Posted on 12/04/2005 7:27:20 AM PST by DouglasKC
"This borders on anti-Christian propaganda. It's the same BS the imfamous walmart email used for saying happy holidays."
Yup, you said it. However, these Johnny-come-lately-do-it-yourself religions have quite strange ideas about what is and what is not "Christian".
Apparently the great Chrysostom is nothing but an "anti-semite" so I guess there's not much hope for the rest of us.
Pharisees loved scripture alone too, it let them ignore what was clearly the spirit of God so they could profit from legalistic interpretations.
I don't beleive there are many protestants who's churches do not inherit the work of St John Chrysostom, though I know a lot of ignorant protestants who haven't been told his name or what he did for the church.
Actually this isn't an attack on Christianity. It's a rebuke of Christmas. It's a defense of Christianity:
2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Santa Claus is a fable. Our society lusts after gifts. Our itching ears refuse the truth that our Lord created holy days and that they are inviolate.
Which bible translation do you accept as the unaltered, pure word of God? The Message? New International Version? Which one?
Still full of tough love, aren't you, CTID?
**You're so foolish. BTW, are you a Jew or a Christian? Get off the fence.**
CTID, some think you should come down off your self-elevated pedestal.
Me? I (along with my better half) was over to some friends home for supper last night. They had all the decorations, tree, lights, etc. I didn't bring it up, but he admitted the tree is pagan, but just likes to set it up, decorate it, and admire it. I left it at that.
I used to do the same thing. But then after being 'born again', in obedience to the Christ, I too (as Paul proclaimed) became a new creature. All things DO become new. One of those things was the 'tree'. Suddenly I realized that the Lord made the evergreen beautiful, as is; green, with a pleasing scent, a home for his beautiful finches. Bringing the tree into the house, and decorating it, seems so foreign, so vain to me.
We set up a ceramic nativity scene. Nothing spectacular, just like the background around that spectacular birth.
Are we thankful? OOOOHHHH yes!
Are you to judge those who honor Christ by celebrating His birth? Yes, good luck to you too.
No, you're wrong, this is an attack on Christianity and the way that we observe Christmas. Christmas, like many religious rites that do not derrive directly from admonition of Jesus, were made part of the early church worship service in an effort to make Christianity come alive for the many illiterate worshipers. The celebration of Christmas simply gives a special time of year for Christians to remember and celebrate the birth of Christ as told in the New Testament. What's wrong with that?
That translation has been through at least 4 revisions. Which of those revisions is the pure, unaltered word of God?
So are you trying to use this verse to say those who celebrate Christmas are on the path to destruction? Including all Christians?
Please familiarize yourself with the Gospel.
So it's based on tradition. I can't argue against that except to say it didn't really become tradition until hundreds of years after Christ died.
The celebration of Christmas simply gives a special time of year for Christians to remember and celebrate the birth of Christ as told in the New Testament. What's wrong with that?
Christ created holy days to mark, signify and portend what God knew to be important for man. Christmas was not one of these days. Christ also commanded to walk as he walked. He did not celebrate his own birth or command his followers to celebrate his birth. Instead, he observed the holy days that he himself created. Christmas distracts and pulls people away from the truths that are contained in the true, holy, days that he created.
How certain are you of that "fact"?
The NEW TESTAMENT didn't become tradition until hundreds of years after Christ died (Around 150AD).
Also Christ was in fact BORN that is in fact what established Christmas.
If Christmas is a meaningless exercise why did the apostles who wrote about Christ birth do so? Why waste that time in scripture?
The Orthdox Church in America also commemorates Creation on September 1st, however, I've yet to hear any Orthodox suggest that's when Creation occurred. It's just when we commemorate it.
The supposed theologic fuss over commemorating the birth of Christ stems from certain Christians who merely can't stand the concept of any Christian not embracing their every interpretation as the Gospel truth.
Around here, we call them the followers of YOPIS (Your Own Personal Interpretation of Scripture). Not only can their posts be ignored, it is also spiritually advisable.
The basis for the Christian era Santa Claus is Bishop Nicholas of Smyrna (4th century A.D.) The Orthodox Church later raised "St. Nicholas" to the position of patron saint of children and seafarers. His day is December 6th.
Coca Cola stock at this point was selling 20,000 shares a penny.
In 1773 St.A.Claus made his American press debut but was never popularized until 1823 with the poem "The night before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore. At this point Coca Cola stock had been delisted from the exchanges but reappeared in 1886 with a "New Improved Formula by an Atlanta, Georgia pharmacist.
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