We are used to atheists speaking against Christmas, not only during the month of December, but all year round. I remember one formal debate where my opponent went out of his way to mention that Christmas was originally a pagan holiday, the Roman festival of Saturnalia, transformed into a Christian feast many years later after Emperor Constantine made Christianity an official religion of Rome. I guess, the idea was for me to be incredibly surprised and fall over on stage in the face of this “revelation.”
Instead, I quietly, gently asked my opponent what holidays had to do with our discussion about the accuracy of the Bible. The Bible says nothing about Christmas one way or the other.
Now, that may have curtailed a debate rabbit trail, but it also leads to a related subject: Many Christian pastors also speak against celebrating Christmas and (ironically) they do so for the exact same reason as the atheists: Christmas is a converted holiday.
Allow me to pose a simple question: If Christianity is about converting souls or converting nations, what exactly is wrong with converting holidays?
Yes, sweet Virginia, it is true: Christmas was once Saturnalia. With all due respect to both atheist and pastor friends, “So what?”
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he addressed a similar concern, another pagan, religious practice being morphed into an alternative social function. This time, the situation was meat. In ancient Greece, leftover meat from animal sacrifices was placed on the open market. One honestly could not purchase meat or eat meat without knowing that the pound of protein had first been used in the worship of some Greek deity. Many Christians worshiped these very idols in their B.C. years. They were feeling guilty about enjoying such meat once again out of fear (understandable fear) that they were returning to idol worship, the very practice they had recently renounced. This caused a rift in the church. Some said, “It’s just meat. Chill out!” Others found the edibility of animals to be sinful. Paul was asked to comment on this situation and he gave two responses: First, he reminded people that meat by itself was something neutral. If it had been used in the sacrifice of some fake god, so be it. As long as a Christian renounced his former religion and consumed the food for no reason other than the fact that he liked meat, no harm was being done. On the other hand, Paul also warned the Corinthians never to encourage the violation of one’s conscience. I.E. For the record, it was not a sin to eat meat. But if some people thought it was, why tempt your friends to do what they feel is a sin? On judgment day, God will judge their hearts and motives, not their knowledge about freedom versus legalism.
I will offer the same advise for my fellow Christians today. If you personally choose not to celebrate Christmas, I respect your choice. But before judging others who view this time of year as a beautiful, meaningful celebration of Christ, I urge you to take a second look at First Corinthians. Hey! That has kind of a ring: A Second Look at First Corinthians!
This is Bob Siegel, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Let us rejoice that the pagan festival of Saturnalia got converted along with the rest of Rome.
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