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What do you think the biggest misunderstanding about Christmas is?

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member
9 Things You Should Know About the Christmas Story

Or maybe some of the details don't matter? number of wise men, age of Jesus when they visited, ....

I like number 2
Most modern translations say that Mary gave birth and laid Jesus in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn or guest house. But as New Testament scholar Stephen C. Carlson argues, the end of Luke 2:7 should be translated as “because they had no space in their place to stay.” As Carlson says, “The problem facing Joseph and Mary in the story was not that they were denied a particular or well-known place to stay when they first arrived, but that their place to stay was not such that it could accommodate the birth and neonatal care of the baby Jesus.” The result would be that the birth of Jesus occurred in the main room of the house—likely belonging to relatives of Joseph—rather than in the couple’s smaller marital apartment attached to the house.
 

MikeDwight

Well-Known Member
Epiphany celebrates the magi who were Shown the birth from guidance of the star. Doesn't that have actual more Biblical support then, than celebration of the Birth? The fact we were shown the event? So January 6th was celebrated more frequently until the High middle ages, about 200 to 800 ad. The Pope has assumed control by 800 AD of most religion. As for Catholic Holidays, what about the "Assumption of Mary"? That's not even in the Bible. We read outside the Bible that she died, and that she went to heaven, and Catholics have an equal holiday to Christmas the "Assumption of Mary". ? Or what's worse, Republicans, put Christ in Christmas, like you are remotely going to celebrate Christ or commemorate Christ? Christ never noted his birthday as His birth who was before Moses and the beginning of the world, or gave religious significance to his Mother, whome he cast out of Christianity, "who is my mother, who is my brother?" Happy Scottish New Year... Should Auld Bonnie Acquaintance, be for not, annnever, brae tae mind?! Sheu, aul acqwantance be forgot?! Nae awa ta be awa! Na Awa, tae leeeeve ye.
 
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Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
Probably the biggest is the date, because Dec 25th most likely wasn't it, but it fits well with how Christianity became Paganized and the Pagan holidays such as Yule being celebrated around the same time.
And one I find, not big overall but of big annoyance is the idea that Xmas is taking Christ out of Christmas, though the X is a part of the Greek way to spell Christ and the shortened form has been used and accepted as valid for centuries.
 

sooda

Veteran Member
9 Things You Should Know About the Christmas Story

Or maybe some of the details don't matter? number of wise men, age of Jesus when they visited, ....

I like number 2
Most modern translations say that Mary gave birth and laid Jesus in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn or guest house. But as New Testament scholar Stephen C. Carlson argues, the end of Luke 2:7 should be translated as “because they had no space in their place to stay.” As Carlson says, “The problem facing Joseph and Mary in the story was not that they were denied a particular or well-known place to stay when they first arrived, but that their place to stay was not such that it could accommodate the birth and neonatal care of the baby Jesus.” The result would be that the birth of Jesus occurred in the main room of the house—likely belonging to relatives of Joseph—rather than in the couple’s smaller marital apartment attached to the house.

Sounds very far fetched.
 

lostwanderingsoul

Well-Known Member
Everyone has these manger scenes where the wise men find the baby Jesus lying in a manger. But Mathew 2:11 says that they came into the HOUSE where Jesus was. And they did not get there on the same day Jesus was born but several days or weeks later.
 

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member
Everyone has these manger scenes where the wise men find the baby Jesus lying in a manger. But Mathew 2:11 says that they came into the HOUSE where Jesus was. And they did not get there on the same day Jesus was born but several days or weeks later.

maybe even a year or two later... Herod killed all the boys 2 years and under
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
Everyone has these manger scenes where the wise men find the baby Jesus lying in a manger. But Mathew 2:11 says that they came into the HOUSE where Jesus was. And they did not get there on the same day Jesus was born but several days or weeks later.

Just another Biblical contradiction. :shrug: In Matthew, there's no mention of traveling to Bethlehem, "no room at the inn," etc. As you mention, Jesus in Matthew is born in Bethlehem because that's where his parents live/have a house. In Luke, Joseph and Mary live in Nazareth and only travel to Bethlehem because of a decree from Emperor Augustus for all families to be registered for a census. After Jesus is born, they go back to Nazareth.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Epiphany celebrates the magi who were Shown the birth from guidance of the star. Doesn't that have actual more Biblical support then, than celebration of the Birth? The fact we were shown the event? ...........................................

I can find No biblical support that the un-numbered magi were shown the birth from guidance of the star.
I find the *star* led the magi to Jerusalem to Herod.
By the time the magi found Jesus he was No longer a baby but a young child in a 'house'.
Since Herod had boys age 2 and younger put to death, then Herod could have reasoned Jesus to be 2 years old.
- Matthew 2:7-9; Matthew 2:10-11; Matthew 2:13; Matthew 2:20-21
 

MikeDwight

Well-Known Member
Ya, well, to be more accurate, Queen Victoria married the German cousins, so she 'absolutely fell in love with his Christmas celebrations' where everyone's making up the 'white wedding dress' , Albert, the new King Arthur. She absolutely loves the 'Presbyterian services' the 'best'.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Just another Biblical contradiction. :shrug: In Matthew, there's no mention of traveling to Bethlehem, "no room at the inn," etc. As you mention, Jesus in Matthew is born in Bethlehem because that's where his parents live/have a house. In Luke, Joseph and Mary live in Nazareth and only travel to Bethlehem because of a decree from Emperor Augustus for all families to be registered for a census. After Jesus is born, they go back to Nazareth.

I find the reason for traveling to Bethlehem from Nazareth was to be registered.
They did Not remain in Bethlehem, but when Jesus was 8 days old they are found in: Jerusalem - Luke 2:21.
Since they lived in Nazareth they would have easily returned home to Nazareth after the 40 days there - Luke 2:22
They made annual trips to Jerusalem, so by the time the magi found Jesus in a house Jesus was a child. -Matthew 2:13
The magi could have found the boy Jesus when he was about 2 years old.
So, from Jerusalem or nearby Bethlehem they fled, Not back to Nazareth, but to Egypt with boy Jesus - Matthew 2:16
Then , after Herod died, from Egypt they returned to their home town of Nazareth - Matthew 2:23

So, it is Not the Bible that is a contradiction but the so-called Nativity story. Magi never at the manger.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Everyone has these manger scenes where the wise men find the baby Jesus lying in a manger. But Matthew 2:11 says that they came into the HOUSE where Jesus was. And they did not get there on the same day Jesus was born but several days or weeks later.
... or to me possibly even two (2) years later because Herod had the boys age 2 and younger killed.
Several days/weeks would Not make Jesus a young ' child ' in a house.
Annual trips were made to Jerusalem, so that HOUSE boy Jesus was in could have been at a later time.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I can find No biblical support that the un-numbered magi were shown the birth from guidance of the star.
I find the *star* led the magi to Jerusalem to Herod.
By the time the magi found Jesus he was No longer a baby but a young child in a 'house'.
Since Herod had boys age 2 and younger put to death, then Herod could have reasoned Jesus to be 2 years old.
- Matthew 2:7-9; Matthew 2:10-11; Matthew 2:13; Matthew 2:20-21
A star cannot pinpoint a specific location on Earth. Only a general direction. N S E W
 

sooda

Veteran Member
Which part?

Having animals and people of that time living near eachother? why

No not that.. The manger probably was attached to a house. The part about the house with the marital apartment. Both Bethlehem's were tiny villages.

Luke 2:7 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
 

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member
No not that.. The manger probably was attached to a house. The part about the house with the marital apartment. Both Bethlehem's were tiny villages.

Luke 2:7 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Wherever it was, the shepherd found them.

I wonder how long 'the search party' took.
 

Left Coast

This Is Water
Staff member
Premium Member
I find the reason for traveling to Bethlehem from Nazareth was to be registered.
They did Not remain in Bethlehem, but when Jesus was 8 days old they are found in: Jerusalem - Luke 2:21.
Since they lived in Nazareth they would have easily returned home to Nazareth after the 40 days there - Luke 2:22
They made annual trips to Jerusalem, so by the time the magi found Jesus in a house Jesus was a child. -Matthew 2:13
The magi could have found the boy Jesus when he was about 2 years old.
So, from Jerusalem or nearby Bethlehem they fled, Not back to Nazareth, but to Egypt with boy Jesus - Matthew 2:16
Then , after Herod died, from Egypt they returned to their home town of Nazareth - Matthew 2:23

So, it is Not the Bible that is a contradiction but the so-called Nativity story. Magi never at the manger.

It's a contradiction for one story to say they live in Bethlehem (no mention of travelling to Bethlehem, because that would be silly since they live/have a house there) and the other to say they only go to Bethlehem for a census registration and then go back home to another town. They're two totally different stories of how the nativity occurred.
 

It Aint Necessarily So

Veteran Member
Premium Member
9 Things You Should Know About the Christmas Story Or maybe some of the details don't matter? number of wise men, age of Jesus when they visited, ....

My biggest problem with the Christmas story is the idea of three wise men following a star on foot and camel to a particular manger. For starters, how does one follow a star moving about a 1000 mph (it appears to move through the sky above earth's 25,000 mile equator / circumference every 24 hours) without something faster than a 747?

You have until morning to get there, when the sun rises, and the star becomes invisible in the sunlight.

And what about this star would make one stop at a particular manger (the star didn't stop) and say, "we are right below this star, not any of the adjacent and nearby properties, but right here because of this star."
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
The biggest misunderstanding about Christmas is that it is about birth of Jesus.
Christmas is the Roman festival of the Day of Victorious Sun (Sol Invicti) borrowed by Christians, which once used to occur on the day of vernal equinox. It recessed to December because of faulty calendar keeping by Greeks and Romans, and due to precession of equinox.
 
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