Sunday, December 26, 2010
Princewill Njong: An alternative to pagan practices
Princewill Njong: An alternative to pagan practices: "TJ, many others argue like you that the birth of Jesus occurred in some other season, such as in Autumn. Followers of this theory claim tha..."
An alternative to pagan practices
TJ, many others argue like you that the birth of Jesus occurred in some other season, such as in Autumn. Followers of this theory claim that the Judean winters were too cold for shepherds to be watching their flocks by night, as you point out. However, history proves otherwise, and there is historical and literary evidence that unblemished lambs for the Temple sacrifice were in fact kept in the fields near Bethlehem during the winter months. Maybe you should read the poem by T.S. Eliot titled "Journey of the Magi" for some literary insights. Hope you won't say it's worldly. Yes, the winters were very cold, but the shepherds braved the cold to mind the sheep.
The term Christmas appeared in Old English as early as 1038 AD as Cristes Maesse, and later as Cristes-messe in 1131 AD. It means "the Mass of Christ." This name was established by the Christian church to disconnect the holiday and its customs from its pagan origins. As one fourth century theologian penned, "We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of Him who made it."
Although it is true that many traditional Christmas customs find their origins in pagan practices, these ancient and forgotten associations are far removed from the hearts of Christian worshipers today at Christmastime. So much so, it seems a pointless concern. If the focus of Christmas is Jesus Christ and his gift of eternal life, then what harm can come from such a celebration? Moreover, Christian churches see Christmas as an occasion to spread the good news of the gospel at a time when many unbelievers pause to consider Christ.So the church did not "christianize" the feast of the winter soltice and the god of the sun, it offered christians an alternative to the pagan practices that were imposed on all by the Roman leaders at that time.
Secondly, the Magi did not dabble in witchcraft or magic, they were led by God to a spiritual encounter, a journey of rebirth and redemption. If you believe in the baptism of Jesus Christ, would you say that the dove that descended during His baptism was pagan or magic? God is a miraculous God who acts in ways that are foreign to human intelligence. The star that led the Magi to baby Jesus was God's way to lead them to the new-born-King.
TJ, I admire the passion in your argument, however, as much as I believe in Christmas, I want you to know that I'm not a religious apologist, neither do I align myself to any particular congregation; I'm quite liberal and free thinking. I believe that Jesus was conceived by the Virgin Mary after Angel Gabriel had descended on her, that He was born at some unknown time, that there is no event in the world as important as the birth of Christ and that I will always observe Christmas to remember God's greatest gift to mankind: the birth and eventual suffering and death for our sins of His son Jesus Christ.
Once more, many thanks and think about commemorating Christmas.
The term Christmas appeared in Old English as early as 1038 AD as Cristes Maesse, and later as Cristes-messe in 1131 AD. It means "the Mass of Christ." This name was established by the Christian church to disconnect the holiday and its customs from its pagan origins. As one fourth century theologian penned, "We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of Him who made it."
Although it is true that many traditional Christmas customs find their origins in pagan practices, these ancient and forgotten associations are far removed from the hearts of Christian worshipers today at Christmastime. So much so, it seems a pointless concern. If the focus of Christmas is Jesus Christ and his gift of eternal life, then what harm can come from such a celebration? Moreover, Christian churches see Christmas as an occasion to spread the good news of the gospel at a time when many unbelievers pause to consider Christ.So the church did not "christianize" the feast of the winter soltice and the god of the sun, it offered christians an alternative to the pagan practices that were imposed on all by the Roman leaders at that time.
Secondly, the Magi did not dabble in witchcraft or magic, they were led by God to a spiritual encounter, a journey of rebirth and redemption. If you believe in the baptism of Jesus Christ, would you say that the dove that descended during His baptism was pagan or magic? God is a miraculous God who acts in ways that are foreign to human intelligence. The star that led the Magi to baby Jesus was God's way to lead them to the new-born-King.
TJ, I admire the passion in your argument, however, as much as I believe in Christmas, I want you to know that I'm not a religious apologist, neither do I align myself to any particular congregation; I'm quite liberal and free thinking. I believe that Jesus was conceived by the Virgin Mary after Angel Gabriel had descended on her, that He was born at some unknown time, that there is no event in the world as important as the birth of Christ and that I will always observe Christmas to remember God's greatest gift to mankind: the birth and eventual suffering and death for our sins of His son Jesus Christ.
Once more, many thanks and think about commemorating Christmas.
Princewill Njong: Princewill Njong: Still I believe Christmas should...
Princewill Njong: Princewill Njong: Still I believe Christmas should...: "Princewill Njong: Still I believe Christmas should be celebrated: 'Hey TJ, thanks for taking out time to comment on my blog. Let me start ..."
Princewill Njong: Princewill Njong: Still I believe Christmas should...
Princewill Njong: Princewill Njong: Still I believe Christmas should...: "Princewill Njong: Still I believe Christmas should be celebrated: 'Hey TJ, thanks for taking out time to comment on my blog. Let me start ..."
Princewill Njong: Still I believe Christmas should be celebrated
Princewill Njong: Still I believe Christmas should be celebrated: "Hey TJ, thanks for taking out time to comment on my blog. Let me start by inviting you you to read an interesting book by an investigati..."
Princewill Njong: Still I believe Christmas should be celebrated
Princewill Njong: Still I believe Christmas should be celebrated: "Hey TJ, thanks for taking out time to comment on my blog. I must say I'm incredibly overwhelmed by the civility with which you defend y..."
Still I believe Christmas should be celebrated
Hey TJ, thanks for taking out time to comment on my blog. Let me start by inviting you you to read an interesting book by an investigative journalist following this link. I must say I'm incredibly overwhelmed by the civility with which you defend your faith, considering the sensitive nature of religious issues and the violent emotions with which people often react to contrary religious ideas. Your argument is completely valid and logical; I'm aware of the pagan origin of the the 25th of December as Christmas as well as some Christmas traditions, but I'm also aware of the logic in choosing this day and in carrying out these traditions. For the records, December 25 was not mentioned in the biblical narrative as the day Jesus was born, and, as such, we cannot be dogmatic about it one way or the other. However, I still believe Christmas should be celebrated. Firstly, the birth of Jesus was a victory over evil; represented by King Herod. Secondly, the birth of Jesus was the beginning of the end of his mission to earth: to save mankind and reestablish that broken link between man and the Father; he could not have died on Calvary for us without being born! Therefore his birth is as important as his works and ultimate sacrifice: death on the cross. We cannot therefore celebrate only what he did and forget how He came to the world: His birth was the single greatest hope to man's salvation and so should be commemorated in some way. Speculation as to the time of Jesus’ birth dates back to the 3rd century, when Hyppolytus (ca. 170-236) claimed that Jesus was born on December 25. The earliest mention of some sort of observance on that date is in the Philoclian Calendar, representing Roman practice, of the year 336. Later, John Chrysostom favored the same date of birth. The date eventually became the officially recognized date for Christmas in part because it coincided with the pagan festivals celebrating Saturnalia and the winter solstice. The church thereby offered people a Christian alternative to the pagan festivities and eventually reinterpreted many of their symbols and actions in ways acceptable to Christian faith and practice. What is important is not the origins of traditions, but their significance to us today as believers in the Son of God The fact is that He was born, that He came into the world to atone for our sins, that He was resurrected to eternal life, and that He’s alive today. This is what we should celebrate, as we are told in the Old Testament in such passages as Zechariah 2:10: “'Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,' declares the LORD.” Further, the angel that announced the birth to the shepherds brought “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Surely here is the cause for celebration every day, not just once a year. As for magical Santa Claus, he's just a symbol of the giving and sharing inspired by Jesus' birth and life. Is it really likely that when I give gifts to my loved ones at Christmas, the gifts will have less significance to either of us because some Druid somewhere in time offered a gift to his goat as part of some pagan ritual? No, we remember, as we should, the gifts given to the Christ-child by the Magi (Matthew 2:11). Jesus was the greatest gift ever given, and therefore His birth is worthy of celebration. Many thanks |
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