Posted on 12/14/2013 2:56:27 PM PST by InHisService
All right, before you get your freckles in an uproar by reading that title and making a quick, errant assumption about me, let me clarify a few things.
I’m a bible believing, spirit filled Christian. I am not an atheist sympathizer. I do not doubt my faith, nor do I have any doubts about the deity of Jesus Christ. He is my Lord and Savior, and I believe the world is lost without Him.
For years I celebrated Christmas. But last year, I decided to stop celebrating it. Something awoke in me, and I just felt turned off by the whole thing.
As a kid, I was coddled just like most children. Every Christmas my brother and I unwrapped numerous presents, and always got what we wanted.
I remember a new bike one year, and an awesome stereo another. I never gave a thought about how hard my parents had to work to pay for the stuff, and I’m sure children these days don’t, either.
And, we did go to church. If fact, we weren’t the proverbial “once a year’ers;” we went weekly. But being a kid, naturally Christmas was all about the presents.
Raising my daughter, though I was a single mom, my daughter was never deprived at Christmas. And I enjoyed giving to her. She was not a spoiled child as she didn’t get much all year long, so Christmas was the time to indulge her.
Anyway, I’ve wanted to write this article for a while. It’s been niggling at me for quite some time. But I put it off because I didn’t want to appear as a snarky Grinch during the Christmas season. My position is a very unpopular one among Christians.
I believe the Holy Spirit has gotten a hold of me, and after seeing a video discussing a particular billboard American Atheists erected this season, I was compelled to write about my position.
One of the billboards, in New York City’s Times Square, reads, “Who Needs Christ During Christmas? Nobody.” The name of Christ is crossed out.
David Muscato, Public Relations Director at American Atheists had this to say about the billboard and about Christmas:
“Most people don’t care about any religious ties to the season because church and religion are not what Americans care about during this time of year—they care about family and friends and giving presents and food and having fun.”
And right he is. Christians can pretend they are honoring Christ this time of year, but they really aren’t. People are consumed with the retail aspect of it: spending.
Muscato goes on to say, “Many so-called ‘Christmas’ traditions celebrated by Americans have nothing to do with Christianity. For example, the North Pole and Santa traditions come from Nordic and Germanic pagan traditions, and caroling, Yule logs, mistletoe, holly wreaths all pre-date Christianity.”
He is absolutely correct in that statement. In fact, every single Christmas tradition we have was started by, and stolen, from the pagans.
That’s right, everything from the tree, to mistletoe to holly to gifts were all pagan traditions. (I’ve done a lot of research into the origins of Christmas; however, this article is not going to elaborate on it as it is very lengthy. An online search of “Pagan origins of Christmas” will yield a million and a half results. An excellent article on the topic can be seen here, True Origins of Christmas: http://rcg.org/books/ttooc.html )
Said David Silverman, President of American Atheists, “We all love this time of year.
“Christianity has been trying to claim ownership of the season for hundreds of years. But the winter solstice came first and so did its traditions. The season belongs to everybody.”
Right again. How can Christian’s claim Christmas belongs to them when we stole it from non-believers? Additionally, there is nothing in the bible about celebrating Christmas. The fact that atheists celebrate what is supposed to be a Christian holy day is alarming. But celebrate it they do, minus anything Christ.
Not only that, Jesus could not have been, and was not born, on December 25th. Most biblical scholars believe he was born in the fall and the biblical account of his birth testifies to that. The date was selected because it coincided with the idolatrous pagan festival Saturnalia. So the date of Christmas was chosen as a sort of in-your-face way of saying, “We as Christians are stealing your date for ourselves! Take that.” Nice gesture on behalf of God, but it hasn’t turned out well. No wonder why.
Now, I don’t like the group American Atheists. In fact, I despise them. I can’t stand David Silverman, who regularly appears on Fox News and elsewhere to tout his anti-God beliefs. To me, they are bullying militant atheists bent on wiping out God and particularly Jesus Christ from the public square. And they have been very successful in a lot of ways.
So, I’m not agreeing with them for any other reason in this area, but they are right on.
(I have written about some of the atheist lawsuits and their attack on Christianity in an article last year on this blog, “It’s not just a War on Christmas, It’s a War on Christianity,” which can be seen here: http://www.maryckirchhoff.com/2012/12/its-not-just-war-on-christmas-its-war.html )
Christmas has become completely distorted and perverted and what is supposed to be a day to honor Jesus has become a two-month long season of out-of-control shopping and spending, overindulgence of food and drink, massive debt and spoiled children.
Christmas, without a doubt, belongs to retailers, not to Jesus. The season begins around late October, and is in full swing right before Thanksgiving, and goes on til New Years.
So let’s be honest here: during this extended period we call Christmastime or the more politically correct Holiday Season, are we talking about Jesus and his birth? Are we marveling that God sent His Son to Earth to save man from his sins? Are we on our knees praying and thanking God for his provision in our life?
More than likely, if we are a believer we are praying that God will provide the finances to overindulge our children so they can open numerous gifts on that “magical” morning.
What really gets me is many of us in this country can’t afford to purchase unnecessary and over-the-top gifts for our kids. Millions of people either get heavily into debt or skip paying necessary bills so they can impress and coddle their kids. Not giving gifts is simply unheard of.
Kids must go to school upon the return of the break and brag about what they got. And what, pray tell, does this have to do with the birth of Jesus Christ? Absolutely nothing.
The wise men gave gifts to Jesus, you say? That happened when He was a toddler, not at His birth. Saint Nick? Another misconception about giving at Christmas.
While parties and gift giving and receiving is fun, for the majority of people, financial stress is increased at this time of year. Holiday parties (oops, can’t call them Christmas parties anymore) require bringing dishes or purchasing elaborate foods. The shopping, the parties, the drinking, the get-togethers, they are all supposed to be part of the merrymaking. Again, where is Christ in this? Decidedly MIA for most people.
When’s the last time you went to a (I’ll be a rebel here) Christmas party and people were excitedly talking about God? Were they marveling about Jesus being born 2,000 years ago, talking about what a gift it was for God to send His Son?
The only gift I’ll guarantee they were speaking of was most likely their Black Friday conquest where they acquired the latest and greatest gadgetry for their kids that they couldn’t afford and will be paying off for months to come.
Is this what God wants for us at Christmas? Or are we deluding ourselves saying “Keep Christ in Christmas.”? I believe so.
The truth is, Christmas is a great lie. Satan is laughing; being the great deceiver, he has really gotten away with a whopper here. Christ never was in Christmas. The entire Christmas season has millions of Christians deceived. It has been bought lock, stock and barrel by believers. The fact that atheists celebrate it should be a giant clue that it has nothing to do with Christ.
Sure, we can sing beautiful Christmas themed hymns, set up a manger and go to church. That will satisfy the God requirement of the holiday, will it not?
Church on Christmas Eve or Day is about the only time you’ll get an hour or so of pure God. A sermon, some singing, some well-wishing among peers. A couple hours of God stuff for over two months of the so-called “Christmas Season.”
I’m not a math person, but that amounts to a microscopic amount of time dedicated to the Birth of Jesus.
Frankly, Christmas is farce, and I’m betting the whole thing makes God very angry.
Below, the link for the aforementioned Atheist Billboard Targeting Christians:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/2933104645001/atheist-billboard-targeting-christians/?playlist_id=930909812001
“The point is to get people thinking and start a conversation.”
That particular conversation has already been going on.
“Maybe on a good day one or even two of them will mention Jesus.”
Not in my lifetime. Everyone knows it is about Jesus. I think you are just being too cynical.
I'd do the same if it were just me, although I do love the Christmas carols and I enjoy the bright colored lights at a particularly dreary time of the year. They're very pretty.
However, I am outvoted by the rest of the family, so up goes the tree and everyone does their shopping.
That's pretty crass.
You have no idea about the circumstances in a person's life that would lead to that situation.
What about women who got pregnant through rape?
What about women whose husbands committed suicide? (I know one for sure)
What about women whose husbands left them for greener pastures?
What about women whose husbands have died?
What about women whose husbands beat them of their kids? Should they be forced to stay, in your opinion?
That's a lot of ASSumptions you make there.
Actually, she has offended others. Read the comments.
You called it.
I never heard that one before. Got a reference for that? Chapter and verse?
Interesting how angry people get over a man-made tradition.
Food for thought to me. Christmas is a purely man-made birthday celebration, but the bible richly and often requests a celebration of the death and resurrection.
So does Christmas please God? I don’t know. I like Christmas. I wouldn’t tell anyone it is wrong, but neither would I slam the door on any discussion of the merits.
Well said.
I agree with both of your two thoughts.
People constantly over-analyze these things-especially Christmas. The article sounds like someone who can’t afford fancy gifts and wants to justify not buying presents because the “Holy Spirit” told her to do it. Sorry, but if people think Christmas is about giving gifts (even expensive ones), then they completely miss the point.
I for one love Christmas. I love the lights, the decorations, the cookies. I love going to church and singing the carols that we don’t get to sing through the year. I have my USB Christmas tree up at work and proudly display my Santa on the mantle (we always told my son that we pretend there’s a Santa Claus). The snowman collection is out and the nativity is in the breakfast area where we see it at every meal. I don’t need or want presents. I’d be happy with a bit of fruit cake on Christmas day. But I told my family that if they feel the need to get me something, they can get me one of those plastic drawer containers from Wal-Mart or Target for $7 bucks. I love those things.
And what tweeks every atheist’s nose and hand-wringing Christian is that Christmas does come round-year after year after year. And every year we see articles like this saying why we shouldn’t have Christmas. I say bah humbug. It’s really man that doesn’t want it. But it’s God that ordained it. So let “Joy to the World” play once more. I never grow tired of it.
I know. I just don’t understand why people don’t point out how pointless her post is instead of letting it get under their skin.
I know but I can’t speak for them. No one is granted the power to offend me. It is how I live.
MAny on FR try the same tack...
You don’t win MORMONs over by declaring that their SECRET rituals are evil.
Nothing says you have to buy into the commercialism to celebrate His birth. Much fun entertainment has been put together to attract attention of kids and they enjoy it - whether you allow your children to engage or not, they will hear about it and see the happiness other kids are experiencing - gonna sit a child down and tell him/her that Jesus (who is their special Friend and who loves them dearly) is demeaned by all the hoopla so it is bad to have fun the way everyone else is? Just asking - I agree it is overboard, but that is no reason to shun the Season.
The Watchtower salutes you!
Needed on your homepage.
I, myself, have episodes of Bah! Humbug from time to time.
There is also the lies we teach our children.
They find out the Easter Bunny did NOT bring the candy, and that Santa did NOT bring the gifts, and we wonder why they don't believe us when we try to tell them that another unseen giver of heavenly gifts is real.
No, REALLY real!!??
Good point!
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