Merry Paganism

by Charlene

Here are some Christmas Facts-

The word "Christmas" is from an old English language, Cristes Maesse (Christ's Mass).

-----------------------

December 25th was chosen as the date for Christmas by the Catholic priests because that day was during the same time as the Roman Saturnalia Festival, which was a traditional pagan celebration with unruly traditions. In 273, Emperor Aurelianus invented a new pagan religion, "The cult of Sol Invictus (invincible sun/Iranian god Mithra). That god's birthday was December 25th. The priests wanted to make the pagan celebration and feasting day more "civilized and Christian." Kelly Wittman wrote that Pope Julius I declared that Christ's birthday would be on December the 25th in order to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans to convert to Christianity. In Ancient Babylon, December 25th was the feast of the Son of Isis the goddess of nature. "Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast" wrote Kelly Wittmann.

-----------------------

The mistletoe is sacred to ancient druids and it is a symbol of eternal life the same as a Christmas tree. The Romans viewed it as a symbol of peace and established the custom of kissing under a mistletoe.


------------------------------------------

Giving gifts was a Roman custom of giving gifts for good luck to children during Saturnalia.
---------------------------------------------

Have you ever wondered why red and green were chosen
to become the colors of Christmas? We see the colors red and green everywhere when December approaches. Here is what they represent:

Green signifies life. This has the same illustration as plants needing chlorophyll for life. Green symbolizes the hope for eternal life that we find in Christ Jesus.

Red symbolizes the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is what washes our sins away and the blood of Jesus is our salvation.

-------------------------------
Christmas gnomes (elves) are purely pagan. There is a widespread belief in 'house gnomes' who guarded homes against evil but were terribly cruel if they were not treated nicely. They wore gray with red caps. The cult of gnomes were fiercely attacked by true Christians but in the modern day it is found that Christians have adopted the custom.

Originally these evil apparitions would appear throughout the year but nowadays they are mainly associated to Christmas. In Finland, children fear the "tontut" who spy on them behind the windows. As with all Christmas customs, the real origins and meaning are forgotten and are regarded as mere "folklore." Even Disney created the seven dwarfs who resembled the gnomes very strongly.

--------------------
The Christmas straw is seen when it is spread on the floor under the manger where Jesus lay as an infant. It is also a known pagan custom to ensure the crop of next summer. They collected straws and even hung them up in the ceiling as a mobile (called himmeli).

And what is eerie is the shape of the himmeli which strongly resembles a lot of the Christmas decorations. I always assumed they were just odd-looking stars. Look again:

-----------------------------
The Christmas wreath is a pagan symbol adopted by Christianity. The Wheel of the Year symbolizes the winter solstice festivals. In Egypt, it was the palm. In Rome, it was the fir.
----------------------------------

Long before Christmas trees were established as a part of Christmas decor, the people would bring winter greenery outside their homes to protect them from witches, spirits and other evil creatures. They believed that the evil creatures were seeking shelter from the cold and they did not want these evil creatures to enter their homes.

The original candles were placed on trees to frighten away the devil and evil spirits before the tree was called a "Christmas tree." The Romans took this tradition and added pieces of metal so the reflections of the metal would further scare the evil spirits.
The evergreen tree is a practice derived from pagan times. They symbolize eternal life. The trees were also a symbol of eternal life in ancient Egypt, China and Europe. They were worshiped in many places.

The ancient Finns used sacred groves instead of temples.

"But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire." Deuteronomy 7:5

The tree appears to be a triangle and the Egyptians worshiped triangle and pyramid figures. Bill McLain wrote "On Demember 21st, the shortest day of the year, ancient Egyptians decorated their homes with green branches to symbolize life's triumph over death."



The Pagan story says that Saint Boniface found a group of Pagans worshiping an oak tree and became angry. He cut the tree down and a small fir tree sprouted from the stump and reached to the sky. Thus, Saint Boniface told everyone to worship the tree because it is holy, evergreen and a symbol of everlasting life.

-------------------------
What the BIBLE says:

"Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto 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 cutteth 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." Jeremiah 10:2-4

----------------------------------------
Historically in the Biblical Days:

"Christmas" can be traced as far back as during the days of Nimrod. Nimrod was the great grandson of Noah, grandson of Ham and son of Cush. He was the founder of a false religion. He was also the one who built the tower of Babel. God scattered the people by changing their language before Nimrod could establish a one world religion.

Nimrod married his own mother, Semiramis, who called herself the 'queen of heaven.' Nimrod demanded the people to worship him as a savior of the world. Shem executed Nimrod by cutting his body into pieces and sending each piece to all the mighty cities of his empire as a warning not to continue their one world false religion.

Semiramis was determined that Nimrod would still be worshiped so she gave him a name which is called "Baal" and that name is found throughout much of the old testament. Shortly after Nimrod died, Seramis gave birth to an illegitimate child which she claimed was the rebirth of Nimrod's spirit. This 'mother and child' soon became the main objects of worship throughout the world. They were also known as Isis and Horus, Venus and Jupiter, or eventually "virgin Mary and the Christ child."

Semiramis claimed that a full-grown evergreen tree sprang up overnight from a dead stump, symbolizing the new life of Nimrod. She claimed that Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts on each anniversary of his birth which happens to be on December 25th. THAT is the true origin of the Christmas tree and the pagan history. This is WHY the Prophet Jeremiah knew of the "Christmas tree" so long before Jesus Christ was ever born.


(Do you see the rings around their heads? It is the symbol of the SUN... aka the sun god)
--------------------------------

What about good ol' St.Nick? They say he was named after a man who lived in the 4th century A.D. He gave gifts to the poor children. The Roman Catholic church made him immortal by creating St.Nicholas. They created legends and fairy tales about this man that became Santa Claus.

Nicolas is from the Greek Word "nikos" and "laos" which together mean conqueror or destroyer of people. Nimrod was the original conqueror and destroyer of people. Oddly, another one of Nimrod's names was Sanctus or Santa which means saint. When Jesus said that the "doctrine of the Nicolaitans" was a "thing I hate" in Revelations 2:15, he was referring to the Nimrod inspired Babylonian religion that is a false Christianity.

Do you notice how Santa is full of 'magic?' It is claimed that he can do magical things and that is the beginning of the lure to the children towards witchcraft.

------------------------------
It is a fact and a known thing that Christmas is a pagan festival. If you do your research on any Christmas custom you will discover a pagan origin. Unfortunately, many who read this will be greatly offended. Still, God commands his faithful people and church to proclaim such things

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." Isaiah 58:1

The world is easily and greatly deceived by Satan. He has choreographed this and designed this with glittering lights, bow tied ribbons and all the enticing things you can possibly think of. That is his signature. 2 Corinthians 11:14, "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."

Another thought to ponder is to look back into the history of true Christianity. The early Christians never observed birthdays (not even Christ's birthday). They observed his death as a victorious day. Many Christians were martyred when they separated themselves from observing Catholic and Pagan traditions and customs. The early Christians fought hard to keep separate from those things. Now we see that line being blurred. We no longer separate ourselves from the ways of the heathen.

----------------------------
As you have read this article, I ask for you to seek God in prayer about this issue. What does God want you and your family to do?
That is something we all should think about. It is greatly difficult to separate ourselves from something we have grown accustomed to.

Sisterlisa said we have become intertwined to these things, that we become resentful to depart from them. That is true. Are we resentful to keep what we want to keep, or are our hearts willing to follow the commands of the Lord?


Charlene is a deaf mom of two boys, one being hard of hearing. Her heart for God shines through her life and she has the 'law of kindness' in her words. She has her Bachelors Degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences, writes for AGMinistries, and you can read more about her at 'Bring on the Rain'.


Related Articles:
To Christmas or Not to Christmas by Jacque Dixon
Pagan Origins of Christmas by Jacque Dixon
Holiday Dilemmas by Robin Sampson
Christmas Unveiled! by David C. Pack
Should Christians Celebrate Christmas? by Cobblestone Ministries
Grafted in the Magic of Christmas by Sisterlisa
Take Christmas Back to It's Pagan Roots By Miss Jocelyn

A note from Sisterlisa:

As you have read this article I want to ask you a few questions. Do articles such as these make you cringe? Do you not want to read it? Are you turning your eyes away from the facts? Why do we do that? When it is obvious by facts and God's commands from scripture, why is it that we turn away from wanting to know the actual truth about Christmas? Have we become so grafted into this Culture of Christmas that we resist the change that the Holy Spirit is leading us to? Charlene mentioned that I had said that we resent departing from it, that is true.

When we see clearly that scripture is teaching us and warning us, why do we scoff at the idea of giving up something, especially when it is so clear and evident that this holiday is displeasing to the Lord. The definition and origin of the word 'holiday' is 'holy day'. The Christmas we know of today is certainly not a holy day. Regardless of how many people will try to justify this holiday for themselves, the facts remain. What kind of culture have we fed our children? We owe it to our Saviour to know the truth about this culture and remove those things which God has clearly instructed us NOT to partake in.

The Bible is clear that in the end times people will be divided against one another. Do you recall what happens to Christians when the truth about Halloween is discussed? What do you think would happen to families when Christmas is abstained from? Why is it that people become angry when the truth is exposed? What are we really fighting against? Christmas is NOT in the Bible as a holy observation of Christ. If it was a command from God to partake in it, He would have instructed us to do so. He did however instruct us to observe The Lord's Supper.

1 Corinthians 11:25, "After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."

Please take some time to consider your family's traditions. What are the origins, why is it observed, and what does God say about it?

It is most certainly an area that my family will begin to make changes in.

Sisterlisa is a homeschooling mom of four children and married to a ministry leader of a Rescue mission. She is the owner of Growing in Grace Magazine and AGMinistries.