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December 7, 2007

Xmas – Genuine holy day or false tradition?

07.DEC.07

Editor: Most people will tell you that they are celebrating the birthday of the Messiah by keeping December 25. Specifying December 25 as the birth of the Messiah occurred in the year 221(about 200 1/4 years after the Messiah was born) by a Roman historian, Julius Sextus Africanus.{{more}} December 25 or the winter solstice had been a pagan holiday that harks all the way back to ancient Babylon.

The Romans observed their feasts, Saturnalia, Brumalia and Bacchanalia at virtually the same time of the year during which the world today observes Christmas. Many of the customs related to these pagan observances are today attached to the Christmas celebration. For example, things like the boar’s head festival, having pork on Xmas day for the Christmas feast, drinking huge amounts of alcoholic beverages, closing the schools, courts, government offices, and businesses generally, along with the setting up of a tree, were all part of the ancient pagan Roman observance

Since there is no scripture that speaks about the observance of Xmas in the Bible, one can only conclude that this holiday has its roots in paganism. Yahweh has never sanctioned Christmas as a holy day for his son Yahshua, so why observe it? Sending Christmas cards, and having midnight masses or church services on December 25, decorative lights displayed upon colourfully trimmed Christmas trees, the hanging of evergreen leaves and mistletoe, are never mentioned in the Sacred Word of Almighty Yahweh, much less commanded.

Many times, authors and Ministers of Religion will confess sheepishly that December 25 is not the Messiah’s birthday. Birthdays are mentioned three times in the Bible and on each of these occasions, a violent death occurred (Genesis 40: 9- 22, Job 1: 4 &19, Matthew 14:3-12). December 25 is a Sun Worship holiday- “The choice of December 25 was probably influenced by the fact that on this day, the Romans celebrated the Mithraic feast of the Sun G-d (natalis solis invicti) and that the Saturnalia also came at this time.”

(Article, “Christmas,” Collier’s Encyclopedia)

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