(This is response to Adam’s comment on my previous post on the subject. Those comment boxes seem so tiny;).
If you want to get into the specifics of the Asherah pole ok. But, I think we are discussing details not heart but ok. For starters, apparently Asherah idols were found in Jewish homes until the 6th century BC, so the idea that they were trying to take the Judaism out of it might be a bit misdirected. Secondly, if you are looking for the most direct pagan celebration look to the birth of Mithras on December 25th. His festival was called the Nativity of the Sun and he was born from a rock. But that all in itself proves a bit of my point. This is all supposition because one of the other theories could also be true.

Such as, Joseph of Arimathea used a walking stick coming to Britain and so the tree. One of my favorite is that Christ was later crucified on a tree so it was used. One that seems to carry some symbolic weight is that an evergreen tree is formed in a triangle that represented the Trinity. What makes this one seem a little more legit is that in Saxony they would also substitute wooden pyramid and decorate that. Why did I go into all of these legends? Just to prove that there isn’t conclusive proof on any of these and their origins. We have no definitive that it is based on a sin to begin with, so to say that this is what was specifically banned in the Scriptures may be going a little far.

So short of that why can’t we take something and make it our own? This isn’t the same thing as taking a behavior that is a sin and condoning it. Adam said himself in the comments:

There’s nothing inherently evil, for example, about a pine or fir tree (even though I am allergic to them). Rather, it is what WE DO WITH THEM that is inherently good or inherently evil!

I personally use the Christmas traditions to worship my Lord and Savior. This point is what the scripture in Colossians 2:16-18 was talking about. Taking something that isn’t spelled out specifically in Scripture, like Jesus’s birthday party, and to read into someone else’s morality about it and casting that on anyone else is wrong. Now if you saw me elevating Santa above Christ, please say something because that is a sin. But going into a grey area where one’s motive are truly evidenced only by the out pouring of the heart in relation to Christmas is something you can’t paint with the broad pagan brush.

Adam pointed out that it was much more likely that Christ was born during Sukkot. First, as with all things, where does it say that in Scripture? Second, does it matter. A birthday isn’t to truly celebrate a day but a person so does it matter when we do it? Is there something to being unified in Christ and sucking it up? I think there might since, relatively, it isn’t that important. I can say as a girl who was raised with guilt issues, this subject doesn’t really serve to further God’s kingdom but to inflict a fear and guilt. Time is relative with Christ and we are not bound by it because we will be with Him in eternity where time is irrelevant so why be so hung up on it.

As a side note. Adam did make some comparison by simply the title of his post, Which Would Jesus Celebrate? Why choose?

(Have mercy on me, it has been a long time since I have written a long, grown up post so don’t pick on the form but the substance;)

A friend of mine Adam Bernay, who is a messianic rabbi, recently did a post on why we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas (warning, it is on MySpace). I must say that I don’t agree with his main premise (that we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas) at all. He has issue with Christmas in 2 ways and I will address them both. First, Christmas is founded in paganism and not Christianity. The second is that we should celebrate Hanukkah instead.

In dealing with Adam’s first point, I agree that many of our Christmas traditions are derived from pagan celebrations but it doesn’t matter. Now I am very blessed to attend a church with a very wise senior pastor (with his own blog). When I stumbled upon this blog entry I dashed off an email for some references from a sermon Pastor Jan had given on this very subject last Christmas(I think). He pointed me in the direction of Saint Augustine and his concept of Egyptian Gold. Here is a basic summary based on a translation I found, God commanded the Jews to take gold and silver from Egypt when they left. The Jews then turned around and used these materials in the Tabernacle to worship the one true God. All things were God’s to begin with and we can claim them as such.

I feel that as long as our hearts are pure in the worship of Christ that we can claim these traditions (tree, December 25th, etc) as our own. Let us take some of this principle a little farther. The prophesy Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was fulfilled by the commands for the Roman (heathen government) census. How about the crucification of Christ? It was only through others outward sin (that physically put Christ on the cross) that Christ died for my sin. Does the pagan involvement nullify the good? You could say that since pagans and their beliefs were involved it negates all of the Christianity or Godly effects of these things. But that would mean that we are thinking that there are 2 separate worlds, one for the Christian and one for all others.

Pastor Jan pointed out that this fortress mentality limits God by employing a pagan duality theory. This is the theory that things were created to be inherently evil. The contradicts scripture(Genesis 1:31) blatantly so to believe that you can’t celebrate Christmas without it partaking in the paganism is actually a return to the ancient pagan worldview.

The second issue dealt with celebrating Hanukkah instead. I simply ask why can I only celebrate one of them? Hanukkah is a great holiday that shows God’s love, control and strength. I love it, my husband loves it, my kids love it. But it isn’t a celebration of Christ’s birth. Considering that the birth of Christ is mentioned so many times in scripture, if they were a joint holiday I think we would have noticed in the text.

I leave you with the scripture that brought me peace about these things when I was refusing to call Easter, Easter(and it was one Pastor Jan mentioned too).

Colossians 2:16-18 (New International Version)

16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.