CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE! And that means the internet conversation, even heated debates, will undoubtedly spark on the topic of whether or not Christmas is pagan in origin. Those in the camp of “Christmas is Pagan” will bring up all sorts of arguments supporting their position. Some are more accurate than others, but the one thing you can’t fault with this crew is that they are sincere believers in Jesus Christ and are truth seekers in the most genuine sense of the title. On the opposite end is someone like Kirk Cameron, whose main argument FOR Christmas is traditions like roasted chestnuts and hot cocoa. Not the most compelling defense for Christmas. But what is the actual position we ought to take? According to the Scriptures, it really is up to the individual. If someone feels that they cannot celebrate Christmas because they believe that all of its customs are pagan in origin, then surely, they will have a difficult time celebrating. Meanwhile, if one can clearly see that the celebration of Christmas, while may have some resemblance of pagan rituals, is clearly not the worship of any false deities in our modern incarnation, then it would be totally appropriate to celebrate with the rest of Christendom, the birth of our Savior. Of course, all of us understand that December 25th is not the true birthday of Jesus Christ. However, that shouldn’t stop the rest of the church from using this opportunity to preach the Gospel, since this is the time of year when people are most open to it.

In this FLYBY, Basil and Gonz discuss why they personally feel that celebrating Christmas is not participating in old pagan rituals. Gonz even talks about how he was into the whole, “Christmas is pagan” thing for a while, focusing instead on the feasts of God exclusively. And while he still does observe the feasts, he feels there’s no reason to omit Christmas as part of the seasonal celebration.

LOFI Version Click HERE

The following are links to articles and resources on this topic:

-Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason: Is Christmas Pagan? (http://www.str.org/articles/is-christmas-pagan#.VHbCeWTF9nQ)

-Lutheran Pastor on Christmas: (http://www.orlutheran.com/html/chrmas_pagan1.html)

-Cris Putnam on Christmas (http://www.logosapologia.org/?p=5376)

-Kirk Cameron on how not to defend Christmas? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsIGdv2-idk)

SCRIPTURES TO CONSIDER

COLOSSIANS 2:16

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.

ROMANS 14:3,5,17

The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them…One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind…For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

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