Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Was Christmas day originally paganistic?
Is December 25th the anniversary of a pagan holiday? Some of you may have heard that it was, but originally it wasn't until after Christianity was established. As Gene Edward Veith says,
True, the Emperor Aurelian, in the five short years of his reign, tried to start one, "The Birth of the Unconquered Sun," on Dec. 25, 274. This festival, marking the time of year when the length of daylight began to increase, was designed to breathe new life into a declining paganism. But Aurelian's new festival was instituted after Christians had already been associating that day with the birth of Christ. According to Mr. Tighe, the Birth of the Unconquered Sun "was almost certainly an attempt to create a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians." Christians were not imitating the pagans. The pagans were imitating the Christians.
...This celebrates Christ's birth in the darkest time of the year. The Celtic and Germanic tribes, who would be evangelized later, did mark this time in their "Yule" festivals, a frightening season when only the light from the Yule log kept the darkness at bay. Christianity swallowed up that season of depression with the opposite message of joy: "The light [Jesus] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5).
"My actions prove that God takes care of idiots."
He occasionally stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened.
- On Stanley Baldwin
-Winston Churchill
An atheist can't find God for the same reason a criminal can't find a police officer.
You need to start asking out girls so that you can get used to the rejections.
-Anonymous
Especially when typing Christmas and Pagan into Google gives you a myriad of sites "exposing" the origins of Christmas...But they seem to enjoy using the nonsense of reverse causation...something in the future caused something in the past, what fun
"My actions prove that God takes care of idiots."
He occasionally stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened.
- On Stanley Baldwin
-Winston Churchill
An atheist can't find God for the same reason a criminal can't find a police officer.
You need to start asking out girls so that you can get used to the rejections.
-Anonymous
What BGood seems to be implying is HIS position is the default position...without evidence against it, it must be assumed that Christmas' origins are in fact pagan.
"My actions prove that God takes care of idiots."
He occasionally stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened.
- On Stanley Baldwin
-Winston Churchill
An atheist can't find God for the same reason a criminal can't find a police officer.
You need to start asking out girls so that you can get used to the rejections.
-Anonymous
Actually, it is all true. Easter is also a pagan holiday. It's interesting to see how Christian demonize Halloween (for a lot of false reasons), yet celebrate Christmas and Easter. I guess it's easier to christianize elves and rabbits than it is witches.
All three holidays have their origins in pagan, pre-christian Europe, and all three were "christianized" in the early church by the 4th century. I have no problem celebrating all three (although I do not let my kids dress up as devils, witches, etc.)
"To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect." - JOHN OWEN
