Thank you Brethren!
I don't celebrate Christmas either because this is the way I see it:
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth." John 16:13
I found your comments came to confirm my thoughts on the matter. They were
most edifying and comforting to me.
Blessings to all!
Sis Soraya
Em sex., 25 de dez. de 2020 às 18:03, Don Martin <dmartinsr@xxxxxxxxxx>
escreveu:
Amen! Bro. Al, Some very good observations as I am not a Christ-mass
observer as well. Sad that the majority of children are raised and lied to
regarding this mystical Santa Claus and when they find out that they have
been deceived it’s a major psychological let down.
Bro. DON
*From:* forthepoor-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:
forthepoor-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Alvin Cloud
*Sent:* Friday, December 25, 2020 3:38 PM
*To:* forthepoor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [forthepoor] Re: article by bro. Daniel Parks.
I read Bro. Parks article in defense of Christmas with interest. I have
heard these arguments before and am of the mind that they are irrelevant to
the question of whether or not Christians should celebrate the
holiday/holyday. I personally do not celebrate it, but I also am not a
militant crusader against anyone else’s preference. That being said, I
will, if pressed, explain my reasons. Bro. Mike opened that door.
How do the names of ancient gods/goddesses applied to everything from days
to months to planets to automobiles justify anything? There are things in
this world you cannot escape – even the occasional feasts of the world to
which you may be “disposed to go” – don’t ask don’t tell. This can only
apply to feasts one could in good conscience attend and certainly cannot
apply to all. But if the idolatrous/blasphemous nature of the feast is
made known – for their conscience sake – the believer is obligated to
explain and/or abstain.
The names of days/months have no meaning to us (other than maybe a few new
agers) in society as they did in ancient times. So, the argument that you
cannot escape the idolatry that permeates the world is tantamount to saying
“If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em”. We are in the world not of the world –
unless we indiscriminately join in the worlds vanity and excesses. James
doesn’t mince words when he warns:
*“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world
is the enemy of God. “*
*James 4:4*
There is a delicate balancing act in our relationships with the world as
Paul asserts with a clarification of a previous admonition:
*“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not
altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or
extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the
world.”*
*1 Corinthians 5:9-10*
Company with the world is not for “fellowship” but is to afford an
opportunity to enrich them with the truth – not pat them on the back in
approval.
OK, to the point. What is it about the Christmas celebration I find
offensive? Glad you asked. First, its very foundation is based on a lie.
If the foundation is not sound then neither is the rest of the building (a
concept every child of God should understand). Our heavenly Father knows
the exact date of Jesus birth but has withheld that information. We don’t
know exactly when but we do know it was *not* Dec. 25th.
Secondly, its very inception was for a devious purpose. Similar in nature
to Israel’s sin at Baal-Peor, emperor Constantine (3rd century) merged a
pagan holy day with the Holy birth of Christ in an attempt to assimilate
the church into the world and vice versa. I have no doubt Satan was behind
that idea and has been promoting it ever since. The church was happy –
Jesus now has a birthday His Father never commissioned – the pagans were
happy – their saturnalia festival now had the blessing of the church.
But, that was then. What about now? Satan’s quest to destroy the people
of God did not end with Constantine but has been an ongoing enterprise ever
since he offered Eve something appealing to her flesh:
*“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took
of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her;
and he did eat. “*
*Genesis 3:6*
Christmas, in my humble opinion, is an affront to the Son of God, since it
bears His name then humiliates Him by elevating all manner of worldliness
above Him and then sidelining the One who would have the preeminence to a
Creche. The world does not honor the Savior for bringing the world love,
joy and peace but rather the “season”. It’s magic. It’s the Christmas
spirit. It’s that time of the year.
*“Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by
nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are
known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements,
whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months,
and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you
labour in vain.”*
*Galatians 4:8-11*
Bondage? Most folks don’t realize the peer pressure they are under to
celebrate the holiday. If you don’t believe that try *not* celebrating
it. You will be ridiculed and cajoled relentlessly. I speak from
experience.
*Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same
excess of riot, speaking evil of you*
*1 Peter 4:4*
What about the elements that make up the celebration? If it were a truly
Christian holy day there would be one name exalted and one name only.
Jesus Christ. That is not the case. You see, there is this jolly old elf
who has supplanted the Christ child in what is supposed to be His
birthday. Sure, Santa Clause is a myth. But every false god that has ever
entered the mind of man is a myth. Doesn’t stop men from believing in
them, worshipping them or attributing power to them. Old Nick is no
different.
His mythology has evolved and been continually embellished over the
centuries. Compare closely: Santa is omniscient; omnipotent; not
constrained by time or space and is reported to judge the hearts of
mankind. Is this just a quaint story – or has Satan a hand in it all.
Remember this is the continuation of a plot hatched in the third century.
Men speak of him as though he were real – tongue in cheek of course. Major
industries have learned to tap into Santa’s power of persuasion over men
$$. But the worst is that millions of adults, with all false sincerity,
convince millions of naïve children that the false god Santa is real,
teaching them to make their requests known unto him and obey the law for
reward. Is it any wonder when they are older they doubt our sincerity when
we say “Well, Santa was a lie, but Jesus is real”
This is getting rather long but Christmas has become a complex holiday as
man and spirit alike have tailored it to fit the complex psychology of
Adam’s children. Two more elements are an important, integral part of
Christmas. I don’t care about their origin, that’s immaterial and
irrelevant. What are they now and what does God have to say about them.
It’s not Christmas without a tree. It matters not its pagan origin. What
matters is that the tree is the central icon respecting the holiday. Since
the holiday is spiritual (love, joy, peace, etc.) we need something
tangible. Every false god has to have an image of some sort. Something we
can erect in our home, businesses or places of worship. Something we can
give a place of honor, decorate by the work of our hands. Is it an idol?
The word “idol” simply means worthless and after January they all end up in
landfills or attics, you decide.
Idols today are not what they were in antiquity. Few today worship tiki
gods. But, I can assure you idolatry is practiced routinely the world over
and the problem is we are so ignorant of Satan and his devices we wouldn’t
recognize an idol if we saw one. I find it interesting how God describes
the workmanship that goes into the making of an idol – what is He
describing through the prophet has an uncanny resemblance to our customs.
*“Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not
dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For
the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the
forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it
with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that
it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must
needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they
cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”*
*Jeremiah 10:2-5*
Now, to be sure, Jeremiah is giving instruction to build the classic idol
of the day, and an idol is simply a representation of what we can’t see by
something we can. It is the customs of the people or “traditions of men”
the Lord takes exception to. One last custom and I’ll shut up. Gift
giving. Just like “love” in the world is confused with the love that comes
from above, the giving the world finds so joyful is not found in the
scriptures… except one place:
*“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see
their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead
bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall
rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another;
because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.”*
*Revelation 11:9-10*
Is God referring to Christmas here? I doubt it. It just seems noteworthy
to me that of all the instances of gift giving in the world, this is the
one He chose to put in His word. We all decry the commercialization of
Christmas and rightly so. It is a phenomenon that has been growing and
morphing for nearly 2,000 years and exalts the virtues of men while at the
same time eclipsing the name of Christ. I could go on.
So, do the names of the days of the week have anything to do with it? I
think not. Do the origins of pagan rituals matter in the debate? I think
not. Does my puny opinion matter. I think not. All that matters is what
God says.
On Wed, Dec 23, 2020 at 10:20 PM franco cafazzo <mrcafazzo@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Appointed route that Christmas is solely a religious day and we’re not
called to associate ourselves with religious days administered over by
religious people who have titles in this world
Sent from my iPhone
On Dec 23, 2020, at 9:17 PM, franco cafazzo <mrcafazzo@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Holidays have a legitimate function in the old testament as a
redemptive reminder or actually the part of redemptive history Christmas is
not only imposed upon us by the rum and imperial whore has no basis in
biblical understanding it’s actually to me in the front to the ministry
that belongs to the Jewish dispensation. Also holidays or associate with
angelic power in a form of submission to demons demons
Sent from my iPhone
On Dec 23, 2020, at 8:44 PM, John Crowley <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Very good.
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
<https://go.onelink.me/107872968?pid=InProduct&c=Global_Internal_YGrowth_AndroidEmailSig__AndroidUsers&af_wl=ym&af_sub1=Internal&af_sub2=Global_YGrowth&af_sub3=EmailSignature>
On Wed, Dec 23, 2020 at 9:11 PM, mike mcinnis
<ratmotor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Greetings to all,
I am sending out this article by bro. Parks, which I find a great
measure of agreement with. I understand that this holiday is often the
source of much controversy both for and against. I fully understand the
reasoning on both sides of the issue. We are nowhere commanded to remember
the LORD's birth, most especially not in the fashion in which these
festivities purport to do. I personally try to avoid the trappings of
this season as much as possible and certainly do not promote such things.
Having said that, I find no reason to be on a crusade against the holidays
and celebrations of men. We are in the world but not of it by the grace of
GOD. I would welcome anyone with a contrary view to share it with us since
that is why we have a "forum". "* Let every man be fully persuaded in
his own mind." (Rom 14:5*)
Blessings, mike
*MAY THE LORD RICHLY BLESS CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL!*
I sometimes hear some men say they have nothing to do with Christmas
because idolatry is associated with it.
I applaud any man who has nothing to do with anything associated with
idolatry.
Well, I would if I could find such a man!
Trust me, such a man does not exist!
Every day of the week is named after an idolatrous god: *Tuesday*
after Mars (through a Germanic translation into Teiwaz); *Wednesday*
after Odin; *Thursday* after Thor; *Friday* after Frigg; *Saturday* after
Saturn; *Sunday* and *Monday* after celestial bodies worshiped by
idolaters across the earth. Certainly he who has nothing to do with any day
associated with idolatry has no day!
Every month of the year is intimately associated with idolatry.
*January* is named after the god Janus. *February* is named after Februa,
the ancient Roman ritual of ritual purification later personified by the
god Februus. *March* is named after the god Mars. *April* was sacred to
the goddess Venus. *May* is named after the goddess Maia. *June* is
generally said to have been named after the goddess Juno (hence the
popularity of this month for weddings). *July* is named after Julius
Caesar, who had a statue dedicated to him in the temple of Quirinus in
45 BC on which was written “To the Invincible God”. *August* is named
after Caesar Augustus, who was declared to be a god by the Roman senate
upon his death in 14 AD. The fact that *September*, *October*, *November*,
and *December* are not named after gods, having instead names identifying
them respectively as the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months, does not
make them one whit holier. Remember that every day in those months is named
after an idolatrous god. Also, those months have “holy days” (called
*holidays*) designated by idolaters.
Every time you look into the heavens you see planets named after
idolatrous gods such as Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune, also Ceres, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Pluto.
We who are gospel ministers obey our Lord’s commission to “Go into
all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) even
though in so doing we visit cities named after idolatrous gods.* Such
places are no less idolatrous than Corpus Christi (meaning *Body of
Christ*) or Saint Croix (meaning *Holy Cross*).
I will not castigate Paul the apostle for ministering in Athens (Acts
17:15ff), named after the goddess Athena; nor for not deserting that place
when “he saw that the city was given over to idols” (v.16); nor for
accompanying idolaters to the Areopagus (vv.19-32), named after the Greek
god Ares. (The KJV identifies this place as “Mars’ Hill” in v.22, named
after the Roman god equivalent to the Greek Ares.)
I assure you that Christians are at liberty to eat meat that was
sacrificed to an idol (1 Corinthians ch.8). But I exhort Christians to not
use their liberty in Christ in such a way as to offend the “weak” brother
(as Paul calls him in vv.7, 9, 10, 11, 12) who has scruples against such
contact with idolatry. You may remind him that “we know that an idol is
nothing in the world” (v.4).
I assure you that you will not become unsanctified if you travel on a
highway used by automobiles with idolatrous names such as *Aurora*,
*Mercury*, *Saturn*, or *Taurus*. Nor if you have contact with an *ocean*,
which in Greek mythology was personified as a Titan and ruled by the god
Neptune/Poseidon. Nor if you use the King James Version of the Holy Bible,
in which the Greek word for *Passover* in Acts 12:4 is mistranslated
“Easter”, named for the Chaldean goddess Astarte, Queen of Heaven.
I assure you that the Lord Jesus Christ was not tainted by idolatry
when He said “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Mark 12:17)
even though caesars were idolized by Romans as gods.
The fact of the matter at hand is that we live in an idolatrous
world, for “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John
5:19). We must ever obey the command to “keep yourselves from idols”
(1 John 5:21). But he who would have nothing whatsoever to do with anything
associated with idolatry must “go out of the world” – as Paul expressed it
(1 Corinthians 5:10). That would be contrary to the will of the Lord Jesus
Christ, who prayed that His people at this present time not be taken “out
of the world” (John 17:15). Be confident that you may be “*in* the world”
but not “*of* the world”, and that many things idolatrous in name do not
require the worship of the gods associated with them.
Therefore, if you are offered “Christmas” as a holiday, enjoy it. If
you are offered a “Christmas” bonus, spend it. If a merchant offers a
“Christmas” sale, shop. If you are offered a “Christmas” gift, accept it –
and return the favor. If you receive a “Christmas” card, read it. If you
are invited to a “Christmas” meal, eat. If you are offered a glass of
“Christmas” eggnog, drink. If you are invited to worship an idol, refuse.
And “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of
God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) – whether the day be *Christmas* Day or the
*Lord’s* Day!
If others wish to abominate everything associated with Christmas
(including all things cited in the preceding paragraph), let them. If
others judge you harshly for associating with Christmas, let them. If
others do not feel comfortable with exercising Christian liberty regarding
Christmas things, try not to offend them.
May the Lord richly bless Christmas to one and all! May He not
withhold blessing us during this season simply because it is associated
with idolatry!
– DEP (2011.12.18)
~~~
* Cities in the USA bearing names of idolatrous gods include Achilles,
Ajax, Amazonia, Apollo, Argo, Argos, Arion, Athens, Atlanta, Atlantic,
Atlas, Atlasburg, Aurora, Castor, Calypso, Cassandra, Ceres, Clio, Daphne,
Diana, Dike / Dyke, Echo, Elysian, Eros, Flora, Fortuna, Griffin, Hector,
Helen / Helena / Helenville, Hercules, Hesperia, Hesperus, Hymera, Irene,
Iris, Juno, Jupiter, Luna, Mars, Medusa, Mercury, Minerva, Neptune, Notus,
Orestes, Orion, Pandora, Paris, Penelope, Phoenix, Poseidon, Urania,
Uranus, Venus, Vesta / Vestal, Victoria, Vulcan, Zephyr, and Parthenon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Let the words of my mouth*
*and the meditation of my heart*
*be acceptable in Your sight,* *O Jehovah,*
*my strength and my Redeemer.*
(Psalm 19:14)
~~~
