Somewhere in the second quarter of the fourth century, savvy officials of the church of Rome decided December 25 would make a dandy day to celebrate the birthday of the ‘sun of righteousness.’ Christmas was born.” “The Romans’ favorite festival was Saturnalia, which began on December 17 and ended with the ‘birthday of the unconquered sun’ ( Natalis solis invicti) on December 25. Catholic of December 1981, page 32, notes: “It is impossible to separate Christmas from its pagan origins.” The magazine explains: It is commonly known that Christmas was not originally a celebration of Christ’s birth. The Saturnalia in Rome provided the model for most of the merry customs of the Christmas time.”- Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics (Edinburgh, 1911), edited by James Hastings, Volume III, pages 608, 609. “Most of the Christmas customs now prevailing in Europe, or recorded from former times, are not genuine Christian customs, but heathen customs which have been absorbed or tolerated by the Church. . . The fathers of the first three centuries do not speak of any special observance of the nativity.”- Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1981 reprint), by John McClintock and James Strong, Volume II, page 276. The day of Christ’s birth cannot be ascertained from the N T, or, indeed, from any other source. “The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of N T origin. But the way the Christmas holiday developed shows that there is more to it than that. You may feel that this does not matter-that the event is the important thing. ( Ecclesiastes 7:1) So you will find that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not share in birthday festivities (the parties, singing, gift giving, and so forth).Ĭhristmas: As you are probably aware, December 25 was not the birthday of Jesus Christ. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world below.”- The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York, 1911), Volume X, page 709 (quoting Origen Adamantius of the third century).Īdditionally, birthday celebrations tend to give excessive importance to an individual, no doubt one reason why early Christians shunned them. “Of all the holy people in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. “The notion of a birthday festival was far from the ideas of the Christians of this period in general.”- The History of the Christian Religion and Church, During the Three First Centuries (New York, 1848), by Augustus Neander (translated by Henry John Rose), page 190. ( Genesis 40:18-22 Mark 6:21-28) So it is not surprising to see these historical references to the attitude of early Christians toward birthday celebrations: They were a Pharaoh of Egypt and the Roman ruler Herod Antipas, each of whose birthday celebrations had deadly results. However, the only two birthday celebrations mentioned in the Bible involved people who were not true believers. ( Luke 15:22-25 Acts 20:35) Jehovah’s Witnesses enjoy giving gifts and having good times together throughout the year. So if a holiday or a celebration is in some way linked to other gods or goddesses, or if observing it is contrary to our understanding of Biblical principles, we do not take part.īirthdays: Enjoying a feast or a party and generous giving to loved ones are certainly not wrong. ‘Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah.”- 2 Corinthians 6:14-17. “What fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Belial ? Or what portion does a faithful person have with an unbeliever?. We try to follow the principle stated by the Christian apostle Paul: It is this that makes them objectionable to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Perhaps to a greater extent than you may have realized, many holidays and the customs associated with them have a non-Christian religious background. We hope the following helps you to understand why we take the matter so seriously. The fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not participate in most holiday observances and other celebrations can be somewhat perplexing to a teacher.
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