History of Christmas, etc.

[Czeska]

Found this info, and it reminded me of the "Cancelling Christmas" thread. Some interesting reading...



History of Holidays (http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/christmas/real.html)

[SpunGirl]

Thanks, Czeska. I always took a special delight in reminding my pastors and youth leaders that hanging garlands and greenery around Christmastime was a holdover from Pagan Yule traditions. Hahaha.

-K

[xtc]

I think most people know that many Christmas traditions have their roots in pagan celebrations and that the date isn't accurate. I have never seen how this detracts from Christmas, if anything quite the opposite. In the days before Oral Roberts and Pat Robertson, Christians were inclusive of their new converts incorporating elements of their pagan celebrations into Christianity to make them welcome.

[Skirmisher]

Originally posted by xtc
I think most people know that many Christmas traditions have their roots in pagan celebrations and that the date isn't accurate. I have never seen how this detracts from Christmas, if anything quite the opposite. In the days before Oral Roberts and Pat Robertson, Christians were inclusive of their new converts incorporating elements of their pagan celebrations into Christianity to make them welcome.

Lets do be honest.

It was to better assimilate them and bring more people under the control of the church.

[Back]

This is really interesting (http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/christmas/real3.html).

It says that the first people in America, the puritains, did not celebrate the holiday because it was decadent. It was outlawed in Boston and anyone caught displaying anything Christmas related had to pay a fine. It fell further out of favor during the Revolution for being an English custom. It wasn’t declared a federal holiday until 1870.

[xtc]

Originally posted by Backlash
This is really interesting (http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/christmas/real3.html).

It says that the first people in America, the puritains, did not celebrate the holiday because it was decadent. It was outlawed in Boston and anyone caught displaying anything Christmas related had to pay a fine. It fell further out of favor during the Revolution for being an English custom. It wasn’t declared a federal holiday until 1870.

The Puritans weren't a fun bunch.

[Back]

Didn’t realize you were THAT old. Dayum.

[Czeska]

There's stuff on that site about Hannukah and Kwaanza (forgive me if my spelling's off, I'm tired), too. I bookmarked it, I'll read it tomorrow.
At work.

[SpunGirl]

What Skirmisher said is correct. It wasn't "let's welcome them in hopes of bringing them to Christ's 'love'." It was more like, "let's bribe them by making them think some things are similar."

-K

[Apotheosis]

yezzz. even Arthurian legend reflects some of the "negative" attitudes that Christianity had of paganism.

Some even speculate that the faith/religion/cult that Morgan La Fey was a priestess of actually existed.

[Back]

There is a link to Roman Saturnalia there for you too, Ysw.

[Apotheosis]

I posted a link about Saturnalia in the other thread.. I am too busy slacking to read it.

[Caiylania]

Interesting reading, knew some of those facts but not all. Thanks for sharing!

[Czeska]

One theory of why Dec. 25th is held as being Jesus' birthday (when pretty much everyone agrees it wasn't) is because when the Christians were spreading their beliefs through pagan lands, they lined up their big holiday back to back with Winter Solstice, in order to "ease" the newly conquered people into their new ways.

Same time of year.. same decorations.. lots of the same traditions, figuring then these people would accept the rest easier.

[Apotheosis]

So maybe by default christianity = paganism (those pagans! they infiltrated ;) )

[xtc]

Originally posted by Yswithe
So maybe by default christianity = paganism (those pagans! they infiltrated ;) )

lol, should you call Pat Robertson or should I?

[Jadewolff]

Originally posted by SpunGirl
What Skirmisher said is correct. It wasn't "let's welcome them in hopes of bringing them to Christ's 'love'." It was more like, "let's bribe them by making them think some things are similar."

-K

This was (and probably is) a pretty common way of converting people in a peaceful manner. That's why muslims in Pakistan compared to muslims in Middle East have different traditions when it comes to things like marriage and other such. The traditions of most Pakistani muslims have many elements of hinduism that people still follow out of habit.

[Czeska]

While that may be true... there wasn't a lot "peaceful" about early Christian conversion efforts.

Or at least that's what I learned studying the Crusades, etc.

[Latrinsorm]

The Crusades didn't happen until past Christianity's halfway point, so it's a stretch to call that "early".

Given that Christianity was persecuted for most of its early period, it's pretty unlikely that any of their recruitment methods would be violent by necessity, before even getting into philosophy. We didn't start getting away from the third path until Romanization, really, what with the "conquer the world" thing.

[SpunGirl]

LOL.

Any of you bible folks ever call someone a heathen, even jokingly? If you have, I suggest you look up the origins of that word... and how it came to be used against people when the Christians were busy saving all the Pagans.

-K