairly decent job with Christmas. Now I think we need to work on Halloween.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Truthseeker

Pagan is pagan whether mexican pagan or indian pagan.

Truthseeker,

Did you know that sermons as they are preached in most churches are based on Aristotelian rhetoric popularized by Sophists? The very structure of the sermon as you know it today is pagan.

Steeples are rooted in ancient phallic symbols on pagan temples of worship.

Dressing up for worship was a custom enforced by pagan Romans and was perpetuated by the Trinitarian church once clergy became Roman officials.

The honest truth is… we’re a Anglo-Saxon culture. We have Anglo-Saxon customs. And we’ve taken many of them and used them as vehicles through which to glorify Christ.