I was very disappointed to see it asserted as fact that Christians chose December 25th because of its significance to the cult of Mithras. This urban legend has been thoroughly debunked by both Christian and non-Christian scholars; there is absolutely no evidence that Mithras was ever celebrated on the 25th in the first place (this atheist perspective is a good summary https://historyforatheists.com/2016/12/the-great-myths-2-christmas-mithras-and-paganism/). While I have plenty of concerns about the commercialization of Christmas, perpetuating poorly-researched information about Christmas's origins does not help to address these.
JFER4919
I love the idea of a simpler, more Christ-centered Christmas. We've tried various means to accomplish that over the years but we've stopped short of not celebrating at all. I got a good chuckle from the Fanning's approach as of "climbing over the fence and cutting down a leafless maple tree from a forested area between two neighborhoods." While I did chuckle at that, it is technically trespassing. Somebody owns the vacant lot. And, maple trees are naturally leafless in December. It was likely a live tree. Unless they had permission from the landowner it's illegal to cut someones else's tree. I like the idea, but next time be a good neighbor and get permission.
Guest
While Jesus probably wasn't born on December 25th, I've always thought that the darkest time of the year is a fitting time to celebrate the coming of the Light of the World. Whether or not you sing Christmas carols, exchange gifts, or decorate a tree, may the mystery of Immanuel, God with us, always fill you with wonder and joy.
SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN
About twenty years ago, my wife and I took a long look at our Christmas traditions, especially with the expendature of our money. We discovered that our Christmas observances did little to truly celebrate the birth of Christ and were not a good use of our money. We then ceased the whole gift exchange and gave our money to support missionaries and ministries that furthered the growth of God's Kingdom. We've been blessed immensely ever since. I can only imagine the impact on our secular society if fellow believers did the same.
JMAN3581
Well put! The modern Christian Church celebrates whatever the secular culture dictates. Jesus is Jewish and is the King of the Jews. Jews don't celebrate birthdays. They sit "Shiva" at the anniversary of someone's death. Therefore Jesus' Resurrection actually is the closest, since Jesus was dead for a short while.
Careful examination of the Gospels, through a Bible Era cultural lens, reveals that Jesus was born in the fall, as Revelation 12 states.
“While Revelation 12 does not explicitly state a specific season for Jesus' birth, many scholars interpret the imagery of the "woman clothed with the sun" and "moon under her feet" (Revelation 12:1) as symbolic of a fall harvest season, potentially suggesting Jesus' birth occurred around autumn, although this interpretation is not universally accepted and remains a topic of debate among biblical scholars”.
Amen. While Bruce Forbes' article, "Christmas Was Not Always Like This..." is well written, I was sad to see that he didn't explain that the early Christians were Jewish and that they continued to follow their Jewish culture, which did not generally celebrate birth dates. So it's really NOT "most surprising" to learn about the early Christians also following this Jewish pattern. There is so much to be learned when we, as followers of Jesus, dig deeper into how the Church purposely (and sadly) distanced itself from it's true Jewishness. (Not to mention the better witness we can be to the Jewish community who think Christianity is in no way Jewish and, thus, must be avoided at all costs).
I was very disappointed to see it asserted as fact that Christians chose December 25th because of its significance to the cult of Mithras. This urban legend has been thoroughly debunked by both Christian and non-Christian scholars; there is absolutely no evidence that Mithras was ever celebrated on the 25th in the first place (this atheist perspective is a good summary https://historyforatheists.com/2016/12/the-great-myths-2-christmas-mithras-and-paganism/). While I have plenty of concerns about the commercialization of Christmas, perpetuating poorly-researched information about Christmas's origins does not help to address these.
I love the idea of a simpler, more Christ-centered Christmas. We've tried various means to accomplish that over the years but we've stopped short of not celebrating at all. I got a good chuckle from the Fanning's approach as of "climbing over the fence and cutting down a leafless maple tree from a forested area between two neighborhoods." While I did chuckle at that, it is technically trespassing. Somebody owns the vacant lot. And, maple trees are naturally leafless in December. It was likely a live tree. Unless they had permission from the landowner it's illegal to cut someones else's tree. I like the idea, but next time be a good neighbor and get permission.
While Jesus probably wasn't born on December 25th, I've always thought that the darkest time of the year is a fitting time to celebrate the coming of the Light of the World. Whether or not you sing Christmas carols, exchange gifts, or decorate a tree, may the mystery of Immanuel, God with us, always fill you with wonder and joy.
About twenty years ago, my wife and I took a long look at our Christmas traditions, especially with the expendature of our money. We discovered that our Christmas observances did little to truly celebrate the birth of Christ and were not a good use of our money. We then ceased the whole gift exchange and gave our money to support missionaries and ministries that furthered the growth of God's Kingdom. We've been blessed immensely ever since. I can only imagine the impact on our secular society if fellow believers did the same.
Well put! The modern Christian Church celebrates whatever the secular culture dictates. Jesus is Jewish and is the King of the Jews. Jews don't celebrate birthdays. They sit "Shiva" at the anniversary of someone's death. Therefore Jesus' Resurrection actually is the closest, since Jesus was dead for a short while.
Careful examination of the Gospels, through a Bible Era cultural lens, reveals that Jesus was born in the fall, as Revelation 12 states.
“While Revelation 12 does not explicitly state a specific season for Jesus' birth, many scholars interpret the imagery of the "woman clothed with the sun" and "moon under her feet" (Revelation 12:1) as symbolic of a fall harvest season, potentially suggesting Jesus' birth occurred around autumn, although this interpretation is not universally accepted and remains a topic of debate among biblical scholars”.
Amen. While Bruce Forbes' article, "Christmas Was Not Always Like This..." is well written, I was sad to see that he didn't explain that the early Christians were Jewish and that they continued to follow their Jewish culture, which did not generally celebrate birth dates. So it's really NOT "most surprising" to learn about the early Christians also following this Jewish pattern. There is so much to be learned when we, as followers of Jesus, dig deeper into how the Church purposely (and sadly) distanced itself from it's true Jewishness. (Not to mention the better witness we can be to the Jewish community who think Christianity is in no way Jewish and, thus, must be avoided at all costs).