Apr 3, 2021
CONSTANTINE CHRISTMAS-I Used To Love Christmas
I used to love Christmas. The lights, sounds, and festivities of holiday cheer. I always looked forward to the yearly traditions of cutting down a tree, baking cookies, and exchanging presents. For over 40 years, Christmas was a magical time of year full of memories of Black Santa Clause, Black Jesus, Donnie Hathaway, Temptations, Soul Foods, and family. This year, however, was entirely different, the truth of Christmas and its dark roots finally won over my love for this pagan and truly un-Christian holiday. I am not going to try to condemn anyone who celebrates Christmas, but I will attempt to give you the truth and hopefully, just like me, you will begin to look at this holiday different.
Keep the Christ in Christmas
Growing up my parents have always used Christmas time an opportunity to share the love of Christ with people. We would pray, read the story about the birth of Christ and give, create, or share gifts that had significant or spiritual meaning. The commercialism that people always spouted as a foundation for not celebrating this holiday was never an issue; we used the time to love on people. I want to make this clear because I was never taught Santa Claus or anything else other than the celebration of Jesus Birth. However, the more I studied, the more I became increasingly aware of the pagan root of Christmas that could no longer be ignored. I always understood the mythological elements of the holiday, but it became challenging and convicting for me to merge the Messiah into a holiday that has a clear history of being a profoundly pagan holiday.
Constantine Christmas
Christmas was first recorded to have been celebrated on December 25th 336 AD. This was documented during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Some historians will say that Constantine was the first Christian Emperor. However, when we judge the fruit of his reign, he was not a Christian Emperor he was The Emperor of the Christians. In his effort to strengthen his kingdom and to gain power, Constantine made Christianity into a national religion. Until this time the Roman Government had continued to persecute followers of Messiah for over 300 years. Constantine viewed Christianity as a way to unify the Roman Empire that had been divided for over 20 years. In his efforts to bring greater unity within the Empire, Consitiane developed the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. This was a group of Bishops from the Roman Empire who convened to establish the doctrine for a Unified Church. This Council laid the foundation for Catholic Theology or the Formation of the Roman Catholic Church.
The truth about Christmas is very complex and complicated because it was not a particular date for Christians it pagan roots existed well before the birth of the Jesus and Constantine it really is a Christianized cover-up. The ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a festival to honor Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture during December the 25th. This is also the birthday of sun god Sol Invictus (“Unconquerable Sun”).
Who is Saturnalia
It was customary to give gifts and to have an abundance of lit candles always present during the festivities, symbolizing the quest for truth and knowledge, as well as, paying homage to Saturnalia as the God of Fire. His identity can be traced in every civilization as the God of Fire. In Egypt Saturnalia is Osiris, Ra, and Ptah. The Greeks named him Helios. The Babylonians called him Shamash, Dumuzid, or Tammuz. “Tam” means, “to make perfect” and “muz” means “fire.”
These names and identity are just various interpretations of mighty hunter Nimrod in Genesis 10:8. Nimrod is the father and founder of Babylonia and the Babylonian gods. The other names that are used for Saturnalia are Kronos Iacchus, Iswara, Kronos, Hermes, Prometheus, Serapis, Ormuzd, Hephaestus, Apollo, Wodan, Sadr, Agni, Sarapis, Zervan, Quatzequetl, Shiva, Anu, Moloch, El, Pan, Ut, and Baal.
Politics and Religion
So by the 4th century, the religion of Christianity began to supersede the old paganism in Rome. Christians soon became the ruling class during and after Constantine. So in a political move, the elite ruling Christian class systematically dissolved the pagan worship of Saturnalia and began to merge the teaching and practices into Christianity. These leaders were able to shift gradually and cover-up the worship of Saturnalia, intermingling it with the religion of Jesus in efforts to prevent a backlash from those who worship Saturnalia and the winter solstice.
The truth is that the invention of Christmas was a political power play, a religious contrivance and political machination instituted to shift the masses from paganism to Christianity. This has created a Religious Syncretism, in which the church has been blending two or more religious belief systems into a new system. This is where the problem lied. Christians began to practice the pagan’s customs and rituals under the pretense of upholding Christian values (i.e. keeping Christ in Christmas).
To the Messianic Believer
Christmas is not an actual American Holiday. It was not until 1860 that Christmas was celebrated as a Holiday. Celebrating Christmas in the United States was illegal. To the early Puritans, Christmas has viewed as a pagan religion and was not to be observed by those who believed in the Messiah.
The Church Problem
The Christmas problem is, in fact, a church problem. The majority of our clergy know that everything that I have quickly presented is right, but it is never addressed. Pastors are failing to teach the truth about this pagan holiday to appease people or not to offend people or to have a backlash. If Christmas is a big issue that our leaders in the faith will not address, then how will they have the courage to face more of the serious problems that the church is facing?
Christmas To The African American
When we celebrate Christmas it is a reminder of our American captivity. During the times of slavery, Christmas was particular time granted by the slave owner. During Christmas, slaves would receive material goods from their master. In most cases, Christmas was the time in which the slave would receive an allotment of clothing, food, or a gift beyond what the slave needed to survive and work on the plantation for an entire year. So for the Black community, Christmas is celebrated from a place embedded cultural brokenness and Trauma.
Let Me Keep It Simple
The reason why I don’t celebrate Christmas:
- December 25 is not the birth of Christ
- Christmas is a document and known pagan festival
- God called Christmas or celebration of pagan festivals an abomination
- Christmas hides the actual Festivals of different pagan gods.
- God never told us to celebrate Christmas.
In conclusion
Being a follower of the Messiah is not easy. Not celebrating Christmas is not easy. The social misunderstanding is hard (lol people actually assume we don’t love Jesus) the family pressure is real (They think we have lost our minds). The reality is that we draw closer to Jesus the more we have to eliminate our worship and traditions of men. How much more we have to do to please him as we walk in truth.
While I was being challenged not to celebrate Christmas. I was confronted by these questions that I will ask you in closing.
- If you can’t stand against a known pagan holiday how can you stand when society doesn’t want to follow Christ?
- If you struggle with saying no to a holiday how do you handle other temptation that people can’t it see?
Shalom and Please Share! Also, Pick Up Som G & P Unlimited Co. Products
Scripture References
Deuteronomy 12:29–32 and Jeremiah 10
Notes
