The Christmas Spirit
The Wake-up Herald
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Romans 13:11-14
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Robert McCurry, Editor & Publisher
December 3, 2012
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The 'Christmas Spirit'
by Robert McCurry
My wife and I were guests at a church last Sunday morning. The auditorium was ablaze with Christmas decorations—six lighted Christmas trees, holly wreaths, and streams of lights and greenery; it was more reminiscent of a shopping mall than a church auditorium; Christmas decorations and lights, whether at a mall or in a church auditorium, serves a common purpose—to create a ‘Christmas spirit.’
The commercial world loves the ‘Christmas season’ and strives diligently to create a ‘Christmas spirit’, not to promote the ‘birth of Jesus’ or advance ‘Christianity’, but to attract customers and sell merchandise.
The Catholic, Protestant, and Baptist religious world also loves the ‘Christmas season’ and strives diligently to create a ‘Christmas spirit’ among their parishioners and potential prospects. Interestingly, these three religious entities have a common affinity with ‘Christmas.’ Sadly, these groups have ‘Christianized’ paganism and use the same props the commercial world use.
Nearly all aspects of Christmas observance have their roots in pagan custom and Roman Catholic religion. Consider the following admission from a large American newspaper, The Buffalo News, Nov. 22, 1984:
“The earliest reference to Christmas being marked on Dec. 25 comes from the second century after Jesus’ birth. It is considered likely the first Christmas celebrations were in reaction to the Roman Saturnalia, a harvest festival that marked the winter solstice—the return of the sun—and honored Saturn, the god of sowing. Saturnalia was a rowdy time, much opposed by the more austere leaders among the still-minority Christian sect. Christmas developed, one scholar says, as a means of replacing worship of the sun with worship of the Son. By 529 A.D., after Christianity had become the official state religion of the Roman Empire, Emperor Justinian made Christmas a civic holiday. The celebration of Christmas reached its peak—some would say its worst moments—in the medieval period when it became a time for conspicuous consumption and unequaled revelry.”
The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, under “Christmas”:
“Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church…The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt.” Further, “Pagan customs centering round the January calendars gravitated to Christmas.” Under “Natal Day,” Origen, an early Catholic writer, admitted, “…In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday.”
The Encyclopedia Americana, 1956 edition, adds,
“Christmas…was not observed in the first centuries of the Christian church, since the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth…a feast was established in memory of this event [Christ’s birth] in the 4th century. In the 5th century the Western church ordered the feast to be celebrated on the day of the Mithraic rites of the birth of the sun and at the close of the Saturnalia, as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ’s birth existed.”
The Toronto Star, December 1984, regarding the selection of December 25th as the birthdate of Christ, an article by Alan Edmonds, entitled, “We owe a lot to Druids, Dutch”:
“The Reformation cast a blight on Christmas. By then, of course, clever ecclesiastical politicians had adopted the Pagan mid-winter festival as the alleged birthdate of Jesus, of Nazareth, and thrown in a few other Pagan goodies to make their takeover more palatable.”
It was 300 years after Christ before the Roman Catholic church kept Christmas, and not until the fifth century that it was mandated to be kept throughout the empire as an official festival honoring “Christ.”
‘Christianized’ props
The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. But the Germans got it from the Romans, who got it from the Babylonians and the Egyptians; holly wreaths, holly berries, and mistletoe were considered sacred to the sun god; their purpose today is to help create a ‘Christmas spirit.’ These pagan ‘props’ should not be in the ‘church house.’
The Lord’s Church needs the presence and power of the Holy Spirit rather than a ‘Christmas spirit’; He alone reveals and magnifies the true Lord Jesus Christ.
“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (II Cor 6:15-18).
Wake-up, Pastors! Wake-up, Christians!
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The Wake-Up Herald is published by Robert McCurry. The publication is designed to exalt the true God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, and inform, inspire, and challenge its readers regarding biblical truth and real-life issues. The contents are the sole responsibility of Robert McCurry and do not represent or speak for or on behalf of any other person or group. There is no subscription charge. The publication is a ministry of faith dependent on the contributions of its readers. Contributions are not tax-deductible. Send all correspondence to: Robert McCurry,605 Moore Rd, Newnan, GA 30263 or herbap@aol.com Remove? Send reply with “remove” in Subject line
