Christmas

[Ches]

I personally don't celebrate Christmas.  Too much time, energy, effort & resources wasted putting up decorations (the same thing with taking them down.)  However, I don't condemn those who do.  After presents are opened and exchanged, it's just another day.  The scriptures DON'T tell us Jesus ACTUAL birthdate, and they DON'T tell us the ACTUAL date He'll return.  When you think about it, it's not for us to know either one.  How God moves us to be His light this season is what matters more.

Ches

[Kimberlaina]

I had an experience as a teenager that radically changed the way I look at Christmas.  As I grew, I developed a deep love for the anticipation that comes with the Advent season.  For me, it grew into a love of the anticipation of God making all things right.  I don't celebrate Christ's birth, per se, but I feel that wonderful anticipation that one can sense in the verses discussing Christ's birth (especially those familiar passages in Luke), and the sort of quiet darkness that came over the earth before Light finally came.  To me, the "dawn" of Christmas represents God's love of the world and His desire to reconcile with it -- something I feel is very much worth celebrating.  For me, the holiday has a lot of symbolic meaning.  So yes, I celebrate Christmas, but over the years it has come to have special personal meaning to me, particularly after I came to understand UR.

[CHB]

Hi All,

Yesterday my husband and I was driving home and a truck load of Christmas trees passed us. We got to talking about Christmas and God's purpose for it, since we believe all things exist for the purpose of glorifying God. My husband said, "if people quit celebrating Christmas a lot of people would probably go hungry and be out of a job". I said, "you know, God uses all things for a purpose and maybe that is why we have Christmas". He takes the bad and turns it into good, or wrong and turns it into right. trees at Christmas time are a huge business. Also people can get jobs in stores at that time of year that is not available any other time. I guess, one shouldn't condemn these Holidays nor religions because it is kind of like fighting against God, since he is the reason for all things. Since by him all things exist. I am beginning to see God in ALL things.  :happy3:

CHB

[WhiteWings]

Or people save all that money to spend at Christmas.
If Christmas wouldn't be celibrated the money would be more evenly spend throughout the year I guess.
Meaning there would be jobs throughout the year. (but less as during the Christmas peak)


About Christmas being pagan, as Easter, New Years Eve, etc is
I think it doesn't really matter for a Christian.
The point is that you don't dedicate the celebration to a pagan god but toward 'our God'

[Kimberlaina]

Hi All,
I said, "you know, God uses all things for a purpose and maybe that is why we have Christmas". He takes the bad and turns it into good, or wrong and turns it into right.

Amen.  This is how I've felt about Christmas for a long time.  God sees the good in everything, and I believe that we do the most good when we follow God's example.  It would be nice if people did these things all year, but we frail humans just need reminders.

[Universalist Catholic]

I'll try my best to explain, so here goes.  There is good and bad in everything, be in Christianity and Paganism.  So its probably not fair to condemn a holiday just because of its background.  It is true, that in the Old Testament, there was much legalism demanding that they not get involved in pagan practices such as decorating trees.  But I believe that the purpose of many of these early ordinances were meant to foreshadow a universal diety, not one who was bound by rites and regulations, nor to make an idol out of it.  It is true that in the Liturgical Church, there is much rigidity in liturgy, practices, and devotions.  Like the rosaries, prayer beads, pre-written prayers, use of certain hymns, vestments, and holy day observances.  Yet in the many modern fundamentalist churches, they become so obsessive about banning them that they are probably becoming more legalistic than the other churches.  We dont want to be the type who forces everyone to have a crucifix in their house, but then you are no better if you tell others they cant.  So back to Christmas, that is up to your conscience.  If you cant celebrate it in good conscience, than thats your decision.  If you feel like you have to celebrate it, than thats your choice.  We dont want to be the anti-christmas nazi.  But we dont want to turn the celebration into a "Celebrate Christmas or else".