since when is christmass a religions event?

[Ciaran Lunt]

every religon is a more appealing mish mash of other ideas the tree is from holand the fern lasted all year round so was a symbol of life carying on through the dark winter structured around a pagen holiday to celebreate the days becoming longer and the approach of spring.

 

[Paladin Anderson]

That's a load.

I'm an atheist and I LOVE Christmas.

I love the decorations, I love the cheesy movies and music, and I don't give a damn about the presents except that it's fun giving them out to my friends. Christmas is my favorite holiday and no one is going to tell me "You're not Christian you can't celebrate it"

On a further note, I'm PRETTY sure if you're going out on Black Friday to push, shove, and grab crap you're not celebrating Christmas the season of giving and joy, you're celebrating capitalism.

 

[Ieyke]

That's a load.

I'm an atheist and I LOVE Christmas.

I love the decorations, I love the cheesy movies and music, Christmas is my favorite holiday and no one is going to tell me "You're not Christian you can't celebrate it"

You can celebrate whatever you want. Doesn't change that Christmas is a Christian holiday.

I celebrate Saturnalia.

 

[JamesStone]

Yes, Christmas is in fact a Christian holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Ever wondered why it's called "Christmas"?

Giving presents to each other is just something that has developed over time.

actually, it was originally a Pagan holiday until Christians adopted it (or stole it, depending on your point of view) for themselves, sort of like how the Greeks adopted (or stole) the Roman's gods and gave them new names.

also, Jesus was not born on Dec.25 (if he ever existed at all). there is no exact date that is tied to Jesus' birth.


either way, there is pretty much nothing Christian about Christmas. the whole point of the holiday is to bring people together, and to give and recieve gifts.

Christmas is no more Christian a holiday than Halloween.

Wasn´t the other way around? Didn´t the Romans stole the Greek´s Gods? Zeus became Jupiter? Hermes became Mercury? I always thought it was that way.

 

[Belaam]

Well, the name comes from a Catholic holiday, Christ's Mass. But you won't usually hear Protestants insisting that you keep the Mass in Christmas.

The date, yeah, pretty much taken to pick up followers who worshiped other gods on the date and close enough to Solstice to pick up groups that did that too.

Various traditions within it come from a variety of sources, generally again taken from other religions to help convert followers.

In the contemporary world, yeah, it is mostly a holiday about gift-giving and finding emotional warmth with friends and family.

Only a very, very tiny number of Christians make it a day devoted more to their religion than the gifts, food, family, etc.

But for most, Christmas has as much to do with Christ as Thursday has to do with Thor.

 

[ThreeWords]

The Roman Saturnalia was celebrated on the 17th of December. You hear me? THE SEVENTEENTH.

u mad, bro?

I can't her what you type. Even if you write in capslock.

Regardless, I doubt the few extra days matter so much as sorta, y'know, coinciding the two so they are accepted as the same sort of idea...

Also, u mad

 

[TheRealLasor]

Jesus Christ wasn't born here, but the holiday was moved to shove out Paganist winter festivals.
It's still the celebration of the birth of the supposed savior.
And you give gifts because when Jesus was born he was given gifts by the Three Wise Men.
Furthermore the name is Christ's Mass. Meaning the day in which you visit mass for Jesus' birth.

 

[infinity^infinity]

Someone may have said this already, but, I am in a rush. Christmas has been a Christian holiday for quite some time now. It is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, it did not actually happen on the twenty-fifth of December though it was combined with a Celtic holiday to celebrate the winter solstice, I think. The gift giving comes from the fact that Jesus was given three gifts from three wise-men, gold, frankensence, and myr, because they were told by the angel Gabriel that he, Jesus, was the savior of their people, the Jews. Probably a lot of grammar errors and frankensence is probably spelled wrong, but that is the story I was told, growing up in a southern baptist church. Recently though, Christmas has lost a lot of it's religous connotations and has become a bit more secular as kind of the back-up holiday for atheists, agnostics, and generally non-religous households.

 

[Paladin Anderson]

That's a load.

I'm an atheist and I LOVE Christmas.

I love the decorations, I love the cheesy movies and music, Christmas is my favorite holiday and no one is going to tell me "You're not Christian you can't celebrate it"

You can celebrate whatever you want. Doesn't change that Christmas is a Christian holiday.

I celebrate Saturnalia.

Christmas has as much to do with Christ as Halloween does with Satan. I love Christ, he's an awesome guy, I wish he existed, and there's nothing left in this holiday that celebrates the admirable principles he stood for. It's nothing more than an orgy of capitalism.

There's nothing Christian about Christmas.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Christmas, under a variety of names, has been a religious event for at least four thousand years, probably longer. Christianity is a relative newcomer to the whole midwinter feast/celebration idea.

This. What started as Celtic pagan rituals that celebrated the winter solstice was appropriated by the Romans, who wanted to implement Christianity while still giving some leeway to the few remaining proponents of solar religions in the Empire. Ever wonder where the halos behind or on top of the heads of saints comes from? It's a direct send-off not only to Mithra, which was the one deity whose worship they were actively trying to absorb into Christendom; but also to Egyptian religious iconography.

As for Christmas being on the 25th, that was a date that was retconned by the Roman Emperor to coincide with something that has to do with Emperor Justinian, I think. His birth or his death, I just don't remember.

In short, just as the Bible is essentially a political tool, the elaboration of Christmas' religious significance is also an element of political intervention.

So, OP, Christmas has always been religious, in one form or another. We've all been fooled into thinking it has a non-denominational level of significance because of the last few centuries' progressive consumerism and, believe it or not, Coca-Cola. They're the ones who commissioned someone to come up with a design for a take on Santa Claus that would be more jolly than your average Saint Nicolas.

In fact, Saint Nicolas isn't only a saint, but he's a direct send-off to druids, with his white, Gandalf-esque beard and his white robes. Santa Claus is something of an Expy of another Expy, in a sense.

And then, with the decline of religious influence since the fifties, Christmas has become something more akin to a celebration of consumerism with a few nicey-nice additions concerning being with your family, sharing a meal, giving instead of receiving for a change, etc.

 

[triggrhappy94]

Please spell check your OP.

Also the beter question is: When did it stop being a religious event?

 

[Ieyke]

Wasn´t the other way around? Didn´t the Romans stole the Greek´s Gods? Zeus became Jupiter? Hermes became Mercury? I always thought it was that way.

Yes, the Romans adopted the Greek Gods. They didn't really pirate the gods in the same way Christianity pirated Christmas though.

The gods basically just got new names and a few new tales.
Zeus - Jupiter
Hera - Juno
Athena - Minerva
Ares - Mars
Hephaestus - Vulcan
Hermes - Mercury
Aphrodite - Venus
Hestia - Vesta
Hades - Pluto
Poseidon - Neptune
Oranos - Uranus
Cronos - Saturn

etc, etc, etc, etc ad infinitum

But for most, Christmas has as much to do with Christ as Thursday has to do with Thor.

For anyone who doesn't know what he means:
Sun's Day - Sunday
Moon's Day - Monday
Tyr's Day - Tuesday
Wodan's(AKA Odin's) Day - Wednesday
Thor's Day - Thursday
Frigga's Day - Friday
Saturn's Day - Saturday (weirdly, it's Roman instead of Norse like the rest of 'em. Go figure.)

 

[IzisviAziria]

And yes, I consider Christianity to be about as believable as Santa Claus and I'm eagerly awaiting the day when Baby Jesus suckles on a Coca Cola Zero while helicopters and explosions rock the background, while a voice over proclaims the coming of MESSIAH COLA, the TRUE Profit. Err.. Prophet.

That commercial IS coming, just wait for it.

This thread has too many posts on it for me to really get involved now, but I really felt that someone needed to award you at least 1 internet for that. Since I'm too lazy to sift through 100+ posts to find out if someone already did, I'm hereby awarding you 1 internet.

 

[Zarkov]

Don't even try to argue that one. The kind of angry suborn people who argue that over Christmas aren't ever going to change their minds. I suppose everyone has the right to their own business but I always though that rather then demanding that the world follow your own personal views all the time shouldn't we be learning to accept the world and then enjoy our own unobstructed views in private while contributing to a more diverse pool in public?

Also, why is everyone offended by Christmas because it has Christan origins while nobody is offended by the Pegan origins of Halloween... well except some groups of Christians.

Um... Christmas isn't Christian. Well, the name is; but that named was branded when Christians took on the holiday. Before that it had a different name, the Saturnalia festival.

Either way, everything about Christmas is of pagan origin. At one point in history the the catholic church banned Christmas because of suspected pagan origins.

Christmas isn't religious (however much Christians want it to be), it's just synonymous with midwinter festivities and shouldn't be rejected by those who don't believe in Christianity.

"In the 4th century CE, Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping to take the pagan masses in with it. Christian leaders succeeded in converting to Christianity large numbers of pagans by promising them that they could continue to celebrate the Saturnalia as Christians."

"Many of the most popular Christmas customs - including Christmas trees, mistletoe, Christmas presents, and Santa Claus - are modern incarnations of the most depraved pagan rituals ever practiced on earth."

- http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm

 

[JediMB]

Pff, Christmas. Just plain old Yule masquerading as a Christian holiday.

 

[Zarkov]

That's a load.

I'm an atheist and I LOVE Christmas.

I love the decorations, I love the cheesy movies and music, Christmas is my favorite holiday and no one is going to tell me "You're not Christian you can't celebrate it"

You can celebrate whatever you want. Doesn't change that Christmas is a Christian holiday.

I celebrate Saturnalia.

Christmas has as much to do with Christ as Halloween does with Satan. I love Christ, he's an awesome guy, I wish he existed, and there's nothing left in this holiday that celebrates the admirable principles he stood for. It's nothing more than an orgy of capitalism.

There's nothing Christian about Christmas.

And to further support your argument:

"In the 4th century CE, Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping to take the pagan masses in with it. Christian leaders succeeded in converting to Christianity large numbers of pagans by promising them that they could continue to celebrate the Saturnalia as Christians."

"Many of the most popular Christmas customs - including Christmas trees, mistletoe, Christmas presents, and Santa Claus - are modern incarnations of the most depraved pagan rituals ever practiced on earth."

- http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm

 

[Blondi3]

It IS a religious holiday. As mentioned in the pages prior it has been changed to a commercial holiday only recently. I LOVE Christmas because of the holiday "cheer/feeling." Although I do not personally celebrate Christmas. I'm Russian and we have our own version that is basically the same but on New Years Eve. Presents, our version of Santa, family get together, etc.

 

[winter2]

For anyone who doesn't know what he means:
Sun's Day - Sunday
Moon's Day - Monday
Tyr's Day - Tuesday
Wodan's(AKA Odin's) Day - Wednesday
Thor's Day - Thursday
Frigga's Day - Friday
Saturn's Day - Saturday (weirdly, it's Roman instead of Norse like the rest of 'em. Go figure.)

ALL HAIL ODIN! HIGH KING OF GODS!

 

[Zarkov]

Someone may have said this already, but, I am in a rush. Christmas has been a Christian holiday for quite some time now. It is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, it did not actually happen on the twenty-fifth of December though it was combined with a Celtic holiday to celebrate the winter solstice, I think. The gift giving comes from the fact that Jesus was given three gifts from three wise-men, gold, frankensence, and myr, because they were told by the angel Gabriel that he, Jesus, was the savior of their people, the Jews. Probably a lot of grammar errors and frankensence is probably spelled wrong, but that is the story I was told, growing up in a southern baptist church. Recently though, Christmas has lost a lot of it's religous connotations and has become a bit more secular as kind of the back-up holiday for atheists, agnostics, and generally non-religous households.

You were sorta told wrong...

A simple google search reveals these two interesting (and supported) details about "Christmas" or Saturnalia:

"In the 4th century CE, Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping to take the pagan masses in with it. Christian leaders succeeded in converting to Christianity large numbers of pagans by promising them that they could continue to celebrate the Saturnalia as Christians."

"Many of the most popular Christmas customs - including Christmas trees, mistletoe, Christmas presents, and Santa Claus - are modern incarnations of the most depraved pagan rituals ever practiced on earth."

Also, about gift giving and its true origins:
"In pre-Christian Rome, the emperors compelled their most despised citizens to bring offerings and gifts during the Saturnalia (in December) and Kalends (in January). Later, this ritual expanded to include gift-giving among the general populace. The Catholic Church gave this custom a Christian flavor by re-rooting it in the supposed gift-giving of Saint Nicholas (see below)."

- http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm

 

[kinggamecat]

alright this is somthing that bugs me,

aparently...if your not christian...you dont celebrate christmas? is this an american beliife or somthing?

anyway let me exaplain

now I dont actually know if chrstmases origins were christian Im a VERY sure it actually wansnt, I know baby jesus didnt have his birthday on the 25th of decenmber..and I think christians "stole" the date to compete with another festival

but that aside....

as far as Im concerned christmas thease days generally has nothing to do with religion..no really, my family is not religous....most of Australia is not religous and we (and I imagine alot of Australia) celebrate christmas.....(aside from going to mass of coase)

you know what christmas is? its a comercial holiday, its the itme of year when kids get presesnts, and its the itme of yeah adults stress out, put up with family or eat/drink themelfs into oblvion (or all three)

last time I checked jesus hardly had anything to do with it aside from the nativity plays we somtimes has...thats it, mostly it was about santa

Nah it's always been that way, I'm Jewish and our beliefs are different from Christians, we believe he was a prophet but not the messiah so the day was just a birthday or something, ya can still celibrate it, but ya yer doing it wrong or something stupid, ya can celebrate anything if ya want to, yer just supposed to if yer christian.

If ya break it down it's "Christ mass"

Either way, the way I see it, religion's pretty much a crock a shit, but hey I believe in infinite possibilities, so who knows, maybe the unbelievably unlikely is true, who knows.