Christians Who Don't Celebrate Christmas: Here's Why
Why do some Christians not celebrate Christmas? Here are the reasons some gave for kicking the Christmas habit:
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"Beyond this, business people, who make most of their income during this time of the year, have increasingly promoted Christmas. Well-meaning people go in debt during Christmas time to give gifts to other people, which in turn motivates other people to give gifts to them. It makes no sense to keep a religious holiday that is not biblical, that Christ never sanctioned, that promotes lying to children, that puts people in debt and that blinds people to what Christ really taught."
—P.A., Georgia
"It is a historical fact that Christmas is not the day or the season when Christ was born. So why observe a day that is a lie? Most people do not want to admit this fact. For example, how does the use of Santa Claus depict the birth of Christ? How does the Christmas tree depict Christ? Celebrating Christmas violates at least the First, Second and Third Commandments of God's Ten Commandments. Observing a pagan holiday is a sin. God condemns the worship of pagan gods.
"The Bible does not command people to observe the birth of Christ as a holiday. This day, Dec. 25, is the date that has been observed for centuries as a pagan holiday in honor of the pagan sun god. God commands those who want to serve Him not to observe pagan holidays or any custom that breaks His holy laws."
—D.S., California
"Our family traditionally celebrated Christmas on Dec. 24. We then followed up with a family day on Dec. 25. One day I had a strong desire to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, which I thought I had been doing up to that point. I met a number of people who were having the same strange experience. We asked ourselves, 'What does God think about Christmas?' 'Are we truly pleasing God?' 'Am I doing something that Jesus did and taught?'
"I began to think of the songs we sang, 'O Tannenbaum' and 'Oh! Christmas Tree.' I had been singing to a tree as though it were alive and had some strange power. We decorated it and placed our gifts below the tree as though the gifts and good feeling emanated from and through the tree.
"I thought about the words to 'Silent Night, Holy Night,' a truly beautiful piece of music. I wondered about shepherds and their flocks in the fields on a lovely evening at the end of December. But this was a contradiction. December was a very cold time of the year and sheep wouldn't be in open fields during that time.
"The Christmas stories about Santa Claus and the shepherds in the fields on Christmas Eve were false. I found out that Jerusalem has rain and cold that time of year and it sometimes snows in the region. Sheep are sheltered in the wintertime, not left out in inclement weather.
"I discovered that the Christmas tree and its ornaments and giving of Christmas gifts come from ancient Roman festivals. I also learned that the Christmas tree represents idolatry, which is an affront to God (Exodus:20:4-5 [4] Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
[5] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;). Jesus Christ never sinned in His life and says we should avoid sin, going against God's will (Hebrews:12:1-4 [1] Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
[2] Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
[3] For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
[4] Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.).
"The gifts our children had asked of Santa Claus created a financial burden on us. The lies about Santa Claus and his flying reindeer were misleading our children.
"Also, the Bible tells us it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts:20:35I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.). During Christmas time, I saw little joy in giving and I saw children always expecting to receive. I have come to understand that godly blessings come from carefully obeying God. This is why I don't keep Christmas."
—B.B., Canada
"God tells us to avoid the ways of the ancient pagans. Though modern Christianity observes Christmas, this is where it came from. To be frank, Christmas is a lie. Christmas is a substitute for righteous behavior. It makes people think they are doing good things for God, which somehow does Him service."
—A.H., Australia
"I have heard that Christmas has been around for nearly 4,000 years. If that is true, and I think it is, I do not see any evidence that the early apostolic Church observed Christmas or tried to 'Christianize' a pagan festival that predated Christ's birth.
"It seems clear to me that the apostles and early Church kept the Holy Days recorded in the Old Testament, and there are several Old Testament scriptures that speak about the Holy Days being kept by all people after Christ's return to earth. The Bible is clear that we are to shun paganism and observe the annual Holy Days and the weekly Sabbath day."
—D.N., Oklahoma
"I figure you can't go wrong sticking with what the Bible says and by following the example of Jesus Christ Himself and the apostles and early Church. They never kept Christmas or anything like it. They knew what the Scriptures said about trying to use other religions' practices to worship and honor God. It just doesn't work; God expects better from us.
"It's a shame that most people have never looked into the Bible and history to learn for themselves the true origins of Christmas. It's an eye-opening study, one I started when I was only a teenager. I've learned so much more about what God is all about and what He wants and expects from us since I started relying on His Word rather than human traditions that have no basis in the Bible."
—R.A., Colorado
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