Question:
with Xmas on the horizon, how many Christians know that the date of Xmas was adopted from pagan festivals?
2008-12-05 13:26:11 UTC
Saturnalia, Yule, Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, the birth of attis (roman), the birth of dionysus (greek), the birth of osiris (egyptian), the birth of mithra (persian). All of these pagan festivals are celebrated on December 25th. Do Christians KNOW that the date of Xmas day was adopted from these pagan festivals? Why do the IGNORE the pagan influences on their religion?
21 answers:
Acorn
2008-12-05 13:28:26 UTC
Sure. I thought everybody knew that. We're not ignoring anything. So what if it started out as a pagan solstice festival? Does that make it any less joyous or celebratory? I don't see your point.
mithril
2008-12-05 13:46:24 UTC
I was with you until you said they ALL were celebrated on the 25th of December. Yule is actually the shortest day of the year, which can fall from the 19th to the 23rd, but rarely if ever on the 24th or 25th.



But yes, it does have pagan roots because of the apostles decision to include gentiles (non-Jewish) people in the spiritual teachings of Christianity. It is even more closely related to Hanukkah, from which Christianity emerged, since Jesus Christ was Jewish.



It is widely accepted that the actual birth of Jesus Christ was not in the winter (the shepherds in the fields, the wise men travelling, the consensus of the people) but rather in the spring. But it was celebrated in the winter so new Christians could partake in the festivities of the season and not feel left out.



So, yes, some Christians are aware of this and do not try to ignore the roots of their religion and its holidays, and try to respect the holidays of others happening around them.



Edit: Sorry, Samwise. Easter is celebrated in the spring because it coincides with the Jewish holiday of Passover, the last supper that Jesus Christ had with his apostles. But otherwise your rant was really cool.
2008-12-05 13:46:19 UTC
Yes we know these things. When the Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian in 319 AD Pagan Rome did not become Christian. The visible Christian Church became Romanized or Paganized..... the Roman Catholic Church was born .This is the legacy given Christendom by the Roman Catholics . The Christ Mass The original Church was not Catholic as the RCC claims , neither was Peter the first Pope. The Apostle Peter was a Jew as were nearly all the first Christians. We who love & understand Christianity's Jewish roots also celebrate " The Festival of Lights " Unfortunately the pagan holiday of Christmas has become ingrained in our faith. But let us not dwell on its origins but on what it has truly become . It has become to most people a secular time of exchanging gifts , Santa Clause , trees, decorations and etc. It has become to true Christians a time of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Why do pagan non believers rub our noses in Christmas' pagan roots? It only shows either your own hypocrisy if you celebrate Christmas or your ignorance of God and his son Jesus Christ. It in no way takes the joy away from a true Christian that loves Christ and the celebration of his birth. Hark the herald angels sing glory to the new born king . I Love Christ therefore I love Christmas even if it did have pagan roots. Get a life!
Rebecca A
2008-12-05 13:33:44 UTC
*clears throat politely* Yule in the Pagan ways is actually celebrated on December 22nd.



But to your point. When I was growing up in the deep south, dare I say it..."Southern Baptist" no doubt. Our church never mentioned any religions of old even in a comparitive and try to slant it for their own benefit. They simply aboloshied the ideas completely.



When I took Religious Studies in college I felt like a complete sheep, simply following what was told, without a basis of comparison or anything to challenge what I'd be taught.



Since the Religious Studies course where my eyes were opened, I have come to think that they don't know, or don't announce it because ultimately it's competition to their beliefs. How better to win more "sheep" than to have a "forfeit" so to speak?
Samwise
2008-12-05 13:43:38 UTC
Not just Christmas! The date of Easter was designed to coincide with pagan celebrations of spring (and its name is actually taken from a pagan goddess). St. Valentine's Day was the result of an effort to replace a Roman celebration with one that appealed less to prurient interests.



Actually, a great deal of the Christian religious calendar is related to older pagan festivals. That's not unreasonable; many of those festivals had a character particularly suited to a particular time of year, and Christians found it useful to schedule their celebrations in a similar pattern because

(a) they have themes equally suited to those periods in the northern hemispheric seasonal cycle; and

(b) that way, Christians celebrations would coincide somewhat with the pagan equivalents, which made for less friction.



In some cases, simply practical considerations arose. The restricted diet of Lent was particularly apt to the period in spring when the winter stores are running low and very few crops have been growing long enough to be productive.



Some Christians make a big deal about the pagan associations. For example, the eve of All Saints (or All Hallows' Eve, or Halloween) is widely known for its pagan associations and not observed by many Christians. Similarly, the Puritan regime in England suppressed Christmas celebrations; Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was connected to efforts to revive them, a considerable time later.



But there's no particular reason to emphasize the pagan roots in Christian teaching, so many Christians don't know some of the sources. In that sense, we ignore it, but we don't see any reason to consider it a big deal.



And in some cases we translate traditional symbols to new meanings. I grew up hearing my father preach, many times at Christmas, a sermon interpreting the Christmas tree (often erected in the sanctuary of the church) in terms of Christian symbology, and my awareness of the pagan roots of the tree tradition in no way renders his Christian interpretation invalid.
scioneaux
2016-10-15 09:19:14 UTC
Why can we nonetheless subject answering silly adversarial questions like this any greater? the only pagans around are the neo-pagans who throw jointly a mish-mash of diverse cultural traditions from fragments of descriptions left from almost 2000 years in the past, and phone it a faith. maximum of what they do they took from Catholic ceremonies and cry Foul, the Christians stole this! The Catholic Church switched over the pagan international approximately 1500 years in the past. There hasn't been a real pagan in view that Julian the apostate. Christmas has been the dinner occasion of the incarnation, for over 1500 years, the dinner occasion to commemorate while God grew to grow to be guy and dwelt between us. Pax Christi and merry Christmas besides.
LR
2008-12-05 13:32:05 UTC
Yes, some of us do know it. However, because no one knows the actual date Jesus was born, a date was chosen to celebrate that event, and since celebrations were already being held on that date, this gave the Christians a good time to hold their celebration. Sorry to break it to you, but some Christians are well educated, intelligent people who happen to have faith.
2008-12-05 13:28:53 UTC
Actually, many don't ignore it - It is ignorant of the ones that DO ignore it, but if they just accept it, theres no reason they cannot celebrate Christmas, since it is pretty much a secular holiday now (since the date became so popular due to Paganism)



:)
?
2008-12-05 13:52:23 UTC
Yes. Many of us know. The date was purposefully chosen so that it would be a competing celebration.



It worked! The pagan celebrations are pretty much wiped out.
sabre
2008-12-05 13:28:51 UTC
While they may share a date, the purposes are completely different. The Christian celebration date was chosen to replace the pagan festival, not become part of it.
James W
2008-12-05 13:35:21 UTC
yes i believe the date of christmas was borroed from pagans but not the ritauls or the story of christs birth
2008-12-05 13:32:41 UTC
everybody knows this and also Easter so what we are commemorating events in the life of our lord and Savior Jesus Christ not remembering some pagan ritual
oldernwiser
2008-12-05 13:31:05 UTC
They all know it, but few will admit it. It's all about them, you know. Yes, they celebrate the birth of their jesus, but they just can't accept that the date, festivities, and all the decorations come from other times and religions.
2008-12-05 13:29:11 UTC
Just FYI Jesus came to redeem the whole world and every day of the year. His Church took back all the festivals and holidays that it could from the evil one and rededicated them to God.
2008-12-05 13:29:43 UTC
Not to mention that most Christians have a pagan symbol in their homes...The Christmas Tree...and yet, they chose to ignore that too!
2008-12-05 13:28:35 UTC
just about all of us considering you guys remind us every 5 minutes
⌡Machine Head⌠
2008-12-05 13:29:15 UTC
Yeah, and after sixteen centuries it really doesn't matter.
Hootie McBoobie
2008-12-05 13:37:28 UTC
some choose to ignore it
2008-12-05 13:30:10 UTC
common knowledge - that's why I don't observe it.



Nothing Christian about Christmas
2008-12-05 13:29:03 UTC
YOU ARE KIDDING ME....F IT...I'M AN ATHEIST NOW.





I NEVER heard that before....you opened my eyes.
2008-12-05 13:31:50 UTC
We know they don't.


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