Why is it Wrong to Celebrate Christmas?
Voiceover: Next on That’s in the Bible!
[Video: Question from Trisha of San Diego, CA]
Trisha: Why do some religions not celebrate Christmas?
[Video: Question from Carlos Aloyo of San Diego, CA]
Carlos: Why do all the different Jesus-branded religions celebrate Christmas when it’s pretty much a proven fact that Christmas was actually a festival during Roman times, and it was used as a symbol for Jesus when in actuality that was not Jesus’ birthday?
[Video ends]
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DECEMBER 25 WAS NOT THE BIRTHDAY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
See to it that nobody enslaves you with philosophy and foolish deception, which conform to human traditions and the way the world thinks and acts rather than Christ.
[Colossians 2:8 Common English Bible]
[Show open]
Is Christmas found in the Bible?
Brother Bob Pellien: Hello, I’m Brother Bob Pellien. Thanks for joining us in this episode of That’s in the Bible. Our first question today comes from Trisha from San Diego, California. Here’s what Trisha asks:
[Video: Question from Trisha of San Diego, CA]
Trisha: Hi, my name is Trisha, and I’m from San Diego, California. My question is why do some religions not celebrate Christmas?
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Why do some religions NOT celebrate Christmas?
Brother Bob: Trisha, thank you very much for your question. You know, every year at the time of some of the large holidays—the big holidays—there are those who take notice of various organizations—what they do, and what they do not do—and they become curious. Here in the Church Of Christ, we don’t put up Christmas trees in our homes and such, and we don’t hang the tinsel and Christmas lights and do various of the other practices of Christmas, and it always makes some like you, Trisha, and others wonder why we do not celebrate Christmas, and because in their mind they’re thinking that we are opposing the birth of Christ.
Clearly, the Bible records the birth of Christ, but nowhere does it record the instances of celebrating with Christmas trees, the birth of Christ with Christmas trees, and lights, and gift exchanges, and all things that are done at Christmas time. Why don’t we do those things? Is it bad to do those things? Let’s go to the scriptures for some Biblical answers to these questions. First, we turn to Deuteronomy 12:32 where the Lord’s instruction goes like this:
See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.
[Deuteronomy 12:32 New International Version]
Brother Bob: The Lord’s instruction here is very clear. He said, “Do what I have commanded.” If then God commanded to celebrate the birth of Christ by means of Christmas trees and lights and tinsel and exchanging of gifts and all the other frills that has become just but so normal for celebrators of Christmas, then we must all jump in and do that. But God clearly said, “Do what I have commanded you,” and then He gave an important secondary instruction, which was what? “Don’t add to it”; don’t add to what the Lord commanded to be done. Well, why not add? His further instruction was penned down by Apostle Paul like this; in his letter to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 6:
These things, my brethren, concerning myself and Apollos I have pictured for your sakes, that in our example you may learn not to think beyond that which is written,…
[1 Corinthians 4:6 Lamsa Bible]
Brother Bob: We will not, then, come up with any invented ideas or such on what we should do at times of Christmas, December 25th, because the Lord said, “Don’t even think beyond what is written.” Much less come up with some kind of a festival, some kind of a birthday celebration, and use trees, and lights, and candles, and gift-giving, and all such things, which are totally absent from the commands of the Lord, and He said, “Don’t add, and don’t take away from His instructions.”
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But maybe someone would logically want to pose the question and say, “Well, you know, it’s just a tradition—no big deal.” Regarding that philosophy of, “Well, it should be okay because it’s just a tradition that we’re doing. We’re not trying to oppose God or oppose Christ by the various practices that we engage in at Christmas time; just a tradition.”
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Why do some religions NOT celebrate Christmas?
Does the Bible have anything to say regarding that philosophy or that way of thinking? We turn again to the Bible; this time, the book of Colossians, chapter 2, here in verse 8, it says:
See to it that nobody enslaves you with philosophy and foolish deception, which conform to human traditions and the way the world thinks and acts rather than Christ.
[Colossians 2:8 Common English Bible]
Brother Bob: So, you know, Trisha, one may say then, “Well, it’s just the way the world is traditionally celebrating; it’s just the way the world is doing this or that.” Well, the Bible was very, very clear – not to go along with the philosophical traditions, and what is, the actions of the world instead of what the Lord has given us to do.
Was Jesus born on December 25?
Brother Bob: There are those who have noticed historical elements of Christmas and here’s one who has taken note of some of the history behind Christmas. Let’s take a look at what he says.
[Video: Question from Carlos Aloyo of San Diego, California]
Carlos: Hi, my name is Carlos Aloyo and I’m from San Diego, California, and my question is why do all the different—I don’t know how to say this—”Jesus-branded” religions celebrate Christmas when it’s pretty much a proven fact that Christmas was actually a festival during Roman times, and it was used to . . . it was used later on as a symbol for Jesus when in actuality that was not Jesus’ birthday, and it was in fact just a holiday for the Romans.
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Why do Jesus-branded religions celebrate Christmas when they know it’s a pagan festival?
Brother Bob: Thank you also, Carlos, for your question, and as we can all notice, in the question of Carlos, he makes mention that “Jesus-branded” —if we’ll use Carlos’ terms—”Jesus-branded” religions are celebrating Christmas, and may not have looked into its historical roots. He made mention that it has a connection to some Roman festivals. So, let’s check some historical documentation about that. For example, if we were to turn to the New International Dictionary of the Christian Church, page 223, it says this:
There is no authoritative historical evidence as to the day or month of Christ’s birth in Jerusalem.
[J.D. Douglas Zondervan Publishing House, pg 223]
Brother Bob: So, Carlos, it’s really very correct. Looking in the history, one is never going to find anywhere in the Bible, or in any historical documents for that matter, that Jesus was born on December 25th. There is just no claim to that Biblically, no claim or finding of it in history—it is simply not so. While one may say, “Well then, how did December 25th come to be the day that everybody celebrates Christmas, the birth of Christ?”
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CHRISTMAS: THE BIRTH OF CHRIST?
Why did they pick December 25th? I’d like to quote from another book. This one is entitled Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs by Francis Weiser. He writes on page 60 the following . . .
In fact, it was expressly stated in Rome that the actual date of the Saviour’s birth was unknown and that different traditions prevailed in different parts of the world… the choice of December 25 was influenced by the fact that the Romans, from the time of Emperor Aurelian (275), had celebrated the feast of the sun god (Sol Invictus: the Unconquered Sun) on that day. December 25 was called the ‘Birthday of the Sun,’ and great pagan religious celebrations of the Mithras cult were held all through the empire.
[Francis X. Weiser, The Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle in the State of New York; pg 60]
Brother Bob: They did pick December 25th, and they had a reason for picking December 25th. They wanted to unite it with the “Birthday of the Sun.” S-U-N, not S-O-N. The sun god, Sol Invictus, and the Roman Empire and the pagan cultures surrounding them began to mesh together and it became, then, a Christianized, pagan festival —picking December 25th and the various practices of pagan cultures, like the tree, and the lights, and the candles, and the gift-giving, and all such things like that, which did not come from Holy Scriptures.
And for the people of God—members of the Church Of Christ—we simply step aside from all those things, and give glory to God for the birth of Christ, our Savior, and His sacrificial death on the cross for the redemption of our souls. And we won’t celebrate instead the pagan festivals.
The Church of Christ does not celebrate Christmas
Brother Bob: Lee Cunningham from Kent, Washington, also took note of the [Christmas times] by posing his question like this.
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If national holidays like Christmas are against the Bible, then why are they celebrated?
Brother Bob: You know, dear friends, Lee’s question is of utmost importance because asking why are there still those celebrating Christmas when it clearly has no roots in Holy Scripture, has its roots in pagan festivals and service and traditions offered to false gods in ancient times—why are there still those who celebrate it? Maybe there would be those who want to jump in and say, “Well, because it’s fun,” or, “I don’t mean ill respect to God.” But, you know, the Bible does have an answer why, Lee. There are still so many who are demanding their own way, insisting on what they like, and what they want, rather than the simple, important truths of scripture. And the reason—it’s recorded here in 2 Timothy, chapter 4, and it’s worded like this in verse 3:
The time is coming when people won’t listen to good teaching. Instead, they will look for teachers who will please them by telling them only what they are itching to hear.
[2 Timothy 4:3 Contemporary English Version]
Brother Bob: Lee, that’s the reason. Because people will seek out actual preachers who will tell them that what they are doing is fine. People nowadays will search out teachers and preachers who are not interested in the teachings that will come from their lips—having their roots in the Holy Bible—but rather will have their roots only in their own whims and desires to satisfy the people who will be listening to them, rather than satisfying or giving glory to God, who has created us. And given to us His laws, and His commands. For us, members of the Church Of Christ, who bring to you this program each week—our stand remains the same.
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If national holidays like Christmas are against the Bible, then why are they celebrated?
We will follow the laws of God recorded in the Bible. And Lee, we will not edit even one of them. Even if it would make so many others happy; they would love to hear us say, “Oh Merry Christmas! Oh, do this and do that. It’s all fine, well and good.” But here in the Church Of Christ, why is it that we will always stick to the laws of God, the best of our human capacity, no matter what? Answer of the Bible again. This time, recorded by the Apostle James, chapter 2, verse 10…
If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all.
[James 2:10 Contemporary English Version]
Brother Bob: One cannot edit, pick and choose what laws of God they want to embrace, what laws of God they want to throw away, and change for pagan festivals instead. We don’t have that privilege. True servants of God will always be obedient. And when God said, “Don’t even think beyond what is written. Don’t add to it. Don’t subtract from it,” the people of God here inside the Church Of Christ—members of the Church Of Christ —that will be a principal, a Biblical principal, we will embrace with all our heart, and we share it with you today, as we do each and every time that we meet on this program. Well, that’s all we have time for today. But if you also have questions that you’d like us to address here on this program, please e-mail us.
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And we’ll use the guidance of the Holy Scriptures to help you find your answers, the truth that’s in the Bible.Thanks for watching. I’m Brother Bob Pellien and we’ll see you again next time.
