Christian Pagans
It is that time of year when professing Christians abandon their dedication to the purity of God’s word and wantonly practice that papist adaptation of pagan rituals commonly called Christmas. I never get so infuriated as when I see the billboards proclaiming “Put Christ back in Christmas.” What these ignorant people don’t know is that Christ was never in Christmas.

It is well known that Jesus was not born in the winter since the shepherds were watching their flocks in the fields – a summer time activity. The reason Christmas is celebrated in December is because that is when pagans celebrated the winter solstice. Catholics, wanting to “ease” the pagans into the “church,” turned their pagan celebration into a “Christian” holiday. Nearly every element of Christmas from cutting down an evergreen tree (the pagan symbol of eternal life) to the exchange of gifts has a pagan origin and significance.

Spiritual Christians should eliminate every vestige of paganism from their lives. We should not listen to the pagan beat of rock and roll music, nor should we celebrate holidays that have been “Christianized” from pagan origins like Christmas and Easter. We don’t believe in good luck charms or superstitions because they are, at their roots, forms of demon worship. Children who “innocently” rub their lucky rabbit’s foot are actually offering up prayers to Beelzebub and his minions.

Some people accuse us of hypocrisy and being inconsistent in our practice. They say our claim of being free from pagan influences is actually spurious because we use the calendar. It turns out that the days of the week were named after pagan deities. What these ignorant people don’t realize is that there are certain things about the culture we can never hope to change. The days of the week are so far removed from their pagan roots that they no longer have pagan significance.

There was even an arrogant ignoramus who tried to convince me that most of the symbols in Christian weddings had pagan origins. He said the bride’s white dress; the wedding ring and the carrying of the new bride across the threshold are all pagan rituals. I wasted my breath trying to tell him that these symbols have been adopted by Christians for so long that they have been effectively sanitized of any pagan meaning. Everything in the wedding ceremony has been given a Christian meaning so we can continue to conduct our ceremonies in the traditional way without any fear of becoming pagan.

I find it ironic that I have been accused by many of these paganistic Christians of being a Scrooge because I am against Christmas and Easter. They misunderstand me completely, thinking that I am an old sourpuss who doesn’t want to be burdened with gift giving. What they don’t realize is that in accusing me of being a Scrooge, they are referencing a ghost story with no reference to Christ at all even though it is purportedly a “Christmas” story. So, even for them, Christmas isn’t really about Christ at all!

Gamaliel/RJP

One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.
Romans 14:5-6a (NIV)
- posted by rick @ 9:05 PM