Do some Christians still believe that Christmas is a pagan thing?

[Kelly6]

[Lliam]

Few Christians know anything more than what they read in the Bible. Forget about studying science, history or using common sense.

In fact, the date of Christmas was chosen because it was the popular celebration of Saturnalia.

Saturnalia was a Roman festival celebrating the god Saturn, the god of agriculture and harvest. It began as an agricultural ritual honoring the winter solstice and the planting season. The celebration, which grew from one day to a week-long event, featured feasting, gift-giving, and a temporary suspension of normal social order where masters would serve slaves.

The early Roman Catholic church couldn't stop the popular celebration, so they turned it into a celebration of the Savior's birth instead of a celebration of a pagan god.

So Christmas is a celebration of the Savior's birth even if, for many reasons, the date couldn't correspond to the actual date of Jesus' birth. In other words, it is not a pagan holiday. But certain Christians see paganism everywhere.

[Kelly6]

@Lliam
And the Christmas tree is northern as well, do you have knowledge on how that joined Christmas and why the tree in put inside home? Hehe,
I have feeling you know that too

[Lliam]

@Kelly6. Yeah, I've read about that stuff.
The tradition of the Yule log originated in ancient Scandinavian and Germanic pagan celebrations of the winter solstice, where a large log was burned to honor the sun. The Christmas tree tradition also has roots in pagan customs of using evergreens to symbolize life, but was popularized in its modern form in 16th-century Germany, with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert later helping to spread the practice in the 19th century.

[Lliam]

Thank you for the MHO, Kelly. :D

[fishcake_buttie]

Just to let you know, Christmas day was changed to December 25th not chosen, after the persecutions of the first Christians... Christmas day will forever be November 24th and you can choose to celebrate it or the Pagan festival of December 25th.

[Lliam]

@fishcake_buttie. I never heard that. The Roman Church held its first official observance on December 25, 336 AD. This is thought to be the first recorded Christmas celebration.

[fishcake_buttie]

Most people haven't because of the nature of the persecutions. What Jesus Christ taught us had millions of people reject the law and therefore the rulers of this world, saying that the whole of the law is "Love your neighbour..." and that those who do things from love can do no harm <- That and the 144AD Bible (now called "The Very First Bible 144AD" (free as PDF, $10 as paperback)) are what started the persecutions. The Marcionite Church (who issued the first ever Christian Bible) preserved all of this history and modern Christian leaders are STILL trying to hide all this, that's why it is so hard to find out. The Roman Church was the "Nicean Council" and is now The Vatican (TM). They changed the date to re-align people back into Pagan and Jewish tradition and what you are reading in the KJV and similar is NOT the Gospel of Jesus Christ or Epistles of Paul the Apostle of Christ. If you want to quickly find out about all this, please watch the "pre-nicene Christianity" Youtube channel - I promise it is well worth it along with the three or so days it takes to read the Very First Bible 144AD.

[OneViewpoint]

ROFL, Christianity stole / adopted ALL the Pagan holidays and rituals. It was a way to sell the hot new trendy religion to the masses already invested in Pagan beliefs. The marketing worked.

• Halloween - Celtic festival of Samhain. Fall harvest festival. See All Saints Day.
• Christmas - Saturnalia, the winter solstice celebration.
• Easter - Ostara, the celebration of the end of winter and the arrival of spring.
• 7 day week - It was a Pagan thing.
• Birthdays - Yup, the Pagans were doing it first.

Our toxic Christians today don't like to admit it but their religion is a cobbled together mess of stuff they've stolen from other cultures for 2,000 years.

[loveslongnails]

True that! All of it.

[fishcake_buttie]

Actually the date was changed after the slaughter of the first Christians who were celebrating the coming of Christ on November 24th, to re-align people back into Pagan beliefs. The first Christians used the first Bible of 144AD (as do I) which has no Torah, 1 Gospel and 10 books - that rejection of Torah and its psychotic deity is what started the persecutions.

[AviatorTom]

The early Christian Church had no evidence of when Jesus was born. They chose 25 December, a date of a pagan celebration, to get people to emphasize Christianity over Paganism.

Many Christians today know that, and are upset by how commercial Christmas has become, with Santa Cause more important than Jesus Christ.

[Kelly6]

@AviatorTom
That is 100% true.
Many just see it as Santa cause birthday lol

[OlderAndWiser]

We don't know the date on which Jesus was born. However the date was initially chosen, that historical tidbit is lost to us. It doesn't matter whether it was first a pagan holiday, or the date chosen for some other reason. . . because very few people remember. What we do know is that this is the date on which we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and that is all that we need to know.

[Twalli]

The tree, gifts, and feast are pagan. The whole reason it's in late December is because that's when Yule is. Yule was the midwinter celebration for pagans. So, making Christmas around the same time Yule is, assimilation was easier. Most Christian holidays coincide with pagan celebrations. This was all designed to assimilate the pagans. They still celebrate the same days; it's just about God and Christ rather than their gods.

[RavVid]

Christmas is about at the solstice and solstice celebration is definitely pagan. I celebrate the summer solstice. The only hard thing to understand about Christmas is why the winter solstice for those unlucky enough to live in the normal hemisphere?

Why have a festivity when it is cold and damp?

[slatyb]

Probably. I'm not Christian but still celebrate a midwinter holiday with my wife. Here's my favorite Christmas song, from another nonbeliever:

https://youtu.be/fCNvZqpa-7Q?si=9Euh-GpZKt6-2ELA

[Jersey2]

Not at all even though I was taught the original dates meaning and why it was selected. As an adult talking to atheists and others that want to somehow enlighten me, I find just how encompassing my elementary school teaching were on the subject of the church and the early days of its forming along with why certain decisions were made. Only on the internet do I realize why they shared it as it creates a matter of fact view of it.

[whiskeyontherocks]

Everyone is well aware of the winter solstice and how religions have copied off one another. Do pagans know the winter solstice was a time for tribes to migrate for resources or meat sources. There’s a lot more to it but I don’t think I’m the one to inform people I’d definitely get it wrong

[Kelley1]

To my knowledge, the "Church of Christ," the only true Christians who follow the Bible, doesn't teach that.

[Anonymous]

I'm not a Christian but Christmas is not Pagan. Solstice is Pagan.

Pagans don't believe in Jesus, so they wouldn't celebrate his alleged Birthday.

However, Jesus (if he was real) was most likely born in late February, or early March... Christian religious rulers moved his Birthday celebration to December, in order to suppress the Pagan celebration of Winter Solstice.

[Kelly6]

Isn’t the Christmas tree from same pages from where the dec25 date came from

[Opinion Owner]

The tree was actually used for New Years celebration, Christmas just copied that custom because it was very popular among the people.
But naturally, coniferous trees such as pine, fir, or spruce - don't grow in the middle east (where Jesus was allegedly born).

[RedInnocent69]

Well, they should. It is after all. Easter too

[Kelly6]

@RedInnocent69 true

[Flower7]

Yes, I believe that. It seems to just be an end-of-the-year celebration.

[XXblack88]

There's a few but most Christians don't believe that. Not to mention it's hard to break a cycle that has memories of good/ fun times.

[BCRanger10]

Yes, and some pagans do too. Kinda weird how that one works, isn't it?

[Mike_Whocheese_Harry]

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. I don’t know how it can be pagan. A lot of the modern celebrations make Jesus the minor player in the event. I don’t fault them for it, but that’s for them and God to sort out.

[Sevenpointfive]

i didn't know this but i'm not a christian. but if i didn't know this, then i doubt a lot of them do.

[fishcake_buttie]

Christmas is November 24th

Saturnalia is December 25th

[LisaMariexoxo]

I don't know, I'm not Christian. Sorry 🤷🏼‍♀️

[sage2021]

No, we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior.

[fivebyfour]

imho stricter Christians do, especially Jehovah Witnesses,,,

But I think most Christians don't really bother with the concept,,,

[maximilientoste]

Christmas trees are a pagan thing. The Christmas weve come to know is an American consumer society thing. Christ Mass is a catholic christian and protestant christian thing.

[Grond21]

Sadly they do. They got caught up in TikTok trends instead of listening to historians.

[OddBeMe]

Pretty sure they blindly believe what their Christian society tells them without reading the Bible nor learning history.

[Gwendoline]

No. Why would they?

[Kelly6]

@gwendoline
Because Christmas tree is from pagan and so is dec25.

[Gwendoline]

How can that be when the 25th used to be on the 23rd (winter solstice). The dates moved when the greogrian calendar was adopted over the Julian to correct calendar drift. Most Pagans didn't use the Julian or greogrian calendar. Take the jewish calendar, their new year is in September and take the greek orthodox church they will celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January.
Christmas trees are a cultural thing, no palms trees in northern Europe. Wasn't even a thing until the 1800s British royal family

[Kelly6]

@gwendoline
Exactly my point, as birthday should me different date each year.
Dec25 is fixed date all because it’s about winter.

[Gwendoline]

Impossible to fix a date due to the different calenders. December 25 is fixed now but back then calender drift was bringing it into spring.

[CountryWanderer]

Oh yes, there are Christians who do

[Dargil]

Not that I've ever heard.

[DrPepper12]

Yes. Jehovah witness for one.

[AngryCarl2]

Isn't that established history?

[CubaPirate]

Sort of Inter twinned