We are used to atheists speaking against
Christmas, not only
during the month of December, but all year round. I remember one formal
debate
where my opponent went out of his way to mention that Christmas was
originally
a pagan holiday, the Roman festival of Saturnalia, transformed into a
Christian feast many years later after Emperor Constantine made
Christianity an
official religion of Rome. I guess,
the idea was for me to be incredibly surprised and fall over on stage in the face of
this “revelation.”
Instead, I quietly, gently asked my opponent what holidays
had to do with our discussion about the accuracy of the Bible. The Bible says
nothing about Christmas one way or the other.
Now, that may have curtained a debate rabbit trail, but it
also leads to a related subject: Many Christian pastors also speak against
celebrating Christmas and (ironically) they do so for the exact same reason as
the atheists: Christmas is a converted holiday.
Allow me to pose a simple question: If Christianity is
about converting souls or converting nations, what exactly is wrong with
converting holidays?
Yes, sweet Virginia,
it is true: Christmas was once Saturnalia. With all due respect to both atheist
and pastor friends, “So what?”
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he addressed a similar
concern, another pagan, religious practice being morphed into an alternative
social function. This time, the situation was meat. In ancient Greece,
leftover meat from animal sacrifices was placed on the open market. One
honestly could not purchase meat or eat meat without knowing that the
pound of protein had first been used in the worship of some Greek deity. Many Christians worshiped
these very idols in their B.C. years. They were feeling guilty about
enjoying such meat once again
out of fear (understandable fear) that they were returning to idol
worship, the
very practice they had recently renounced. This caused a rift in the
church.
Some said, “It’s just meat. Chill out!” Others found the edibility of
animals
to be sinful. Paul was asked to comment on this situation and he gave
two
responses: First, he reminded people that meat by itself was something
neutral. If it had been used in the sacrifice of some fake god, so be
it. As
long as a Christian renounced his former religion and consumed the food
for no
reason other than the fact that he liked meat, no harm was being done.
On the
other hand, Paul also warned the Corinthians never to encourage the
violation
of one’s conscience. I.E. For the record, it was not a sin to eat meat.
But if
some people thought it was, why tempt your friends to do what they feel is a sin?
On judgment day, God will judge their hearts and motives, not their knowledge
about freedom versus legalism.
I will offer the same advise for my fellow Christians today.
If you personally choose not to celebrate Christmas, I respect your choice. But
before judging others who view this time of year as a beautiful, meaningful
celebration of Christ, I urge you to take a second look at First Corinthians.
Hey! That has kind of a ring: A Second Look at First Corinthians!
This is Bob Siegel, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Let
us rejoice that the pagan festival of Saturnalia got converted along with the
rest of Rome.
Also by Bob Siegel:
Questions and Concerns About Christianity