The Top 10 Reasons Why I Don't Celebrate Christmas

Good News Magazine ^ | Fall 2006 | Scott Ashley

[DouglasKC]

Learn it, live it, love it. :-)

[Young Werther]

My birthday is March 25th and is "Annuciation Day" when the agnel visited Mary and announced the birth to come. Nine months later Jesus was born ergo Dec 25th!!

BTW several years back a thread addressed the Dec 25th day and suggested that the biblical tale of the sheppards verified the date period since sheep would be calving during the December period. This itme, mentioned in the bible is important proof of the Lord's birthday!!

[DouglasKC]

BTW several years back a thread addressed the Dec 25th day and suggested that the biblical tale of the sheppards verified the date period since sheep would be calving during the December period. This itme, mentioned in the bible is important proof of the Lord's birthday!!

For a different perspective, read this thread, On What Day Was Jesus Born?

It makes a much stronger case for a fall birth, during the feast of tabernacles.

[huldah1776]

The angels celebrated His birth, the wise men came to see the King. I am neither, and have had misgivings about what this holiday has become to pagans. What effect would it have on our witness if we boycotted buying gifts for Christmas and gave to the poor, the widows, and the orphans? There are 45 million orphans in Africa. We could tell people the reason He came in the first place, to save them from materialism.

[Shimmer128]

Let me know when you observe as holy the seventh day Sabbath that God instituted at Creation..

[Ptaz]

1. Christmas is driven by commercialism.

No Retailers are driven by commercialism. You can still celebrate the reason for the season.

2. Christmas is nowhere mentioned in the bible.

That doesn't mean you can't celebrate his birth

3. Jesus wasn't born on or near Dec. 25.

That may be true, but have to pick a time if we celebrate something. When would the author suggest?

4. The Christmas holiday is largely a recycled pagan celebration.

There are pagan aspects to almost every holiday. If you buy into it then so be it.

5. God condemns using pagan customs to worship Him.

But he also honors true worship.

6. Christmas is worshipping God in vain.

If you worship him for the wrong reasons, absolutely.

7. You can't put Christ back into something He was never in.

Sounds like more of a personal problem than a problem with Christmas.

8. The Bible nowhere tells us to observe a holiday celebrating Jesus Christ's birth—but it clearly does tell us to commemorate His death.

By that logic we'd have to quit celebrating all birthdays and holidays. What a boring life.

9. Christmas obscures God's plan for mankind.

True celebration of christmas has us loving each other and honoring Jesus. Seems pretty much in line with God's plan for everyone to me.

10. I'd rather celebrate the Holy Days Jesus Christ and the apostles observed.

Nobody's stopping the author from doing anything. I absolutely abhor articles like this. You should celebrate Jesus and who he is and what he did every day--just not Christmas. If you get involved in the secular stuff associated with Christmas, you're celebrating for the wrong reasons. I would suggest the author needs to get his priorities in line--not try to justify everything biblically.

[DouglasKC]

The angels celebrated His birth, the wise men came to see the King. I am neither, and have had misgivings about what this holiday has become to pagans. What effect would it have on our witness if we boycotted buying gifts for Christmas and gave to the poor, the widows, and the orphans? There are 45 million orphans in Africa. We could tell people the reason He came in the first place, to save them from materialism.

Good point.

[DouglasKC]

Let me know when you observe as holy the seventh day Sabbath that God instituted at Creation..

I started doing that about 5 years ago. Consider this your notice. :-)

[Shimmer128]

:)

Served and noted!!!

[DouglasKC]

To properly address the issues raised by the author, it might be better to address the issues he raised UNDER the headings, and not just the headings themselves... :-)

[LongElegantLegs]

What a smug, self-satisfied guy the author is...

[johna61]

Are you sure this Ashley idiot isn't named Ebenezer Scrooge? Bah humbug barf alert- Hope three spirits visit him.

[DouglasKC]

What a smug, self-satisfied guy the author is...

I've never met Mr. Ashley, but I strongly suspect that's not a true statement of his character. But it is nice to see that you're not bothering to refute the points made in the article.

[DouglasKC]

Are you sure this Ashley idiot isn't named Ebenezer Scrooge? Bah humbug barf alert- Hope three spirits visit him.

Not celebrating Christmas really opens people up to scorn, doesn't it?

[capt.P]

I'm with you, Ptaz. This is just extremism at the other end of the spectrum from the Anti-Christian AntiChristmas crowd.

Let's be realistic and remember that the Christian religions evolve. Things aren't the same as they were 2006 years ago, and the celebration, understanding and knowledge of the faithful reflects that. "Debunking" the history and historical practices of Christianity is interesting to me personally only as an exercise.

C'mon, let's take it further. God's image as a man, and as a powerful, white, bearded man of middle age? Well, that's the image of Zeus, and it sure helped the Greeks to accept our God over theirs when the time came.
Bringing a tree into your house at the onset of winter? Well, we all know that was a druid custom. Christmas at December? Most scholars think that Christ's birth was during lambing and calving season, which is March-April, in the Holy Land, btb, not December. But having the celebration of life and the birth of the Savior in December brought the European Pagans over! There are a hundred more examples.

Call it what you will... I call it practicality. More importantly, it's now a part of our shared history, regardless of how it started.
I can certainly agree on the negative aspects of the rampant commercialism now brought with Christmas.

In one sense, I agree with this Author... skip a couple of Christmases by serving in the military or in a job that requires travel outside of the US, with no friends or family within a couple of thousand miles. When you return, you will find all the disgusting consumerism a minor thing, and the spirit of the season will return you you and your family, closer to perfect that you'd ever imagine!
This is my first Christmas at home in 4 years, btb. I dig it.

[Balding_Eagle]

Not celebrating Christmas really opens people up to scorn, doesn't it?

It may be more the public announcement. Anytime there's a party pooper they invite themselves to scorn.

Jump up at a wedding sometime and try it, just for grins.

[LiteKeeper]

Well, that is one point of view

[LongElegantLegs]

What's to refute? If those reasons work for him, that's fine.
As far as my statements as to his character, well, that's how he comes across in this article. I'm sure he's just charming in person.

[DouglasKC]

It may be more the public announcement. Anytime there's a party pooper they invite themselves to scorn.

That's true enough. Anytime a majority encounters someone who goes counter to popular opinion there's usually some kind of scorn. Whether or not the majority is correct is irrelevant.

[DouglasKC]

Let's be realistic and remember that the Christian religions evolve.

Ah, that's the rub. If one believes that:

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever

Then Christian "evolution" should be minimal, if at all. If one believes that scripture is God breathed, then Christian "evolution" should be minimal if at all.

Things aren't the same as they were 2006 years ago, and the celebration, understanding and knowledge of the faithful reflects that.

Certainly they're not the same. But that doesn't make it necessarily a good thing, or a right thing.