Hi All
When a JW tells you Christmas is Pagan, therefore you shouldnt celebrate it, you can refer them to this article. It is discussing wallpaper and other home decorations and what sorts are acceptable.
*** g76 12/22 14 Are They Idolatrous Decorations? ***This appears to suggest that what is important is the attitude of the people using the ‘pagan’ decoration, or symbol. If the person using the decoration, as well as most people in the area where he lives, do not consider the decoration to be ‘pagan’ or in fact have no knowledge of that, then it is not wrong to use that decoration.
”So the Christian needs to be primarily concerned about what? Not what a certain symbol or design possibly meant thousands of years ago or how it might be thought of on the other side of the world, but what it means now to most people where he lives.… With so many different designs having been used in false worship, if a person went to the trouble and took the time he might find an undesirable connection with almost every design he sees around him. But why do that? Would it not be needlessly upsetting? And is that the best use of one’s time and attention?
…Paul, however, also showed the value of concentrating on the things that are of real importance instead of getting involved in controversy over petty meanings and possible connections that are not of obvious significance. (1 Cor. 10:25, 26; 2 Tim. 2:14, 23)”
*****
I can say that most people who celebrate Christmas in my area of the world are not considering the pagan origin of the symbols they use. Also, it is accepted that many things in society, including our calendar, is of pagan origin. As the article says, to search for pagan roots in everything would be “needlessly upsetting”.
So it is settled. They can celebrate Christmas . Or is this just another contradiction? Most JWs have some pagan symbol in their home. Lots of wallpapers have celtic knot symbols on them, or other pagan symbols. Those are allowed, other pagan symbols are not.
Sirona