Kush Edifying Ministries
Edifying the Mind and Feeding, the Spirit of
Men
[Note: This message was given
in part live on the radio, and in light of this I must note here that these are
my written notes; and my actual comments are on tape (available without cost
for those who request it)].
Some
Myths and Old Wives Fables about Christmas (AKA, "Xmas")...
Now, I exhort you today,
while it is Day, that
you meditate on the things written here and the Holy Scriptures below.
Remembering what the early apostles had to say concerning devising fables
(creating holidays to worship Christ), genealogies (attributing dates of birth
to God), and the teaching for doctrine commandments of men rather than commands
of God and His Christ.
Paul, the apostle sent by Christ to the Gentiles
(Greeks and Romans) and the unbelievers:
Peter, the apostle sent by Christ to the Jews and those
who today hold to their teachings:
Christ Himself says:
Questions: Do you think these verses have any
meaning to your faith? Why do you think the Holy Spirit say these things? What
is the meaning of these phrases, "nor give heed to fables and
endless genealogies", "we did not follow cunningly devised
fables", and "in vain they worship Me, Teaching as
doctrines the commandments of men"?
The Holy Spirit says in 1 Kings 12, that Jeroboam "devised
in his own heart" a holiday for God, and "ordained"
it:
Is what Jeroboam did in 1
Kings 12 a sin? What is the meaning of 1 Kings12: 30, which say, "Now
this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far
as Dan"? Does God allow men to set-up or devise in his own hearts
holidays or feast days to worship Him? Why did the Holy Spirit say this about
Jeroboam? What is Jeroboam reasoning for creating this holiday (verse 26)?
Is not Jeroboam reasoning the same as those whom created Xmas and the like? I
ask these questions in light of the Scriptures above, and for you to begin
pondering on these things. Ask your self why do men
devise "fables" and "tales" of events and
times, and command you to worship the one true God in heaven on these days? Is
not this a sin against God? Do you believe God honor such "holidays"?
If you believe God honor these days then, what is the meaning of these verses
in Isaiah?
Notice what the Holy Spirit
speaking by the prophet Isaiah says, that God’s "soul hates"
"your appointed feasts", and "they are a trouble
to" Him:
This prophecy is for us
today, why do you
think God says this about these people feast days and sacred assemblies
(special church service)? Notice, what God says in verse 15, that He "will
not hear" these Churchgoers even though these people "make
many prayers" to Him.
Now let us examine some of
the "so-called" Christian calendar of holidays set up to
worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, Israel (Jacob), His holy prophets and His
saints. Holidays God never gave us to observe, yet men have said in "their
heart", and "devised in their heart", and took it
upon themselves and "ordained feast days" for those who called
themselves Christians to celebrate. (These Christian holiday lovers even go as
far as to assumed that everyone should take part in their "merrymaking
and debauchery"). The leaders of these Christians have mandated these
days to be kept as "sacred assemblies" and "sacred
meetings" for worship. Yet, the Holy Spirit clearly tells us that God
hates these days and God will not hear your many prayers on these
"futile" days called the "Christian calendar".
First, what is this
"Christmas celebration" all about?
Well mostly, it’s
celebrated by the "so-called" mainstream Christian community. This is probably the most blasphemous
of all the humanly devised appointed feast days because it claims God has a
beginning, a birthday. And this devised holiday is celebrated during the same
period the "sun-god" was worship by many cultures throughout the
ages. And this holiday devised out of the heart of men has many of the same
activities and customs of those same pagan festivals of the times, which these
Christmas lovers claim now represent the attributes of the Godhead.
The word "Christmas"
is translated from the Latin words "Cristes maesse", which means "Christ's Mass"
in the English.
It is said that in A.D.
245, some scholars
attempted to determine the exact date of the birth of the Man Jesus the Christ
which resulted in multiple dates: January 1, January 6, March 25, and May 20.
They liked the May date because they believed it supported the report that the
shepherds who received the announcement of Christ's birth were watching their
sheep by night. Reasoning that the shepherds guarded their flocks
day and night only during the springtime because it was lamb season.
Yet, we have Charlemagne,
the Roman Emperor
later claiming the "so-called" birth of Christ was on Dec. 25, 754
Anno Urbis (AU), which means 754 years after the founding of the city of Rome.
However, mostly all of the scholars today agree that this year was wrong by
four years. Putting the so-called date of the Man Jesus the Christ birth at 750
AU (or 4 B.C.) if not earlier. Either way this date was not even mentioned in
the previous determination by the scholars some decades earlier. So we must ask ourselves, why did Charlemagne choose
December 25? This will be answered when we study the origins of celebrations on
and around this December 25th date.
By asking more questions:
Where did the date of
December 25 come from anyway? How
did it come to be a so-called Christian holiday? Well, don't ask the students
of history because each may well give you different accounts of the events
leading up to the renaming of the long celebrated pagan holiday, a holiday to
worship a sun-god and some other mythical and man-made gods. Let me say from
the out set that one of the problems of man-made
"cunningly devised fables" cloak in secrecy is that you get more lies
and deceptions surrounding the holiday or festival as time passes, and Xmas and
the December 25th date are no exception:
Many students of history
claim the first celebration of Christmas began in Rome around 336 AD;
and December 25th was chosen by a pope called Julius I, around the 4th century
because he wanted to put a Christian face on the pagan winter festivals of the
time. Also, that it was a pope called Sylvester that decreed it to be
celebrated during the time of the Babylonian sun-god festival called
Saturnalia. [Yet, as seen above they also say the Roman Emperor Charlemagne
declared Xmas. Who declared Xmas today is not as important today as what was declared].
It is even said that Rome
was originally called Saturnia, city of Saturn after the Babylonian
sun god. It is said that the word Saturn also means "the hidden
one". Reported to be the name revealed only to those who belonged to
the secretly and mysterious Babylonian religion, also known as the brotherhood
(Does this word sound familiar, "brotherhood"?).
This sounds like the city of
Rome today, which serves as the headquarters for the Universal Church [the word
"universal" is translated as the word "Catholic"
today]. Thereby, making the Catholic headquarters in Rome, where the "tithes
and offerings" of the masses of Catholics are centralized by those who
hold themselves as their leaders. (The treasury of the Catholic Church today
sits where the temple of the pagan Roman god called Saturn was and the treasury
of the Roman state was also).
Even though the word Saturn
is connected with the host of heaven and the sun god of Babylon, the Britannica
online and the Webster online both speaks of Saturn referring to an agriculture
god. Yet, we will see why Xmas was decreed by the Catholic Church on December
25th when we learn that the Xmas activities and celebrations were used to
worship the sun-gods and the hosts of heaven (the movement of the stars in the
sky) of many different cultures. As I said before, I say again deceit breeds
more deceit and confusion.
It is also reported that the Roman
festival of Saturnalia was a time for feasting and gambling, which lasted
for weeks in December. And the Germanic tribes of Northern Europe also
celebrated mid-winter with feasting, drinking and religious rituals. Again, I
say this sound very much similar to the activities of the modern
day Christmas holiday season.
The winter solstice was
the season of a major celebration of fertility in ancient Rome called
Saturnalia. The
festival was from December 17th – 21st. This honored the "good old
days" when the god Saturn ruled a supposedly "Golden Age",
and there were no masters and no slaves, and everything was easy. They also
exchanged presents, and were allowed to gamble in public, and in general they
just had themselves a "good old time". The celebrations on
this holiday were basically centered on the movement of the sun and stars, and
other things in the heavens:
Today, the celebrants of
Xmas:
Some Christians celebrate
Christmas on January 7th rather than December 25th. The Orthodox and eastern rite
churches such as the Ukrainian have maintained the Julian calendar for
ecclesiastical purposes into this century. When we switched from the Julian
calendar to the Gregorian calendar, 11 days were dropped from the year in
1752. The date, December 25th was effectively moved backwards by 11 days. Some
Christian Church Sects, called the "Calendarists",
still celebrate Christmas on January 7th (previously December 25th of the
Julian calendar).
All the Orthodox countries, which preserved the Julian calendar
into this century, had a 13-day lag. Where dates would be written as January
4/17, 1918, meaning the 4th in new style and 17th in the old
style calendar.
The Roman calendar used
from the eighth century BC
originally started the year on March 1 and had 10 months as the names of the
months themselves indicates, September (7), October (8), November (9) and
December (10). Eventually two months were added, Januarius and Februarius, and the year were started on January. However,
it was only 355 days long so, it had over a ten-day error and the seasons and
the calendar over the years continued to lose its correct relationship.
There were many cultures
and peoples who had festivals during the winter solstice period beginning around the December 21st or
22nd period, and usually lasting 12 to 14 days long in some
cultures. However, today we have most of the information about the festival
being attributed to the Greeks / Romans society because of the state religion
of Christianity (Catholic) being declared by Rome.
Therefore, before we move
forward with myths and fables of today, I must point out that the Greeks and the Romans had no
original culture to speak of, and that all their traditions came from other
cultures and peoples they visited and / or invaded. The Romans came out of the
Greeks society of which they adopted their customs, and the Greeks stole their
philosophy and customs from the ancient Egyptians after the invasion of Egypt
by the Persians king Cyrus as identified by the Bible in Daniel 8:20-21.
The Babylonians and the Egyptians were great civilizations many 1000s of years
before Greece or Rome even thought about being civilized [My proof see your
Holy Bible – its all there, if you have eyes to
see.].
[Also, see the book "Stolen
Legacy - Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy" by George
G.M. James – even though I believe the Bible is suffice in proof, I know some
of you will want man’s research also.]
Moving back to the Xmas
date, which again, I
say, was celebrated on different dates. Some claim Xmas was celebrated as early
as 200 AD. It was finally fixed on the 25th of December by a bishop named Liberius of Rome around 354 AD. Saying he chose the date to
replace or more specifically put a Christian face on a pagan Roman festival of
a sun god worshipped by the pagans of the conquered lands. Also, I must point
out that not all "so-called" areas celebrated it such as Scotland and
New England; other places of the United States did not celebrate it until the
late 19-century (1800s).
Still others say:
The Roman church (Catholic)
decreed the date December 25th, as the "so-called" birthday of
Christ. It is said again that the so-called Eastern churches refused to accept
Christmas until 375 AD, and Jerusalem churches did not accept it until sometime
in the 7th century AD.
Still again others say:
That a pope name, Julius,
in 349 AD formally decreed the 25th of December, as
Xmas. This date was
already being celebrated by many Roman citizens in their respected provinces,
which was called in the Latin "Natalis Solis Invicti" (meaning in English "the Birthday of the
In-conquerable Sun") honoring a sun god called, Mithras. It was
celebrated just after the winter solstice, as days became longer. Some scholars
believe that the pope name Julius chose this to win over followers of
Mithras to the newly named state religion called Christianity, as well as
giving Roman Christians a chance to participate in the celebration (which was
probably the most motivating reason). Seeing that the winter solstice festivals
were some of the greatest festivals of the times for, all which celebrated
them. It is no wonder or surprise that the newly declared legal state
religion of Rome would claim this commonly held sun-god festival, seasonal
holiday, as their own with a new name called "Christ-mass". This
would also put a cast over Rome’s previously religion known as Mithraism, which
were in competition with their newly renamed holiday called Christmas with the
same activities as Mithraism. Roman government had only used the spread of
Christianity as a chance to get another hold on the people. Basically, it was political
not religious, for most Roman leaders did not think much of religion anyway
unless it could be used political, as it is today.
Notice the traditional
story of the celebrated holiday for the god called Mithra, by this religion
called Mithraism. This
so-called god "in myth" was devised as been born on December
25th, of a virgin (same as the true story of Christ spoken of by Isaiah and the
prophets and the Gospels). This pagan god called Mithra. It is said shepherds
and magicians [the Magi] witnessed the birth of the god Mithra in myth, (just
as the Christ Child). These pagans even attributed to this Mithra, the same
miracles that Christ performed such as raising the dead, healing the sick and
casting out demons. This Mithra even is said to have returned to heaven at the
spring equinox, and had a Last Supper with his 12 disciples (which represented
the 12 signs of the zodiac). It’s said they would eat bread called mizd, which was marked with a cross (at that time this was
nearly a universal symbol of the sun, you must ask yourself why the cross
symbol is used in worship of the One true God). They called this (December
25th), the birthday of the Invincible One (Mithras); they called it the
birthday of the solar disk.
Does any of this story
have a familiar sound to you?
Yes, those who celebrate Xmas have borrowed everything from this holiday
tradition of the sun god called Mithra for the worship of our Lord and Savior
Christ Jesus. Or shall I say the Mithraism religion stole the story, which
were handed down by oral traditions and the Holy Scriptures of the birth of
the Man, Jesus the Christ. Either way it is pagan, and not God-ordained or
commanded, but the celebration of Xmas is a commandment of men, devised in the
hearts of men and ordained by men.
Again, we must ask what
does the word "Christmas" really mean?
More specifically, what do
the words "Merry Christ-Mass" really means in the Modern English today? Because many
seem to over look this very word in defining this
season, and their merry making on this day.
Most people think that the
word, "Christmas" means "the birth of Christ." By
definition, Christmas means the "death of Christ", and
this can be proven just by using the World Book Encyclopedia and the Catholic
Encyclopedia.
In essence, the Mass is
the ceremonial slaying of Jesus Christ over and over again, followed by the eating of his flesh
and the drinking of his blood. The Mass is the death sacrifice, and the
"Host" is the victim. This is official Roman Catholic doctrine, and
"Christ-mass" is a word that they invented.
The word "Christmas"
is, itself, an unholy mixture of Christ and Mass. "Christ" mean
"anointed" from the Greek word "Cris-tos". To Christians it refers to Jesus as
the Christ, but to the Catholic it may refer to the Pope as the Vicar of
Christ. Popery has declared, the Pope..."holds upon the earth the place of
God Almighty... is Christ in office, jurisdiction and power and ... in clinging
to thee (pope) we cling to Christ"... (Vatican Council of 1870). There is
good cause to wonder to whom glory is given during the mass.
The word "mass"
comes from the latin root "mittere"
(to send) and derives from "missa" (to
dismiss). Could "merry christ-mas" actually
mean to merrily dismiss Jesus as Christ?
The Roman church declares
the mass to be a sacrament (sacrifice)
in which Jesus is physically sacrificed each time as the wafer and wine
actually are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus which are then
consumed by the officiating priest. This sacrifice is supposed to pay for the
sins of both the living and dead. (But, see below Hebrews 7:27, 9:22
& 27-28). The ritual uses only round wafers/cakes emblazoned with the
letters "IHS" which the Roman church claim is Latin for
"Jesus the Savior of men". But for centuries before Jesus such round
wafer/cakes (the sun) have been offered to the queen of heaven (Jer. 7:18)
and in Egypt, for example, the round wafers had the same initials "IHS"
which stood for the trinity of Isis, Horus and Set.
These customs and
traditions of Xmas have their founding in the pagan festivals in history. Such as: doing traditional plays,
feasting with a boar's head, games, dancing and other merry-making; these
activities went on for twelve days until the 6th of January in most places
especially western Europe, commonly referred to today as the "Twelve
Days of Christmas"
The night before,
Christmas Eve, was
called "Modranect" or "Modranecht" by the Germanic pagan peoples (this seems
to be Old English / Anglo-Saxon, and apparently means "Mother's
Night"). This is obviously in honor of the Mother Goddess who bore the
solar Child of Promise.
Ukraine under King Volodymyr
(St. Vladimir) accepted Christianity from Byzantium in 988 AD many pagan
traditions were in existence which was adapted by the Catholic churches to the
new Christian religion. Some of those traditions have survived as part of
today's Christmas celebrations. Wisps of hay on the embroidered tablecloth, as
a reminder of the manger in Bethlehem. Some of Ukrainian carols are ancient
pagan songs of a thousand years ago, which they have converted into Christmas
carols.
Before Christianity the
Swedish people celebrated "midvinterblot"
at winter solstice. It simply means, "mid-winter-blood", and featured
both animal and human sacrifice. Also, let me note here that these pagan
traditions were not stopped until around 1200 AD. Talk about primitive
civilizations, you find many in Europe well after the Jews leaders turned over
Jesus our true Lord and Master to the Romans to be crucified. By the way the
weekday named Thursday is named after their war god called Thor. And the weekday
named Friday is after their god called Freja (fertility). Here an interesting
note, that to this day the Swedish people name for Christmas is Jul (Yule), and
the Jul gnome has a more important role than Christmas father or the Christ
child
The ancient traditions of
Pakistan pre-date the Christian era. During winter solstice, an ancient demigod
returns to collect prayers and deliver them to Dezao,
their Supreme Being.
In 17th century, England
Puritans objected to Christian celebrations of Xmas stating that there was no clear
biblical basis for this holiday (i.e. the Bible does not tell us to celebrate
Jesus' birthday). As a result, the English Parliament in 1643 outlawed
Christmas, Easter, and other Christian holidays. The Puritans banned Christmas
altogether and during the Cromwellian period in England, anyone celebrating
Christmas was jailed for heresy. Probably the most hated of all Puritan
laws was the one abolishing Christmas and probably led to popular acceptance of
royalty at least the King allowed the masses to celebrate Yule! However, the
holiday activities performed on the 25th of December were so popular that
around 1660 the citizens reclaimed it. This is why I always say that these Xmas
lovers will not stop celebrating Xmas, because the festival activities are
merrymaking and moneymaking activities, and the merchants nor will the
government allow Christians to stop celebrating it.
Even in the past U.S.
cities and states have tried to stop the Xmas holiday, for instance the Pilgrims arrived in
Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620 bringing with them a distrust of Christmas.
And in 1659 AD, a Massachusetts law fined people for celebrating on the 25th of
December. The Pilgrims outlawed Christmas. They also refused to use the 1611
King James Bible! Again, the day was so popular that the law was repealed in
1681, although strong religious opposition lasted into the next century.
The Catholic, Lutheran,
Dutch Reformed and Anglican churches were the most responsible for establishing
Christmas traditions in the United States. Here we see the Roman church called the Catholic Church
brought this holiday to the U.S., along with her daughters called the
Lutherans, Dutch Reformists, Anglicans.
Baptists, Presbyterians,
Quakers, and Puritans voiced opposition to the day because of the pagan origins
of most of the Christmas festivities.
The Puritans in New
England shunned the activities of Xmas until about 1875, especially the
German-American Xmas tree.
Basically, in America, the
Xmas holiday was generally outlawed until the end of the 19th century (1800s). In Boston, up to 1870, anyone missing
work on Christmas Day would be fired. Factory owners customarily required
employees to come to work at 5 a.m. on Christmas -- to insure they wouldn't
have time to go to church that day. And any student who failed to go to school
on December 25 would be expelled. Christmas did not even begin to be a legal
holiday anywhere in the United States until very late in the nineteenth
century, with Alabama being the first state to make it so.
Christmas is the only
religious holiday in America that is also a national legal holiday. In 1836, Alabama became the first
state to declare Christmas an official holiday. By 1890 all other states
followed suit.
Christmas was declared a
Federal Holiday in the United States on June 26, 1870 under the government headed by
President Ulysses S. Grant during the period of reconstruction following the
American Civil War.
Except Armenians who
celebrate Christmas on January 6 (the date of the baptism of Jesus as well as
the day of the three Magi), accepted the date of December 25th.
Interesting Points About
the Calendar we Use to Today:
[Julian Calendar
Julius Caesar in 46 BC had
the Greek astronomer Sosigenes establish the length of the solar calendar at 365
and one quarter days (365.25). The Julian Calendar was introduced on January 1,
having the seventh month renamed in his honor as July the next year. A later
Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar, corrected the leap year system in AD 8 and in
his honor a month was renamed August. The Julian year of 365 days and 6 hours
exceeds the true solar year of 365.2422 days or 365 days 5 hours 49 minutes and
46 seconds by the amount of 11 minutes 14 seconds. The difference is about 0.0078
of a day per year or about one day in 128 years. Over a period of 1,500 years
the calendar was again getting out of step with the natural seasons by about
ten days.
GREGORIAN CALENDAR
POPE GREGORY XIII in 1582 introduced changes to correct the
error in the Julian Calendar. To restore the vernal or spring equinox to March
21st he eliminated the 10 days from March 11 to 21 in 1582 so the dates March
12 to 20 never existed in 1582, at least not in Roman Catholic countries. Some
Protestant countries like England and Sweden adopted the new calendar only in
1752 so there was 11 days difference by then.]
Some of the Traditions and
Activities of the Xmas holiday and season:
Many of today’s Xmas
customs: The
decorating of houses with greenery and lights, exchanging gifts, and enjoying
festival meals originated with the pagan celebration of these mid-winter
festivals called by many names. Such as: the Mystery
Babylon religion, also known as the brotherhood, the worship of a Babylonian
sun god, with the festival being called Saturnalia. And later adopted by Rome
called to worship a god called Saturn (see above); western Europe called the "Feast
of Fools" and with a "Lord of Misrule"; the winter solstice
were the "birthday" of several gods such as: Attis, Frey, Thor,
Dionysus, Osiris, Adonis, Mithra, Tammuz, Cernunnos
and so forth. Xmas and all the holiday names of the season prior to Xmas were
"solar holidays."
Those who are celebrating
Xmas are worshipping the sun god of ancient pagan religions and even worse
practicing witchcraft and divination:
Santa Claus - St Nicholas:
Santa Claus is an
Anglicized form of the Dutch name, Sinter Klaas. Sinter Klaas
represents a Christian bishop of the fourth century named "Saint
Nicholas." Saint Nicholas was said to be kind and generous towards
children. And that he attended the Council of Nicea
in 325 AD, where it is said he supported the biblical
doctrine of the Trinity.
St. Nicholas, the godly
bishop of Myra in Asia Minor
(today's country of Turkey), is the source of the Santa Claus of tradition. In
the 4th century, a bishop in Turkey who came to be called St. Nicholas was
known for good deeds involving children. His feast day on December 6 was
celebrated throughout Europe until about the 16th century. His acts of charity,
especially towards children, and the gift bringing of Thor, show us the folk
origins of the Santa Claus theme. The church fostered St. Nikolaus as the
bringer of gifts, the bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, who died on December 6, 343
AD. The old German god Wotan, riding the wild skies with his retinue, emerged
out of the pre-Christian past.
St. Nicholas is the most
popular saint in the
Ukrainian church after St. Vladimir. In Ukraine the first mention of St.
Nicholas is related to the year 882 AD at the time of King Ihor
of Rus. St. Vladimir, King of Rus-Ukraine in 988 AD proclaimed Christianity the
religion of his realm.
Dutch settlers brought the
legend of Sinter Klaas to North America -- where we came to know him as Santa
Claus. Clement Clarke Moore, in the poem "The Night, Before
Christmas" first described the "jolly old elf" with
his sleigh drawn by reindeers. The United States made Santa Claus
popular in New York, and the Christmas card around 1846 AD and made the major
contribution to commercializing Christmas, a gift to capitalism, the quest for
profit.
Thomas Nast created the
American image of Santa Claus,
a combination of Moore's "jolly old elf" and the Pelznickel of Nast's native Bavarian Palatinate in 1862.
Nast created a bearded, pipe-smoking figure in a woolly suit and cap, carrying
a large sack of toys. In many regions, and also in the U.S., the festivities
originally attributed to the gift giving of St. Nikolaus have been transferred
from December 6 to Christmas. The giver of gifts is the "Weihnachtsmann" [Santa Claus] or the
"Christkindl" [Christchild, an angel]. The
latter, misunderstood by Anglophones, became "naturalized" as
"Kris Kringle."
From the Germanic
traditions we merge Orin and Thor:
Every Yule, the good god
Thor would visit
every home with an altar to him (every home with a fireplace) and bring gifts
to children, who would put out their wooden-shoes the night before. Good
children would receive gifts of fruit, candy and pieces of coal to burn in the
fireplace. In Northern Germany, Santa Claus is said to ride a white
horse, much like Orin did.
The British children call
Santa, Father Christmas.
Father Christmas is similar to the American Santa, but his direct ancestor is a
certain pagan spirit who regularly appeared in medieval plays. Children's
letters to Father Christmas are tossed into the fireplace, where Father
Christmas is said to read burned letters in the smoke.
In Italy, La Befana, a kind witch, rides a broomstick down the chimney to deliver toys
into the stockings of Italian children. The legends say the three Wise Men
stopped and asked her to come to see the Baby Jesus. "No," she said,
"I am too busy." After regretting this decision, she goes out on
January 5th and searching for the Holy Child, leaving gifts for the "Holy
Child" in each household.
Gift-giving:
The custom of gift giving
on Christmas goes back to Roman festivals of Saturnalia, and the many culture
religious celebrations of the times.
In the beginning, to the early Church, gift giving at the time was a pagan
ritual, which was spoken against. However, people would stop giving gifts,
so the church leaders found some justification for it in the original gift
giving of the Magi to the "Child Jesus", and from figures such
as St. Nicholas. By the middle ages gift giving was accepted. Before then it
was more common to exchange gifts on New Year's Day, also called the Twelfth
Night.
England has contributed
the decorations of holly and mistletoe,
caroling and gift giving. And the tradition in Ukraine of giving gifts to
children on St. Nicholas Day, December 19th, has generally been replaced
by the Christmas date.
Gift giving in other
countries: Norway
calls him "Julenisse," England calls him
"Father Christmas," (and derives him from a background figure in the
old Mummer's Plays, only comparatively recently adding the attributes of the
American Santa Claus). In Italy and Russia, Santa becomes female and is called
"Befana" (who rides a broomstick) and
"Kolyada". In Germany, the "Kristkindl" or "Christ Child" brings the
presents. The Dutch call him "Sinter Klaus," or "Klaus of the
Cinders", the man who comes down the chimney. The three kings give gifts,
on January 6 in Spain.
Some Christians are
actually claiming giving gifts to each other, is like giving to Christ, and
considers that as good as giving to Him; as reference in (Matt. 25:37-40). This
is nothing but pure blasphemy. For Matthew 25, is clearly speaking of giving to
the poor and those in need. Are we now calling the well to do (those able to
give gifts to themselves) "the least of these brothers" of Jesus?
I say no! Read it for yourself:
Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree is a
medieval German tradition and the immortal carol "Silent Night" also comes from Germany. In the
pre-Christian era the oak was the sacred tree for the Germanic peoples. Legend
has it that the missionary to the Germans, St. Boniface, in order to stop
sacrifices at their sacred Donar Oak near Geismar,
chopped the tree down in 725 AD. The evergreen tree has been ascribed magical
power by the Germanic peoples as a representation of fertility. The Christmas
tree tradition was started in Germany in the late 1400's.
Another legend is that we
get our fir tree, from the Germanic peoples, who had the gruesome custom of sacrificing nine kinds
of every living thing to One-Eyed Woden (Odin) by
hanging them on a tree. (One of Odin's symbols was a noose, and his horse Sleipnir has eight legs symbolizing four pallbearers! He
was a Death God in addition to being a god of poets and the all-Father)
It is said the old pagan
use of the fir tree (evergreen tree) was revived by Martin Luther, without the old Norse style
decorations, and brought it to America by the Hessian mercenaries in the
service of George III of England during the American Revolution. It appeared
in Great Britain in the 1840's when Prince Albert, the German-born consort of
Queen Victoria, set one up in the Palace. The medieval form of the holiday
was dying out in England, and the introduction of the tree by the Crown seems
to have sparked a revival of interest in Christmas, but now the customs changed
radically, becoming more Germanic.
The Christmas tree first came into Ukraine about 1840 via
Austrian influence.
The fir (the pine or
evergreen tree) is
said to represent eternal life, and the promise of the God to us.
The "Paradise
tree" decorated with apples to symbolize the tree of life in the Garden of
Eden, and the star
representing the one followed by the Magi. In the 16th century, these two
Christian symbols had been merged into the modern-day Christmas tree. The tree
was eventually placed in the homes of Christians, who interpreted it as a
symbol of the coming Savior. The apples were replaced with small white wafers
representing the Holy Eucharist or Communion. Later the wafers were replaced by
pieces of pastry cut into shapes of stars, angels, hearts, flowers, and bells.
It is also said, that
Pennsylvania Germans claimed to have brought the Christmas tree custom to
America. With the
first Christmas tree being recorded to appear on December 20, 1821, in the
diary of a Matthew Zahm of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The first known exhibition of a Christmas tree was held in York, Pennsylvania,
in 1830. Early trees were decorated with fruits, nuts, popcorn, toys, and
candles. Today, over 80 percent of Christians and non-Christians alike of
American families buy and decorate a tree at Christmas.
Reindeer
A sleigh pulled by eight
reindeer carrying a bearded old man called Santa Claus. The legend of eight reindeers came
about in 1822. When Clement Clarke Moore, of Troy, N.Y., wrote his "'Twas the night before Christmas..." With the names of
the reindeer being Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner,
Blitzen". The names Donner" and "Blitzen" are the German
words for "thunder" and "lightening," and the word for
"thunder," "donner," is derived from the old Germanic god
name "Donar," who we know as
"Thor," and the name of Thor's palace in Asgard
was "Bilskirnir" which means
"lightening." Eight reindeers equate to one for each leg of Odin's
horse. And with the addition of Rudolph, the famous red nose reindeer made populat by Gene Autry song, we get the Germanic mystical
number of nine. Nine kinds of things, in this case, reindeer, see the legend of
the nine sacrifices above in the story of the gruesome custom of sacrificing
nine kinds of every living thing to One-Eyed Woden
(Odin) by hanging them on a fir tree.
Lights
Christianity bringing in the
so-called civilized era substituted ornaments and lights in the place of
living sacrifices.
Another festival of the Jews
near the Christmas date called Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights which occurs on
the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, corresponding to December on the
Roman calendar.
Yule logs
The Yule Log means that to
have a blazing fire on earth
would encourage the sun to grow stronger. Making the winter solstice a
"fire festival," with bonfires and Yule logs being burned to
"help" the sun grow stronger between Xmas time and mid-summer.
The name "Yule"
is not derived from the old Norse "Jol" or
"Jul", the Anglo-Saxon "Geol" to
Middle English "Yule."
It means "Winter Solstice," or "Christmas." It is found in
the Germanic languages, not in the languages such as: French, Spanish and
Italian, who have names for Christmas with the meaning "birthday".
The "Yule log"
comes out of the legends of the Scandinavia. The Yuletide season means the rotating of the sun or the
winter solstice. It was a time of fortunes coming in the New Year, and when the
dead was thought to walk the earth.
It is not surprising that
Christmas is also called Yuletide or Yule time season.
The French makes a
traditional cake in the shape of the Yule log called the "buche de
Noel", which means "Christmas Log."
The Magi (the Three Wise
Men)
The Magi or the Three Wise
Men: The "Magi" are legend
to be priests of Zoroastrianism, and expert Magicians (which is derived from
the word "Magi") and astrologers.
Mistletoe
The mistletoe is a Celtic
symbol of regeneration and eternal life. The Romans used it as a symbol of peace and fertility,
which the Romans would kiss under the mistletoe hoping for fertility. And after
the declaring of Christianity as a state religion it became a symbol in
Christmas festivals. It was said to protect against evil, the devil, and
witchcraft. In times past, the churches laid it on their altars giving amnesty
to churchgoers. Later, the Church began to distrust the mistletoe as a
"pagan" plant and banned it from the churches. However, today it is
back, as some Christians use it on their home doors and in their churches. The
custom of kissing under the mistletoe is come from ancient Druid rites.
The hanging of greens,
such as holly and ivy, was a British winter tradition with origins before the beginning of
Christianity.
Poinsettias
The tradition of
poinsettias in churches and homes at Christmas traces back to a village in
Mexico. According to
the legend, it was a custom for villagers to place gifts before the Nativity
scene at the church on Christmas Eve. A small boy, too poor to give anything,
knelt to pray in the snow outside. On the ground where he knelt, the legend
says, a beautiful plant with scarlet leaves grew immediately. The boy took it
into the church and presented it as his gift to the Christ Child. Mexicans call
the colorful plant Flor de la Nocha Buena (Flower of
the Holy Night), and it is thought to resemble the Star of Bethlehem. The
poinsettia plant is named after Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United
States ambassador to Mexico and an accomplished amateur botanist. He discovered
the beautiful plant there in 1828 and brought it to the United States, where it
was named in his honor.
Nutcracker
The much beloved Christmas
time story of "The Nutcracker" (Tchaikowski's Nutcracker
Suite) the person who brings in the miniature castle with the toys, the
nutcracker in legend was a man named Drosselmeier who
had one eye.
Nativity scene
The popularity of the
Nativity scene, one
of the most beloved and enduring symbols of the holiday season, originated in
Italy. St. Francis of Assisi asked a man named Giovanni Vellita
of the village of Greccio to create a manger scene.
There were and are many
other Christmas customs and legends:
They don't figure into the primary themes of the holiday in the English-speaking
world, such as the animals talking on Christmas Eve, and the modern song about
the "Little Drummer Boy". There are many other pagan
associations with the cross, including the Norse sun-cross and it's usage as a generalized solar symbol.
Evangelist
Ron Davis, a Minister of Christ, of the Kush Edifying Ministries proclaims the
whole counsel of God. This ministry believes in the command of Jesus to His
disciples in Matthew 10:7-8 "As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom
of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have
leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (NIV).
Jesus commands us to "freely" preach the word without demanding that
those who are preached to give you a tithe or tenth of their earnings. Tithing
is not commanded under the New Covenant - NEVER HAVE BEEN - for their is no temple other than your
body where God the Father in heaven and His Christ Jesus dwell; but greedy
ministers of the likes of Balaam (Jude 1:11), the man of God who peddled the
word of God. They are referred to by the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians 2:17 as
those who are "peddling the word of God" for profit; that is
"gospel peddlers" who decided to extort money from the masses in
times past by self-appointing themselves in the place of the sons of Levi - who
under the Old Covenant received the authority from God to collect tithes for
the upkeep of His Sanctuary, the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting and Ark of
the Testimony (Exodus chapters 25 and 40; Numbers 18).
For
additional understanding go to:
Kush Edifying Ministries and "Tithes and Offerings"
You
may contact Ron Davis and this ministry with your comments at the below email: