Is Christmas Really a Pagan Holiday?

[@luciepatterson1177]

Our family has put the Christmas cards we received into a basket near our dining room table. Each night we choose one card and pray for that family. We love remembering the people God has blessed us to know and love.

[@FoundationWorldview]

What a wonderful tradition! Thank you for sharing.

[@anikrossignol8809]

That’s beautiful!❤

[@bres.3449]

This channel has put out consistent and valuable information, thank you Elizabeth for what you do.

[@LeslieMatos]

Our Christmas traditions: - Decorating our Christmas cross - Countdown to Christmas ornaments (a devotional) - One book a day about the birth of Jesus/ true meaning of Christmas - bake a cake for Jesus on the 25th

[@MichelleH006]

Our family does not celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense. We believe it’s so important to celebrate Jesus’ birth and read the story several times throughout the year but have strong convictions about the way Christmas is celebrated nowadays. Particularly using or “redeeming” pagan traditions that were kept and reinforced by the Catholic Church to celebrate God. Deuteronomy 12:30-31 says “and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates...” I think some practices are not meant to be redeemed but are meant to be avoided as followers of Christ. God has already been incredibly detailed in his instructions in scripture for worshipping him. But that’s just my two cents. 😂Ultimately everybody’s got to do their own praying and reading and follow God to the best of their abilities. That’s what we are all trying to do at the end of the day. Love this type of content though, keep it up!

[@hannahlevy6074]

This is something I've wrestled with my whole life. What I want to share here is that we don't get to decide what is holy. God does. So we must be careful and humble about "redeeming" things that God has not asked us to redeem.

[@MichelleH006]

@@hannahlevy6074💯

[@bethart1985]

This is our fam's 8th year not celebrating.

[@gigih.2169]

The plundering of the Egyptians...that I needed to hear. I'm struggling with this subject and that helped a lot!

[@PlagueNurseOpal]

I appreciate you always taking the time to answer such important questions through your channel! One other resource I’d like to recommend that you might like are the KZbin videos of the origins of Christmas done By the channel InspiringPhilosophy. There he provides a wealth of historic resources that actually root Christmas and Christmas trees in Christianity and not pagan practices and that pagans actually moved their holidays around to compete with the Christian holiday!

[@stephaniewhittle6269]

I think we are at a point where we do not celebrate OR worship Jesus at Christmas time. We just worship Christmas itself. And we are too blind to see it. Tragic. If it was a true celebration of Jesus, the rest of the world would not be joining in.

[@TheHcjfctc]

I have always loved Christmas, but a few years ago, as I was taking my developmental psychology classes that it really hit different. As I read through the development of human beings from conception on, I couldn’t help but be in awe that our God would limit Himself to that of an emryo, zygote, etc and then go on to experience all we experience through these developmental stages, but even greater, to go on and die for my sins. So absolutely humbling. It’s something of which my heart looks to every Christmas since.

[@mablo8224]

I was on the fence but reading the comment section helped me understand that “the possibility of” pagan roots in Christmas is reason enough not to partake. We don’t want anything to do with worshipping other gods even if we Christian-ize it. Yikes! That’s what they did in the golden calf story of the Bible.

[@ronsmith8340]

Where did they get the gold to make the calf with?

[@mablo8224]

@ from the Egyptians!!!🙈

[@kita3256]

The truth is that us as Christians now we say … “Christmas time is a season where we reflect on God’s goodness “…. But we really do is want to be busy buying gifts and giving gifts and we stress , stress about the festivities. The focus rapidly leaves the main idea, which is Jesus. The truth is that it is pagan just like Halloween. If we say no to Halloween then why not Christmas? The naan bread is a bad example. It’s not comparable. Again, in Halloween many Christians dress up, and make it a Christian holiday, did you know that? Are we doing the same with Christmas? We can celebrate Jesus’ birthday every day of the year. I am currently not 100 percent free from Christmas in our home, but we are leaving it slowly but surely.

[@douglassmith9818]

Kind of a silly question, really. You don’t see Christmas trees being decorated or Santa mentioned in the Bible.

[@alexamerovan]

Not really related....but who else wants to change the calendar so we're no longer honoring Thor, Oden, Tyr, and all the rest??

[@megnlu]

We should focus our hearts & mind on Him daily. The supposed Christmas story is so short in Scripture & not even accurately presented at Christmas. This sounds like a justification so we can continue our worldly celebration, which at the heart created selfishness if we can truly be honest with ourselves. We are carrying on these pagan traditions. Be honest! When did the Lord command us to redeem celebrations for Him. He said the exact opposite. Do not worship Him like the pagan nations do

[@randywortinger5979]

We put up our Christmas tree while listening to Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God. It's such a great way to explain the why behind Christmas and how the whole Bible ties together.

[@FoundationWorldview]

Yes, that album does a great job showing how the Incarnation is woven into the bigger story of Christmas. What a great tradition! Thanks for sharing.

[@alyssacrooks8443]

I haveto respectfully disagree. You said some of xmas traditions are "possibly" pagan, but even very surface level research shows much of it is. The truth is that the facts are readily available for anybody willing to seek them out. Misteltoe, holly, yule logs, the tree, the 25th. None of that has anything to do with Jesus or His birth. There is also a difference between plundering the Egyptians because God specifically commanded it vs trying to "redeem" the holidays & ways of the nations on our own accord without God telling us to. (Lean not on your own understanding comes to mind.) One of the most repeated verses in the old testament that i know of is God telling Israel to remember that He brought them out of Egypt. He reminds them over and over that He was the redeemer who did that. The plundered jewels would be a great reminder of that exodus event that He commanded them to remember. (Passover does that, a day He actually commanded to be celebrated) The truth is, We are warned to not practice the ways of the nations and to be in the world, not of it. And especially not to mix the worlds ways into our worship of the Most High God.The Bible has stern words to say about following our hearts and leaning on our own understanding. There is no evidence the Jesus was born December 25th but indeed that date is tied to pagan gods and rituals. When we could choose any time to celebrate our saviors birth (which isnt commanded) why would we choose that day? I always think of it this way...how would i feel if my husband celebrated my birthday on the same day of his ex girlfriends bday? So why would the church celebrate Jesus on a false gods day?? Why do we return to the vomit?? Honestly, the world is gonna be the world. They can have their worldly days. GOD gave us such wonderful, meaningful Holy Days in His word that He promises to show up for, but we stand Him up for the gregorian pagan days. We are the ones missing out when we stand Him up. Look into the biblical holy days. They are beautiful and relevant forever. So much more than any celebration we would come up with on our own. And they were good enough for our Messiah. He celebrated them faithfully. ❤

[@priscillamacias-rosa3385]

I love celebrating the Feast Days! I stopped Christmas and started the Feast Days and it made me realize how empty the holidays are compared to the true HOLY Days

[@MichelleH006]

💯 this!

[@alyssacrooks8443]

@priscillamacias-rosa3385 amen friend I had the same realization too!

[@TwiFiveGirls101]

This has been my same experience. The biblical feast are so deep and awesome to celebrate.

[@chewsgum]

Mike Winger has a great video debunking the “Christmas trees are pagan” argument from Jeremiah that a lot of Hebrew Rooters use. It’s clear that passage is talking about idols formed by a craftsman, and not about Christmas trees. Merry Christmas!

[@natejacobs137]

Agreed! When I first read that story I used to think it was condemning things like Christmas trees. But like you said it’s actually referring to special craftsman carving up idols to worship. Good point!

[@FoundationWorldview]

Thank you for mentioning that. Mike WInger's video on the topic is excellent!

[@kavikv.d.hexenholtz3474]

Yep - The Biblical account is of a tree cut down and its _trunk_ fashioned into an idol and adorned with gold and silver. The passage refers to the making/carving of a wooden idol from the trunk of a tree and then applying gold/silver leaf to it - a popular technique to adorn wooden objects - think of the funerary objects found in King Tut’s tomb; many were wood with gold leaf applique. The Biblical reference has absolutely nothing to do with an actual tree or Christmas trees in general. Trees were brought into homes _are_ a Germanic custom, but one that originated in the Middle Ages, and were certainly not decorated with gold and silver. The origins of Christmas trees are rooted in present-day Germany and date to the 15th century. The first mention of Christmas trees is in an Alsace ordinance in 1561. Almost no early Germanic pagans thought pine trees were sacred, let alone associated with Christmas. Germanic tribes believed the oak was sacred, not the evergreen tree. The Christmas tree morphed over from so-called paradise trees. There were many allegorical-type plays done in the Middle Ages at various markets. One such play was called the Paradise Play, performed to celebrate the feast day of Adam and Eve, which fell on Christmas Eve. In the dead of winter, not a lot of trees are available, so the “tree of knowledge” was represented by an evergreen fir with apples tied to its branches. There is documentation of trees decorated with wool thread, straw, apples, nuts and pretzels. After the play, the treats would be eaten. The practice likely gave way to having trees in the house at Christmas. In 1419 for example, a guild in Freiburg put up a tree decorated with apples, flour-paste wafers, tinsel and gingerbread. The Christmas tree is not historically attested any earlier than this time period and, as seen, has absolutely zero correlation with the oft quoted passage from Jeremiah.

[@RivkahSayger]

True story, but Christmas as a whole is still a lie. Why would G-D's people perpetuate it? We are not the servants of the 'father of lies' and continuing this tradition of man, absolutely does this.

[@RivkahSayger]

The word became flesh and dwelt among us! And chirstmas has been used by the 'father of lies' to muddy this truth for hundred of years! Why not celebrate Sukkot, the HOLIDAY that G-D Himself commanded, and ignore the lie that causes confusion!

[@FoundationWorldview]

We agree that participating in certain Old Testament feasts can be a valuable way to show our children that the gospel is woven throughout the entirety of Scripture. However, we believe Christians have not been commanded to celebrate those feasts as we are part of the new covenant (Luke 22:20, Hebrews 7:22, 8:6-7, 9:15).

[@priscillamacias-rosa3385]

We are not commanded to celebrate Jesus' birth with a tree either.😅

[@TwiFiveGirls101]

*Not commanded, but also not forbidden.* If Christians want to celebrate the biblical feast we should be able to do so without judgment from others. My regular Christian church recently began celebrating biblical feast, after years of doing the traditional American holidays, and its been amazing to study how Jesus is apart of all of YHWH's plan.

[@RivkahSayger]

​@@FoundationWorldview So when did G-D change? Please look at that entire chapter of Hebrews again. Look at the word covenant especially. Is it in italics in 8:13, because the word covenant is not in the original text in Aramaic or in Greek. The thing that the author is talking about is the priesthood, only a small time away from going away with the utter destruction of the second temple. Which only makes sense since it is the PRIESTHOOD that this whole of what is being discussed here. Remember too that the the promises made to ISRAEL referenced in Hebrews sp. v10. are renewed to ISRAEL...so ISRAEL are the only ones being specifically addressed in this? So I suppose it boils down to whether you count yourself amongst the mixed multitude of Israel, or amongst the multitude of the men under the pope. Also, I forgot to say, I really really do appreciate your willingness to dig deeper, and find truth. Keep digging, and contemplate the words of forever in Leviticus 23:41 Where G-D says: "41You are to celebrate it as a festival to Adonai for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations-you are to celebrate it in the seventh month." Keep being the one Berean in the the room, G-D will always honor that and give you more!

[@dmjames1972]

What’s about the fact in Jeremiah 10?:l it says: “2Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the WAY of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. “ It doesn’t say to adopt those ways and just slap in a holy interpretation, right? The way it self of adorning a tree is still heathen, regardless. Then, again in Deuteronomy 12:30-31: “God will not accept worship that honors pagan gods, and people SHOULD NOT BORROW customs from pagan religious practices. “ So, here too even if our intent or right we should not borrow such ways, right? These are the two main issues I think would be good to tackle as those are some of the more pointed things. Essentially, unlike naan bread thst is just used today for eating, adorning trees with decorations as the pagans did IS used to represent God / the light of the world. We are indeed mixing old pagan ways WiTH God as we do it now. How do you get around those? I struggle with this myself. Please do a video on this if you can as I feel your reasons to celebrate are logical in one sense but I’m not convinced they are biblically sound. Makes sense? Thanks.

[@FoundationWorldview]

Thanks for reaching out with these questions. Mike Winger does an excellent job of addressing your concerns in the following videos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXfLeaCgbJySqMk kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJrSn4ShjZecbdk

[@TheFredos14]

I heard the names of the week were named after pagan gods. That means nothing to me.

[@megnlu]

Augustine is a church father the Catholic Church highly reveres. Christmas was originated from the Roman church

[@gary_glover]

Comment for the algorithm

[@HopethroughHardship]

Yule is pagan, but Christ-mass is the attempt to redeem the day. The issue for me is that I stay away from Yule but celebrate the birth of Jesus. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZ-XoHiQZ7OWfrM

[@megnlu]

Christ's Mass= Catholic, which isn't Christian

[@kita3256]

The truth is that us as Christians now we say … “Christmas time is a season where we reflect on God’s goodness “…. But we really do is want to be busy buying gifts and giving gifts and we stress , stress about the festivities. The focus rapidly leaves the main idea, which is Jesus. The truth is that it is pagan just like Halloween. If we say no to Halloween then why not Christmas? The naan bread is a bad example. It’s not comparable. Again, in Halloween many Christians dress up, and make it a Christian holiday, did you know that? Are we doing the same with Christmas? We can celebrate Jesus’ birthday every day of the year. I am currently not 100 percent free from Christmas in our home, but we are leaving it slowly but surely.

[@ritadyer9295]

I enjoy the decorations. There is something magical about the entire holiday season from Halloween thru new years. But I think that stems from childhood. I don’t think God has a problem with us celebrating and having fun and getting together with families and friends. However, what I do have a problem with is being told I HAVE to celebrate a certain way and that we CAN’T have fun with Santa and that Christmas is only a Christian holiday. It is NOT Jesus’ birthday and if God wanted us to celebrate his birthday on earth, he would have made the date clear in the Bible. So I prefer to let people celebrate however they choose. I’m directing the play at church. Do I really want to do it? No. Not really. But they think they have to have a Christmas play. So I will do it. It won’t hurt anyone. It will all be over soon. I also get tired of the arguing over someone saying happy holidays instead of merry Christmas. Does it matter? No. Or writing Xmas and saying that’s taking Christ out of Christmas. It’s not. It’s symbol for Christ.

[@megnlu]

We should focus our hearts & mind on Him daily. The supposed Christmas story is so short in Scripture & not even accurately presented at Christmas. This sounds like a justification so we can continue our worldly celebration, which at the heart created selfishness if we can truly be honest with ourselves. We are carrying on these pagan traditions. Be honest! When did the Lord command us to redeem celebrations for Him. He said the exact opposite. Do not worship Him like the pagan nations do.