by Tom Parsons

Created on: December 13, 2007

In reality, Christians have no need to reclaim Christmas as a so-called "holy day." Historically, Christmas has always been much more secular than holy.

There is no evidence in the Bible that early Christians celebrated the day of Christ's birth. And, since shepherds were in the fields caring for their sheep on the night Jesus was born in Bethlehem, it was most likely not winter. August has been proposed as a more accurate month for the birth of Jesus to have occurred.

Only two of the four writers of the New Testament Gospels, Matthew and Luke, even mention the birth of Christ. Mark and John make no reference to the event.

The letters written by Paul and the other New Testament writers also are devoid of references to His birth. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus were far more important to the New Testament writers than was His birth.

Christmas was born when Christianity was fatally married to Roman ideology, most likely under Roman Emperor Constantine. The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with decorated trees and gift giving. It was Constantine who decreed that all Romans must be Christians, establishing Christianity as the official state religion. This was one of the worst things that ever happened to Christianity. It brought unconverted pagans en masse into the church, diluting its fervor for the Lord and for truth.

It was this Roman church under Constantine that declared Christ's birth be celebrated with the pagan customs formerly associated with the celebrations surrounding the winter solstice. This attempt to "Christianize" pagans and their customs gave us Christmas.

The question is, why would Christians want to "restore" something that was never really Christian to start with? Most Christians celebrate Christmas as a family day, and as an opportunity to remind the world that Jesus was born for a reason: to die for the sins of mankind. Even over that manger in which Mary lay her little boy, was cast the shadow of the cruel cross.

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