Is Christmas getting more and more commercial every year? Bill O'Reilly of the O'Reilly Factor, Fox News, at the behest of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, has declared 'war' on retail outlets that don't greet customers with "Merry Christmas" and he has claimed that all Christians are offended when they hear the greeting "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings." I've been a "Christian" all my life and I've never heard or seen anyone offended by these latter greetings. The whole season is an offense to God and Jesus! Where does it lead to? - commercialism. Car commercials calling on people to get new cars for Christmas. How is that honoring Jesus? Where does it stop?
Advice columns advise how to deal with all the stress that comes with it. Some get so overwhelmed they just can’t function! They “get sick or melt down.” There’s more fatigue, rudeness, road rage, depression, suicides, spousal abuse, etc at this time of year than any other. Why is this happening? What are the origins of all this? Is this 'holy day' really for or from God and/or Jesus?
The Christmas story as we know it in the Gospels (Matthew 1:18-2:21 and Luke 1:26-56) was both written and inserted by (“saint”) Jerome who was commissioned by the pope to meld Christianity with the ancient pagan Roman religion. It’s a familiar story because it applies to several in many ancient religions i.e. Mithras from Persia (who was born on December 25th), Tammuz from Babylon (from whence the symbol of the T), etc. It was a clever graft at the time but one that falls apart with modern, educated people. Would the shepherds have had their flocks out by night in the middle of winter in Bethlehem? No.
It’s common knowledge by now that the ancient Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a dedication to their god, Saturn and called it Saturnalia. He was their “old-man god” followed by the “new born baby-god,” Zeus, representing the old year giving way to the new. Interesti
ngly, the Latin name for Jesus is pronounced “Hey-Zeus.” It was a seven day celebration in which businesses closed and the military operations were given a cease fire. It was a time of “good-will towards men” with banquets and gift giving. The employees were served by their employers and everyone greeted each other with, “Ho, ho, ho, merry Saturnalia!” It was also known as a “Feast of Fools.” Sound familiar?
At the founding of this country there was no celebration of this kind. It has gradually been brought in and now permeates this land which was once thought to be the “Promised Land.” People who don’t want to participate in it are vilified and labeled “scrooge” or “grinch.” This is not a ‘Christian’ holiday! It never has been and never will be and anyone who says it is shows himself to be a liar and a follower of and a promoter of a great phantasmagorical fantasy that has nothing to do with God or Jesus at all. It is, in fact, commanded against in God’s Word. The nativity story as well as the Yule log and the tree go back to the ancient times of Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. “Learn not the way of the heathen for their customs are vain…” (Jer 10)
If you think God doesn’t have a problem with false priests coming up with false feast days (“holidays/Holy Days”) you should be aware that’s the very reason God exiled Israel. That account is in the story of king Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:32-33).
The sole purpose of and the continued promotion of the false feast day called “Christmas” is to “make merchandise of you” and separate a fool from his money. And as it says in the last book in the Bible: “The merchants of the earth have waxed rich through the abundance of the Whore of Babylon’s luxuries.” – Revelation/Apocalypse 18:3
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December 9 2005, 01:39:38 UTC 6 years ago
What is the origin of the Christmas tree?
As you mentioned, the tree which has come to symbolize Christmas has its roots in ancient pagan Egypt and Rome. Isis (Semiramis, the queen of heaven) the mother of the sun God, claimed a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Osiris. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Osiris would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of “the unconquered sun”, King Osiris reborn as the son Horus (Tamuz). The Yule log is the dead stock of Nimrod, deified as the sun-god, but cut down by his enemies; the Christmas tree is Nimrod redivivus-the slain god come to life again. This is the real origin of Christmas tree. ‘The Plain Truth About Christmas’, Herbert Armstrong, © 1972, p7The practice of celebrating December 25 with a tree comes from pagan Rome, not from God’s word. God put His people away because of the sins of Jeroboam. Jeroboam thought he might keep God’s people from observing His commands as they are called for by coming up with his own version of a feast day, and causing Israel to go in that way. God says “Therefore behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, … and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam as a man takes away dung, till it is all gone.” 1 Ki 14:10
They are altogether stupid and foolish: their tree is a doctrine of vanities. There is a call to keep the Sabbath, one of the stipulations is to cease and back away from all pagan worship practices. Any who do not keep the Sabbath will surely be destroyed.
December 18 2005, 05:40:28 UTC 6 years ago
traditions
Unfortunately the origins of many "holy days" have been forgotten, leaving traditions to carry them on. At this point, most if not all holidays are followed due to tradition and the melding together of traditions, especially Christmas. Regarding Christmas, there is the traditional food, traditional decorations, traditional parties/events, traditional midnight services, and last but not least the traditional giving of gifts. Tradition often drives where people spend their time, thoughts, energy and money during this time of year. With that in mind, consider the following:Mark 7:8-9 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things you do. And he (Jesus) said unto them, Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.
Jer 10:1-4 Hear you the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel: 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 cuts 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.
Deut 12: 32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Everyone should ask the following questions regarding ALL "traditions". What are the origins and motivations for these traditions? Who are the beneficiaries, if any, of these traditions? Has God called for or commanded against this tradition? Does this tradition take away from the purpose of God?
December 31 2005, 06:33:28 UTC 6 years ago
Merchants Waxed rich?
According to the international Council of Shopping Centers website, the “holiday” season accounts for a large percentage of yearly sales. Some say retailers attribute up to 40% of their annual income to this time of year. If the beginning of the spending season is any indication, retailers will definitely have something to smile about.
The National Retail Federation reports that “holiday” shoppers spent a total of $414.6 billion in 2004. They have predicted a 5% increase for this year, but other analysts have put that number at 8.7%. If they are correct, that would put the total “holiday” spending by Americans in 2005 somewhere between $435.33 and $450.7 billion dollars. These are astounding numbers, but they are mere speculation. On ‘Black Friday’ weekend, the ‘ceremonial beginning’ of the 2005 shopping season, consumers spent a record 27.8 billion dollars. In 2004 this number was 22.8 billion dollars, that’s an incredible 21.9% jump! If this trend continued through the shopping season that would mean that Americans will have spent over $500,000,000,000 by the end of 2005!!!
Shopping malls manufacture a “feel good” atmosphere in order to get you to drop as much money into their pockets as possible because their livelihood depends on it. What’s up with that? What do you suppose would happen if that vein was cut off? The origin of the most lucrative season of the year is a fabrication by the “Catholic Church fathers” who were attempting to meld the traditions of the pagans with their own beliefs in order to gain converts. What’s up with that? You cannot serve God and mammon. The merchants of the earth have and continue to make billions of dollars from this deception. Those merchants may not be the ones who came up with this “holiday”, and they might know it’s not really about the nativity of Yahoshua, but they are undoubtedly waxing rich. This year, in order to follow the politically correct trend, merchants chose not to go with the religious theme opting instead for a ‘winter wonderland’. It is an apparent attempt to distance themselves from an organization that has had its foundations shaken by the recent world wide pedophilia scandal.
Imagine what a financial crisis would ensue if people stopped participating in this deception. What do you suppose the merchants will say when people wake up to the propaganda manipulation and stop spending their hard earned cash on this vanity? Will the merchants weep because nobody buys their merchandise any more?
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