Christmas No Longer Recognized As The Birth Of Christ

[Shadow Wolf]

poppycock.
If there is blame to be assigned it rests solely on the shoulders of Christians.

Frosty, Little Drummer Boy, Rudolph, even the fat, red coated Santa are all the creations of corporations, characters and songs and jingles meant to get us in the "festive spirit" and buying more.
Meanwhile, as Christmas makes it presence known earlier and earlier, Christians cry about how they believe you just don't see Merry Christmas anymore (poor ole me having to share society), complaining how the X abbreviation is "taking Christ out of Christmas," with Fox News telling them they are correct bu stoking their fears with their imaginary and made up "War on Christmas" (apparently its an act of war when it becomes less acceptable to ignore and trample on minorities).
They should probably watch Charley Brown's Christmas Special to learn a lesson about commercialism being what ruined Christmas as they think it should be. But, alas, commercialism and a lust for profit also ruined that tradition by requiring a specific streaming service rather than it just being broadcast over regular TV.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

The real Christian celebration lays with Epiphany on January 6.

Actually, "real" Christian celebrations have varied. Feasts on this Saint or that Saint's day, for example, where more common in the past. Some find the Pentecost to be very important. Some focus on Easter/the Resurrection to the point they wear an empty tomb rather than crucifix.
You probably don't want to tell Christians what they "real holidays" are without acknowledging the important ones.

 

[VoidCat]

Could this be because people don't wear badges expressing what religion the belong to or if they belong to a religion at all?

Could it be that people do not want to offend others who walk a different path than Christianity?

Also there are holidays that are not christmas(tho maybe Christmas related) that and are christian related. Like three kings day in Puerto Rico. I believe there's several holidays leading up to it if I remember correctly.

 

[VoidCat]

Also there are holidays that are not christmas(tho maybe Christmas related) that and are christian related. Like three kings day in Puerto Rico. I believe there's several holidays leading up to it if I remember correctly.

It's been a long time since I read about this...


But to the OP...

Christmas traditions differ in different culture. I could be wrong but Puerto Rico has one the longest celebrations of it. I do know however not all cultures celebrate Christmas on the 25th. And many cultures do so for days. Wishing happy holidays at least where you have folk from different backgrounds not only is respectful to the fact other religions have holidays this time of year but is to folk who may not celebrate Christmas on the 25th or may celebrate it differently then your heritage does. To me saying happy holidays to someone makes sense for folk who have a celebration regarding Christmas for days.

Edit: in the US at least many folk who immigrant here take traditions from their home country and pass it down to their children and so forth. You dont know how a random stranger on the street celebrates Christmas if they do at all. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging this and wishing happy holidays.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Actually, "real" Christian celebrations have varied. Feasts on this Saint or that Saint's day, for example, where more common in the past. Some find the Pentecost to be very important. Some focus on Easter/the Resurrection to the point they wear an empty tomb rather than crucifix.
You probably don't want to tell Christians what they "real holidays" are without acknowledging the important ones.

That's true.

So many.

Saturnalia, Brumalia and Yule.

The Pagan Origins of Christmas: Saturnalia, Yule, and Other Pre-Christian Traditions

The origins of Christmas can be traced back to the ancient Roman and Norse civilizations. In fact, 25th December was not even Jesus’ date of birth. The early Christians appropriated what was originally a pagan holiday because it was convenient. Before that, the people of ancient Europe had...

historycooperative.org

Without question Dec 25 was and never has been a Christian celebration in terms of exclusivity.

The problem with Christianity , is it loves to hijack a lot of things and claim it was the only one it was made for of which such festivities exist.

 

[endlessvoid2018]

That's true.

So many.

Saturnalia, Brumalia and Yule.

The Pagan Origins of Christmas: Saturnalia, Yule, and Other Pre-Christian Traditions

The origins of Christmas can be traced back to the ancient Roman and Norse civilizations. In fact, 25th December was not even Jesus’ date of birth. The early Christians appropriated what was originally a pagan holiday because it was convenient. Before that, the people of ancient Europe had...

historycooperative.org

Without question Dec 25 was and never has been a Christian celebration in terms of exclusivity.

The problem with Christianity , is it loves to hijack a lot of things and claim it was the only one it was made for of which such festivities exist.

My Mother, who is basically a hardcore Catholic, told me about how other "faiths," or pagans etc, basically twisted the notion that Christmas wasn't an original christian holiday. It was clearly around, at least certain celebrating traditions, before christianity.

 

[Left Coast]

The words now are Happy Holidays. Very few say Merry Christmas in public places.

Where do you live? People say Merry Christmas in public all the time. Stores are lined with Christmas deco. We just recognize that some people celebrate other holidays around this time too.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

https://parade.com/living/christmas-carols has a list of traditional religious and secular songs. A few are quite old such as Here We Come A-wassailing - Wikipedia

@Rival showed me this one. I really like it.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Taking Jesus Out of Christmas - Bible Knowledge

Strong, biblical commentary on how the secular forces are trying to remove Jesus from all public walks of life, along with the Bible verses on this hot topic.

www.bible-knowledge.com

Christmas a holiday for centuries celebrated as the birth of Christ - now the celebration is only about gifts, food, Santa, reindeer, snowman, elves and such. Much of society has forgotten, some of society probably don't know why Christmas was initially celebrated. A few decades ago the unbelievers and those that believed in other deities fought against the recognition of Christ and won. The words now are Happy Holidays. Very few say Merry Christmas in public places. The first five letters of the word Christmas tells us it is about Christ. Scripture tells us there will come a falling away we are witnessing the beginning.

What did you think was going to happen? When you impose your religious rituals on secular society, those rituals will get secularized.

Christians try to impose their beliefs and practices on society as a whole, regardless of whether a person agrees with those beliefs. When that happens, people will keep what they like and discard the rest. Apparently, lots of people don't see Jesus as worth keeping.

If you had wanted to keep control over your religious festival, you should have, well, kept it. We don't see people trying to secularize, say, Rosh Hashanah or Ramadan because Jews and Muslims have better sense than to try to get non-adherents to recite their prayers and hymns in places like public schools.

Your co-religionists pushed Christmas on secular society without regard to whether it was welcome; this was rude to begin with. Complaining that people aren't celebrating Christmas in a way that you approve of is further rudeness. You - i.e. Christians - could have kept control of it; you decided not to. You reap what you sow.

 

[SDavis]

What did you think was going to happen? When you impose your religious rituals on secular society, those rituals will get secularized.

Christians try to impose their beliefs and practices on society as a whole, regardless of whether a person agrees with those beliefs. When that happens, people will keep what they like and discard the rest. Apparently, lots of people don't see Jesus as worth keeping.

If you had wanted to keep control over your religious festival, you should have, well, kept it. We don't see people trying to secularize, say, Rosh Hashanah or Ramadan because Jews and Muslims have better sense than to try to get non-adherents to recite their prayers and hymns in places like public schools.

Your co-religionists pushed Christmas on secular society without regard to whether it was welcome; this was rude to begin with. Complaining that people aren't celebrating Christmas in a way that you approve of is further rudeness. You - i.e. Christians - could have kept control of it; you decided not to. You reap what you sow.

My dear person you can feel what you want to feel about Christians that is your right.

In my post isn't a complaint it is an awareness.

Scripture says there will come a falling away first and we are in the beginning of the falling away.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

My dear person you can feel what you want to feel about Christians that is your right.

In my post isn't a complaint it is an awareness.

Scripture says there will come a falling away first and we are in the beginning of the falling away.

That's one way to look at it. Another way: Christianity has lost most of its power to enforce its hegemony through oppression.

As a result, closeted non-believers can be more open about their beliefs and other belief systems can practice more freely.

This is a good thing across the board, including for Christianity.

If you want to call this a "falling away," well... you do you.

 

[SDavis]

Where do you live? People say Merry Christmas in public all the time. Stores are lined with Christmas deco. We just recognize that some people celebrate other holidays around this time too.

Where do I live - there are a few people that still say Merry Christmas. This was in 2005

Wal-Mart Merry Christmas Ban

Christian group calls for boycott of Wal-Mart after they instructed employees to say 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas.

www.snopes.com

2016

Bill O'Reilly: War on Christmas won by the good guys, but insurgents remain

You may remember about 10 years ago, “The O’Reilly Factor” began spotlighting companies that refused to say the words "Merry Christmas."

www.foxnews.com

Stores are lined up with Christmas decor oh you see the trees decorated with lights, you see the reindeer displays, the Santa displays, the elves, even Mrs Santa. You see the fake snow, and snowman displays. Christmas isn't about any of that. Open till the 1980s / 90's there were a lot of nativity scenes and things that had to do with the birth of Christ which is what Christmas is about.

Scripture says there will come a falling away first...

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Where do you live? People say Merry Christmas in public all the time. Stores are lined with Christmas deco. We just recognize that some people celebrate other holidays around this time too.

@SDavis would have us believe that respect and courtesy for non-Christians is incompatible with Christianity. Quite the self-condemnation when you think about it.

 

[SDavis]

That's one way to look at it. Another way: Christianity has lost most of its power to enforce its hegemony through oppression.

As a result, closeted non-believers can be more open about their beliefs and other belief systems can practice more freely.

This is a good thing across the board, including for Christianity.

If you want to call this a "falling away," well... you do you.

If I want to call it a falling away _ it is a falling away.

Christmas was about the birth of Christ and now it's about Santa, the reindeer, and giving gifts and Frosty the snowman and that's my friend is a falling away. But there is more falling away to come.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

If I want to call it a falling away _ it is a falling away.

Christmas was about the birth of Christ and now it's about Santa, the reindeer, and giving gifts and Frosty the snowman and that's my friend is a falling away. But there is more falling away to come.

It's only those things to people who don't care about Christ.

People who don't care about Christ have always existed; they were just going to church and keeping their mouths shut because of the consequences if they didn't.

The difference between then and now is less about a decline of belief and more about a decline of churches' power to oppress.

 

[SDavis]

@SDavis would have us believe that respect and courtesy for non-Christians is incompatible with Christianity. Quite the self-condemnation when you think about it.

SDavis wouldn't have you believing anything. You can believe or disbelieve whatever you choose none of my concern. My post is strictly from observation concerning the prophecies that is written in scripture you don't agree with them that's your business my friend.

 

[SDavis]

It's only those things to people who don't care about Christ.

People who don't care about Christ have always existed; they were just going to church and keeping their mouths shut because of the consequences if they didn't.

The difference between then and now is less about a decline of belief and more about a decline of churches' power to oppress.

I'm quite aware that people have always existed that didn't believe in Christ as well as people who never heard the gospel of Christ. And I'm quite sure there were many people sitting in church wishing they were somewhere else. Christ spoke of them too - he said they serve him with their lips but their hearts are far from him. The seven churches spoken of in Revelation tells us about the people who are in churches. Still there are over 2 billion Christians that exist today. And a falling away to come is a decline in believers of Christ which is occurring now, and I am fully aware of the statistics.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

SDavis wouldn't have you believing anything. You can believe or disbelieve whatever you choose none of my concern.

So you agree that respect for non-Christians is incompatible with Christianity as you see it, but you aren't trying to persuade anyone else?

My post is strictly from observation concerning the prophecies that is written in scripture you don't agree with them that's your business my friend.

I don't believe that there's any prophecy in the Bible that spells out standards for celebration of Christmas or that failing to meet these standards indicates a "falling away from the faith."

You would have a much stronger case that, for instance, Christian stances against same-sex marriage and Christian boycotts of "woke" consumer brands indicate a "falling away"; at least that has a scriptural basis (1 Timothy 4:1-4).

 

[SDavis]

Then why do I hear it so often?
Do you it was Christians who banned the celebration of Christmas because it's making false idols, based on Pagan holiday celebrations and because people would get rowdy (revelers don't get into the Kingdom)?

I have no idea why you hear it so often I don't, in department stores places of business.

No Christians didn't ban celebration for Christmas because it was making false idols based on pagan holiday celebrations.

Are you trying to tell me that Christmas is a pagan holiday - these days everybody knows the origin of Christmas or they should. It was converted into Christmas from the Roman holiday of the winter solstice, which happens to coincide with the time that Jesus was conceived.
Christ was born in September he was conceived in December in which the Jews back at that point in time considered the day of conception the birth date.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I'm quite aware that people have always existed that didn't believe in Christ as well as people who never heard the gospel of Christ. And I'm quite sure there were many people sitting in church wishing they were somewhere else. Christ spoke of them too - he said they serve him with their lips but their hearts are far from him.

Read the passage again. Jesus used that language to condemn people who served God at the expense of serving their parents.