So, I was compiling the Sunday Stew for you this past weekend and ran across this "letter to the editor" in regard to "Christmas and Paganism". At first, I kind of snickered, and then it just got stuck in my craw. The poor research and absolute assertion with which the author writes started eating away at me, and I just couldn't let it sit out there in cyber-space without refuting it. Before you brace yourself, see disclaimer. This is NOT a rant, no matter how ranty it might appear. Seriously. I mean it. Stop laughing. *sigh*
Did you read the letter? If not, then go do it now. Here it is.
For those of you who have concerns that this person has a point, allow me:
The author's main point is that Christmas is based on Chanukah and not any kind of Pagan worship.
1. The author states that "Christmas celebration is directly linked to Hanukkah, which is a Jewish celebration running from December 25 to January 1."
Ok first of all, Chanukah (can be spelled any number of ways since Hebrew letters don't look like ours, it's called transliteration- sounding it out), is celebrated by the Jewish calendar and not the Gregorian one, so it's anywhere from late November to late December. (Note: This year it runs from December 8-16 on the Gregorian Calendar) Already the author proves his/her scholarship to be lacking.
2. The author asserts, "The celebration of Christmas on December 25 is actually the celebration of the First Advent of Christ; it is not the celebration of Christ's actual 'birthday'; it is the celebration of Christ's 'earthday'. The exact date of Christ's birth was not preserved and was possibly lost over time."
- Advent is specifically a Western Christian celebration (Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Moravian) that goes from November 25- December 7.
- The reason there is no exact date of Christ's birth is because of the discrepancies in the bible which refer to this event. There is no historical or archaeological evidence whatsoever that Jesus was ever born. There is no birth record (yes, there were birth records at that time); No mass migration census called by Caesar Augustus which would have caused Mary and Joseph to migrate to Bethlehem (Beit Lechem in Hebrew); Bethlehem did not even exist during the time that the bible claims Jesus was born.
- If (and we're really stretching the limits of our imagination here) Jesus was born the way the bible claims, then the only logical conclusion one could make is that it was during the time of the Feast of Sukkot (or for you non-Jewish people, Feast of Tabernacles) in which the Jewish people make temporary shelters and live in them for 7 days. This happens anywhere from Mid-September to Mid-October on the Gregorian Calendar. Jesus wouldn't have been born in a manger, he would have been born in a Sukkah. Shepherds would have had flocks in the field at that time (certainly not in December). I could go on, but this isn't a rant, so there's no need ;)
- Jesus would have been Jewish. They did not celebrate birthdays, and they were given notice by their god that only HE could make a day holy. Therefore, Jesus wouldn't have celebrated his birthday, nor would it have been a holy day because God didn't tell anyone to celebrate it... nor was there such a thing as someone's "earth day". No matter how you slice it, it's not something Jesus would have condoned.
- The Jewish people see Christians as Pagan, anyway. The belief in a trinity (three gods in one) is completely against their most holy tenet called the "Shema" (Hear Oh Israel. The Lord our God, the Lord is One). However, there are plenty of those trinity-types in Paganism.
3. The author states, "Finally, concerning Hanukkah, it consists of the Feast of Lights (hence, the practice of Christmas lighting) and the Feast of Dedication. Also, the giving of gifts is a prominent feature during Hanukkah (hence, the giving of gifts at Christmas)"
Christmas lights have nothing at all to do with Chanukah. The author does not specify WHICH lights would even come remotely CLOSE to resembling Chanukah. I would question whether one would possibly see a tree as a menorah, but if that is the case, then how does the author get around the strict mitzvah (horribly mistranslated to commandment in English) in Jeremiah 10 in which decorated trees are strictly a Pagan/Heathen thing? That far pre-dates Chanukah.
The giving of gifts is actually a relatively new concept for Chanukah. That began in the 19th century and was a concession to appease Jewish children who were seeing all of their Gentile friends receiving gifts during the Christmas season. Certainly that would relate the two, but it completely negates the author's argument that gift-giving is based on Chanukah.
And, honestly, why not just celebrate Chanukah instead? It's a beautiful story of how the temple was desecrated, how this band of brothers (The Macabees) took back their city and temple and how the oil for the big menorah in the temple which should have only lasted one day, lasted the entire 8 days it took to make more oil- a miracle. Jesus would have celebrated it. Need another reason? Dreidel is also a really fun game and chocolate is involved.
Christmas, as we know it today, is both Christian (with many Pagan traditions incorporated into it) and secular. Decorated trees (Pagan), Santa Claus (origins in Heathen/Pagan traditions), gift-giving (Pagan), sleigh rides, caroling, candy canes, cookies, parties etc... it's now a particularly secular holiday. I know many people of all beliefs who celebrate Christmas on December 25th with gift-giving, fancy meals, visiting loved ones and friends, etc... in addition to their holy days of Winter Solstice, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, Diwali, Eid-al-Adha, and Festivus (for the rest of us). The bottom line is that Christmas itself is not a specifically Christian tradition, nor is it in ANY WAY based upon the Jewish festival of Chanukah.
If you want to believe in Jesus, that's just fine with me. I have no problem with it whatsoever. Heck, many people believe in Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, Isis, Osiris, Cernnunos, Brighid, Kali, etc... no proof that any of these exist or ever have; at least not in the forms that stories and traditions tell about them. Does that make them not real to those who believe in them? Not at all. Spirituality in whatever form its practiced is specifically experiential and individual.
I believe Paul Bunyan probably existed in some form. Johnny Appleseed definitely did, but those tales are way exaggerated. If someone finds proof that some guy who closely resembles the stories told about Jesus existed, then I'll be very glad. At least there will have been some foundation for those myths, other than simply smashing a bunch of Pagan ones together to make up this guy. It wasn't even until the 4th Century that Jesus was declared "God" or "Divine" by the Council of Nicea, and even that came after major arguments. Most people didn't believe he was God, even that far back. If you want to give him a day like Martin Luther King, Jr, one of the Presidents, etc... I'm good with that.
But, if you want me to believe that your belief has to be mine, or you want to twist facts in a vain attempt to support your belief and push it on the rest of us, then I have to draw the line and speak up. For you Christians reading this, perhaps now you can see why Pagans and Atheists get along so well. We don't care what the others believe, because there is no consequence, and we don't go around starting wars on ideas, holidays or people simply because they don't believe the same way we do. We have no eternal punishment or convert-or-die mandates in store for the "other side". Jews don't either, btw. So, Jesus wouldn't have believed in Hell as you all see it. Something to consider.
In closing, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Festivus, Blessed Yule, Happy Solstice, and Chag Sameach Chanukah. Put them all together and have a really great holiday season, no matter what you do or don't celebrate.
