The Rights And Wrongs Of Christmas – Part 1 Series

THE RIGHTS AND WRONGS OF CHRISTMAS – PART 1

[A]. INTRODUCTION

I have decided to do a more thorough examination of this whole idea of Christmas, paying closer attention to what I think are the rights and wrongs of Christmas. As I mapped this out I found more wrongs than rights. This subject will cover many areas, yet I feel inadequate in covering too much in a limited presentation.

There used to be a song many decades ago I rarely ever heard then, and now, I never hear it. After a lot of searching, I found it on only one search engine. It obviously is written by a Christian disappointed that the emphasis on Christmas has been subverted. Here is that song -

Country music lyrics of PUT CHRIST BACK INTO CHRISTMAS (Anonymous)

Don't wish me Merry X-mas

Or Happy Holiday,

Put Christ back into Christmas

On this blessed holy day

Put Christ back into Christmas

Like on that silent night

When the star of Bethlehem

Gave way to new born life.

Let all the world give glory

To Christ the King of Kings

Let children hear the story

Of love our Saviour brings.

Put Christ back into Christmas

Like on that silent night

When the star of Bethlehem

Gave way to new born life.

We have the great Christmas divide at Christmas time. The two positions are clearly there – the Christian side and the secular side. I want to examine the world of “modern Christmas” to see the conflict here.

It is not possible to write on this without bias and I am in the camp of a biblical Christmas. I hope you pardon me if you are into modernism, especially if you have children where the world’s pressure can be so overwhelming at Christmas time and you feel forced to have your santas and other non-biblical paraphernalia.

I have titled this consideration as “The Rights and Wrongs of Christmas”. This is a very subjective matter but I do think it is correct to probe what has happened to the Christmas that so many knew many, many decades ago. We will begin with the wrongs.

[B]. THE WRONGS OF CHRISTMAS

[1]. THE TIMING IS WRONG

Who selected the 25th December as the date of the Nativity? Why was this date selected? We know the answers because they are firmly set in history.

It was the Emperor Constantine who set this date but it was not adhered to before 336 A.D. Constantine is honoured as the first Christian Emperor but I doubt that he was ever a Christian. It’s a long story I have done elsewhere. He had his whole army baptised, pagans who were not converted and that introduced paganism into the church.

He chose the date of December 25th to coincide with existing pagan festivals and the winter solstice celebrations. They likely wanted the date to coincide with existing pagan festivals honouring Saturn (the Roman god of agriculture) and Mithra (the Persian god of light). That way, it became easier to convince Rome’s pagan subjects to accept Christianity as the empire’s official religion. They just switched from one to the other, and confused both. Constantine really messed up the truth of the bible.

The date has stuck. It is wrong and the reason is wrong. When was Jesus born? Well, because a census had to be taken in all the Roman Empire, then people had to travel back to their birthplace and that certainly was not in winter! Jesus was born when the sheep were still out on the hillsides, not in winter pens. Maybe about July to September would be near the mark.

[2]. GLUTTONY AND DRUNKENNESS

The desire for gluttony and being drunk are both part of the old nature.

I am sure modern Cretans would not be too pleased with {{Titus 1:12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, LAZY GLUTTONS.”}}

God’s condemnation is upon drunkenness – {{1 Corinthians 6:10 “nor thieves, nor the covetous, NOR DRUNKARDS, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God,”}} The fleshly Christians at Corinth were even drunk at the Lord’s Table! And probably some were gluttons also. Wickedness accused the Lord of these very things – {{Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!’}}

It is a shame that too many view Christmas as a time to eat, drink and be merry, and to do so to excess. The natural man has no moral judgement in line with God’s requirements so he/she sees gluttony and being drunk as having a good time. This is what too many have reduced Christmas to.

[3]. THE FALSE CHRIST WHO IS SANTA CLAUS

Even Christians think it is all right to have santa images and sleigh bells and reindeer (and holly and mistletoe) everywhere as decorations. I know right now that some are going to deem me as a kill joy, but please bear with me.