While most Christians embrace Christmas, a few recall a more co...

I am a Presbyterian and I dislike the commercialization of Christmas. It has turned into a farce about spending and profits. I have always loved the celebration of our Saviors birth. As Christians we are aware that the 25th of December was not the date Christ was born but it is the day we choose to be thankful for his birth. A human birth.May this Christmas bring a miracle of peace and love to our nation and to others. Remember Christ wa born here on earth to save us and I greatly respect and am grateful for his saving grace. To all GREAT IS CHRIST LOVE and remember the true meaning of this wonderful day . GOD BLESS US EACH AND EVERYONE.!

This article completely misses the fact that Christians celebrate the birth of Christ for Christmas, not just some "family-friendly holiday." It's true that there are many other cultures mixed into the traditions of teh holiday, but all those churches which "gave in" are not simply tolerating it, they are making it a sacred remembrance. Compare this with the Church's attitude towards Halloween -- they have "Harvest festivals" and the like, instead of "tolerating" the holiday.

Bah! Christmas is a humbug!

Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of The Almighty Dollar, which far too may view as their Lord and Savior. Bah humbug!

Hmm- late 19th century eh?
Isn't that when corporations really began to get traction?

Gifting holiday and business ... nah too obvious.

But just perhaps,

Marc

BTW Liked the article. Not good with the mouse right now.

Too bad the birth of Christ has nothing to do with December 25th ... as a date on a calendar or as the traditions that go with it.

Know the history, don't blindly follow or believe what you're told, and THINK FOR YOURSELF

This is the date the early Orthodox Churches agreed to celebrate the Nativity, although not on the current calendar. They could have done it in the Spring, but that's when Pascha (Easter) occurs. Why not accept the traditions the early Orthodox Churches created out of wisdom? The Bible came from the Orthodox Church. Why accept the Bible as part of your tradition yet reject the tradition of celebrating the Nativity? Both traditions came from the same one Church, even before Roman Catholicism broke off from the Orthodox Church.

'It seems obvious to me that there's nothing scriptural about it'

One of the reasons I am drawn to Quakers is that they are fully aware of the above statement. In the UK, Quakers know their history about the celebration of Christmas and accept that things have now become a little more flexible. It is up to the individual to let the 'spirit' guide them at this time. I am at home with this, the 'spirit' makes me consider my actions. For peace of mind I am trying to opt out the best I can.

What after all is this 'spirit' we hear so much about in the term Christmas spirit ?

No where in the bible do we read of Jesus celebrating the day of his birth or of the nativity. Just because something is tradition does not make it right. The bible tells us that we are to worship GOD in spirit and truth. And there is nothing truthful about the celebration of christmas. Made up date, santa claus, elves, christmas trees, going in debt, reindeer, putting coal in someone's stocking; what does any of this have to do with the birth of Christ? Nothing and most of it is of pagan origin and pagans are not Christians. So why would a Christian follow a pagan tradition. What did the articel say, something like 80 percent of non-christians celebrate christmas? What are they celebrating? Makes you wonder.

deberti wrote:

This is the date the early Orthodox Churches agreed to celebrate the Nativity, although not on the current calendar. They could have done it in the Spring, but that's when Pascha (Easter) occurs. Why not accept the traditions the early Orthodox Churches created out of wisdom? The Bible came from the Orthodox Church. Why accept the Bible as part of your tradition yet reject the tradition of celebrating the Nativity? Both traditions came from the same one Church, even before Roman Catholicism broke off from the Orthodox Church.

Each day is special and should be celebrated as it is a gift from Source/God or whatever you want to credit life with. This time of year is one of the most precious, joyous, happy and non-violent. Instead of withdrawing from it, I encourage all to celebrate Christmas -- which to me is the Spirit of Ultimate Love -- EVERY day. Why must we fight and argue about something that brings happiness. Focus more on the spiritual intention and opportunity and spread that virus throughout the year, in all countries, families, etc. Each year, notice how from Thanksgiving through New Years Day how much more people are joyful, helpful, kind, compassionate and loving. Aren't these things we are taught, inspired and encouraged to give ourselves and others? I celebrate the Spirits of Ramadan, Kwanza, Christmas, Winter Solstis, Hannukkah and any other day that fosters and promotes love. My question is why don't we all? Do we have to throw the baby out with the bathwater? Or is this just another albeit well-intended by humans, trick of the Lords of Darkness to detract us from the Light and pull us -- fighting with one another -- into the darkness. Let's discuss and celebrate the virtues of life and use those to transmute the energies of error into their true source -- Love.

Clyde Kilough, president of the United Church of God, DOESN'T KNOW THE BIBLE. Be opportunistic, you ding-dong!
The apostle Paul was in Athens in front of a crowd talking about their temple to the UNKNOWN GOD. He didn't think for a minute that the temple was for the God he knew, but he used the opportunity to share Christ with them.
You can't stop the commercialization of Christmas, but you CAN use it as on opportunity to tell the world about the manifestation of God's pure love for them. Jump on it!
Clyde Kilough is not accurately living out God's desire and the Bible PROVES it.
I've got more examples if you'd like to hear them.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Share the perfect gift, then go get your kids some presents...

FINALLY! People with some semblance of sense.

Every year it's the same rant: The yearly war on Christmas is upon us.

It’s time to voice our complaints about “holiday” advertisements, to start petitions proclaiming our outrage and to chain e-mail friends and acquaintances about which retailers to harass for not being “Religiously Correct” for excluding references to the upcoming Christian Holy Day

I seem to recall a time about 20 years ago, when the same people were wailing and gnashing their teeth about retailers debasing the holiest of days by using it to sell products and make money. Commercializing Christmas they called it. They started petitions proclaiming their outrage and called friends and acquaintances about which retailers to harass for not being “Religiously Correct”. They wrote letters to businesses demanding that the retailers, the Money Changers they called them, stop using Christmas to lead consumers into earlier and more elaborate shopping sprees; to stop belittling their faith by making money off the birth of their Lord.

This short attention span and lack of long-term memory makes it easy for religious leaders and conservatives to drag their oh-so-willing flock around by the nose; pushing them to disrupt one group of heathens here, feel terrorized by another there. It makes the political process in this country quite simple: keep the Christian masses riled up enough and they won’t notice or care about jobs disappearing, rampant inflation, shady bank deals that are putting millions out of their homes, lack of adequate health care and the recession we all know is here, but no one will admit. Their children aren’t being educated; heaven forbid they might learn evolution. And that they people they selected and elected to be moral and upright leaders are betraying their trust, taking their money and laughing all they way to the bank by way of their favorite drug dealers and gay “escorts”.

And even though United States is country predominately made up of those who claim to be Christians, somehow they feel put upon because their leaders constantly tell them that they are put upon. That makes them the 500-pound, easily led, easily angered, short-attention span gorilla in the room. Where does he sit? Where ever his handlers tell him to. The rest of us sigh and roll our eyes, knowing that soon enough they will have another upright and moral cause to distract him from the reality that they are being used and abused just so their handlers can have a little more power and stuff a little more money in their pockets

And that is truly what the War on Christmas is all about. Happy Holidays everybody.

Well, most fundamentalist and evangelical Christians are not really known for understanding of knowing their history. That's why they whine on and on about the so-called "war on Christmas." But propaganda has always mattered to them more than facts anyway.

Brush that history under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist! Keep kidding yourselves! LOL

Christmas is one of the only times of the year that christians are able to openly minister to the billions of lost people going to hell dont you think that the salvation of there souls is important I LOVE JESUS & anytime is a good time to b a servant of the living GOD.GOD has always been HE is never ending HE is the ALPHA & OMEGA the beginning & the end GOD was Around in th1600s HE is still here in 2008 GOD can handle change can you JESUS sat with the outcasts & healed them showed them compassion tax collectors prostitutes & was looked down on by the people that were religious the most important thing is showing & sharing the LOVE of our saviour & LORD JESUS CHRIST.

As a member of United Church of God, I can assure you Clyde Kilough knows the Bible inside out and upside down. I have actually heard the man speak many times. Have you? More questions:

1) Where is the date of Christ's birth given in the Bible?
2) Where in the Bible does the word "Christmas" appear?
3) Where in the Bible are Christ's followers commanded to observe Christmas?

No follower of God is ever mentioned in the Bible as having celebrated a festival on Dec. 25--no disciple, no apostle, no prophet.
But many people in the pagan world did celebrate such a festival. People such as Caligula and Nero celebrated the Saturnalia every year as the rebirth of the sun god.
The main problem I have with Christmas is that it has replaced the true festivals ordained by God in the Bible, the festivals which Jesus and his disciples actually did celebrate.

the wordly view is that
christmas is a time for showing love and appreciation for one another.
the act of giving gifts is to symbolise this.
yet for christians it is a celebration of the birth of christ.

I would like to applaud Pastor Fostor for his committment to his theological priciples. As a practicing Pagan man, I would like to see more Americans recognize the true "reason for the season" - the traditional celebration of the Winter Solstice (usually December 21), our holiday of Yule.

Cheers!

The best thing you can do, and may be the only thing, is to ignore the media. Do what you know is right by your faith and your view of the divine. Be damed all other voices that try to say how you should keep your holiday and just keep it in your own way. And remember just as you wish to keep your traditions you also should give room to others to do the same.

Tempest in a teapot. Don't worry everyone, the day is coming when it will be truly recognized that teaching religion to children is child abuse. But we'll still love each other anyway.

Jesus was born 6 month after John the Baptist who was born during the week of the Feast of the Tabernacle which is celebrated in March. Jesus would have been born in September. This information is in the Bible. Christmas was created for the commercial interests, by the commercial interests for the purpose of turning Americans into Consumerist-Narcissistic-Glutt ons and it's MISSION ACCOMPLISHED as this is what we've, Americans, are.