Is Christmas a Form of Worship to Jesus Christ?

[2timothy316]

There are some that refuse to accept that Jesus is God based on their beliefs. Yet many of these people still celebrate Christmas. So, is Christmas an act of worship to Jesus? If it is, then why would a person that doesn't accept Jesus as God worship Jesus?

[2timothy316]

2timothy316: True worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.

William: What does that mean? Does it mean that it is acceptable to print images of entities as they are imagined to be, and circulate these images in an effort to spread a religious organisations message that people are at risk by not being part of said religious organisations?

It means we should worship in truth and in spirit. How much of the things used in Christmas is true? 10%? 90%? How much of our activities should be based in truth when it comes to what we believe? Actual truth, not the personal fake truth everyone seems to be so fond of today. The fact that you don't understand what it means is why you celebrate Christmas. To celebrate Christmas is not an exercise in truth now is it. Note the scripture also says, 'worship the Father'. How much do you hear about Jesus' Father during Christmas? Even folks on that post in this very forum that claim to be all about Jesus' Father is the most important being is all but forgotten at this time of year.

[Elijah John]

There are some that refuse to accept that Jesus is God based on their beliefs. Yet many of these people still celebrate Christmas. So, is Christmas an act of worship to Jesus? If it is, then why would a person that doesn't accept Jesus as God worship Jesus?

No, such Christians do not worship Jesus. I am one of them.


Christians who celebrate in this way are celebrating his birth by remembering that event and its significance.

They remember how and why it came about and who sent him.

They also remember how it was revealed and celebrated at the time, as recorded by Matthew and Luke, and rejoice as those then did.

The issue of whether Jesus is or is not God has nothing to do with Christmas.

So you're ok that the religion that instituted Christmas and the majority of Christendom view Jesus as God? You're also ok to absorb that ritual as part of your own religion?

I find all of this intriguing how people justify a holiday no 1st century Christian nor Christ himself celebrated. Folks know Christmas is not based on anything Biblical or a Christian origin but no one seems to care...

So do you, as a JW celebrate all the Jewish holidays? You know, the ones that YHVH instituted?

Why not?
.

[Checkpoint]

There are some that refuse to accept that Jesus is God based on their beliefs. Yet many of these people still celebrate Christmas. So, is Christmas an act of worship to Jesus? If it is, then why would a person that doesn't accept Jesus as God worship Jesus?

No, such Christians do not worship Jesus. I am one of them.


Christians who celebrate in this way are celebrating his birth by remembering that event and its significance.

They remember how and why it came about and who sent him.

They also remember how it was revealed and celebrated at the time, as recorded by Matthew and Luke, and rejoice as those then did.

The issue of whether Jesus is or is not God has nothing to do with Christmas.

So you're ok that the religion that instituted Christmas and the majority of Christendom view Jesus as God? You're also ok to absorb that ritual as part of your own religion?

Such conclusions, such assumptions about me, and the loaded way you presented them, reveal an attitude that needs urgent attention.

I find all of this intriguing how people justify a holiday no 1st century Christian nor Christ himself celebrated. Folks know Christmas is not based on anything Biblical or a Christian origin but no one seems to care...

Folks know that Christmas celebrations are firmly based on events that were carefully recorded by Matthew and Luke.

Luke 1:

1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled a among us,
2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

[Avoice]

[Replying to post 1 by 2timothy316]

Excellent point.

Id like to add that faith is defined by a belief in things unseen. Christianiy is based on a physical being. After Jesus died the images of him replaced his physical presence. Try taking away their images and statues of Jesus and youll see an uprising. Belief in God requires that they connect to him physically. It is idolatry

A Christian won't tear up a picture of Jesus. And its not even an image of Jesus. They know that. Yet they MUST put a face on him. It is Idolatry

You have an image of Jesus in your head right now. That isn't him. Why lie to yourself? Christians believe in a second coming. Picture a man wearing a standard business suit..regular mans haircut. Like a wall street stock broker lets say. Not as comforting as the one you have of him with the long hair huh? Wearing a white robe with arms outstretched.

If the images Christians have of jesus arent important then why not put up a pic of a jew in a business and hang it on a wall? Ohhh...but that's not Jesus right?

By the way...the pics people think are Jesus. Its really Moses. Yeah, it's Moses.

[Elijah John]

[Replying to post 1 by 2timothy316]

Excellent point.

Id like to add that faith is defined by a belief in things unseen. Christianiy is based on a physical being. After Jesus died the images of him replaced his physical presence. Try taking away their images and statues of Jesus and youll see an uprising. Belief in God requires that they connect to him physically. It is idolatry

A Christian won't tear up a picture of Jesus. And its not even an image of Jesus. They know that. Yet they MUST put a face on him. It is Idolatry

You have an image of Jesus in your head right now. That isn't him. Why lie to yourself? Christians believe in a second coming. Picture a man wearing a standard business suit..regular mans haircut. Like a wall street stock broker lets say. Not as comforting as the one you have of him with the long hair huh? Wearing a white robe with arms outstretched.

If the images Christians have of jesus arent important then why not put up a pic of a jew in a business and hang it on a wall? Ohhh...but that's not Jesus right?

By the way...the pics people think are Jesus. Its really Moses. Yeah, it's Moses.

Do you too, think celebrating birthdays is in and of itself "Idolatry"? Some people celebrate Jesus' birthday, but do not believe he is God. I am one of those people and there are many others.

And do Jews refrain from celebrating the birthday's of loved ones? If so, that is news to me.

[onewithhim]

There are some that refuse to accept that Jesus is God based on their beliefs. Yet many of these people still celebrate Christmas. So, is Christmas an act of worship to Jesus? If it is, then why would a person that doesn't accept Jesus as God worship Jesus?

Many people don't understand what they are doing when they celebrate the holidays or someone's birthday.

Folks haven't developed a close relationship with God, nor do they appreciate His qualities and His affection for His human creation. If they did they would see how putting anyone else on a pedestal higher than He is is tantamount to worship of that being.

Where is the mention of God/ the Father/ Jehovah during the Christmas celebration? Growing up I never heard Him mentioned. It puzzles me how people say they love God but (1) don't know who He really is.....they think He is Jesus, and (2) when they see for themselves in their own Bibles who He is, they reject it.

I imagine that Jesus hates this time of year especially, when his birth is emphasized, without any mention of Jehovah his Father, and with trappings of pagan traditions.

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 3 by 2timothy316]

So, what are you saying, that birthday celebrations are a form of idolatry? Really? Is that the JW position, or do JWs not celebrate because it's something pagans do. Pagans also eat, sleep, breath etc. Are those things intrinsically sinful? Pagans also assemble for meetings. Are meetings necessarily bad?

I'm a bit surprised that you are taking this stance, EJ. I would've said, were I asked to choose, that you would say that yes, holidays and birthdays are idolatry, and a precariously subtle performance of it at that.

We take BOTH of the things you mentioned into consideration.

Pagans do indeed eat, sleep, breathe, etc., but that's not touching the point. Do they worship the one true God? It is what they DO that matters, in consideration of our Creator, Jehovah.

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 12 by Elijah John]

We don't celebrate all the Jewish holidays basically because Jesus freed humans from the curse of the Law, and his sacrifice negated all of the ancient holidays. He fulfilled all of it. (And some of their holidays have nothing to do with Jehovah, as they were instituted by men.)


"For since the Law has a shadow of the good things to come, but not the very substance of the things, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered year after year, make those who approach perfect. Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have stopped being offered, because those rendering sacred service, once cleansed, would have no consciousness of sins anymore? On the contrary, these sacrifices are a reminder of sins year after year, for it is not possible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take sins away." (Hebrews 10:1-3)

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 14 by Avoice]

You have a good point about the idolatry that self-described Christians display. As for me, as one of YHWH's Witnesses, I don't picture Jesus as a blue-eyed, thin, long-haired man in a white robe. Even back then he did not have long hair, and our publications show this. We know that he was never described in the Bible, but in our publications he is pictured as any Jew in the first century might have looked. And he certainly wasn't pale and skinny, like the poor sickly things that Catholicism hangs on their crosses.

I think of him as he might look today. It's cool that you mentioned that! I feel sure that he would look like our brothers, in a business suit and neat hair cut. I'd love to see him.

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 15 by Elijah John]

I understand that Jews did not celebrate birthdays back in the first century, and previous to that. Perhaps Avoice can enrich our understandings about that.

There is a lot of information concerning birthdays. Referring to the first three centuries of "Christianity," it is said: "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 (New York, 1848), Augustus Neander, (translated by Henry John Rose), p.190.)

Another reference work said this about the Jews: "Hebrews looked on the celebration of birthdays as a part of idolatrous worship, a view which would be abundantly confirmed by what they saw of the common observances associated with the times." (The Imperial Bible-Dictionary (London, 1874), edited by Patrick Fairbairn, Vol. I, p.225)

The New Catholic Encyclopedia tells us, about Christmas:

"The date of Christ's birth is not known. The Gospels indicate neither the day nor the month....According to the hypothesis suggested by H. Usener...and accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned the dates of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar), because on this day, as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti---birthday of the invincible sun." (1967, Vol.III, p.656)


We could go on and on, but this suffices to show us that yes, maybe Christ's birth is recorded in the Gospels, but that doesn't constitute a reason to make it into a celebration that Jesus himself didn't celebrate. Nothing is said of the day or month. Why would we want to hang pagan tags on it and agree with their rituals involving Mithras and Saturn and whatever else the Romans worshipped?



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