What about the real central character of Christmas, Santa Claus? Todays jolly old elf—a roly-poly old man in a red suit trimmed in white; big, black boots; spectacles; long, white beard; and a ho-ho-ho—was the brainchild of Coca-Colas marketing department early in the last century. He was based loosely on the English Father Christmas and the German Kris Kringle. This figure, in turn, has blended with the early Christian Saint Nicholas, a churchman who was known for spreading the wealth to needy members of his community, sometimes throwing sacks of coins through open windows and down chimneys. Where is the biblical basis for such a character? He may be present in the modern crèche, but no one like him appears in the gospel narratives of Jesus birth. Then there is the seasons alternate name, Yule. Where does that come from? Check the origin in the dictionary: a pagan midwinter festival. Another contradiction! The preacher/talk-show host made mention of this point too, chuckling about how so many people do not realize that their Yule log hearkens back to the heathen practice of driving away evil spirits with bonfires on the night of the winter solstice! Now, however, it is just another way to stir up Christmas cheer! No harm in that, right? If these pagan, unbiblical elements are so commonly known, why does the Christmas tradition continue? Three reasons come to the fore: » Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. (Romans 8:7) » The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9) » The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. (Jeremiah 5:31) Christmas continues because human nature deceives itself into practicing things that are not right because they are enjoyable. Human nature allows people to justify self-contradictory things because they appear to produce benefits for them. In such a case, truth does not matter; all that matters is that a person receives presents and has a good time. And if a religious significance—real or imagined—can be attached to it, all the better! We should not expect people to give up Christmas anytime soon just because it has pagan origins. Human nature has a long history of explaining such pesky details away.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 11:08:26 +0000
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