By: Dr. Jerry Bergman
Montpelier, Ohio
Churches that do not celebrate Christmas include Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Seventh Day Adventists, Quakers, certain Church of Christ groups, and some Presbyterian and Deeper Life congregations.
Ironically, Christmas is a celebration in honor of Christ Jesus and Jesus is highly regarded in all faiths, both Christian and non-Christian. Jews do not believe He was the Messiah but recognized that He was a local Jewish boy who changed the world.
Muslims believe Jesus was a great, highly revered Islamic prophet and a messenger of God. He was born to the Virgin Mary, performed miracles by God’s will, and foretold the coming of Muhammad.
Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah predicted in the Hebrew scriptures and, for this reason, the Church He founded is the corporate body of all true Christians.
Even atheists support the ethical system He founded but condemn those who claim to follow it but largely do not. They also reject the view taught in the Bible that Jesus was the Creator, as taught in Genesis.
In contrast, atheists believe that evolution (mutations and natural selection) is the creator. The debate is when and how Jesus’ birthday is celebrated. The main objection is due to the belief that the celebration has non-Biblical origins or pagan roots.
The pilgrims did not celebrate Christmas because they believed the holiday was not sanctioned by the Bible. They viewed the popular English traditions as pagan origins, and, at times, excessive, rowdy, involving heavy drinking, feasting, and revelry which they viewed as offensive.
They also noted that no Biblical basis exists for celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25th. As a result, Christmas was outlawed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1659.
Pagan refers to the beliefs held by people in the country, as the expression “country bumpkins” illustrates. The word “pagan” originated from the Latin paganus, meaning “villager” or “rustic.”
As Christianity spread, the word pagan was used by urban Christians to refer to those in the countryside who held onto older, non-Christian beliefs. It did not mean un-Christian but rather pre-Christian.
The claim that Christmas was a pagan (country) holiday is valid but irrelevant. Calling Christmas pagan is name-calling. The days of the week, the months, and several winter festivals are all of pagan (pre-Christian) origin.
The December 25th date was chosen by early Christians to coincide with existing holidays. This was intended to replace and Christianize the existing holidays. Modern Christian Christmas observance focuses on the birth of Jesus, but for many people, theists and atheists alike, it is a national holiday that allows them to spend time with their family.
The many associated practices, like Christmas trees, were all adopted long after Europe was Christianized and given Christian meaning, not as pagan rituals.
The December date is likely wrong, and the correct date, according to one scholar, is probably September 11, 3 B.C. This was on Rosh Hashanah in the Jewish calendar that year.
It was also 9 months after Hanukkah, 4 B.C.—the Incarnation time—and 15 months before the arrival of the Magi during Hanukkah, 2 B.C. The Biblical account of shepherds tending their flocks in the fields suggests a fall season for Jesus’ birth because it would have been too cold and rainy in winter for the sheep to be out at night in Judea.
Assuming this date is correct, many of us would miss the traditional Christmas due to work and life commitments. There is no mention of Christmas celebrations in the writings of any early Christian writer, including Irenaeus (c. 130–200) or Tertullian (c. 160–225). Of course, the specific date is not important; what is important is the celebration.
December 25th was likely chosen for Christmas because it coincided with existing pagan festivals, such as the Roman celebration of the “Birthday of the Invincible Sun,” which allowed Christians time off from work, as it was already a holiday on that date.
The Roman emperor, Aurelian, established the feast of Sol Invictus on December 25, marking the winter solstice and the beginning of the return of longer daylight.
Early Christians also may have chosen the date because it was nine months after March 25, which was believed to be the date of Jesus’ crucifixion and conception.
The December 25 date allowed the new holiday to be more appealing to new Christians who, as former pagans, were used to the winter date. Furthermore, it established a Christian alternative to existing mid-winter celebrations.
A more serious problem may be the Christmas tradition of gift-giving that has become a spree of materialism. Businesses see this season as an opportunity to boost sales, and consumers scramble to take advantage of bargains.
Conversely, a large number of retailers rely heavily on holiday sales to remain in business. Many businesses, especially small ones, operate on tight margins, and the holiday season is often the most critical time of year for them to meet their annual financial requirements.
Without this crucial period of increased consumer spending, a significant portion of businesses would struggle, and many would fail, particularly those with a lower market share or less diversified revenue streams.
Conclusions
Christmas helps to unite families, and not celebrating Christmas has produced major divisions in families. This is the one time of the year that people have time off from work and school to visit relatives and reinforce family bonds.
When a family becomes part of a faith that refuses to be part of Christmas, it alienates them and divides the family. Ironically, the Bethel family at the world headquarters of the Jehovah’s Witnesses celebrated Christmas for the first 49 years of their existence.
It has pagan (i.e., pre-Christian) roots, as do many of our society’s traditions, but this is no reason to reject these traditions on this basis alone. Ironically, many of the churches that teach against celebrating Christmas are very pro-family.
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Dr. Bergman is a multi-award-winning professor and author. Has 9 degrees and has taught at both the graduate and undergraduate level for over 40 years. His over 2,100 publications are in both scholarly and popular journals. Dr. Bergman’s work has been translated into 15 languages. He has spoken over 2,000 times to college, university and church groups in America, Canada, Europe, the South Sea Islands, and Africa. He lives in Montpelier and is available to present in churches and schools. Jerry can be reached at JerryBergman30@yahoo.com