I know that there are a few Christians who believe it is wrong to celebrate Easter and Christmas because the roots of these holidays are in paganism. There is no doubt that they have their roots in paganism. This is not disputed. What I do believe should be examined is the argument that says anything which has its roots in paganism should be avoided by Christians today. I would argue that nearly everything in our culture is rooted in paganism. Even the names of the months of the year and planets are named after pagan gods. The names of the days of the week also have their origin in paganism. "Thursday originally stood for the Germanic god of the sky or of thunder. Tuesday stood for Tiw, the god of war. And Wednesday is derived from Woden, the chief god in Germanic mythology. Sunday and Monday were related somehow to the worship of the sun and the moon.. Saturday is from Saturnus, or Saturn, and Friday comes from Fria, the goddess of love."1 The basic idea behind our government is Roman, which is a pagan culture. The fact of the matter is that our entire culture is rooted in paganism. Just because something has its roots in paganism, does not mean that it is evil today. The question we must ask ourselves is whether something that is pagan in origin still carries the same pagan connotations it once did. Christmas and Easter were Roman pagan holidays. Christmas came from the Roman feast of the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus) celebrated on December 25th. Later, when Christianity was legalized by Constantine I, this feast day was replaced with a celebration of Christ's birth. Obviously in our culture Christmas and Easter have become Christian in meaning instead of pagan. That which has its roots in paganism is often divorced from its original meaning, and invested with new, non-pagan meaning over time. This has been the case with Easter and Christmas.
Since celebrating these feasts in a Christian way is not Essential Doctrine, we should have the freedom of choice whether to celebrate them or not. The intentions of the feast are what matters, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny or the Birth of our Beloved Savior and His death and resurrection. Both are extremely important to me and those who believe as I do.
It hurts me to think that some whom we love feel that it is a pagan ritual to celebrate these feasts. It makes me wonder what we taught our children by example...obviously the wrong thing..this is what saddens me....my failure as a mother!
God Bless: Joanne
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