Q. Do you think that God cares less about the actual day Christians celebrate the birth of our Lord? Why create more schism?

Observance of Birth of Christ (or anyone's birthday, for that matter) is nowhere mentioned in the Scriptures. The only birthday mentioned in the Bible is Herod's, which he naturally celebrated in riotous abandon like the pagan he really was.

As New Covenant Christians we do not object to Christians privately celebrating the Birth of Christ on 25 December, 6 April, or any other day, if they want to, so long as they truly honour Christ and not pagan customs. Our objection is the syncretism that takes place between Christianity and paganism. If love will flow out of people's hearts to bless humanity on 25 December, then they have our blessings; but to then imitate pagan customs such as dancing round a Christmas tree, is unacceptable. The original symbol is, as all scholars know, drawn from pagan tree worship, and was not fastened onto Christianity until Luther got the idea in Germany. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, then brought the custom to England in 1840.

The original Teutonic Christmas tree dates back to Yule celebrations, along with the candles, gifts, and sacrificial pig with an apple in its mouth. But there are pagan elements from southern Europe too. Certain priests of Attis called dendrophori, "tree-bearers", annually selected a pine tree from the sacred grove (pinea silva) to carry the effigy of the god their god into a Roman temple. The dendrophori were charged with the duty of setting up and decorating the tree, upon which the god was presented for sacrifice. This was the origin of the custom of hanging small male effigies, such as gingerbread men, on the Christmas tree.

As explained in the articles in the New Covenant Christian Witness (6:28-39), the Christmas tree is in actual fact part of a counterfeit religion established by Satan to give glory to an antichrist, Nimrod. The "god" is Nimrod, who comes back to life again, a blasphemous imitation of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Think about it for one moment. How would you react if a Christian denomination used a Hindu altar used for ritual sex, and placed it in the sanctuary of your church, and then put a cross on the top? Would you accept that? I doubt it. But there is really very little difference between this and Christmas tree adoration. Christmas trees, representing the incestuous Nimrod (who married his mother), are placed in living rooms and churches of most Christmas families. Certainly, they are beautiful to look at, with their glitter and lights, but do they really have anything to do with Christianity?

This same compromise with the pagan past has led to the formation of a new "pagan Christianity", the "Christian" "branch" of the New Age Movement, a thoroughly antichristian, Hindu-based religion where symbol is translated into doctrine and practice. The Christmas tree is so pagan that the world doesn't mind using it at all. Even the communist regimes of the past used it but forbade the celebration of Christmas. A large Christmas tree used to stand in Red Square in Moscow in Soviet days with a large red star of communism on the top, just as swastikas figures in Christmas celebration in Nazi Germany. But how many secular or pagan religions would honour true Christian sacraments, such as Holy Communion (Sacrament of the Lord's Supper/Eucharist), save to mock and blaspheme?

Symbols are powerful -- be careful. Obey the Lord and flee from pagan traditions. Don't compromise -- keep the Gospel of Jesus Christ pure! For more information on symbols, see New Covenant Christian Witness, 2:39-47 (October 1992).

This page was created on 18 April 1998 Last updated on 18 April 1998

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