How do Christians justifty celebrating Christmas?

[Caledonian Rhyfelwyr]

The pagan roots of the festival are well enough known. But if that was the only problem, you could still say that Christmas was adopted and turned into something good.

And yet Paul himself denounces the practice of observing holy days to the Galatians:

"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain." (Galatians 4:9-11)

Why do modern Christians seek to return to the bondage of the law, observing days as though all we had was the foreshadows of Christ, and not the real deal?

It is because they have heard the gospel, yet they received into stony places. For many are called, but few chosen.

Thoughts?

[xcorps]

It doesn't mean what you think it means.

[black-dragon]

It doesn't mean what you think it means.

Just like everything else in the Bible. It means what Christians think it means, right?

[cottontail]

How do I justify it?

Simple: I like to eat and get presents

No bloody Pagan Heathens are going to keep me away from food and gifts, even if it is technically their holiday

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

oh.. you mean how do I justify it RELIGOUSLY... hmm...well, even if the roots of the holiday are pagan, what it is celebrating is a purely Christian phenomenon. It is no longer a pagan holiday. So don't try to steal it, you Pagan infidels

[Logios]

Please regard all but the last line as having the white "qoute" background
[QUOTE=cottontail;8663402]How do I justify it?

Simple: I like to eat and get presents

No bloody Pagan Heathens are going to keep me away from food and gifts, even if it is technically their holiday

But we are not keeping you away, please join in and bring your prophet.

[xcorps]

Just like everything else in the Bible. It means what Christians think it means, right?

People who can't be bothered to even attempt to understand the meaning of the words will pick and choose a sentence or phrase, almost always out of context, and then try to use that to discredit something that they proclaim that they don't even believe in. Waste your time on something constructive rather than silly gotcha games about a faith you don't understand, don't want to understand, and feel suprerior too.

[black-dragon]

People who can't be bothered to even attempt to understand the meaning of the words will pick and choose a sentence or phrase, almost always out of context, and then try to use that to discredit something that they proclaim that they don't even believe in. Waste your time on something constructive rather than silly gotcha games about a faith you don't understand, don't want to understand, and feel suprerior too.

So you're claiming that anybody who doesn't agree with a Christian interpretation of the Bible is simply dishonest or stupid?

Nobody said anything about superiority (which is, I assume, what you meant by 'suprerior' - or is that the spelling which people who bother to understand the English language use? ). Your immediate resort to accusations of it just implies that you feel inferior. Probably because you're making unsubstantiated claims. So if you'll cut the crap and try to justify your wild statements, maybe you won't feel the need to try and intimidate me with your insults.

[xcorps]

So you're claiming that anybody who doesn't agree with a Christian interpretation of the Bible is simply dishonest or stupid?

If you can go ahead and quote the post where I claimed anyone was dishonest or stupid, we can clear that up immediately.

Nobody said anything about superiority (which is, I assume, what you meant by 'suprerior' - or is that the spelling which people who bother to understand the English language use? ).

I'll just assume that you generaly make better arguements that "ur spelling suks"

Probably because you're making unsubstantiated claims. So if you'll cut the crap and try to justify your wild statements

You seem to have taken my post personally. It would appear that my atrocious spelling has nulled my attempt to communicate the idea that I was addressing YOU not personally, but generally.

My claims are not unsubstantiated. Instead of linking to a huge number of posts that misinterpet the Bible, I'll just direct your attention to the OP.

maybe you won't feel the need to try and intimidate me with your insults.

I wasn't trying to intimidate or insult anyone. If you took insult from what I said, I think your sensitivity shorts are too tight.

[justicar5]

People who can't be bothered to even attempt to understand the meaning of the words will pick and choose a sentence or phrase, almost always out of context, and then try to use that to discredit something that they proclaim that they don't even believe in. Waste your time on something constructive rather than silly gotcha games about a faith you don't understand, don't want to understand, and feel suprerior too.

no one has successfully justified god ordering rape and genocide in Deutoronomy yet, it's impossible to misinterpret the passages and no context could make the entity giving them good (unless the holocaust would be ok in the right context ofc)

[xcorps]

no one has successfully justified god ordering rape and genocide in Deutoronomy yet, it's impossible to misinterpret the passages and no context could make the entity giving them good (unless the holocaust would be ok in the right context ofc)

When are you going to learn that the message of Christ changed all that? When are you going to finally understand what the Crucifixtion was all about?

[Khassaki]

The pagan roots of the festival are well enough known. But if that was the only problem, you could still say that Christmas was adopted and turned into something good.

And yet Paul himself denounces the practice of observing holy days to the Galatians:

"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain." (Galatians 4:9-11)

Why do modern Christians seek to return to the bondage of the law, observing days as though all we had was the foreshadows of Christ, and not the real deal?

It is because they have heard the gospel, yet the received into stony places. For many are called, but few chosen.

Thoughts?

Paul, or Saul if you prefer, was a raving nutbag.

[MathiasOfAthens]

Paul, or Saul if you prefer, was a raving nutbag.

Yeah he saw God in the desert... he was prob hallucinating.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

Sola Scriptura is a pale shadow of True Christianity (TM). Embrace your inner synthesis.

[Squiggle]

Sola Scriptura is a pale shadow of True Christianity (TM). Embrace your inner synthesis.

Can you stop this nonsense? Your not a Christian in general.

@ Caledonian: *sigh* Christians are not chosen, but yes Christmas is followed by and because of ignorant materialistic Christians. The holiday's popularity has ebbed and flowed with each generation, and hopefully it dies out.

[nce_wht_guy]

Can you stop this nonsense? Your not a Christian in general.

He's still right.

[nce_wht_guy]

The holiday's popularity has ebbed and flowed with each generation, and hopefully it dies out.

Pretty sure it's always been quite popular.

[Squiggle]

Pretty sure it's always been quite popular.

Well, your wrong...soo...

[nce_wht_guy]

Well, your wrong...soo...

No, I'm not.

[nce_wht_guy]

What the hell are you talking about? Paul was chastising the Galatians either for observing pagan rituals or Jewish holidays and observances.

[Monarchist]

The pagan roots of the festival are well enough known. But if that was the only problem, you could still say that Christmas was adopted and turned into something good.

And yet Paul himself denounces the practice of observing holy days to the Galatians:

"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain." (Galatians 4:9-11)

Why do modern Christians seek to return to the bondage of the law, observing days as though all we had was the foreshadows of Christ, and not the real deal?

It is because they have heard the gospel, yet they received into stony places. For many are called, but few chosen.

Thoughts?

Friend, the note at the bottom of my Douay-Rheims translation (translation 1582; notes 1752) says:

On the contrary, "He speaks not of the Lord's Day, or other Christian festivals: but either of the superstitious observance of days as 'lucky' or 'unlucky'; or else to the Jewish festivals, to the observance of which certain Jewish teachers sought to induce the Galatians".

I answer that: Bishop Challoner made his notes well! It seems that the Galatians (central Turkey) were the object and focus of an intense campaign by Jewish apologists after they had confessed belief in Christ. Like Saul, they persecuted the Christians and argued that they ought to go back to observing the old Shabbat (שַׁבָּת). This is what the text is referring to: the fear that the Galatians would deny their recently-attained Christian faith and go back to Judaism, which had been made defunct by the universality of Christ's holy sacrifice.

When Paul says "I am afraid of you, lest I have laboured in vain", he is using the old Hebrew way of talking: "I am afraid of you, because you might slip back into that which I taught you was wrong". To have 'laboured in vain', to the Jews, meant all your work had slipped back to square one. The new worship of old Jewish holy days was no longer applicable, apparently.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Sola Scriptura is a pale shadow of True Christianity (TM). Embrace your inner synthesis.

That's a really nice monstrance!

By the way, Sola Scriptura IS a pale shadow of true Christianity! Isn't it ironic?