Bill Bailey Ministries 1726 Curlew Rd Dunedin, Fl. 34698

The Set Up By Bill Bailey Chapter 7  Commercialization of Christmas:       If you study the history of Christmas you will find some startling facts. Something I find a paradox is how many people who don't even believe in Jesus Christ celebrate His (supposed) birthday. Here is a short recap of another book I wrote on this subject. I do not find Christmas in the Bible, I do not find a suggestion to celebrate the day or season, I do not find a precedence to show the celebration or the way in which it is done today. All the days or weeks of remembrance that the Jews held were given by God, directly, several times saying this shall you do for a remembrance of me. Lets look at where Christmas did come from.

      Saturnalia, associated with the Winter Solstice was a pagan Roman celebration, complete with dancing, merriment, eating heartily, and decorations of laurel and green trees. The giving and receiving of gifts was as much as it is in our modern day Christmas. The spirit of giving engulfed many towards the poor and unfortunate souls. However, the Romans were given over to Idolatry. They had many Gods. Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome.

      December 25th was a day of worship by a sun loving religion from Persia or Mesopotamia called Mithraism. The origin of this belief was in Astrology and Greek philosophy and an offshoot of Zorastrianism. Members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on that day. 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.

      Brumalia, celebrated as the birthday of Natalis Sol Invictus was another celebration of the Romans. Brumalia and Saturnalia went hand in hand to help create the early Christ-mass celebrations. Brumalia was also celebrated by the Britons, the Germans and in Gaul. When the Germans were Christianized they brought with them their Gods of old pagan beliefs, namely Thor, Odin, Njord, and Frey (where we get the name Friday). About all these pagans did was give up the names of their Gods, not their customs. Fun, gaiety, drinking, carousing, merriment, dancing, singing, and going so far as orgies were part and parcel to some of these pagan worship rites.

      "Christianity" was declared the official religion of Rome. This was what we know as the Roman Catholic Church of today. True Christians did not adhere to their methods of worship for very long at all, but a small group maintained the true doctrine of Christ. As people of different pagan religions were drawn in to the NEW official religion, the church fathers had a dilemma. The papal leaders couldn't abolish the celebrations so they just renamed them to something more palatable. However, the Catholic Church still has a lot in common with Mithraism. Catholic Priests becoming 'Father' despite Jesus' specific command to the contrary.

 9 And do not call anyone on earth `father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven" Matthew 23:9

      In trying to lure the pagan worshipers into the church, they allowed them to keep their winter solstice celebration and rites, but put the name of Christ on it. They called it the Mass of Christ, or Christmas. They tried to "Christianize" the pagans by their mixture. As is with two colors of water when mixed together, maybe the Christians became "Paganized."

      At about 320 AD, Pope Julius I decided that Christ was born on December 25th. Imagine that! The (infallable?) pope decided when Jesus the Christ was born, above and beyond any teaching of the Bible. Constantine the Great set in stone that Christmas celebrations were to take place on the 25th day of December. The church knew that it would be popular and accepted by many. (He also set Sunday as the official holy day of a seven-day week). I believe many early Christians were nauseated by this perversion of the gospel of Christ but the followers of the pope fell right in line and accepted without testing the scriptures as John the Elder writes.

  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.1 John 4:1

      Many years later the pagan religion was all but forgotten but their behavior was far from gone. Their drunkenness and debauchery was the same, but they called it by Christ's name. The poor made demands upon the rich to repay their supposed debt to the less fortunate. That was Christmas in the Middle Ages. Sort of like what it is in many cities today.

      Early Christians, for several hundred years, never had any ideas of celebrating the birth of Jesus. The early teachers of Christianity PROHIBITED THESE FESTIVALS as unsuited to the character of Christ. No one knew exactly when he was born. The Bible does not give a date, nor does it even give a month. It says the shepherds were in the fields. That is hardly likely in December, since it is cold in Judea then. Herod was taking a census, which was for the purpose of taxation that was very unlikely during the winter. Some scholars suggest that Jesus Christ might have been born in the year 5 or 6 B.C., possibly even 8 B.C. Again no specific time is given. Many Bible and secular scholars disagree as to even the year of birth, let alone consider the birth month or DAY. I doubt it was December 25th.

      St. Nicholas was a Catholic Bishop around the 4th century A.D. who died December 6th, 345 or 352. He is reported to have done quite a few miracles during his life and after his death. He was well loved in Asia Minor and His benevolence was wide spread. Since the time when the Catholics made him a saint, He has come to be known as Santa Claus, at least in America. As the stories of the real Bishop Nicholas spread throughout Europe he became a Saint and the legend grew. He is always called Saint Nicholas everywhere I have ever read about him, never Bishop or Father Nicholas. He is the most highly honored of all the saints. After the Protestant Reformation in Northern Germany, Krist Kindl, the Christ Child, replaced St. Nicholas. Santa Claus is non-Christian and is based on the Germanic god Thor who rode on a chariot drawn by goats named Cracker and Cruncher. Do you see how the story was made up about Santa and the sleigh with eight reindeer, plus Rudolph!

      12/23/83 USA TODAY article about Christmas: A broad element of English Christianity still considered Christmas celebration a pagan blasphemy. The Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, Presbyterians, Calvinists and other denominations brought this opposition to early New England and strong opposition to the holiday lasted in America until the middle of the 18th century.

      As early as the 1600's, the Puritans would not allow the putrefaction of their faith by St. Nicholas nor by gift giving nor singing of carols.

      Here is what the early Puritan's thought of Christmas.

  "For preventing disorders, arising in several places within this jurisdiction by reason of some still observing such festivals as were superstitiously kept in other communities, to the great dishonor of God and offense of others: it is therefore ordered by this court and the authority thereof that whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way, upon any such account as aforesaid, every such person so offending shall pay for every such offence five shilling as a fine to the county."

From the records of the General Court,
Massachusetts Bay Colony
May 11, 1659

      And here from a local preacher in early America:

      "The generality of Christmas-keepers observe that festival after such a manner as is highly dishonourable to the name of Christ. How few are there comparatively that spend those holidays (as they are called) after an holy manner. But they are consumed in Compotations, in Interludes, in playing at Cards, in Revellings, in excess of Wine, in mad Mirth ..."
 - Reverend Increase Mather, 1687

      With all the opposition for Christmas the Dutch still brought Santa Claus to America in the early 1800's as Sinter Klaas. Shortly thereafter Clement C. Moore wrote a poem for his children, "The night before Christmas", which has immortalized Santa in America. Thomas Nast created a likeness of Santa Claus which people have looked upon with love and reverence ever since. I wonder if Clement or Thomas believed the Bible where God says have no other gods before me. Humh. And Coca-Cola made him an icon for their product.

      It was 1885 before Christmas was recognized as a federal holiday in America. When someone says let's put the Christ back in Christmas, they really have not studied their history of the holiday at all. What they should say is let's get the Christ out of Christmas and respect Him, as He should be.

      The Greeks had their St. Nicholas. "Christkindlein" became Kriss Kringle in Mid Europe. In Italy and England they call him Father Christmas. They are the same jolly old rotund man who gives gifts to good little children. There is a story in the history of St. Nicholas that says he brought some children back from the dead and saved a political prisoner from the blade of an executioner.

      In 1997 an artist created a painting of Santa Claus on a cross, some say in a protest to Santa replacing Christ as the most important figure in the Christmas season. It drew a lot of criticism from religious groups. Maybe he was trying to say, "Is Christmas for Christians?" I have some more observations to make, which is that Santa and Satan seem ridiculously close with the same letters and both being into red so much. Move the n to the end of his name and you have Satan. Then rearrange Claus and you have Lucas, another name for Lucifer. They are both major deceptions. Admit it, you have to lie to kids when you tell them Santa is going to bring them something for Christmas. Don't try and tell me its just an innocent game or frivolity. It's a lie.

 LEV 19:11 . . . Do not lie . . .

      Do you think that the Israeli's one day just said, "I don't want to worship Yahweh any more," and went across the street to Pagans-R-Us to buy an idol or statue to worship. No it did not happen that way. They slipped into that because the local residents worshiped that way. They were told by God to wipe out those heathen people but they didn't do it. As a result of intermarriage and befriending the pagans, the true faith in God was destroyed. That is exactly what happens with true Christians. They add things to what God gave us and pretty soon God can't see us anymore, but He sees all the idols and graven images and other vain things heaped upon themselves. That is why it is an abomination to God. But, people say, it's so much fun.

      Do you ever notice how the TV (another cesspool of Satan) stations keep playing all the same old songs and movies and Xmas specials, over and over and over. Jimmy Stewart and "It's a Wonderful Life" or the story of the little kid who wants a BB gun and Santa tells him "You'll shoot your eye out, kid." I used to get so sick of hearing "there's only ## of shopping days left until Christmas." Enough already. Time to turn off the TV.

      What really bothers me is when I think of my Lord and Savior dying on the cross after much suffering and torment and betrayal by a supposed friend, and then I see someone go to the mall and buy a child a Barbie doll and say "this is what Jesus is all about." I would rather buy them a cross or study bible January 1 and say, let's start the New Year off right by dedicating more time to the Lord.

      The thing is, you can't give in a package what really matters to people. Your love doesn't come from a department store. Your time takes time to give. It can't be wrapped up. When you hug a crying or hurting child, they won't break that in a week or take it back and say it's the wrong size. The giving goes on all year. And so does the resultant rewards that come from that giving.

      This is just another nail in the coffin of mankind which expanded in the 1800's and of course with the Industrial Revolution, transporting of people and goods made buying and giving even more available.

Webpage property of BillBaileyMinistries. All rights reserved. Maintained by Bill