Diest TKO wrote:Foxfyre wrote:The point is that Christmas is a Christian observance. Yes it has been secularized and even corrupted in the minds of many, but nevertheless, without the Christ worshiped by Christians, there would be no Christmas. There might be some other winter holiday/celebrations, but there would be no Christmas.
Again, Christians problably wouldn't have Christmas without previous pegan celebrations etc. It may have exsted elsewhere in the calender year, but the date chosen was due to certian symbolism established long before Christianity and possibly Judism.
Happy Secular Christmas.
T
K
O
You may be surprised to learn that the ancient councils debated over three centuries as to whether to include advent and the nativity in the church calendar. Some of the greatest minds such as Origin, second century, thought it should not be included at all. Eventually, however, the majority voted to include it with May being the favored month for some time. Nobody presumed to know the exact date of Jesus' birth.
Eventually, however, the majority felt Advent and the Nativity should logically come before Epiphany (January 6) that had been acknowledged for a long time. December 25, 12 days before Epiphany, was chosen with Advent commencing four weeks prior to Christmas Day. And yes, as most Christians of that time had been converted to Paganism and were accustomed to celebrating the Winter Solstice, it made sense that Christmas be a feast day/celebration rather than a solemn occasion. The people were no different from people in other cultures who do things that they enjoy or feel normal and/or they are comfortable with.
Christmas, however, was intended to neither mimic nor supplaint the pagan festivals. Christians were quite aware that Christianity was a whole different thing and they made their religious practices uniquely their own. Later on, the more joyful parts of the celebration were squelched during periods of Medieval piety and later American Puritanism, but it could not be contained and again emerged as a time of joy and celebration totally unrelated to anything the pagans had envisioned.
