Christmas is the most popular day of the Christian year. But where does it come from ? As we always seek the truth we turn to the Encyclopaedia Britannica 1965 V 5, William Benton - Publisher, P 214 (Topic- Christmas). The author�s inserted comments are in brackets [ ]. �Christmas on Dec 25th is first known to be celebrated in Rome in the second quarter of the 4 th century...Its observance as the birthday of the Saviour is attended with secular customs often drawn from pagan sources; indeed ,both Christmas and Epiphany, which falls 12 days later on Jan 6 , are transformed pagan celebrations of the winter solstice, and are so closely linked that their origins cannot be discussed separately....[December 25 th] �was the date of a pagan festival in Rome, chosen in A.D. 274 by the emperor Aurelian as the birthday of the unconquered sun (natalis solis invicti) which at the winter soltice begins to show an increase in light. At some point before A.D. 336 the church of Rome established the commemoration of the birthday of Christ, the son of righteousness, on the same date� �In the Roman world the Saturnalia (Dec 17-14) was a time of merrymaking and exchange of presents [sounds like Christmas]...the fact that Christmas was celebrated on the birthday of the unconquered sun gave the season a solar background , connected with the kalends of January [Jan 1 , the Roman New Year] when houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and presents were given to the children and the poor. [Woe - the pagans had Christmas too !]� �In the United States traditional Christmas customs were at first suppressed (as in England under the Commonwealth) because of the Puritan objections to them as pagan in origin, but since [we became more enlightened in] the middle of the nineteenth century the celebrations have increasingly become popular and commercialised [making slabs of profit for the MONEY MEN]. � For confirmation of this let us go to Gibbon�s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.. �The [Christian] Romans, as ignorant as their brethran of the real date [of Christ�s Birthday], fixed the solemn festival to the 25 th December , the Brumalia [feast in honour of Bacchus] or winter solistice, when the Pagans annually celebrated the birth of the Sun.� NOW, THERE IS NO PROBLEM IN CELEBRATING A PAGAN FESTIVAL AS LONG AS YOU KNOW IT IS A PAGAN FESTIVAL. IF THE TRUTH OF THIS MESSAGE OFFENDS YOUR SENSIBILITY THEN SO BE IT. BUT THE NATIONAL WATCHMAN DID NOT WRITE THE Encyclopaedia Britannica -- SO DON�T BLAME ME.. "Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. [For] the prophets...prophesy lies in my name..yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which cause my people to forget my name by their dreams...for [the pagan feasts of] Baal.� (Hosea 4:1),Jeremiah 23:26,27) REMEMBER : A TRUTH THAT DISHEARTENS IS OF MORE VALUE THAN THE MOST STIMULATING FALSEHOOD. Kerry Spencer-Salt B.E., LL.B (Hons) The National Watchman Australian Community Organisation P.O. Box 136, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Phone : (02) 9360 0610 E-Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website : www.rockroll.com.au/watchman ---------------------------------------------------------------- This is the Neither public email list, open for the public and general discussion. To unsubscribe click here Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Subject�subscribe To subscribe click here Mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Subject�bscribe For information on [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.neither.org/lists/public-list.htm For archives http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
