Jesus was not born December 25th – WMSCOG and Christmas
Finding out Christmas is not Jesus’ birthday is one of my favorite things I learned when I started attending the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG).Before going to the Church, I already heard that Jesus was not born on December 25th, but the WMSCOG confirmed it for me when no other church could give me a clear answer about this topic. Now many people have no idea about this, and to them it comes as a surprise, however the history and evidence against Christmas is clear.
Most people are under the impression that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, however they are totally mistaken. Christmas is in actuality, a festival in honor of the sun-god, Mithra. Now, let’s take a careful look at various elements which testify the date of Jesus’ birth was not December 25th and that this day was celebrated in ancient Rome as the birthday of the sun-god.
The History of Christmas
The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of Jesus into this earth, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many people rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.
In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21st, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year.
The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of the year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of the year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.
In Germany, people honored the pagan god Odin during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Odin, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.
In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia – a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, slaves would become masters. Peasants were in command and the city Business and schools were closed so that everyone could join in the fun.
Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the Unconquerable sun, on December 25th. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra’s birthday was the most sacred day of the year.
Infiltration of Christmas in Christianity
In the early years of Christianity the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the 4th century, Catholic Church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention the date of Jesus birthday. The evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring — I mean, why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?
Luke 2:8 – And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
Pope Julius I chose December 25th. It is commonly believed that the Catholic Church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan festivals of Saturnalia and Juvenalia. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 AD and to England by the end of the sixth century. By the end of the 8th century, the celebration of Christmas had spread all the way to Scandinavia. Today, in the Greek and Russian orthodox churches, Christmas is celebrated 13 days after December 25th, which is also called the Epiphany or Three Kings Day. This is the day supposedly that the wise men finally found Jesus in the manger — because it makes “sense” for people at that time to travel in the middle of winter.
So what’s so wrong about Celebrating Christmas?
Well there is nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas if you are not a Christian, but if you claim to be a Christian then you are completely going against to what God said in the Bible. As you may or may not be aware, the first commandment among the 10 commandments is to not have other gods besides the God of the Bible.
Exodus 20:3 – You shall have no other gods before me.
However in celebrating Christmas you are honoring the birth of the sun-god, since it was the sun-god who is claimed to have been born on this day, and not Jesus Christ.
Some apologetics may say the following: “Although December 25th is the birthday of the sun-god, we don’t celebrate it in his honor; we do it in the honor of Jesus, so it is OK to celebrate Christmas”
Under that logic many people are deceived and manipulated to believe it is OK to celebrate Christmas, however there are two points that make it completely wrong, even under that excuse:
- Jesus was not born December 25th, simple enough it is not the day he was born, so it doesn’t make sense to celebrate it on this day.
- God already warned us not to worship God in the way other people or religions worship their gods.
Deuteronomy 12:29-32 – The Lord your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land… be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates…
You cannot claim to be a Christian and celebrate this man-made tradition known as Christmas.
Mark 7:6-7 – He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”
All the WMSCOG wants to do is ruin my family.
Due to the fact that this erroneous celebration known as Christmas is tightly connected to spending time with the family, members — who realize that Christmas is wrong and decide, by their own free will, not to keep it — are immediately accused of ruining the family. Families then turn and accuse the WMSCOG of destroying the family because the Church teaches Christmas is not a Christian celebration.
This type of accusation displays the lack of religious tolerance people have today. Why should the fact that we choose to not celebrate something that is a complete lie endanger my family relationship? It is absurd to think and insist on this idea. As the saying goes: “blood is thicker than water,” so whether we celebrate Christmas or not, it does not make me more or less part of my family.
If it’s about spending time as a family, why don’t we spend time as family while we celebrate the Feasts of God as they are in the Bible? We can spend time as a family while we celebrate the day of Resurrection, or during the Feast of Tabernacles? Why don’t we spend time as a family in the Church while we worship God correctly?
Judge for yourself: would you rather keep something that is clearly a lie, as it is in the case of Christmas? Or would you rather keep a celebration that is clearly described in the Bible?
As far as I’m concerned… I will go with the latter.
