[Being Conformed]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

X-Mas is just one example of

Hello Buzzard, I don't believe we have met unless I know you under another name elsewhere.

Okay, how do you think Christ feels about your referring to Him as "X"?

Originally Posted by Sissy

It's not about deleting holidays. It's about Christians attaching a religious significance that does not belong there.

I bring you Romans 14-Freedom in Christ Now, if one considers a day Holy then so be it ... if one considers it a sin then so be it...if it is a stumbling block - STOP RIGHT THERE - okay this is where faith in God and His Sovereignity comes in we all cause others to stumble in many things not just Christmas. Here are some posts from another site which brings up the issue of how convoluted history can be I'm also posting a link here regarding the history of Christmas - I found several different 'theories/histories' on the web.
Quote from another believer:

I myself have done research on the actual birth time of Christ, and from what I've read I'd say that all indications point to somewhere between September and October. Christmas, in the traditional Protestant belief means a memorial day for the celebration of Christ's birth. It doesn't indicate that He was actually born on this day.

While it is generally believed that pagans celebrated several end of the year festivals on December 25, it is celebrated by Christians around the world as a a celebration of Christ's birth. It is believed that Christians tried to find a way to combat the pagan festivals and bring the gospel of Christ to the pagans. Hence, Christmas Day.

I'm sure everyone agrees that gift-giving originated from the gifts given to the Messiah by the Magi.

For a couple years I didn't put up a Christmas tree because I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about all the info I had been reading. It took me awhile to sort thru it all and to digest it. I personally have come to the conclusion that a celebration to commemerate the birth of Christ can be done anytime of the day, week, month, or year. It doesn't have to be JUST on December 25. I do believe that Christians meant well, and truly intended to do away with the pagan festivals celebrated on 12/25. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Pagans still celebrate all their festivals and then some, yet today.

The conclusion of my study and my time of "abstinence" of the tree and Christmas celebration certainly provided much food for thought. I had to do a lot of intense soul searching to reach the conclusion I did.

Today, I observe the birth of Christ on December 25 and don't feel guilty for doing so. For me, Christmas has always been about the giving. I was raised in a Christian home and the focus of Christmas was never on Santa and how many presents we'll get, but instead how to help others and sharing the gift of salvation with them.

Whether Christ was born in April, May, Sept., or Dec isn't an issue. The most important thing is that He WAS born of a virgin, He DID give His life for us, He WAS resurrected, and IS on the right hand of God on this very day.

I don't criticize others for not celebrating Christmas, in fact, we have friends who celebrate Hanukkah instead, and we have celebrated and observed this holiday with them in the past. I believe it is everyone's choice to celebrate or not. Follow your convictions, not the beliefs of others.

I guess I should point out one more thing. In my research of Christmas and other "holidays", I also found some interesting information about the Gregorian calendar that so many of us follow today.

No one knows for sure when the first calendar was invented, but historians have found notched bones in Europe and Africa that indicate they were used to record moon phases. Supposedly these bones date back several thousands of years.

A brief history on the days of the week and months of the year. Our weekdays originally were named after the names of planetary bodies. The Babylonians were first known to do this while the Egyptians were believed to have developed the solar calendar. Just to give you an idea of what the days of the week mean, I'll tell you that Sunday of course is name for the Sun, Monday is named for the Moon, and Tuesday is actually taken from "Mar's day" which is from the Roman warrior god, Mars. Wednesday is adapted from "Mercury's day" which is from the Roman god of peace and prosperity. The remaining days of the week are named for gods and goddesses. Our months are named for gods, goddesses, and festivals as well.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is this. We follow this calendar every day, week, month, and year of our lives. Yes, it was derived from evil (for all intents and purposes), but we still follow and use this calendar. So much of our traditions today are based on pagan rituals and "unChristian" practices. Unfortunatly, we would have to remove ourselves from this world in order to be unaffected by this. This won't happen of course until we die or when Christ returns.

Like I said above, following certain traditions and holidays all comes down to conviction. I suggest you pray about it and ask the Lord to guide you on what you should do.

continued....