Are We Celebrating Jesus birth on December 25, Or Something Else?
As the snow begins to fly across the northern states and shoppers flock to the malls in preparation for Christmas, one of the biggest christian holidays of the year, one can’t help but wonder: are we actually celebrating Jesus birth or the ringing of the cash register?
For those who belong to Jesus church, the answer is relatively straightforward and even for those who don’t believe in Jesus resurrection, the explanation makes perfect sense. Here’s what is behind the commercial holiday that we know as Christmas.
Biblical scholars have long realized that Christmas simply doesn’t add up, at least in terms of the date that most Christians choose to celebrate it. For example, we all know that there were shepherds in the fields tending to their flocks during Jesus birth. However, history of that time reveals that December nights would have been cold and rainy in Judea, making it highly unlikely that shepherds would be wandering about in the open. In all likelihood, they would have sought shelter for the night, both for themselves and their animals. An even more compelling fact is that Jesus’ parents had travelled to Bethlehem in order to register for a Roman census. However, historical accounts indicate that the Romans intentionally avoided winter months for conducting their census since temperatures dropped below freezing after dark and the roads were often in poor condition at that time of year. How could an accurate census be taken if people were reluctant to travel or likely to encounter travel delays due to bad roads? Given this sort of evidence, it quickly becomes obvious that Christmas is a prime example of christian holidays that appears to have been modified for some reason. But why would anyone have a reason to change the date of Jesus birth?
The answer is known to the members of Jesus church. In the past, the fledgling Roman church was anxious to boost its numbers. The most obvious source of people to fill its congregation was pagans, but since these people did not believe in Jesus resurrection or any other church teachings, how could they be brought into the flock? The answer was to modify parts of the bible in order to coincide with existing pagan beliefs, making the transition more compelling. December 25 was an important pagan holiday, and by making a few changes so that Jesus birth was now on December 25, the Roman church was able to swell its numbers from the pagans.
Which takes us back to the opening statement. On Christmas, we are not truly celebrating christian holidays, we are celebrating a pagan holiday and in this context, the focal point of shopping, ornamental displays and consumerism makes much more sense. For the record, by piecing together information such as the conception and birth of John the Baptist, we can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that Jesus birth was actually in the fall. And we can say that without a doubt, it was not on December 25.
