Should a Christian celebrate Christmas? (page 2)

Ding

Where did you get the idea it was wrong to celebrate Christmas and that everyone has to see it that way?

From the Watchtower, which you now know isn't "Jehovah's organization" or "the truth." See how powerful their indoctrination can be? You don't believe it any more but you still have the emotions they programmed into you.

Romans 14:5 says that what days we do or don't celebrate is a matter of personal conscience: "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."

Follow your conscience in this matter, but don't let your conscience be controlled by 8 men in New York who falsely claim to speak for Jehovah.

truth_b_known

I think it is a mischaracterization to say that the holiday of Christmas has pagan roots.

Yes, the winter solstice was celebrated by several cultures that eventually converted to Christianity. Those celebrations would include customs such as using conifer trees to decorate, etc. Yes, this was all done in the religious practice that involves gods with YHWH not being one of them.

However, it is actually a stretch to go: Yule = Christmas = Pagan Holiday = God hates it.

If you saw someone named Steve at a restaurant sitting a table with his closest family and friends in which they were all celebrating Steve would that mean you would be angered if your family and friends organized a dinner party to honor you? Same restaurant. Same table. Same food. Only everyone is having a good time while honoring you. Would you exclaim, "No! This is wrong! This is a dinner party with roots in Steve's dinner party?"

I will say that the holiday Christmas with its practices, imagery, and traditions are found no where in the Bible. If I were a Christian I would be a Catholic and this would not concern me. Catholics do not subscribe to the Protestant/Reformationist Lutheran concept of Sola Scripture (Scriptures Alone). Christmas was adopted by the Catholic Church as a religious holiday. The Catholic Church has a rich tradition of considering and accepting extra-Biblical writings. So, it makes sense.

ozziepost

Samsie:

As an old-timer I add my welcome to you.

You know there was a time when Witnesses celebrated Christmas but in a move to differentiate themselves from “the world” it became a no-no.

Still I can recall my own young years growing up in a Witness family celebrating Christmas up until my high school years.

Like you say, there are happy childhood memories of those family occasions. Let’s face it, it was a joyful time, it was fun!

As others have commented, why not celebrate your children’s birthdays? Those days are an important ‘right of passage’, a recognition of their taking their place in the world, of celebrating how well they are growing into people who have a destiny. The Witnesses cannot point to a scriptural prohibition of birthday celebrations, or Christmas for that matter. They simply parrot the line that bad things happened on birthday celebrations in the Bible. In other words, they are adding “man-made” words to the Bible.

How does your husband feel about all this? That will determine just how much celebrating you do. Even so, I’d suggest you take things a bit at a time, gradually accustomising yourselves to a change in lifestyle.

For myself, I’m very involved in a church these days but when Christmas time comes around I choose not to have a lot of the traditional decorations, but concentrate on what christmas actually means, Christ coming into our world. Different families at church celebrate christmas in different ways, there’s no rules, that’s the important thing.

So, enjoy it!

And again, Welcome aboard!

Cheers,

Ozzie🍷

GabeAthouse

BUT I can't help but feel so conflicted and guilty, because it's pagan right? So how can it be right to?

Do you honestly believe that an omniscient, immortal, universe creator (if it existed) would care about such trivialities?

Anna Marina

I am happy not to have to decorate the house with hedge trimmings.

GodBeliever

The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking with you.”

John 4:19‭-‬26

Everyone can do what they please but Messiah came and he told us everything we need to know regarding our salvation. He never mentioned Christmas. So I assume it's not part of Christian belief and worship to God.

ozziepost

So I assume it's not part of Christian belief and worship to God.

No, it’s not but do you think, or rather know, that it’s part of christian belief and worship? From what I’ve seen snd experienced, christians celebrating christmas do so out of thankfulness and joy, not because it’s some sort of ritual.

He never mentioned Christmas

No, he didn’t just like he isn’t reported as saying a lot of things but we can’t by inference make rules based on the absence of words. Witness teaching does just that and that sentence reads from the Witness play book.

GodBeliever

"In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs."
Hebrews 1:1‭-‬4

"I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me."
John 14:18‭-‬24

"So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
John 18:37

"So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world: but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So that thou art no longer a bondservant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. Howbeit at that time, not knowing God, ye were in bondage to them that by nature are no gods: but now that ye have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how turn ye back again to the weak and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over again? Ye observe days, and months, and seasons, and years. I am afraid of you, lest by any means I have bestowed labor upon you in vain."
Galatians 4:3‭-‬11

‘"And in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
Matthew 15:9

So biased against Jehovah witnesses you cannot discern the bible's truth anymore.

Vanderhoven7

"And in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
Matthew 15:9

A perfect descriptor of Watchtower religion.

The Galatians were in danger of going back under the law for salvation. The Watchtower insists you go under their law for your salvation. You disobey their manmade laws and you will be disfellowshipped and shunned and lose your hope of surviving Armageddon.

Where did Jesus say you shouldn't celebrate Christmas or birthdays or Mother's Day?

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. II Cor.3:17

Where the Spirit of the Lord is not, you are in bondage to men and their man-made rules and man-made salvation.

GodBeliever

Yes Vanderhoven, I agree with you that's why I took the freedom given by God through his Son and do not associate with WT because of all the inaccuracies they teach. However, the freedom to celebrate days with arbitrary provenance is not part of christian life either.If you do not celebrate all these public holidays you will be shunned by those who do too.

Should a Christian celebrate Christmas?

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