Today I made a choice. A choice that goes against the traditions I have grow up around. That tradition is Christmas. If one seeks out the origin of Christmas (Christ Mass) one will find many disturbing things. Christmas is not ordained by our Creator, Advocate and Judge. Seek the truth. The time is short, and it is upon us.
Jesus was not born on December 25th... This is just to a lie from the snake, the serpent of old. I can't sit back and deny Jesus who died on the cross. Does any one else on here feel the same way? Going back to the roots. Being grafted in the true vine and not the vine of Catholicism and Protestant Movement?
For me, participating in Christmas is going against the traditions of my family. My father in particular was against celebrating Christmas, because of its pagan origins.
We've talked about this subject a lot of this forum, so I won't say a
ton about it now. I've thought about it a lot because of the way I grew up to think about Christmas, so if you want to talk about the process I went through to arrive at the position I'm at now, feel welcome to send me a pm. I'll just leave a few ideas to think about:
- The version of Christmas celebrated by the West reflects its origins in only the most superficial of ways. It's really not even the same celebration.
- If the "meaning of a thing" must always be determined by the original representation of that thing, then the "original meaning" of Dec 25 is simply another day God created, and the meaning of a tree is simply a thing God created, and things that God created good cannot be forever defiled for everyone simply because a group of people at a certain time used them for purposes less than good.
- In modern tradition, Christmas actually teaches some pretty good values, like generosity, the value of family, friends and togetherness, kindness toward strangers, and joy and gratitude about life in general (basically Scrooge's lesson in A Christmas Carol). Perhaps these values are not ideally realised in many families' Christmas celebration, but if there is any general cultural awareness of what Christmas is "about," it's probably these things. It's not really "about Jesus," but it's not "wrong" either. Generally, my position on most things is to not get too worked up about things that aren't sin.
- I don't personally feel any particular need to make Christmas about celebrating Christ's birth (although I don't object to people who do). However, on Christmas, my unbelieving nieces and nephews will happily sit and listen to me tell them about Christ's birth. If
their traditions present an opportunity where they will willingly engage me in conversation about the gospel of Christ, I am going to take advantage of that opportunity. In this culture, it's rarely socially appropriate to talk about God, so it seems to be a chance way too good to pass up.
I get where you're coming from, though. I mean, what you're talking about is what I grew up with. Ultimately, if it bothers your conscience, you probably shouldn't do it.
Peace.