THE CHRISTMAS CONTROVERSY

Is Christmas an accommodation to paganism?  Are there valid reasons for avoiding this celebration?  In this essay, we will evaluate the various objections to celebrating Christmas and determine whether these objections are legitimate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
My name is David Kroll.  I am married and have three children and five grandchildren. I have been an ordained Christian minister for the past fifteen years and presently co-pastor a Christian church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 


THE CHRISTMAS CONTROVERSY


TO AVOID NARROW COLUMNS OF NARRATIVE WHEN PRINTING THIS ESSAY, IT IS BEST TO COPY AND PASTE IT TO YOUR WORD PROCESSOR AND PRINT IT FROM THERE.


       Christmas is a major celebration in the Western world.  It is observed by Christians and non-Christians alike.  While its original purpose was to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, it has for many become a secular holiday.  Many that celebrate this holiday pay little attention to its original purpose.  Every year we hear from some in the Christian community that we should put Christ back into Christmas. Others in the Christian community answer by asserting that Christ was never in Christmas in the first place.  Those who take this position believe the Christmas celebration is an accommodation to paganism and should be avoided at all costs.


       Is Christmas an accommodation to paganism?  Are there valid reasons for avoiding this celebration?  In this essay, we will evaluate the various objections to celebrating Christmas and determine whether these objections are legitimate.

       Objection #1: It is observed that birthday celebrations recorded in the scriptures have negative consequences.  When Pharaoh had a birthday celebration his baker was put to death.  When Herod celebrated his birthday, John the Baptist was put to death. When the sons of Job were supposedly celebrating their birthdays, they were all killed. It is therefore concluded that that we should avoid birthday celebrations including that of Christ.


        This is a Non Sequitur argument. A Non Sequitur is where the conclusion does not follow from the premise. To say that bad things happening at a birthday celebration means that such celebrations are bad in general is a Non Sequitur. Bad things happening at a birthday celebration do not translate into birthday celebrations in general being bad.  It does not logically follow.

       Objection #2:  It is seen that the Christmas celebration was established on a date when the Roman world had a celebration in honor of the sun god.  It’s concluded that to celebrate the birth of the Son of God on this date is to really be celebrating the birth of the sun god. This is another Non Sequitur argument.  It doesn’t follow that because pagans worshiped the sun god on December 25th that we are doing the same when we celebrate the birth of the Son of God on that date.  Christians do not celebrate Saturnalia. They worship and celebrate Jesus Christ coming into the world as the Savior of mankind.  Christians do not worship Baal, Sol, Osiris, Horus, or Mithra on December 25

        Objection #3: The celebration of Christ’s birth on December 25th is seen as illogical as it is believed Jesus Christ could not have been born anywhere near that date. Evidence is offered for Christ’s birth taking place during the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall.  It is seen from scripture that Christ began His ministry when He was about thirty years old. His ministry lasted three and one-half years and ended when He was crucified at the time of the Passover in the spring three and one-half years later. Backing tracking three and one-half years would take us to His ministry beginning in fall and going back thirty more years would take us to a fall birth.

       It is pointed out that John the Baptist was conceived in early summer based on when His Father, Zacharias, was thought to have finished serving in the temple.  Since it is believed that John was conceived in early summer, he would have been born nine months later in the early spring. The scriptures show that Christ was born six months after John. Six months after a spring birth for John takes us to a fall birth for Jesus.

        The scriptures show Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem to be taxed and finding nowhere to stay. It’s concluded that it must have been the time of the fall Feast of Tabernacles as Jerusalem and all surrounding towns such as Bethlehem would be filled with people looking for a place to stay.  

       The scriptures show shepherds were out in the fields at night when Christ was born and therefore it is concluded this could not have been in the winter when the shepherds would have had their flocks indoors.


        Let us examine these objections to celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25th.  It is true the scriptures say Jesus was about thirty when He began His ministry. What the scriptures don’t tell us is how close to thirty He was. Was it within several days, several weeks or several months of being thirty?  If it were within several months it would create problems for establishing his birth at the time of the Feast of tabernacles in the fall of the year.  The truth is, we just don’t know for sure when Jesus Christ began His ministry. 

       The argument that Christ was born in the fall because John the Baptist was born six months earlier in the spring is based on certain assumptions made about the time John’s father Zacharias served in the Temple and the time that his wife Elizabeth became pregnant with John. These assumptions have been argued back and forth for centuries with nothing conclusive being determined.  Furthermore, if one counts back from the time the temple was destroyed in A.D. 70, Zacharias would have been serving at the temple in the first week of October.  This would place the birth of Christ at the end of December or in early January.  Some Christian groups believe the correct date is January 6th.  Therefore, to use the time of Zacharias service in the temple as proof of when Christ was born becomes very problematic.


       In regard to there being no room in the inn; we can’t be sure this was because of Bethlehem being overrun with people.  It could simple have been that Mary was ready to deliver, needed to find a place quickly and since there was no room in the particular inn that they stopped at, they used the manger.  We just don’t know for sure what the dynamics were that led to the manger birth.

       Even the matter of the shepherds supposedly not being in the fields in winter is problematical. Some ancient Jewish sources indicate that some shepherds and their sheep stayed in the fields all winter long.  In Genesis 31 we see Jacob complaining to Laban about suffering from the cold at night while shepherding his sheep and goats.  While it can get chilly at night in mid-winter Judea, it is still a Mediterranean climate and therefore nothing like people experience in the Northern Hemisphere.


       Objection #4:  It is argued that the Christmas tree is condemned in the scriptures. It is believed that Jeremiah is talking about Christmas trees in the following passage:

     Jeremiah 10:1-9:  Hear what the LORD says to you, O house of Israel.  This is what the LORD says: "Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them.  For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good."  No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.  Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols.  Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple-- all made by skilled workers (NIV). 

       The context of this passage is the making of idols. Jeremiah was not talking about Christmas trees but about making idols from wood, which the people would then bow down to and worship.  Christmas trees are not idols. Nobody worships them.  Jeremiah was not condemning Christmas trees. He was condemning idolatry. 


        With this being said, there is an interesting passage in Hosea where God is speaking to Israel and and analogizing Himself to a green pine tree.  As we all know, a pine tree is always green. It is always alive.  God uses the pine tree as a symbol of His continual presence and source of fruitfulness. This being the case, it does not appear out of line to use a pine tree in celebration of the birth of the Savior of the world.


       Hosea 14:8: O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols.  I will answer Him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me (NIV).

 

       Objection #5:  It is pointed out that God commands us to not add anything to what He has specifically revealed as to how we worship Him.  Deuteronomy 12:29-31, is often cited to support this perspective.


     The LORD your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, "How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same."  You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it (NIV).

 
       On the basis of this scripture, it is determined that the celebration of Christmas is adding something that is nowhere sanctioned by God. Since it is felt that the observance of Christmas is an accommodation to paganism, Deuteronomy 12:29-31, is seen as a direct prohibition against Christmas. It is believed we should not worship the one true God in the manner that the pagans worship their gods.  It’s argued that since the pagans worshiped the sun god during Saturnalia with celebrations, which included decorating their homes, singing songs, having family get-to gathers, etc., we should not be doing such things in worshiping the one true God.  Celebrating the birth of Christ is associated with doing “detestable things that the Lord hates.”


        This passage in Deuteronomy is dealing with idolatry and certain behaviors connected with idolatry that were the detestable practices that God hates.  God was not condemning all worships practices conducted by pagans. If we are to apply Deuteronomy 12 in some universal sense, then Israel would have been prohibited from having a priesthood, doing sacrifices, tithing, having festivals, practicing circumcision, building a temple and a host of other worship practices that pagans also did in their idolatrous worship.

 

       If we are to apply Deuteronomy 12 to negate the Christmas celebration we must also negate prayer, kneeling to pray, singing of hymns, communion service, baptism and a host of other worship activities as these are all things pagans have done and continue to do to this very day in their worship of other gods.   Once again we see a Non Sequitur argument. The conclusion simply does not logically follow from the premise. The premise is that all pagan methods of worship are detestable to God.  This simply isn’t true.


        If we were to begin sacrificing our children to God, that would be detestable.  If we would begin to cut ourselves with knives in our worship service, that would be detestable.  If we began to have chapel prostitutes, that would be detestable.  These are the kind of worship practices the scriptures reveal to be detestable things that God hates.


        Putting up a Christmas tree, decorating our homes, singing hymns in honor of the birth of Christ, exchanging gifts in celebration of the greatest gift of all coming into the world, are not the detestable things that Deuteronomy is talking about.


       It is argued that nowhere does the Bible command us to celebrate the birth of Christ.  Some feel we should only observe the festivals that God instructed Israel to celebrate such as Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Atonement, Trumpets and Tabernacles.  These festivals were given to Israel within the context of the Covenant that God made with them.  These festivals have been fulfilled in the Christ event and their observance is not a continuing requirement under the New Covenant. (See my essays, Hebrews: A Study In Covenantal Transition and When Does Christ Return? for a complete overview of the dynamics that led to establishment of the New Covenant). Furthermore, there are ample examples of followers of God establishing their own forms of worship in addition to what God specifically required of them and not being condemned by God for doing it.


       God never commanded David to build a temple.  It was David’s idea.  David felt that since he lived in a palace, the ark of God should be in a temple. David was not condemned for this. God supported the project but choose to have David’s son Solomon build the temple.


      In the book of Esther we find the Jews being victorious over their enemies and establishing a day of celebration where they thanked God, feasted and exchanged gifts among themselves.  This celebration is still observed and is known as the feast of Purim. God did not command this, nor did God condemn it.  The Maccabees, in celebration of their victory over Antiochus, established the Feast of Dedication.  We see this feast being celebrated during the time of Christ as recorded in John 10 and it continues to this very day as Hanukkah.  This is not something God commanded; neither do we see God condemning it.


        These examples clearly show that God has not put us in a straight jacket as to celebrations.  God allows us latitude as to how we worship him.  We can worship Him in song, dance, with decorations, stage plays, feasting and any number of ways.  Christmas is one of those ways.  Christmas is when the collective body of Christ can reflect on the great event of the birth of Christ.  Without this event there would not have been a crucifixion or resurrection of Jesus and therefore no salvation.  Celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is as appropriate as any other commemoration of events in the life of Christ.


        Some object to this commemoration being held on December 25th because of this day being associated with pagan worship practices.  It is believed that the early Church deliberately sought to bring pagans into Christianity by converting their worship practices to the worship of Jesus Christ. While the evidence for this is somewhat shaky, the question that needs to be asked and answered is: Would this approach be wrong?  What would be wrong with taking worship practices directed toward false Gods and redirecting them to worship of the one true God?


        As already pointed out, many worship practices are common to all religious systems.  Unless certain practices are specifically condemned in scripture, there is no justification for prohibiting them.  To conclude that because December 25th was a day celebrating the birth of the sun we therefore cannot use that day to celebrate the birth of the Son of God is a Non Sequitur. The conclusion does not follow from the premise.


        Some feel strongly that the evidence shows that Christ could not have been born on December 25th   and, therefore we shouldn’t be celebrating His birth on that date.   This is another Non Sequitur argument, as it doesn’t necessarily follow that because we can’t tie someone’s birthday to a specific date that we can’t and shouldn’t celebrate it on that date. In our family we sometimes combine birthday celebrations for several of our grandchildren on a single day with neither of their birthdays being on the specific day we choose. In the United States, Presidents Day is commemorated as the birthday of several of our past presidents. In the past, a specific date was set aside each year for the individual birthdays of Presidents Lincoln and Washington.


        It is often pointed out that Christmas is way too commercialized.  People eat too much, drink too much and party too much.  Many people focus on the secular aspects of Christmas and pay little attention to the birth of Christ.  All of this is true. But we have the power of choice.  We can choose not to eat too much, drink too much, party too much or get involved in the secular and commercialized aspects of Christmas. There will always be people who abuse celebrations and stray far from their original intended purpose.  This does not make such celebrations wrong, in and of themselves.  I have personally attended festivals such as the Feast of Tabernacles, a scriptural based observance, and observed people eating to much, drinking to much and carrying on in ways that did not reflect the intent of the festival.


        Several years ago I attended the Christmas program at a Christian School were my two oldest grandchildren attend. The entire program was focused on the birth of Christ.  I also attended the Christmas program at the public school where my youngest grandchildren attend. Here the entire focus was on Santa Claus.  The name of Jesus wasn’t even mentioned.  This is a prime example of following the intended use of a celebration on the one hand and totally straying from such use on the other hand.  Misuse, however, does not make a particular celebration wrong, in and of itself.  With Christmas, as with all Christian celebrations, we have to choose whether we use the occasion to worship God or only serve ourselves.  We can certainly choose to celebrate the great event of Christ’s birth while avoiding the secular involvements.


       Without the birth of Christ there would have been no crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior.  We would not have a Savior and therefore we would have nothing to look forward to beyond this physical life.  The birth of Christ is central to our Christian belief system. It is the foundation of the gospel.  The Kingdom of God exists because of Christ.

       When Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce that she would give birth to the Son of God, Gabriel said that the child that would be born would preside over a Kingdom that would never end.  The Kingdom is a present reality for us today because of what took place in a small town called Bethlehem in Southern Judea over 2000 years ago.


       The Christ event involves many things.  It involves the ministry of Christ. It involves His death and resurrection.  It involves His ascension to the Father and his return.   But it all starts with His birth.  To celebrate the birth of Christ is to celebrate the beginning of our salvation.  When the angels announced the birth of Christ to the shepherd’s, they announced that a Savior had been born.  The angels are seen as rejoicing because of this.  It is more than appropriate that we two rejoice because of knowing that a Savior has been born.

       Celebrating the birth of Christ is not a commanded observance. Neither is celebrating the crucifixion or resurrection. A decision to join or not join in the commemoration of these events is a matter of choice.  Christians observe these events because these events are central to the Christian belief system. I trust that this examination of the issues surrounding the Christmas celebration will provide the information necessary to make an informed choice.

        

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