"Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three." Luke 12:51-52

CHRISTMAS: REJECTING JESUS Revealing the hidden meaning behind Christmas, and how the worship of the holiday is a rejection of Jesus Christ. This 283-page book is free to read here on our website, or available for purchase in paperback or Kindle from the Amazon Store. Click the image for more details.

Contents: Introduction Chapter 1 - The Meaning of the Word 'Christmas' Chapter 2 - The Pagan Origin of Christmas Chapter 3 - The Christmas Idol-a-Tree Chapter 4 - The Witchcraft of Christmas Traditions Chapter 5 - Corrupt Philosophy in Christmas Songs Chapter 6 - The Demonic Concept of Santa Claus Chapter 7 - Parents Who Hate Their Children Chapter 8 - Christmas Nativity Scenes Contradict Scripture Chapter 9 - Early Americans Banned Christmas Chapter 10 - Absurd Pastoral Arguments Chapter 11 - Popular "Christian" Preachers on Christmas                      -John MacArthur                      -Billy Graham                      -Kent Hovind                      -Kirk Cameron                      -Steven Anderson                      -Ken Ham Chapter 12 - Interesting Notes & Final Thoughts

 

Over the years, I have received a lot of hateful letters from churchgoers complaining about my writing on this subject, and the majority of them looked no further than the title. (i.e. They refused to read any of this book.) Some of these letters complained specifically about the title, arguing that I am "turning people off" from reading it because the title is too offensive, but their mistake was in assuming that I did not already know the title was offensive to many, and I want to assure readers that I created the title intentionally for that purpose.

He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
-Proverbs 18:13

The fact of the matter is that, if a title (i.e. three words) is enough to scare someone away from reading the contents of this book, and enough to automatically turn me into their enemy, then that person was NEVER going to listen to the facts. Their minds were already closed to hearing any information that disagrees with their preconceived beliefs, and that is called willful ignorance, meaning that person does not know the truth, nor do they want to know it. I cannot help anyone understand any subject matter that they are not willing to investigate on their own, let alone am I able to have a peaceful and rational discussion with such a person.

Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
-Galatians 4:16

The Bible tells us that those Christians who are willing to hear the preaching of a man, and then search the Scriptures to verify whether or not those things are true, are more "noble" than others:

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
-Acts 17:10-11

noble (adj): open, fair, candid, ingenuous, generous, free from disguise
(See 'noble', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 20, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

If any churchgoers out there (by the grace of God) happen to see this introduction, and they do not want to be noble about this matter, I will not fight them on it; I will bid them a pleasant day and move on. I did not write this book to make a bunch of money (i.e. this book is free-to-read at creationliberty.com), and I did not write it to be popular. If I wanted to be popular, I would have written this book in favor of Christmas, because that is what sells. The Lord God gives us all the liberty to choose what we do, so I am not going to attempt to force this subject matter onto someone who does not want to hear, and therefore, the title helps to filter out those people so we do not waste each other's time.

Of course, there are important reasons why this information is so sensitive to many people, and we will go over those reasons later in this book. However, ultimately, if we want to gain understanding of a matter and look at facts objectively, we have to learn to be adults in our thinking, which means we need to put aside the deceptive emotions of the heart, so we can be men in our understanding.

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
-1 Corinthians 14:20

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
-Jeremiah 17:9-10

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
-Proverbs 28:26

fool (n): one who is destitute of reason, or the common powers of understanding; an idiot; a wicked or depraved person; one who acts contrary to sound wisdom in his moral deportment; one who follows his own inclinations [affections, desires], who prefers trifling [amusements, things of little importance] and temporary pleasures to the service of God and eternal happiness
(See 'fool', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 20, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Please note that I am not the one who said these kinds of people (i.e. those who trust in the whimsical emotions of their hearts) are fools, but rather, it is the Living God, the creator of those people, who called them fools through His written Word, and I am in agreement with Him. People who react emotionally while being unwilling to hear the facts of a matter are wicked people who act in opposition to sound wisdom and doctrine, focusing on matters of little importance (i.e. superstitions) instead of focusing on the truth of Scripture.

A Christian who has the fruits of the Spirit of God would not be inclined to react with maliciousness. Rather, by the grace of God, we tend to be grown men in our understanding so we can know the truth of a matter, and that is why the Bible tells us that we (who are grounded in the faith of Christ) should act in the manner of strong men:

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like [act in the manner of] men, be strong.
-1 Corinthians 16:13

As the title of this book implies, we will learn about the origin and true meaning of Christmas, and after we compile all the information together, you will see how the celebration of Christmas is an offense against Christ. We will also learn how this celebration has introduced paganism and the demonic influence of Catholicism into countless church buildings, thereby leavening (i.e. corrupting) them.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
-Galatians 5:9

Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
-1 Corinthians 5:6-7

leaven (n): to taint
taint (v): to corrupt, to infect; to impregnate with something odious, noxious or poisonous
(See 'leaven' & 'taint', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 20, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Please do not misunderstand, this does not mean that anyone who has celebrated Christmas is going to hell because hellfire only awaits those who reject Christ's Gospel of Salvation, which is the humility of repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of sins and faith in His shed blood on the cross at Calvary for the remission (i.e. forgiveness) of that sin. However, there are a great number of churchgoers who walk in willful ignorance concerning the truth of their celebrations because, even though they speak well of Christ with their mouths, their hearts are turned away from Him and turned instead to the worship of the traditions of men.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
-Matthew 15:8

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
-Mark 7:8-9

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13

When Jesus told the Jews that they held "the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups," He meant that they were only washing the outside of the cups and pots to give themselves the appearance of cleanliness. In other words, He was pointing out that they held on tightly to their religious traditions in order to make themselves appear "holy" on the outside, while the inside was corrupt.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
-Matthew 23:25-26

hypocrite (n): one who assumes a false appearance; one who feigns to be what he is not; one who has the form of godliness without the power [authority], or who assumes an appearance of piety and virtue, when he is destitute of true religion
(See 'hypocrite', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 20, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Many churchgoers view the hypocritical Pharisees as just some ancient religious sect that existed 2,000 years ago, and that Christ's preaching to them has no effect on us today, but the concept of a Pharisee (i.e. the hypocritical person Jesus was addressing) is still present in our modern culture, and I can assure churchgoers that the word 'Pharisee' is not just a convenient word to call someone who you might disagree with. The Pharisees were persons in an elevated position of religious leadership among the people, and because their beliefs were said to be the most closely matched to Scripture, they were put up on a moral pedestal, by which society saw them as excellent men who were the upright keepers of God's Word, and this is precisely how pastors, evangelists, deacons, elders, and priests are typically viewed today; thus, the Pharisees that Jesus was speaking to are the very religious leaders in church buildings today.

Jesus was pointing out to these people that they only maintained a supposedly "holy" appearance in front of others, so that the people would think they were servants of God. They would attend public services, pay tithes, and do many other traditional things to make themselves look and feel "holy" among the people (just like most pastors do today), but inwardly, they did not really care about what God said to them in His Word, and there are millions of churchgoers out there who have the same attitude as the Pharisees, in which they hold up their traditions as a banner to justify themselves before men.
(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
-Luke 16:15

There are multitudes of churchgoers and preachers around America (and the world) who bring people from far and wide into their church buildings and organizations, only to train them up in the religious traditions of men that make the Word of God of no effect to the hearers. Those converts (i.e. proselytes) end up following church building traditions rather than Jesus Christ, worshiping the rituals instead of God, and become even more dedicated to the traditions that their predecessors taught them, making them twice the children of hell than those who originally taught them.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
-Matthew 23:15

This is why we Christians need to be cautious about what we allow in the church. We need to beware anyone that would come to the church with corrupt philosophies (i.e. ways of thinking) and useless religious lies, which are based on the traditions of men and principal teachings of the world, who are in opposition to sound doctrine founded on the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [a way of thinking] and vain deceit [useless lies], after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings you learn] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

It is extraordinarily common for churchgoers to fervently defend their traditions, while claiming in willful ignorance that their traditions are "all about Jesus," and they will often end up condemning anyone who dares to question them, even hypocritically calling others a "Pharisee" for simply trying to reason with them and share the facts. They will call their evil traditions "good," while calling the preaching of God's Word "evil," and be completely blind to it because there is no Spirit of God within them to open their eyes.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent [wise or intelligent] in their own sight!
-Isaiah 5:20-21

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
-1 Corinthians 2:13-15

A common false doctrine that comes out of the mouths of churchgoers is that we should not judge anyone or anything, but they say that because they do not know or follow what Jesus Christ taught:

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

I will be repeating this verse a number of times in this book, so it is important that we understand what judgment is:

judge (v): to compare facts or ideas, and perceive their agreement or disagreement, and thus to distinguish truth from falsehood
(See 'judge', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 1, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

When a churchgoer claims that we should not judge anyone or anything, they are literally telling you to stop looking for the truth of a matter, and to stop exposing lies and false doctrine. People around the world judge matters all day, every day. They judge if they are driving too fast, they judge if milk has spoiled before drinking it, and they judge if their coffee is to hot or cold. It is not judgment that churchgoers hate because they do it all the time, but rather, the hypocrisy is that churchgoers do not want people to judge RIGHTEOUS judgment against them, meaning that they do not want people to tell them they are in error by using the Word of God to expose the lies and tell the truth about their corrupt beliefs, traditions, and philosophies.
(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: 'Don't Judge Me!'" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

If those who claim to be of Christ would judge themselves, as they are supposed to do, then I would not have to do it in the first place:

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
-1 Corinthians 11:31

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
-2 Corinthians 13:5

But instead of judging themselves, churchgoers are typically quick to defend themselves on just about any subject (Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc) by saying that their religious traditions are all about Jesus Christ. However, just because someone CLAIMS their tradition is "all about Jesus," that does NOT automatically mean the Lord Jesus Christ has anything to do with it.
(Read "Easter: Christians Celebrating Abomination" and "Halloween: Are Christians Lovers of Death?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

To give an analogy, if a man is accused of murder and says he has done nothing wrong, should we just believe him automatically, or should we examine the evidence first? If a car salesman tells you a vehicle is safe and reliable, should you just believe them automatically and buy the vehicle, or should you investigate the facts first? Likewise, if someone claims their traditions are "all about Jesus," then we ought to inspect the evidence before we draw conclusions.

If there is a religious tradition that Jesus Christ has set for the church to do, then He would have stated so in His Word; for example, Jesus instituted things like communion, baptism, and works of charity. These are all clear mandates in Scripture for the church to do, but if we search the Scriptures (as the Bereans did), we will find that Jesus Christ NEVER instituted holidays (e.g. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc), nor do we find any evidence (Scriptural or historical) of the apostles setting those traditions in the church.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Baptism" and "The Biblical Understanding of Charity" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

One of the biggest reasons that church building traditions (like Christmas) go unquestioned is because of the outright denial of the corrupt, pagan origins of their traditions, or in other words, they lie to themselves (and to others), and purposefully turn a blind eye to the facts, so they can avoid having to learn truth, which is also an attempt to reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit to lead them away from the corruption of the world. There is no place in Scripture that even remotely indicates that our feelings are the equivalent of the Holy Ghost, and so we Christians should not use our emotions as a substitute for the truth because God will hold us accountable if we refuse to hear the Biblical things we have the capability to learn.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
-Hosea 4:6

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
-James 5:19-20

 

To begin, let's look at the definition of the word 'Christmas', which is made up of two words: 'christ' and 'mass'. It comes from the Latin origin, Cristes mæsse, which means "Mass of Christ," and for those readers who are familiar with Catholic traditions, you should be able to quickly piece together what the word 'Christmas' really means.

There are a number of definitions we need to understand at this point:

celebrate (v): to honor or distinguish by ceremonies and marks of joy and respect
worship (v): to adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration
(See 'celebrate' & 'worship', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 5, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Nearly all churchgoers say that they "celebrate" Christmas instead of "worshiping" Christmas because they do not believe they are worshiping a holiday. Even they understand that if they were to say they were "worshiping" Christmas, it would seem like idolatry. However, if you take the time to study the definitions of these words carefully, the only difference between celebration and worship is whether or not the target of the celebration is divine.

For example, you can celebrate American Independence Day (July 4th) without worshiping it because there is no divine focus, but the problem is that churchgoers believe that Christmas is a celebration of Jesus Christ, and that the birth of Jesus Christ is divine. (And I agree, it is divine because Jesus Christ is God, John 14:7-10, John 2:19-21) So, this is not a mere "celebration" to them, but rather, they worship during the Christmas season, and as we will see later in this book, due to their abnormally zealous defense of it, it is obvious that they worship Christmas itself, along with the tradition thereof.

In chapter three of my book, Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism (which is free-to-read here at creationliberty.com), I covered a lot of details on the Catholic mass, and how the Bible teaches us that the cup from which they drink in the mass is the "cup of devils." We need to go over some of that information in this book also, and that is due to the fact that this is the origin of the Christmas celebration; thus, it is important for us to understand how corrupt this practice is, and how offensive it is to the Lord Jesus Christ.

mass (n): the celebration of the Eucharist
(See 'mass', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

Most people have heard of a "Catholic Mass," and although this modern dictionary labels it a "celebration," it is clear that the Catholic Mass is worship because they claim it is divine. It is a gathering of Catholics into a religious building to participate in the worship of what they call the "Eucharist," where they claim to "consecrate" the "sacraments" of the Eucharist.

eucharist (n): the sacrament of Holy Communion; the sacrifice of the Mass
sacrament (n): the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, especially the bread; an outward sign combined with a prescribed form of words and regarded as conferring some specific grace upon those who receive it
consecrate (v): to make or declare sacred or hallowed in service of a deity
(See 'eucharist', 'sacrament' & 'consecrate', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

The "sacraments" are words and actions that the Catholic Church believes all people must speak and perform in order to gain the grace of God. In simple terms, it is a works-based false doctrine, meaning that you have to do the works performed and the words spoken in the Catholic Eucharist to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

This is why most of these terms (all of them except the word "consecrate") are not found in the Bible. They are man-made traditions, not Biblical instructions. Catholic priests claim to "consecrate the elements of the Eucharist," which, in simple terms, means that they take a wafer and wine, say a prayer over them, and believe they have been LITERALLY transformed into the PHYSICAL body and blood of Christ.

transubstantiation (n): the changing of the elements of the bread and wine, when they are consecrated in the Eucharist, into the body and blood of Christ
(See 'transubstantiation', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

So in summary, the Eucharist is the Catholic Mass, where all the Catholics get together and watch a Catholic priest speak some ritualistic prayers over wafer pieces and some wine to supposedly "transform" them (otherwise known as "transubstantiation"). Then, one by one, all the Catholics come up, receive a wafer on their tongue, and then they all drink wine from the same cup (that gets wiped off with each use, but still—a little unsanitary), and without ANY metaphorical meaning, they believe that they are eating the LITERAL body of Christ, and drinking the LITERAL blood of Christ.

By consuming these things, they believe they receive the grace of God. How much grace did they get by performing these actions? No one knows for sure, and no one has any idea how much "grace" they need to receive to get out of their imaginary concept of purgatory (which is also not found anywhere in Scripture). However, they believe that if they keep going to mass over and over and over again, eventually, they will rack up enough grace points to enter heaven; very similar to a "rewards card" you might get at a restaurant, but the only difference is that, to get the reward in the Catholic Church, you have to repeat the same action an unspecified number of times for the rest of your life.
The Catholic Catechism, which is the official rulebook of the Catholic Church set forth by a council appointed and approved by Pope John Paul II in 1992, states:
"At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again,"
-Catechism of the Catholic Church, Crown Publishing Group, 2nd Edition, 2012, ISBN: 9780307953704; See also Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 1, Article 3, Canon #1323, retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P3W.HTM]

perpetual (adj): continuing forever
(See 'perpetual', Random House Dictionary, 2018, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

If you read it carefully, you may have noticed that the Catholic Church claims that the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was "perpetuated" specifically on the night He was betrayed, NOT on the day He was crucified. In other words, Catholicism teaches that Christ gave the works of transubstantiation and the Eucharist to be an everlasting covenant to gain God's grace, and this is a lie that has deceived billions of people.

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
-Luke 22:19

This act of consuming bread and wine from the Passover supper (commonly known as the "Last Supper") before Christ went to the cross is often referred to as "communion," based on 1 Corinthians 10:

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
-1 Corinthians 10:16

Though Catholics may tell you that they do "communion" just like everyone else, that is not true because the Eucharist of the Catholics in their Mass is far different than communion, and it is performed under completely different doctrine. Catholics believe that they can only receive God's grace if they perform the Eucharist, because they believe that they may only be reconciled to God through transubstantiation, but that is not what the Bible teaches us:

And that he [Jesus] might reconcile both [Jew and Gentile] unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
-Ephesians 2:16

To reconcile is to gain one's favor or grace in union and friendship, which is not attained through the works of communion, but rather, it is gained by grace (a gift) through faith, as Ephesians 2 says a few verses earlier, and I will quote it again:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
-Ephesians 2:8

And it should be emphasized that men are reconciled unto God by the blood of Christ on the cross, not grape juice in the cup.

And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
-Colossians 1:20

Our transgressions were nailed to the cross, not to the Last Supper.

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
-Colossians 2:14

The Catholic Church teaches doctrine that is contrary to Scripture on this subject. To make sure there is no confusion about what Catholicism teaches, let's read what the Council of Trent decreed:
"He [Jesus Christ] offered up to God the Father His own body and blood under the species of bread and wine; and, under the symbols of those same things, He delivered (His own body and blood) to be received by His apostles,"
-Council of Trent, Session XXII, Chapter I, "On the Institution of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass," retrieved Mar 20, 2018, [thecounciloftrent.com/ch22.htm]

If what the Catholic Church just stated was true, then there was absolutely NO reason for Christ to go to the cross at all. If Christ gave His sacrifice of body and blood at the Passover feast with His disciples, then why did He need to offer His body and blood a second time at the cross? It does not make sense because the Bible tells us that Christ offered up Himself ONCE, but the Catholic Church contradicts the Bible by teaching Christ did this twice.

Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
-Hebrews 7:27

Christ only offered Himself ONCE, and that was NOT at the Last Supper. The Holy Spirit (i.e. the author of the Holy Scriptures) very clearly stated that Christ sacrificed himself one time on the cross for all:

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
-Hebrews 10:10-14

Christ offered Himself ONE TIME for all sin, which means the Catholic Church denies Christ by claiming that forgiveness of sin can come through another sacrifice in the Mass, which is what Pope John Paul II believed and taught:
"The Eucharist is above all else a sacrifice. It is the sacrifice of the Redemption and also the sacrifice of the New Covenant,"
-Pope John Paul II, quoted by Steven J. Schloder, Architecture in Communion: Implementing the Second Vatican Council, Ignatius Press, 1998, p. 52, ISBN: 9780898706314

Again, Hebrews 10:11 stated very simply that other sacrifices, like those done in the Catholic Mass, "can never take away sins," but the Catholic Church teaches the opposite. The Catholic Catechism declares:
"At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate [continue forever] the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal [Passover] banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us."
-Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part 2, Section 2, Chapter 1, Article 3, "The Sacraments of the Eucharist," Canon #1323, retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P3W.HTM]

Earlier, we learned that 'perpetuate' means to "continue forever," so what the Catholic Church believes is that the sacrifice Christ made on the cross continues on FOREVER IN THE CATHOLIC EUCHARIST; meaning they are offering new sacrifices continually in their Mass. This is false doctrine. As we just read, the Bible teaches clearly that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was done once, and that is enough; no other works, ceremonies, or sacrifices done by Catholic priests can offer salvation or grace, and by denying that Christ's one-time sacrifice was enough, Catholics deny Christ's sacrifice, or in short, if a Catholic believes and practices what the Catholic Church teaches, he/she will end up in hell without Christ.

In summary, because they believe the wine they drink is the LITERAL blood of Christ, the Catholic Church teaches that you must drink Christ's blood over and over in order to maintain eternal life. If you think about it, that is no different than the demonic concept of a vampire.

Even if they were drinking literal blood, the early church in the book of Acts established that we, as born again Christians, were to avoid eating or drinking blood:

But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
-Acts 15:20

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
-Genesis 9:3-4

It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.
-Leviticus 3:17

In the Old Testament, the sacrifices made by the Jews for the atonement of sin had the blood drained out of them (Lev 4:7), the meat cooked, and the Levites did not consume the blood with the eating of the meat. This is one of the few ordinances that continues in the New Testament because we are to respect the blood of life (Lev 17:11), knowing that the law requires blood atonement for the remission of sins (Heb 9:22), which Jesus Christ paid in full. (Acts 20:28) The Catholic Church ignores these commandments of Scripture and continues to instruct their followers to drink blood, which is not really blood, but they claim it is blood, under the appearance of it not being blood.

Perhaps readers might be thinking that having to drink blood that is not really blood, but is claimed to be blood anyway, seems nonsensical. If you thought that, you are correct, it is nonsense.

Let's imagine for a moment that the Lord Jesus Christ performed the miracle of turning water into wine, but He made it appear to be water by sight, taste, and smell; would they have still called it a miracle without the evidence that a miracle had taken place? Would the people have called it a miracle if Peter and John had, through the power of Christ, lifted up the lame man to walk, but under the appearance that he could not walk? No one would ever believe that a miracle had been performed without evidence that a miracle had occurred, and that shows us the extreme absurdity of Catholicism in their willingness to believe in a miracle without evidence.


Where I come from, we call that a scam:

scam (n): a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; swindle
(See 'scam', Random House Dictionary, 2020, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

I do not need more faith to believe Catholic wine turns to blood, and that is because the Spirit of God within me gives me understanding so that I do not put my faith into a lie. Rather, it is Catholics who need to put their faith into the truth of God, namely, that their wine is just wine, Catholic priests are teaching doctrines of devils, and that one cannot drink the cup of God and cup of devils at the same time.

Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
-1 Corinthians 10:21

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
-1 Timothy 4:1

There is a fallacy among church buildings to say, "I take the Bible as literally true from cover to cover." This is error because the Lord God uses many metaphors in His Word to help us more easily understand His doctrine. This is why I prefer to say, "I take the Bible seriously from cover to cover," especially when it comes to Catholicism because they take MANY metaphorical verses out of their context and try to apply them literally, and that is why they teach so many false doctrines.

When the Lord Jesus Christ tells us that we born again Christians are His "sheep" (John 20:27), this is meant for us to consider a shepherd watching over his sheep in a similar manner; He does not mean we are literal sheep that have wool and must be literally herded around a meadow. When Christ says He is the door (John 10:7), are we to believe that He is literally made of wood and has hinges? It would be absurd to believe such things. Likewise, when Christ said the bread and wine were His body and blood, it was a metaphorical reference, not a literal one; it was His shed blood on the cross that was the literal sacrifice.

Notice that the Bible says that God has reconciled men unto Himself by the CROSS, not by the cup:

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
-Ephesians 2:15-16

However, the Catholic Church has condemned to damnation and destruction anyone who denies that the wafer and wine they give people is the LITERAL body and blood of Christ:
"If any one saith, that, in the sacred and holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and wine remains conjointly [combined; i.e. as separate thing that is included together] with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood-the species Only of the bread and wine remaining-which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation; let him be anathema."
-Council of Trent, "Concerning the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist," First Decree, Canon II, retrieved Mar 22, 2018, [thecounciloftrent.com/ch13.htm]

Simply put, they stated that if you do not believe that the Catholic priest transforms the wafer and wine into the LITERAL body and blood of Christ (without any evidence that a miracle has taken place), you are damned to hell. This is what is called an anathema, which results in death and damnation in hell because once someone is anathemized, then they are no longer part of the Catholic Church, and if they cannot do the sacraments of the Eucharist in the Catholic Mass (by an officially ordained priest), then (according to the Council of Trent) they cannot gain God's grace, and therefore, they cannot enter heaven. Even though the wafer and wine have not changed into anything else, if you do not believe that they are transformed into the LITERAL body and blood of Christ, the Catholic Church rejects you, and condemns you to hell.

So now that we know that the word 'Christmas' comes from the Latin, Cristes mæsse, and is founded in the corrupt, false doctrines of the Catholic Church, and their antichrist Mass, let's take a look at the origin for the word 'mass':

mass (n): 'eucharistic service,' old English mæsse, from Vulgar Latin *messa 'eucharistic service,' literally 'dismissal,' from Late Latin missa 'dismissal,'
(See 'mass' Etymology Online Dictionary, 2013, Douglas Harper, [www.etymonline.com])

Of course, contextually, the Catholic Church means that they are "dismissing" the parishioners at the end of the mass, as the following Catholic authors point out:
"When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, Jesus dwells in us in a unique way and we have the responsibility to be Jesus to others once we leave Mass. The word Mass is translated from a Latin word missa, which comes from the Latin dismissal at the end of Mass,"
-M.K. Kelley & C. Johnson, Celebrating the Lectionary for High School 2012-2013: Supplemental Lectionary-Based Resource, Liturgy Training Publications, p. 220, ISBN: 9781616710750

However, the literal meaning, from just taking the two words together, means "the dismissal of Christ." Indeed, the word 'Christmas' literally means "dismiss Christ," which is to discard or reject someone from their office.

dismiss (v): to discard; to remove from office, service or employment
reject (v): to throw away, as anything useless or vile; to cast off; to forsake
(See 'dismiss' & 'reject', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Aug 20, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Knowing that the Mass of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church is an abomination by which they drink from the cup of devils, this interpretation of "dismissing Christ" or "rejecting Christ" ought to make more sense. Normally, when a person greets someone with the phrase "Merry Christmas," they have intentions that might seem pleasant on the outside, but in reality, they are sending wishes of happiness to their rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

After reading the Scripture on this matter, it should be clear to Christian readers that the Catholic Mass is demonic and antichrist in every sense, and therefore, the Christ-Mass (i.e. Christmas) is just as demonic and antichrist. Why would anyone claiming to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ have anything to do with such wickedness? The Roman Catholic Church is the inventor of the term "Christmas," and in the next chapter, we will learn that they combined together Biblical stories with the pagan rituals of sun god worship that were popular in Rome during the month of December.

The following Catholic author wrote a book to debunk what he calls "anti-Catholic lies," but in his ignorance, he proudly confesses that Christmas is a Catholic invention. After finishing his research into the history of Christmas, he concluded the following:
"In the year 350, Pope Julius I officially declared that Christ's birth would be celebrated on December 25, despite the day's possibly pagan significance and association."
-Gerard Verschuuren, Forty Anti-Catholic Lies: A Mythbusting Apologist Sets the Record Straight, Sophia Institute Press, 2018, p. 179, ISBN: 9781622825240

Indeed, it is the Catholic Church that first instituted Christmas, and it is important to remember that, despite what preachers might try to tell you, the fact is that the first Christmas was in 350 A.D., not on the day Christ was born. Also, Christmas was NOT established by the Christian church in the early days after Christ (as many preachers falsely teach), but rather, it was instituted by a pope, a man who sits in a Roman seat and declares himself to be a god among men.
(It is a fact that the popes of Rome and the Catholic Church have always declared themselves to be gods among men; Read Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism, "Chapter 7 - The Pope: Throne of an Antichrist" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Some readers might be surprised when they consider that there are quite a few church buildings and preachers that are completely against Catholicism, but still celebrate holidays of Catholic invention that are in accordance with their corrupt doctrines. We will cover some of those hypocritical preachers in chapter ten, however, such a thing is not surprising to those of us Christians who understand that those preachers and the churchgoers who join hands with them care more about how they feel, rather than about what truly serves the Lord Jesus Christ.

The author goes on to argue that Christmas traditions are "not pagan inventions but are Catholic to the core," and that "Catholics do not celebrate pagan holidays," but he is blissfully ignorant that Catholicism IS pagan in its origin. The Catholic Church has nothing to do with the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church is its creator, Christmas has nothing to with the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ either.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism here at creationliberty.com for more details; See chapter one, called "Catholic History: A Pagan Foundation" to learn how the Roman Catholic Church was founded on pagan superstitions.)

The following author gives us more details, namely that certain societies began to accept the Catholic creation and implemented it into traditions:
"Emperor Justinian declared Christmas a civic holiday in 529. Further legislation by the Council of Tours in 567 officially made the pre-Christmas Advent period a season of fasting and preparation. The time from Christmas to Epiphany [Jan 6, based on fictional Catholic stories] (the twelve days of Christmas) was also declared part of the festive season."
-Adams Media, Christmas Trivia: Celebrating the magic of the holidays, Simon and Schuster, 2012, ISBN: 9781440564314

Some readers may be unaware that the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song is based on Catholic inventions. Furthermore, the "Advent Calendar" (which was originally called the Julekalendar) was also based on Catholic invention. In short, nearly EVERYTHING surrounding Christmas is the invention of Catholics and witches.

The Catholic Church has been very successful over the past 1700 years of their campaign to deceive the world into thinking that their practices are "holy" and "Christian" in nature, and that they serve the Lord Jesus Christ. They know how easy it is to get people to think they can become "purified" or "sanctified" by performing rituals or participating in celebrations, while keeping the people ignorant that they are in bondage under Catholic brainwashing, transforming them into servants of devils (i.e. pagan gods) through their celebration of the traditions of witches.

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.
-Galatians 4:9-10

When I point these things out to churchgoers, I am often met with harsh responses, in their fervent defense, they most often claim they are justified because they have "liberty in Christ." Those who are born again in Christ have liberty, but we Christians also understand that we ought not to use our liberty as an excuse to do whatever we please.

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
-Galatians 5:13

I would remind the children of God (i.e. born again Christians) the Jews also thought they were delivered (i.e. saved and set at liberty) to do all the abominations (i.e. pagan traditions and rituals) they wanted to do, but God answered them:

Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.
-Jeremiah 7:8-11

So as we can see, just by the name alone, Christmas is already not off to a good start, and we can now more clearly see the corrupt roots from which it came. However, what we know as Christmas today is not a foundation that was established by Catholicism because the Catholic Church only built the structure of Christmas on the foundation that was laid by witches.



 

The philosophy (i.e. way of thinking) of "we are free to do whatever we please" is a Satanic philosophy. Aleister Crowley, the most influential Satanist of the 20th century, stated the main principle of Satanism is to "Do what thou wilt."

In his book, Magick, Crowley wrote:
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law... There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt."
-Aleister Crowley, quoted by M. Desti & L. Waddell, Magick: Liber ABA, Vol. 4, Weiser Books, 1997, p. 386, ISBN: 9780877289197

Sadly, this has become the same philosophy (i.e. way of thinking) of many churchgoers, in which they believe that because Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross, He gave them the liberty to do whatever they want to satisfy the desires of their hearts. As long as they "feel" like something is acceptable with God, they claim their feeling is the "Holy Spirit," even though there is no Scripture to back up that claim, and they choose to remain willingly blind to the fact that their philosophy is actually Satanic in nature.

As we just learned at the end of the last chapter, the Jews thought that because God delivered them from the Egyptians and brought them into the land of Israel, they were "delivered to do" whatever they wanted, and this attitude persists in church buildings today. In First Corinthians, Paul taught the following:

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
-1 Corinthians 10:23

Please do not misunderstand, when Paul said "all things are lawful for me," he did not mean all things in the sense of every moral dilemma. For example, Paul was not saying that fornication, drunkenness, or witchcraft were lawful for him to do because those were obviously against God's moral laws. Rather, Paul was explaining that, concerning the question of things not specifically laid out in Scripture as a moral foundation, there are no laws against us for things like eating meats, which is one of the examples he gave in the tenth chapter of First Corinthians.

Whatsoever is sold in the shambles [the butcher shop], that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.
-1 Corinthians 10:25-26

Of course, some readers might take this to mean that Christmas is acceptable in the eyes of God because, as Paul just said, we are free to eat whatever we want, and there is no law against it. However, Paul also said that "all things are not expedient," and this is a portion of the verse that often gets glossed over, so let's learn what that means:

expedient (adj): fit or suitable for the purpose; proper under the circumstances
(See 'expedient', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Nov 2, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Paul was saying that all such matters in question (which were not already addressed in God's moral laws), he was at liberty to do, but depending on the context of the situation, they may not have been right for him to do. This is why he said it was good to eat whatever was sold at the butcher, but then went on to say:

If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:
-1 Corinthians 10:27-28

Here, Paul presented an example of a circumstance in which he would not do what is lawful for him to do because it would not be the right thing to do, or in other words, it would not be charitable to others. There were two offenses he pointed out, one was against God (i.e. for conscience sake" which is the Holy Ghost convicting a man of wrongdoing), and the other was against neighbors (i.e. "for his sake that shewed it"), whether it was an unbeliever or Christian brethren.

Therefore, Paul was teaching us that the way we should decide on whether or not we should do a thing is by the thought of charity, following the Great Commandment of Jesus Christ:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
-Matthew 22:37-40

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
-Romans 13:8-10

So in short, if we learn that meat set before us in a meal was sacrificed in a pagan/witchcraft ritual unto a false god, we ought not to eat it for the sake of God and our neighbors. Likewise, if we learn that a celebration was created in honor of pagan/witchcraft rituals unto false gods, we ought not to celebrate it for the sake of God and our neighbors.

In this chapter, we are going to learn that Christmas is completely pagan in origin, meaning that the entire holiday is corrupt from start to finish because it was created from witchcraft. For the sake of God, and for the sake of our neighbors (who we want to be saved), we need to set an example by sanctifying ourselves from that which is of the world.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Sanctification" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

sanctify (v): to cleanse, purify, or make holy; to separate, set apart or appoint to a holy, sacred or religious use
(See 'sanctify', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Nov 2, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
-John 17:14-19

But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
-1 Peter 3:14-16

It is a common philosophy among churchgoers that they can do and say whatever they want, as long as they slap a "Jesus" sticker on it, while they ignore the fact that God can see the depravity and selfishness of the heart. Most churchgoers believe themselves to be right in their own perspective, but they do not take into consideration the perspective of God, and what He has declared in His Word.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
-Proverbs 21:2

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
-Proverbs 12:15

Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.
-Deuteronomy 12:8

There is a Day of Judgment coming, in which the Lord God will judge the words and actions of all men, and sadly, most men (including churchgoers) do not care:

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
-Matthew 12:36

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
-Romans 2:4-6

Please note that I am NOT teaching that anyone who has ever celebrated Christmas is going to hell, but rather, what I am teaching is that churchgoers will be held accountable for what they refuse to understand, and willful ignorance (i.e. purposefully refusing to learn the truth) will not be an excuse when standing before God on the Day of Judgment. There is no place in the New Testament Scriptures where we Christians are instructed to observe specific days or times, meaning that there are no Biblical mandates for the celebration of Christmas, and so knowing that the Bible did not dictate Christmas trees, lights, cakes, and other decorations for December 25th, it leads us to wonder how and why so many people highly revere it to this day.

James Hastings, a 19th century Bible scholar, in his book, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, said the following:
"Most of the Christmas customs now prevailing in Europe, or recorded from former times, are not genuine Christian customs, but heathen customs which have been absorbed or tolerated by the Church."
-James Hastings & John A. Selbie, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Scribner, Vol. 4, 1928, p. 656, [Pennsylvania State University]

Hastings is correct, but to fully understand why Christmas is such an abomination against the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to look at its full origin, which goes back further in time than the inception of the Catholic Church in the 4th century A.D. So to get a full understanding, we need to ask ourselves: "Why did the Catholic Church adopt the traditions of Christmas in the first place?"

To begin, let's look closer at an old pagan celebration called Saturnalia:
"Saturnalia - Famous festival held in ancient Rome during harvest time, to honour Saturn, god of agriculture. The Saturnalia was characterized by freedom and equality: slaves were allowed to ridicule their masters, gifts were exchanged, war could not be declared, and rejoicing and debauchery were the accepted fashion."
-Nevill Drury, The Dictionary of the Esoteric: 3000 Entries on the Mystical and Occult Traditions, Motilal Banarsidass Publications, 2004, p. 278, ISBN: 9788120819894

The following author gives us more details:
"On 17 December each winter ancient Rome would erupt into a wild party called Saturnalia that lasted seven days. It was in honour of Saturn, the god of agriculture, from whose name we get Saturday. This day in December was the winter solstice and the belief was that this showed spring was drawing near and so the god of agricultural growth needed to be honoured... As the Saturnalia returned each year it brought with it thoughts of the peaceful reign of Saturn long ago, when all people were happy and good."
-J. John, A Christmas Compendium, Continuum, 2005, p. 121, ISBN: 9780826487490

Most readers probably noticed that this author said that Saturnalia took place on the week of December 17th, not on December 25th, which is the day Christmas is typically celebrated. So that leaves us wondering, what does Saturnalia have to do with Christmas?

The pagan celebration of Saturnalia starts on December 17th, and ends December 24th because it is a seven-day festival that is centered around the winter solstice.

solstice (n): either of the two times a year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator: about June 21, when the sun reaches its northernmost point on the celestial sphere, or about December 22, when it reaches its southernmost point
(See 'solstice', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

The god of agriculture, Saturn, was worshiped during this season because all the harvests had been brought in, and all the preparation of the harvest into stored foods had been completed during the months of October and November. Food stores had a high volume, and the people would celebrate, but this was not the primary reason for the timing in which Saturnalia was celebrated.

Pagans and witches highly revere the Winter Solstice because of their worship of the sun god, who (according to their lore) dies in the fall, and is "reborn" during the Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year in Europe. For European countries, the equator of the earth is far enough away from direct sunlight that they experience the shortest day of the year on December 21st, and so this celebration is centered around the "rebirth" of the sun god, symbolizing their belief that the sun god's birth brings the sun back so that spring will come around again.

The sun god worship of pagans is called by another name, which most readers will likely recognize. The following author is a highly revered, veteran witch that is often cited by pagans today:
"Yule (circa December 21)—the winter solstice—is an old solar ritual that has been preserved in the Christian observance of Christmas... This holiday (holy day; sacred day) astronomically marks the waning of winter. After the winter solstice, the hours of light increase each day. Therefore, Yule is associated with the returning warmth of the sun."
-Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2012, p. 35, ISBN: 9780738717111; Cunningham practiced elemental witchcraft for over 20 years, and authored 50 books on the subject.

I despise the term "holiday" for these pagan celebrations (including Christmas) because this author is correct, namely, that the word 'holiday' means "holy day," and as we are going to learn in this book, these pagan rituals are unholy in every sense. However, that being said, I will continue to use the term 'holiday' in this book for the purpose of expressing the common usage of the word by most people in our culture; I just wanted readers to understand the full meaning of the term, as we can see from its origin:
"1500s, earlier haliday (c. 1200), from Old English haligdæg 'holy day, consecrated day, religious anniversary; Sabbath,' from halig 'holy' (see holy) + dæg 'day' (see day); in 14c. meaning both 'religious festival' and 'day of exemption from labor and recreation,'"
(See 'holiday', Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved Oct 22, 2021, [https://www.etymonline.com/word/holiday])

I created the following chart for the various articles and books I have written on the subject of the pagan origins concerning common holidays in modern society. The dates for all these celebrations center around the position of the sun in relation to the equator of the earth (i.e. sun god worship), and as you can see, Yule (i.e. Christmas) is set for December 21st, the shortest day of the calendar year, marking the "rebirth" of the pagan sun god.


"Yule is celebrated at the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year... Yule is the Celtic celebration of the Goddess becoming the Great Mother, giving birth to the God who died at Samhain [i.e. Halloween, pronounced 'sao-win'] of the previous year. It is celebrated as the sun returns after the longest night of the year. In actuality, the holiday of Christmas has always been more Pagan than Christian, which is why many early Christians did not recognize it."
-Gary Cantrell, Wiccan Beliefs & Practices: With Rituals for Solitaries & Covens, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2001, p. 92-93, ISBN: 9781567181128; Cantrell was an engineer in the aerospace industry, a high priest of Wicca, and appeared on television talk shows as an expert in witchcraft.

This Wiccan author is correct when he says that "many early Christians did not recognize it," which is not to say they did not know what it was, but rather, they did not celebrate it. The early Christians knew this was an offense against God, so they avoided it, and we will cover more details on that in chapter nine.

So in summary, the pagans believe that their sun god dies on their pagan festival of Samhain (sao-win), which we more commonly know as "Halloween." (i.e. All Hallows Eve) According to pagan lore, the sun god is then revived or reborn into the world during the festival of Yule.
(Read "Halloween: Are Christians Lovers of Death?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Both Yule and Saturnalia point to the same holiday. The only difference between them is that the celebration of 'Saturnalia' is a Roman-approved celebration (centered around the Roman gods), in which they had a lengthier festival:
"The tradition of Yuletide gift giving comes from Roman pagans who called Yule by the name Saturnalia, a festival to honor the God Saturn... Early Roman explorers and conquerors carried this tradition throughout Europe, where it remained part of the Yule celebration."
-Edain McCoy, Sabbats: A Witch's Approach to Living the Old Ways, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2002, p. 59, ISBN: 9781567186635; Edain (BA in history - University of Texas) is a priestess and elder in Wicca, and teaches workshops on magic.

The Saturnalia/Yule celebration was a time of debauchery, or in other words, it was a time in which the people pleasured themselves in abundance, especially in the areas of gluttony, drunkenness, and fornication:
"The golden age embodied in such days of freedom from the law are at the basis of the Roman carnivalesque festival of Saturnalia, with its suspension of the law, its mockery of authority, its inversion of social roles and its religious dedication to the pleasures of the flesh."
-S. Donger & S. Shepherd, ORLAN: A Hybrid Body of Artworks, Routledge, 2010, p. 76, ISBN: 9780203851708

In case you missed the key point, the suspension of the law meant exactly that, or in other words, the government (in most cases) took a break. Most civil laws were ignored during this celebration, meaning that people who committed certain crimes would not see arrest or trial in a courtroom over the matter, and so it should not take long for readers to see why this celebration was so highly revered, as lust reigned supreme for one week out of the year.

But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities... But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption... Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
-2 Peter 2:10-14

In the summer of 2020, the U.S. saw major democratically (i.e. leftist/communist) operated cities suffer billions of dollars in property damage and theft due to the BLM (i.e. Black Lives Matter, a domestic terrorist and communist organization) and Antifa riots. Keep in mind that what I am describing in this book concerning Saturnalia is FAR worse than that because during the 2020 riots, the law was not suspended; law enforcement was simply told to stay back and do nothing, and from that alone, we can see how bad things can really get.

"During the Saturnalia, society was turned upside-down: laws were suspended and the courts were closed, school was out, wars were even put on hold. Nobody worked during the reign of the Lord of Misrule. It was a carnival, party time, time for pranks and practical jokes, time to whoop it up."
-Barbara Ardinger, A Woman's Books of Rituals and Celebrations, New World Library, 2011, ISBN: 9781608681389

The above author was putting it very lightly by labeling these events as "pranks and practical jokes," and that it was a "time to whoop it up." (i.e. to shout loudly) The author was writing that book for women, and so the truth of the matter was toned down for the sake of sales; however, the following author provides a better overview of the reality of the celebration:
"[T]he saturnalia and like feasts, in which interdictions [laws and ordinances] are lifted, are cited as the classic illustrations of the armed truce existing between traditional rule and orgiastic [frenzied and uninhibited] manifestation. At these peculiar times--days marking a stark discontinuity in the traditional calendar--taboos [those things not permitted by a rational society] and interdictions [prohibitions/rules] are upturned and the primordial [animal-like] powers of chaos may be unleashed (with various degrees of permissiveness). Anthropologists [one who studies the societies of mankind] and historians have reported the savage violence that explodes in such intervals: social order is momentarily suspended, divisions are erased, and, in random order, the desire for intoxication, murder, beatings, rape, theft, ransacking, and promiscuousness is liberally indulged."
-G.G. Preparata, The Ideology of Tyranny, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, ISBN: 9780230368842

In case you had trouble understanding this author's extensive vocabulary, he started by pointing out that the rule of law and unchecked lust cannot co-exist together. You can have one or the other, but you cannot have both together, and so in order to allow Roman society to fulfill their unsatiated lusts, the law had to be suspended, and that is exactly what happened.

For those who lived a life in honor of God, and served their family and neighbors in charity, this would be a terrifying time of year, never knowing when a drunk person might enter one's home to do any number of unspeakable things. If they did manage to steal from your home, rape your family members, or kill anyone, odds were against there being any court that would bring justice against the criminal.

Without the law of God and the laws of the land, man would be unchecked to do whatever perverted thing he pleased. This is why God describes the depraved hearts of mankind to be wicked at their core:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
-Romans 1:28-32

The celebration of Saturnalia/Yule (on which Christmas is based) was to tear down every obstacle that would prevent people from doing such wicked deeds openly, and allow sin to reign freely. This leads us (who are disciples of Christ) to obvious questions: How can anyone, with a sound mind in good conscience, adopt such a vile celebration by slapping a "Jesus" sticker on it to call it good? How could anyone use the precious name of Jesus Christ as an excuse to adopt these traditions?

There is a good reason why most churchgoers cannot even handle reading the title to this book, let alone get this far. They would rather hear the dime-a-dozen preaching of new-age false preachers, telling them anecdotes about Mary and Joseph, rather than listen to the truth:

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season [i.e. when it is convenient, and when it is inconvenient]; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
-2 Timothy 4:2-4

To be clear, as you study the Word of God, you will notice that the Bible does not mention very many details about these kinds of pagan traditions, but when the Lord God does speak up about them, it is always negative comments, never positive. If the Lord God wanted His children to be involved in these types of traditions in any capacity, He would have mentioned it somewhere in Scripture, and at the very least, he would have commanded it of the Jews in the Old Testament, but there is no record of commandment, institution, tradition, or even a hint to an implied suggestion about adopting pagan traditions, and that is because God hates them.

The following pagan author writes about Yule (i.e. Christmas). She refers to "Jesus" in this quote, but remember that the so-called "jesus" she is referring to is NOT the Jesus Christ taught in Scripture, but rather, it is the false god the Catholics worship:
"We see the Pagan roots of this holiday in Christmas today, and most Pagans celebrate Yule instead of Christmas... the legend of the birth of Jesus originated in the stories of the rebirth of the Sun King."
-Yasmine Galenorn, Magical Meditations: Guided Imagery for the Pagan Path, Random House LLC, 2011, p. 81, ISBN: 9780307789945; Galenorn has been a witch since 1980, and is considered a professional tarot card reader.

It is important to understand that pagans worship a false version of "jesus" just as the Catholics worship a false version of "jesus." This is simply one of the names by which they call their pagan gods. They worship the same pagan gods, but call them by different names, or in other words, the Greek 'Zeus' and the Nordic 'Thor' are both the same god of lightning under different names for different regions, and it is important to understand why they do this.

The kingdom of Babylon was founded by the sons of Noah soon after the worldwide flood, and they brought their families with them to settle an area, even though the will of God was for them to spread around the world. They wanted to stay in one particular location, and have a large tower that could be seen from many miles away as a beacon to their city, but God split up their languages according to their various families so they would be forced to spread out:

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven [i.e. it will be very tall to be seen from afar]; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. [i.e. they had all the necessary materials and knowledge to complete the project without any other authority to stop them] Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
-Genesis 11:1-9

It would be a stretch of imagination to believe that everyone in the city they were building all served the Lord God, especially since they were not doing His will by remaining in one location. Therefore, whatever gods or goddesses some of them worshipped would still have been worshipped by them after God changed their language, which means the names of the gods and goddesses would also be changed into various languages, and today, most pagans recognize this and claim that their gods and goddesses are all the same, just with different names.

Though many churchgoers are ignorant of it, this concept of gods and goddesses possessing different names, but with the same identity, is well-known in Wiccan covens. The following is a quotation from The Wicca Handbook, in which the author explains how to perform magic, and it lists the goddesses names to be used under that category:
"Invoke: Aphrodite, Chalchiuhtlicue, Deirdre, Erzulie, Hathor, Hebe, Helene, Oshun, Sarah, Semiramis, Venus, Zaria"
-Eileen Holland, The Wicca Handbook, Weiser Books, 2008, p. 118, ISBN: 9781609254520; Holland is the author of several books on Wicca, and is a practicing witch in upstate New York.

The reason for this is because they believe that all the goddesses that are listed here are one and the same, and again, they believe that these goddesses have different names only because of the differences in languages and culture:
"The Goddess is the universe itself, not something separate from or superior to it. Creation is the business of the universe, which destroys only to re-create. We personify this as the Great Mother. She is self-created and self-renewing. We share atoms with her, are one small part of the godhead, but we are just one product of her great creative nature. Her variety is infinite, as evinced by snowflakes and fingerprints. She is the yin and yang of being, composed of both female (goddess) and male (god) energy. We worship her by many names: Ishtar, Isis, Shakti, Asherah, Xochiquetzal, Brigit, Pele, Copper Woman, Lupa, Luna. We also recognize old gods like Pan, Osiris, Tammuz, Jove, Quetzalcoatl, Cernunnos, Mithras, and worship them if we feel moved to do so."
-Eileen Holland, The Wicca Handbook, Weiser Books, 2008, p. 7, ISBN: 9781609254520; Holland is the author of several books on Wicca, and is a practicing witch in upstate New York.

Just to give some more examples, the pagan goddess of witchcraft is called by Venus, Quan Yin, Aphrodite, Ceres, Shing Moo, Diana, Artemis, Astarte, Ishtar (which is where we get the term 'Easter'), Irene, Isis, Ashtoreth (1Ki 11:5), and "Mary" (in Catholicism). For the gods, there is Osiris, Horus, Jupiter, Saturn (for the celebration of Saturnalia), Adonis, Orion, Dumuzi, Bacchus, Apollo, Ra, Baal, and "Jesus" (in Catholicism). There are many more names that could be listed here, but these are just a few examples to help readers understand that the world's pagan religions have a singular source, and it is not from the Lord God.
(Read "Easter: Christians Celebrating Abomination" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

So to summarize, Saturnalia/Yule is a celebration that focuses on the worship of the pagan sun god, and that god is the culmination of many gods throughout cultures all over the world. Knowing this, it should be no surprise to learn that the traditions surrounding Christmas are HEAVILY influenced by idolatry and witchcraft.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
-Galatians 5:19-21

Now that we have an understanding about the origins of Christmas, and that it is a Catholic/pagan abomination, let's closely analyze the most famous icon of the Christmas celebration.



 

And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
-2 Chronicles 33:6

The reason I wanted to start this chapter with this verse is because I want readers to understand that the Lord God made it very clear in the Old Testament that He hates the philosophy (i.e. way of thinking), rituals, and traditions of witches and pagans. After studying the Scriptures thoroughly, it is incomprehensible (i.e. unable to be understood by way of reason) how anyone could argue otherwise.
(Read "Abortion: Paganism, Satanism, Sacrifices & Witchcraft" here at creationliberty.com for more details on what it means to "cause his children to pass through fire.")

In the last chapter, we learned about the origin of the Christmas celebration, and how it is rooted in pagan sun god worship. In this chapter, we are going to learn how the traditions surrounding the Christmas celebration have nothing to do with Scripture, and everything to do with paganism and witchcraft, proving that Christmas is a mockery of Christ's sacrifice and teachings because it points to worship of the sun, rather than Jesus Christ.

The following quote is by a popular author in Wiccan circles, and he points out that Christmas is one of the best opportunities during the year for Wiccans to bring in new converts to paganism and witchcraft:
"When one considers the tremendous impact the sun has on our day-to-day lives, it is easy to understand why the ancients felt it appropriate to commemorate this solar event. Modern medicine has determined that lack of sunlight can contribute to depressive disorders such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), thus confirming the ancients' observation that the Winter Solstice is a great time for a really good party. More than any other, this sabbat is the easiest for recent initiates of Wicca to adjust to. This is because so much of the Christmas celebration has been taken directly from the practices of the ancient Pagans."
-A.J. Drew, Wicca for Men: A Handbook for Male Pagans Seeking a Spiritual Path, Citadel Press, 1998, p. 105, ISBN: 9780806520230

Before we continue, it is important to note that things like "Seasonal Affective Disorder" do not exist, and the reason for that is because a "disorder" is what psychologists refer to as a "mental illness," but mental illness does not exist, and there has never been any scientific evidence presented for them. If any readers want to learn more about the deceptive and fraudulent beliefs and practices of the nonsensical and unscientific fields of psychology/psychiatry, I have a book called Psychology: Hoodwinked by the Devil, which is free-to-read here at creationliberty.com.

This author's statement might confuse some churchgoers because they believe Christmas is (as they claim) "all about Jesus," but their lack of understanding, or rather, their willful blindness, is the reason why they cannot see how Christmas is not leading anyone to Jesus Christ. In fact, for those who look objectively at the traditions of Christmas, it only causes more confusion, and ultimately, leads people to a false version of Jesus Christ.

One of the most famous symbols of Christmas is the Christmas tree, which is typically a species of evergreen tree that is fastened to the ground and decorated with ornaments and lights, and there is often a star on top. Churchgoers and pastors claim that this star represents the star that led the wise men to Jesus on the night He was born into the world.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
-Matthew 2:1-2

Please ask yourselves: Where in Scripture did anyone use a decorated tree to celebrate the birth of Christ? Did the book of Acts speak of the early church doing these things? Is there anything even remotely close to describing such a celebration or ritual anywhere in the Bible?

In fact, there is one place where such a thing is mentioned, but it is in the Old Testament, specifically in the book of Jeremiah. The context of the tenth chapter of Jeremiah is describing the process by which a craftsman would create an idol, which includes getting the wood and carving out the likeness of whatever god the heathen worship, decorating it with silver, gold, and other expensive materials.

However, the first few verses are key:

Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
-Jeremiah 10:1-4

First, the Lord God told His people not to learn the ways of the heathen (i.e. the pagan unbelievers), let alone participate in their spiritual traditions and customs. Under normal circumstances, I should not even have to write a book such as this, but sadly, most church buildings, churchgoers, and pastors today could not care less whether or not the Lord God is angered by their traditions, continuing to practice the ways of the heathen in willful blindness because it makes them feel good, and so I am left with little choice other than to rebuke them.

One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
-Titus 1:12-14

For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
-Romans 16:19

Next, the Lord God points out that the heathen (i.e. those who are pagans) are dismayed (i.e. discouraged or depressed) because of "the signs of heaven," which would be concerning the position of the sun, moon, and stars. This means that they are discouraged at the sun's moving away from the equator, and so they formed a celebration of worship by which they can restore the sun god and bring the sun back to them.

The Lord God also points out that their "customs are vain," which means their traditions are useless. This means that the pagan traditions of men (e.g. Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc) serve no benefit, spiritual or otherwise.
(Read "Easter: Christians Celebrating Abomination" and "Halloween: Are Christians Lovers of Death?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Jeremiah then goes on to preach God's Word, which points out the vain practices of pagan craftsmen creating idols. They cut a tree down, bring it into their house, fasten it to something stable with nails, and then deck it with silver and gold. Does that sound familiar? Is that description similar to any traditions of the Christmas celebration? It is certainly very close to what we see in Christmas trees. Of course, there are some corrupt pastors out there who are desperate to make an excuse to justify themselves. I have read and listened to them claim that Jeremiah is describing how someone carves an idol (as I already pointed out), and since those preachers are not carving idols (with hands and faces) out of the wood, they conclude they are not guilty of the paganism and idolatry described in Jeremiah 10.

However, I am not accusing them of creating idols with hands, feet, and mouths. I am arguing that, because they try to make excuses to justify themselves, they are already guilty of idolatry as God defined it in Scripture without having to carve out an idol.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Idolatry" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Most people (and especially most churchgoers) believe they are not guilty of idolatry because they have not purchased or carved out an image (like a golden calf or statue) and knelt at the foot of it. However, what they do not understand is that they are no different than the Jews because the Jews believed the same thing, and God rebuked them.

Ezekiel points out to us that the Jews believed they were not idolaters because they did not bow to statues, but God still judged that they were guilty of idolatry, and He explained to them why:

Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.
-Ezekiel 14:1

It is important to note that these men were the spiritual leaders of their communities in that day, just like the pastors, deacons, and elders of so-called "Christian" church buildings. They studied the Word of God, and they were also highly respected for their positions of religious leadership, just like pastors and elders you will find in church buildings around your neighborhood.

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
-Ezekiel 14:2-5

These were supposed to be the spiritual and moral leaders among the Jews, and you may have noticed that, in this passage, God never accused them of purchasing or crafting physical idols and setting them up. These men were not crafting golden calves and bowing down to them, but rather, God accused them of setting up idols IN THEIR HEARTS.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes:
but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
-Proverbs 21:2

For example, the Lord Jesus Christ pointed out the sin of adultery, which is sexual intercourse between persons outside of marriage. There were many in Jewish society who believed they were not guilty of adultery, because they did not physically go out and have sexual intercourse with someone outside of their marriage; however, the Lord Jesus Christ told them that they were guilty of adultery nonetheless:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
-Matthew 5:27-28

Though they had not performed the actions of sex outside of marriage, they were still guilty of adultery because of the corruption in their hearts. Likewise, though churchgoers today have not performed the action of bowing to a graven image, many churchgoers have placed their religious traditions (e.g. Christmas) in a higher position than the Lord God, and therefore, in their hearts, they are guilty of idolatry.

When God visited Abraham and told him that Sarah, his wife, would give birth to a child in her old age, she laughed at God within herself. Sarah did not laugh out loud where it could be seen by the eyes and heard by the ears, but God rebuked her anyway, even though she did not perform the outward physical action, and that is because God judges the hearts of men, meaning that she was guilty of laughing in her heart:

Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
-Genesis 18:12-15

So the average churchgoers and pastors think to themselves that they are not idolaters because they believe idolaters are only those who carve statues and bow to them, but the Bible tells us that men are idolaters in their hearts even if they do not go so far as to bow to a statue. They place religious traditions, rituals, and celebrations above God, while hypocritically claiming they are focused on worshipping Jesus Christ, and it is very difficult to get those types of people to judge themselves in righteous judgment.
(Read "Unbiblical Cop-Outs: 'Don't Judge Me!'" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
-1Corinthians 11:31

The Jews certainly believed themselves to be the children of God, and there were many of them that openly condemned idolatry, just as we see from churchgoers and preachers today. However, what they would not admit is that they worshipped other things that were not of God, even though they lied to men and proclaimed that their traditions were of God.

Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself: And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
-Ezekiel 14:6-8

So again, I am not arguing that these corrupt preachers are attempting to carve out faces and hands from the wood of a Christmas tree. I am not arguing that they are guilty of ALL of Jeremiah 10, but rather, they are guilty of part of it. They begin the process listed out in Jeremiah 10, and then stop before they carve out a face and hands so they can claim they are not idolaters, but they have little understanding of how God described idolatry, and that is because the Holy Spirit is required to fully understand such things.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
-1 Corinthians 2:13-14

Despite the yowling of churchgoers trying to put a "Jesus" sticker on their idolatry, the following Wiccan author explains to readers the real purpose of the Christmas tree:
"The relatively modern tradition of decorating the Christmas tree is a custom which evolved from the pine groves associated with the Great Mother Goddess. The lights and ornaments hung on the tree as decorations are actually symbols of the sun, moon, and stars as they appear in the Cosmic Tree of Life. They also represent departed souls who are remembered at the end of the year. Sacred presents (which evolved into modern day Christmas gifts) were also hung on the tree as offerings to various deities such as Attis and Dionysus."
-Gerina Dunwich, Wicca Craft: The Modern Witches Book of Herbs, Magick and Dreams, Citadel Press, 1991, p. 35-36, ISBN: 9780806512389

Attis and Dionysus are gods of fertility, the veneration of whom includes worshipping harvests, sexual fertility, and the resurrection of the dead. The gifts given during the Christmas/Yule celebration were in honor of the sun god and the gods of fertility, but were later "Christianized" (for lack of a better term) by the corrupt Catholic Church to make them appear "holy."

The Christmas tree is a representation of the pagan's "Cosmic Tree of Life," which is also called Yggdrasill [ehg-drah-sill], and it is claimed to be the source of magical power which connects the gods to men on earth. This is the same concept from which J.R.R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings series) based his novels, which are now used as occult training tools in many witch covens today, and I cover more details on that subject in an article here at creationliberty.com called "Fantasy Novels: Invitations to Hell."

The following author is a Wiccan, and he confirms that Christmas has origins in fertility god worship, but he makes an interesting statement at the end:
"One of the few things that all Wiccans seem to agree on is that our religion is either based on ancient Pagan fertility religions or is itself a descendant of those same religions... Some practices have survived more or less intact since before the [Catholic] Church State's rule... Consider the Christmas tree, which many of today's Christian churches forbid due to its Pagan origins."
-A.J. Drew, Wicca for Couples: Making Magick Together, Career Press, 2002, p. 32, ISBN: 9781564146205

Perhaps the author has had an assortment of odd experiences in his lifetime, but every church building I have ever attended or seen, both as a child and an adult, had Christmas trees in them during the month of December, so I am uncertain why he says "many of today's Christian churches forbid" Christmas trees. There was not a single instance I can recall in which a church building I attended ever taught us the true pagan meaning of Christmas, and they continued in willful blindness, participating in all the traditional witchcraft decorations, which we will cover more in the next chapter. However, what does seem to be forbidden in church buildings today is the discussion of the pagan origins of the Christmas tree, the idolatry of it, and its offense against the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some readers might be familiar with the term 'Yule log', and it should be noted that it has a direct relation to the Christmas tree. The only difference is that the Yule log is more cost and time efficient to setup:
"The Yule log in the fireplace symbolizes the death of the old year and the birth of the new year; it also represents the old tradition of the rebirth of the sun."
-D.J. Conway, The Big Little Book of Magick: A Wiccan's Guide to Altars, Candles, Pendulums, and Healing Spells, Random House LLC, 2010, p. 101, ISBN: 9781580911993


Here is another Wiccan author pointing out the same thing:
"Whatever your tradition, the Yule log embodies the spirit of the Sun God and the warmth to come. Today the Yule log is usually a smaller log drilled with three holes to fit the ritual candles. In the left hole, I like to use a red candle to symbolize our ancestors. In the center, I use a white candle to represent the renewed light. And on the right, I place a green candle to honor the never-ending cycles of nature and eternity. All the candles represent the waxing forces of nature. I usually don't light the candles until Solstice Eve."
-Ed Day, Llewellyn's 2014 Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2013 to Mabon 2014, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2013, p. 56, ISBN: 9780738731971

The thought that a small flame on top of a stick of wax is supposed to give someone a spiritual benefit is insane, but that is the insane philosophy of paganism. When this Wiccan author makes the comment that the "spirit of the Sun God" embodies the Yule log or the Christmas tree, "whatever your tradition," that includes Christian traditions, and if any churchgoer wishes to argue against that, they would have to use Scripture to do so, but since Scripture does not defend such pagan practices (i.e. the Bible condemns pagan rituals and traditions), all they can do is whine and complain about preachers like me who expose the truth. (And after many years receiving letters from disgruntled churchgoers, I have heard a lot of whining.)

Every individual aspect of the modern-day Christmas tree traditions, from presents under the tree, to the ornaments, to the lights, are founded in the worship of the pagan gods:
"The sun God returns at winter solstice, and the foundation of the modern celebration of Christmas can be traced to ancient Yuletide traditions. Decorating an evergreen, burning a Yule log, singing carols, hanging lights--all were Pagan Yuletide customs."
-Jennifer Hunter, 21st Century Wicca: A Young Witch's Guide to Living the Magical Life, Citadel Press, 1997, p. 63-64, ISBN: 9780806518879

In subsequent chapters, we will go over more details on those other aspects of the Christmas celebration, but for now, we are just focusing on the traditions surrounding the Christmas tree. As this witchcraft author pointed out, the hanging of lights on the Christmas tree was formed out of the pagan Yuletide customs of lighting candles, and the following author from the early 20th century describes that the hanging of lights (or candles) was to "turn night into day" which was meant as a ritual representation of the return (or resurrection) of the sun god:
"With the Yule Log the Yule Candle was closely associated. 'On the night of Christmas Eve... our ancestors were wont [accustomed] to light up candles of an uncommon size [bulky, thick candles], called Christmas Candles, and lay a log of wood upon the fire called a Yule Log, or Christmas block, to illuminate the house, and, as it were, to turn night into day.'"
-The Mentor: A Wise and Faithful Guide and Friend, Issue 134-135, Associated Newspaper School, 1917, p. 72

This Wiccan author points out that their pagan mother goddess gives birth to the sun god, which is what the Christmas lights represent:
"The Lesser Sabbat of Yule marks the Winter Solstice: the longest night of the year. It is a festival of light commemorating the Goddess as Mother giving birth (once again) to the Sun God."
-Kerr Cuhulain, Full Contact Magick: A Book of Shadows for the Wiccan Warrior, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2002, p. 249, ISBN: 9780738702544

Some churchgoers might argue that they hang electric lights instead of candles, so the traditions are not the same, but that is like saying that if you have a cheeseburger, and you replace tomatoes with ketchup, it is no longer a sandwich. It is the same paganism done for the same purpose:
"Several Yule or Christmas customs also use the sacred flame, although we have forgotten much of the significance behind these seasonal rituals. The lights on the modern Christmas tree have replaced the candles once used to signify rebirth. The electric light in the window was at one time a candle that helped departed loved ones return to join in the festivities."
-D.J. Conway, The Big Little Book of Magick: A Wiccan's Guide to Altars, Candles, Pendulums, and Healing Spells, Random House LLC, 2010, p. 100-101, ISBN: 9781580911993

Once again, we can see that the original purpose of the lights was to symbolize the rebirth of the pagan sun god. Furthermore, the lights in the windows (which are still a practice in many homes today) were a call to invite friends, family, and neighbors to join in idolatry and worship of the sun together.

Please do not misunderstand; light, trees, and candles are not inherently evil. Corrupt pastors like to argue that people like me claim these things are evil of themselves, and that is not at all what I am teaching. That is like saying spoons or guns are evil, which is nonsensical because inanimate objects do not (and cannot) have morals. Evil comes from people, who use inanimate objects for selfish and sinful purposes, and is perpetuated (i.e. spread out and kept alive) by those who choose to remain willingly ignorant of the evil.

Not only are lights customary on Christmas trees, but also ornaments. Most people are familiar with small, shiny orbs of various colors decorating Christmas trees every year, but what they typically do not know is that these are called 'witch balls':

"WITCH BALL is a glass sphere, typically green, blue, or purple, that is used as a protection. Sometimes the sphere contains glass strains extending across the diameter, loose pins, or other items inside the ball. These items are said to trap negative energy inside the ball. Witch balls are usually hung in a window, either the bedroom or living room. The sphere is often the size of a softball, but larger ones were common in the late nineteenth century. Some Witches have suggested that the ornaments hung on the Yule/Christmas tree evolved from the Witch ball." -Raven Grimassi, Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2000, p. 450, ISBN: 9781567182576

I know the typical churchgoer's response is that they only used them because they thought they were pretty, but I am not arguing that pagan inventions are not pretty. Of course, pagans want to make their religious traditions appear as beautiful as possible on the outside, so they can attract more followers, but that does not negate the pagan origin and meaning of these objects, nor does it negate why they are used in this particular way, at this particular time of year.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

It is the hypocrites that judged matters based on the outward appearance, but Jesus Christ rebuked them:

And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.
-Luke 11:39

This Wiccan dictionary says:
"Witch Ball - An 18th century tradition; a glass sphere hung in windows to ward off evil spirits. This is where the Christian concept of the Christmas tree ornament came from."
-Erik Ravenswood, The Dictionary of Wicca, Witchcraft and Magick, Booktango, 2013, ISBN: 9781468927320

If these ornaments are somehow a holy thing unto God, one would presume that churchgoers and pastors have some sort of Scripture indicating that. If they do, I would like to see it. However, I know there is nothing in the Bible that supports the practice of using charms, enchantments, and relics to ward off evil spirits; rather, the Bible heavily condemns those practices because they anger God.

And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
-2 Kings 17:17

Pagans claim that Christmas comes from their witchcraft traditions, and churchgoers claim Christmas comes from their church building traditions. Who should we believe?

The party that should be believed is the one that has evidence to back up its claims. The pagans have historical and ritualistic evidence for the origin of Christmas traditions (which also makes sense), but churchgoers have no evidence (Scriptural or otherwise) for their argument about the origin of Christmas traditions, so they simply assert that their holiday is "Biblical," lifting up the emotions of their hearts as the foundation for their argument so they can keep one foot on each side of the fence, which is what Jesus Christ called "lukewarm."

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
-Jeremiah 17:9

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
-Revelation 3:15-17

I have had many conversations with churchgoers about this subject, and I know all the excuses they make, talking about how it is "all about Jesus" and spending time with their family, but I have an interesting question that I have never had properly answered. If the month of December is a special time of year that is all about celebrating Jesus and spending time with family, why do you need a Christmas tree to do that?

While we wait hopelessly for a reasonable answer to that question from churchgoers, let's take a look at other Christmas rituals to see their roots in pagan doctrine.



 

After tracing the traditions back to their origins, I have been hard pressed to find ANY tradition surrounding Christmas that was NOT started from a ritual of witchcraft. I thought, if this was a supposedly "Christian" holiday, certainly there should be SOMETHING that comes from Scripture, but in the end, there is nothing, save the nativity scene, and even that has its problems, as we will learn in chapter eight. Despite the fact that many churchgoers claim they have taken these witchcraft rituals and reshaped them to honor Jesus Christ, I am also hard pressed to find ANY Scripture where God ever took the traditions of pagans and redesigned them for His glory; rather, all I have found is Scripture where God commanded that the traditions and rituals of the pagans be destroyed, and that His people should not learn their ways.

Again, God instructed the Hebrews not to learn the ways of the heathen:

When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
-Deuteronomy 18:9

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
-Jeremiah 10:2

Shall we say that Jesus Christ came to this world in the form of a man to become a holy sacrifice on the cross so that we could learn the ways of the pagans? God forbid. After God gave mercy through His Son, are we to think that He now loves it when His children learn the ways of the pagans? Such a thought is absurd. However, it is a strange thing that churchgoers tend to think that way because whenever I have rebuked their pagan traditions, the phrase "Christ gives us liberty" is the first thing out of their mouths.

I have heard the arguments that Christmas is a cultural thing that no one can change, or in other words, it is the "everyone-else-is-doing-it" argument. God also instructed the Hebrews not to follow the majority when they do the wrong thing:

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
-Exodus 23:2

If we study Scripture carefully, we find that the majority is most often wrong. The majority wanted to worship an idol at Mount Sinai (Exd 32:21-24), but they were wrong. The majority chose to bow to a golden statue of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 3:8-25), but they were wrong. The majority rejected God's system of government and demanded a king like the pagans had (1Sa 8:4-20), but they were wrong. The majority wanted to free a murderer from prison and crucify Christ (Mark 15:6-15), but they were wrong. Churchgoers and pastors should be embarrassed to use an argument from majority (which is also a logical fallacy called ad populum), because Christ and His servants are almost always at odds with the majority.

When the New Testament church was established at Ephesus, the Christians did not take all their pagan books and try to use them for God's glory, but rather, they burned them in front of all the people:

Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
-Acts 19:19

I am not saying that Christians need to go out and burn all their Christmas decorations in the middle of the street, but I am saying that the faithful Christians of the early church had conviction to destroy the things that were teaching paganism. Ephesus was famous for having many elaborate schools teaching "curious arts" which refers to the secret knowledge of things like witchcraft, soothsaying, necromancy, etc. The Christians, who were newly born again, wanted nothing more to do with these things, but sadly, most church buildings today openly welcome such things.

Have you ever wondered why a Christmas tree is almost always a type of evergreen or pine tree? Have you ever wondered why mistletoe and holly are always hung as decorations during the Christmas season? Again, this is all part of the pagan traditions of Yule, and readers should recognize these decorations from the 'Yule log' in the last chapter:
"You may set your Yule log on your altar in your living room or ritual space early to enjoy it throughout the season. In a separate holder in front of the Yule log, I place a gold candle to represent the Sun/Sun God. Surround your Yule log with seasonal items. These may include holiday greenery: pine, holly, boxwood, ivy, and mistletoe. Pine cones, star shapes, or ornaments are also nice. Elf figures would be good to use as a connection to the fairy realm, and reindeer figures could represent the Horned One. Above all, include items that have meaning to you."
-Ed Day, Llewellyn's 2014 Sabbats Almanac: Samhain 2013 to Mabon 2014, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2013, p. 56, ISBN: 9780738731971

The pagans set up their Yule log for the Christmas season, just like churchgoers set up their Christmas trees for the same reason, and both parties also setup the same decorations. The Horned One, elves, and reindeer have significance as well, and we will cover those concepts more in chapter six.

The Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft gives us more understanding about why mistletoe is sacred to pagans. Specifically note that mistletoe is their symbol of immortality (i.e. the son god being reborn through the mother moon goddess), and that the juice from its berries was thought to be sperm of the oak tree god:
"MISTLETOE (Viscum album) is a symbol of immortality, love, and liberation. Mistletoe growing upon oak trees was highly regarded by the Romans and the Celts as a sacred plant. Because the juice of its berries resembles semen it was thought to be the sperm of the oak tree god and was, therefore, considered to be of great power."
-Raven Grimassi, Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2000, p. 290, ISBN: 9781567182576; Grimassi was an award-winning neo-pagan author of nearly 20 books on witchcraft, and he practiced it for over 40 years.

Also notice that mistletoe is considered by pagans to be a symbol of love and liberation, which, in the context of their beliefs, is referring to fornication. The well-known tradition to kiss under the mistletoe makes no sense whatsoever from a Biblical perspective, but from a pagan perspective, it makes perfect sense, and therefore, it is not difficult to figure out where this tradition came from.

Please do not misunderstand, mistletoe itself is not evil because it is a plant, one of the creations of God; however, the problem is who is using mistletoe and why. Churchgoers all over the world are using this plant as a decoration, not because it pleases God, but because it pleases their eyes, and knowing that it was originated as a pagan ritual that promoted fornication and adultery, it is shameful that any self-proclaimed Christian would knowingly continue the practice.

Continuing in the Wiccan encyclopedia:
"HOLLY TREE (Ilex aquifolium) is a symbol of good will and is associated with sun gods. In Rome the holly was sacred to Saturn and was employed in the rites of the Saturnalia, where it was a symbol of health and happiness. The holly is an evergreen and therefore is associated with the sun god."
-Raven Grimassi, Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2000, p. 290, ISBN: 9781567182576

The reason Christmas trees are types of evergreen and pine trees is because they remain green throughout the cold season, and therefore, they are considered by pagans to be trees blessed by the sun god. The use of evergreens during the Roman Saturnalia celebration was commonplace, and therefore, when the Catholic Church (which was pagan from its inception) sought to merge together the stories of Scripture with pagan rituals, the Christmas tree was a natural fit.

Again, evergreens are not pagan by themselves because they are the creation of God, but the problem is when people begin to use them for pagan purposes. Of course, churchgoers immediately leap to their own defense by claiming that they are "honoring Jesus" with their decorations, but there is nowhere in Scripture that indicates or even remotely hints at the use of evergreens for such purposes, which leaves us with the hard truth that those evergreens are used during the month of December to honor the sun god of the heathen, and the Catholic Church spread false information around the world to convince people of the ridiculous notion it was something to honor God the Father.

If churchgoers want to honor God the Father and Christ the Son in pure religion, the Bible tells us how to do that:

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
-James 1:27

As most people can see from plants like holly and mistletoe, the color of the red berries with the green leaves are also very symbolic in paganism, which is why red and green are the two colors most often associated with Christmas:
"There are symbols, specialized tools and colors associated with each Sabbat that can also be used to create the Sabbat rites... Yule: The colors are green and red. A wheel symbol (which can easily be made from a wreath or a wreath form; use your imagination); evergreens, Yule log, small tree (potted)."
-Scott Cunningham, Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, Llewellyn Worldwide, 1993, p. 120, ISBN: 9780875421841; Cunningham practiced magic for over 20 years and authored more than 50 books on the subject.

Again, there is no indication or inference in Scripture that red and green colors are used to celebrate a season that honors Jesus Christ, and thus, it is not difficult to figure out why they are used. To claim that the use of these colors during the Christmas season is "traditional" is the same as claiming willful ignorance, or in other words, it is the same as childishly blurting out, "I don't have an answer and I don't want to talk about it." The only conclusion we are left with is that the corrupt Catholic Church adopted these witchcraft rituals to fuse them with Bible stories, creating an abominable hybrid.

The above Wiccan author mentioned the wreath, which is also a famous Christmas icon, and it also has very specific meaning in witchcraft, as the following Wiccan author states:
"Wreaths of evergreen, ivy, holly, and mistletoe are also commonly used in Wiccan Yule rituals... The circular shape of the wreath recalls the cycle of the seasons and the cycle of life. Once the wreath has been blessed by its inclusion in the ritual, hang it on your door or in your window or wherever it may extend its blessings to the rest of your property or personal space."
-Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Wicca: A Modern Practitioner's Guide: Your Guide to Mastering the Craft, Simon and Schuster, 2019, p. 159-160, ISBN: 9781507210758; Murphy-Hiscock is the author of many books on Witchcraft, and has practiced it for over 20 years.

There is much more lewd witchcraft symbolism in the wreath than most churchgoers are willing to admit:
"Wreaths can be made of materials easily found in nature, or can be bought ready-made in craft stores and other places that sell seasonal decorations. Or you can make your own unique Yule wreath out of wire, pine cones, and artificial fruit. Pine cones are frequently seen as decorations at Yule because they are representative of male fertility. Most fruits--especially apples--are symbols of the Goddess. Creating a wreath out of them makes a complete symbol of the union of deity--the God (the pine cones) fertilizing the Goddess (the fruit) on the Wheel of the Year (the wreath)."
-Edain McCoy, Sabbats: A Witch's Approach to Living the Old Ways, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2002, p. 56, ISBN: 9781567186635

The wreath is the symbol of the Witch's Wheel of the Year that we saw earlier in this book, and the fruits and pine cones that are placed on it represent the sexual union of the pagan god and goddess: "The wreath is a typical Yule decoration, representing the Wheel of the Year. It is usually made of holly interspersed with pine cones representing the God, and either fruit or small seashells representing the Goddess. The Celts decorated evergreen trees with nuts, fruits, coins, and occasionally candles. The evergreen tree, holly, ivy, and mistletoe were important plants of the season, each in its own way symbolizing fertility and everlasting life." -Gary Cantrell, Wiccan Beliefs & Practices: With Rituals for Solitaries & Covens, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2001, p. 93, ISBN: 9781567181128

Again, the Christmas wreath is a symbol of the witchcraft holidays and sexual interaction between the god and goddess of the pagans, and yet, churchgoers, pastors, and elders are not only blissfully unaware, most of them are willingly blind when addressed on the matter because they do not want to have to change anything for the sake of Jesus Christ. (i.e. They love their traditions more than they love Him.) Once you understand the sinful and dark nature of the Christmas wreaths, it is impossible to unsee it, or in other words, it becomes difficult for a Christian to stomach the sight of them when we know what they mean, and so it is an extraordinary blindness that has come upon church buildings in which they hypocritically honor Christ with their mouths, but by their actions and traditions, their hearts are far away from Him.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
-Matthew 15:8

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed [valued] among men is abomination in the sight of God.
-Luke 16:15

Few churchgoers have any understanding that they are building fertility shrines in their homes and church buildings every December. However, some corrupt preachers are a bit more straight-forward about it than others, and at least I can appreciate the honesty from men like Fred Gilbert, who openly confesses that the decorations are creating a shrine of worship:
"The Rev. Fred Gilbert is the pastor of The Independent Methodist Church of New Castle, which describes itself as the most decorated church in Lawrence County. The church is filled with lights, wreaths and several Nativity scenes... 'I don't look at this as just decoration. This is something devotional. This is a shrine,' said the Rev. Fred Gilbert, the pastor, who has been collecting Nativity figures since childhood. His undergraduate degree in art gives him an eye for the displays, the decorated trees and garlands of silk poinsettias entwined with greenery, ribbon and lights."
-Ann Rodgers, "Silk Poinsettias and Thousands of Figurines Fill New Castle Church," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec 24, 2006, retrieved Dec 7, 2013, [post-gazette.com]

First of all, it needs to be noted that any pastor that calls himself (or allows himself to be called) "Reverend" should be embarrassed and ashamed of himself. The word 'reverend' means "holy," and in the Bible, there is only one who is called "reverend," and that is the Lord God; it is only by the depravity of men that one would dare to think himself "holy," and that he deserves a title that can only be bestowed to the Living God.
(Read "Titles Are Unbiblical in the Church" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
-Psalm 111:9

But be not ye called Rabbi: [i.e. teacher] for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
-Matthew 23:8

As I already said, at least this pastor, as corrupt as he is, was honest enough to call it what it is: A shrine. Just so all readers are clear on the matter, let's make sure we understand what a 'shrine' is:

shrine (n): a building or other shelter, often of a stately or sumptuous character, enclosing the remains or relics of a saint or other holy person and forming an object of religious veneration and pilgrimage
(See 'shrine', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

It is not just church buildings that are turned into shrines of witchcraft. These churchgoers return to their houses after their weekly pilgrimage to their local shrine, and turn their own homes into shrines to honor the sun god.

Some readers still have a hard time hearing about these things because they like the pretty decorations, and I will agree with both points; it is hard to let go of things we learned as a child, and the decorations are pretty. The reason they are so pretty is because pagans are of this world, and they are experts in making things (no matter how demonic they might be) look pleasant to the eye.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
-1 John 2:16

Even the Devil can change his appearance to look like an angel of light if he chooses, just as wicked men can put on a suit and tie, stand behind a pulpit, and make themselves appear to be pastors who serve God:

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
-2 Corinthians 11:13-15

These are all cleverly crafted deceptions, and it works in deceiving billions of people. There are countless churchgoers out there who whine and cry about this subject, and with vicious stubbornness, refuse to let go of their Christmas traditions for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
-Matthew 10:37-39

Christ taught us that if we uphold our fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters in higher esteem than Him, then we are not worthy to be His disciples. And yet, we have churchgoers that hold pathetic, inanimate objects, like their trees, lights, and other decorations, in higher esteem than Jesus Christ, and so when they cannot give up trinkets, let alone their family members, for the sake of Jesus Christ, are they worthy of Him?

The Lord Jesus Christ did not come down here from His Heavenly Kingdom to suffer, die, and rise from the dead so we could put up witchcraft relics to form a pagan shrine in our homes and church buildings. It does not matter how many alleged "believers" get angry with me for saying these things, they need rebuke, just as Jesus Christ rebuked the alleged "believers" 2,000 years ago, and got the same reaction from them.

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
-Titus 2:14-15

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
-John 15:18-19

Nearly all Christmas traditions, from decorations to food, are rooted in pagan magic:
"Traditional Christmas celebrations mimic the ancient pagan customs of Yule. Since so many cultures see this time as the birth of the god of light, the Christian [i.e. Catholic] church moved the celebration of Jesus' birthday closer to the solstice. Evergreen trees are decorated to show the promise of the Goddess and God to preserve life, as the trees are green even in the winter months... Many of the yuletide drinks are like pagan potions of solar energy, to warm you in the winter."
-Christopher Penczak, The Outer Temple of Witchcraft: Circles, Spells, and Rituals, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2004, p. 366, ISBN: 9780738705316

Of course, there is no law against having a warm drink to heat up your body on a cold day; such a thing only makes sense, but the traditional drinks of the Christmas season are typically based on the brews of witches. One commonly known example is eggnog (a milk and egg drink), and is found in many Wiccan spellbooks, in which they recommend the use of specific herbs commonly found in the Christmas drink (e.g. nutmeg, cinnamon, etc), naming the Yuletide season as the time of year in which it is supposed to be drunk to receive blessings from the gods.

(See Gerina Dunwich, The Wicca Spellbook, Citadel Press, 1994, p. 168, ISBN: 9780806514765)

It was not that a bunch of people got together and decided one day that they were going to traditionally drink eggnog at Christmas. It is an absurd thought, but one that many churchgoers seem to automatically believe. Rather, this was a pagan ritual, and it was handed down through tradition, meaning that the elder passed it down to the child, and the child does it throughout his life without ever questioning why:
"Most Pagans already know that Yule celebrates the rebirth of the Sun/Son and the return to lengthening days again. Most also know that many (dare we say, most) popular Christmas traditions like the Yule log, the tree, wassailing, eggnog, etc, are actually Pagan traditions that have carried over."
-Angelica Barbateiu, Sacred Earth Journal Anthology: Being a Collection of Wiccan Church, Church of the Sacred Earth, 1998

Because churchgoers get a good feeling from drinking eggnog during the Christmas season, they never once stop to consider that this practice was created by witches to worship the sun:
"We decorate with evergreens and holly. We exchange gifts with friends and family. On Midwinter Eve, we light candles to herald the return of the sun. (The ambitious among us may set a Yule log blazing.) We eat traditional, calorie-rich holiday foods: Tamales, eggnog, rum cake, ham, and chocolate. We give thanks for the life-giving energy of our planet's sun."
-Michelle Gruben, "The eight Sabbats: Witch's holidays," Nov 26, 2017, retrieved Sept 22, 2021, [https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/the-eight-sabbats-witchs-holidays]

Again, there is no sin in drinking eggnog; if you want to drink some, you have liberty to drink some whenever you want, but why do most people wait to have it until the Christmas season? Again, it is almost entirely done during the month of December because it was learned from witches and pagans, NOT from Scripture or any so-called "Christian" tradition.

How often do you see people making gingerbread in their homes on a regular basis throughout the year? Gingerbread, if made with natural ingredients, can be good for you, but it is not very common to see, however, it is done frequently around Christmastime. Anyone who studies Scripture will know that Jesus Christ did not create some tradition or mandate that causes churchgoers to bake gingerbread (or craft houses out of it) during the Christmas season, so why do they do it?

At this point, readers should not be surprised to learn that this was also taken from pagan rituals: "Gingerbread is the modern version of ancient cakes made of grain and honey, which were offered as sacrifices to the goddesses and gods at Yule. These cakes were also buried with the dead to ensure the passage of their souls into the other world." -Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2012, p. 35-36, ISBN: 9780738717111

Why not chocolate chip cookie men? Why not banana nutbread men? Why is it that people always use gingerbread specifically during the Christmas season? Gingerbread men are representative of the gingerbread cakes that were buried with the dead in a pagan ritual concerning the underworld.

Furthermore, the author goes on to talk about the fact that ginger used to be more valuable than gems because it was not commonly found, and was considered a rare, exotic spice. Once it became more common, it was introduced into the Yule cake (i.e. a traditional cake witches use to honor the sun god), which is where gingerbread was originally formed. After gingerbread became commonplace, witches used it to construct miniature houses, which they use in their visualization techniques (that is part of spell casting) to transfer magical energies to all those who ate of it:
"When ginger was introduced into Europe from Asia, it was soon incorporated into the ritual Yule cake. This was the origin of gingerbread. Though ginger was once more expensive than diamonds, this spice is now easily within reach of us all. You may wish to create a gingerbread house at Yule. If so, make it in the image of your own home. If this isn't possible, visualize your home while mixing, baking, forming, and decorating the house. See your household filled with warmth, love, and happiness—all gifts of ginger and the sun. Eat the house on Yule, sharing it with others who live under your roof, and invite its loving energies into yourself."
-Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2012, p. 36, ISBN: 9780738717111

Another strange Christmas tradition is that of "kissing under the mistletoe." If we take ourselves out of the Christmas euphoria for a moment to consider it objectively, it is ridiculous that people believe individuals must "kiss" if two people are standing under a mistletoe plant together, and the main question that needs to be asked is this: How does that have anything to do with the birth of Jesus Christ?

Did God ever instruct His children to kiss under mistletoe? No. That means it is not about Jesus Christ, so where did that come from? "In the Norse traditions, mistletoe wood was the weapon to slay Balder, the Norse Sun god, signaling the start of the end of the world. His mother decreed that forever more the herb shall only be used in acts of love, starting the tradition of kissing under mistletoe." -Christopher Penczak, The Outer Temple of Witchcraft: Circles, Spells, and Rituals, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2004, p. 366, ISBN: 9780738705316

This is why witches use mistletoe to make magical charms to cast spells, which can be dangerous if not handled properly because mistletoe is naturally poisonous. The following Wiccan high priest teaches his fellow witches to make mistletoe charms, and then points out that a kiss is how the spell is supposed to be completed:
"Tradition says that you can additionally use this charm to increase the fidelity of a lover or the longevity of a relationship. To do this, hold the bag of mistletoe at the level of your chest (your heart chakra). Bring your lover or spouse close so that you hold the bag between both of your chests. Now kiss to seal the magic."
-Timothy Roderick, Wicca: A Year and a Day: 366 Days of Spiritual Practice in the Craft of the Wise, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2013, ISBN: 9780738716459; Roderick has been a Wiccan high priest for over 30 years, and is an award-winning author among pagans.

It does not take a degree in physics to figure out that in a typical, reveling celebration, this tradition will lead to inappropriate contact between men and women, and other lewd activities. Without a doubt, this tradition has been an instigator of adultery and fornication, so why self-proclaimed Christians would follow this pagan tradition is baffling.

Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
-1 Corinthians 7:1-2

Another common plant used during the Christmas season is the tropical poinsettia plant, which blooms a large red flower over green leaves, containing the same red and green theme of witchcraft tradition. The poinsettia is one of the decorations used in creating a pagan Yule altar:

"Yule Ritual Tools, Symbols, and Decorations - Altar Decorations: Red altar cloth; red or green altar candles, sprigs of holly tied with red and green ribbons; hayberry candle; poinsettia plant; wand tied with red and green ribbon; chalice covered with a gold cloth; red and white wine; ritual cakes." -Lady Sabrina, Celebrating Wiccan Spirituality: Spells, Sacred Rites, and Folklore for Each Day of the Year, Career Press, 2002, p. 285, ISBN: 9781564145932

Again, if anyone can show me any place in Scripture where these things were done in honor of Jesus Christ, I would be glad to take a look at that, but there is no place in the Bible where such things are taught, suggested, or even implied. However, there is one place in a certain bible they are found to be used for the Christmas celebration, and that is in the Wicca Bible:
"Besides the Christmas tree, the altar and Circle area are decorated using traditional trimmings of pine boughs, pinecones, mistletoe, and holly. Also, if at all possible, adding poinsettias to the altar arrangement is highly recommended. These plants display flowers in the God-color (red), bring living greenery to the rite (a symbol of the coming spring), and are aesthetically pleasing since they naturally brighten up the area."
-Bruce K. Wilborn, Witches' Craft: A Multidenominational Wicca Bible, Skyhorse Publishing Inc, 2013, ISBN: 9781628732184

For the sake of churchgoers who are new to this subject, I will repeat that I am NOT arguing that it is wrong to have flowers in your house, and certainly, God created flowers for our benefit and enjoyment, but that does NOT mean it is right and good to use them for corrupt pagan religious rituals. The reason churchgoers pull out the poinsettia, holly, ivy, pine, mistletoe, and all the other like decorations, is SPECIFICALLY for the Christmas celebration because you almost NEVER see these decorations outside of the month of December (during which, many of them do not naturally grow because it is too cold), and that means churchgoers are going out of their way to do these things because they learned them from Catholics who adopted them from pagans, not because they are honoring the Lord Jesus Christ.

If Jesus Christ were really the one that was being honored, then why would churchgoers not leave up their Christmas decorations all year long? If they truly follow the Lord Jesus Christ and worship Him in all things, and Christmas is really about Jesus Christ, then they should desire to leave up their decorations throughout the year, but that is not what they do because they are not following Jesus Christ; they are following the traditions of men.

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: [i.e. to give themselves a clean outward appearance] and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
-Mark 7:8-9

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13

In an earlier quote, we read about witches adding alcohol into the eggnog, which is a common Christmas tradition. This is what they call a "wassail mix," which is another brew based on the worship of pagan gods:
"Wassail mixes can make this tradition favorite suitable for Yule. Good old eggnog is a favorite for a night of Yule caroling and fire gazing... and a host of liquors and cordials to please even the pickiest of deity."
-Llewellyn, 2005 Wicca Almanac, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2005, p. 19, ISBN: 9780738703084

Many readers may be familiar with the term "wassail," even if they do not know what it means. There are also many readers who may think they know what it means, when they actually do not because they are fooled into thinking that "wassailing" and "caroling" are the same thing. To be clear, caroling was drawn from wassailing, but they do not mean the same thing. The following is from Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary, so we can get a better idea about the original concept of wassailing:

wassail (n): a liquor made of apples, sugar and ale
wassail (v): to hold a merry drinking meeting
(See 'wassail', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 22, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The word object form of 'wassail' literally means alcohol, and the action form of "wassail" means to hold a party where people get drunk. The term 'wassail' is not as commonly used today, which means that few people know what it actually means, despite the fact that the definition has not changed in the past 200 years:

wassail (v): to revel with drinking
(See 'wassail', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

It is also important for readers to know what the word 'revel' means because that is a term that is used in Scripture:

revel (v): to feast with loose and clamorous merriment; a feast with loose and noisy jollity
(See 'revel', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 22, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

What is being described here is not a feast together with family and friends, like in a setting of Thanksgiving, but rather, this is a wild feast. This type of reveling is one of debauchery (i.e. intemperance and excess of pleasures), which typically involves a party of people drinking, laughing, yelling, seducing, being lewd, and doing any other thing that would fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

These are works of the flesh that war against the fruits of the Spirit of God:

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
-Galatians 5:19-21

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
-1 Peter 4:1-4

The original practice was called "Wassailing the Orchard Trees," in which apple cider was used, and this is because apples are a sacred fruit among pagans and witches; because of this, apples are used in a wide variety of their rituals. The reason witches consider apples to have such spiritual and magical power is because when you cut open an apple, there is a star in the middle, which they believe is the pentagram symbol of their craft, and so they connect the idea of the apple having been imbued with their witchcraft symbol by their gods and goddesses, giving the fruit a special meaning.

(As a side note, this is the reason why apples are used in the demonic Halloween tradition of "Bobbing for Apples;" Read "Halloween: Are Christians Lovers of Death?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

I have seen many people hang apple ornaments on Christmas trees, which, under normal circumstances, should make no sense because apples do not grow on evergreens. However, paganism is the reason for that tradition:
"Apples are sacred foods, associated with many ancient deities. Earlier peoples hung apples on Yule trees (the forerunners of the modern Christmas tree) to symbolize the continuing fertility of the earth."
-Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2012, p. 35, ISBN: 9780738717111

The following is from a witchcraft encyclopedia (commonly referenced by pagans) under the 'apple' listing:
"The Norse, as well as many other peoples, ate apples to gain immortality through wisdom, and the wood of the apple tree can be made into charms for longevity. Apple wood also makes excellent magical wands, especially suited to emotional magic, as well as love rites. Use apple cider in place of blood where it is called for in old recipes. Apples can be fashioned into poppets or magical figures for use in spells, or images can be carved from the wood itself."
-Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2012, ISBN: 9780738717135

The wassailing of the apple trees was started because, in most countries, the blood sacrifice of men, women, and children was outlawed, mainly in effort to combat the druids who were kidnapping and killing people in secret. (Side note: Stonehenge is a famous site, but few historians are willing to admit that there are thousands of remains of dead people buried underneath because they highly esteem the ancient site, and they do not want to admit that druids were killing people there.) Because of the "sacred" nature of the apple in paganism, apple cider was considered to be an inferior but acceptable replacement for the blood of people when pagans performed their rituals to gain blessings from their false gods and goddesses.

Another popular author of witchcraft wrote:
"Apple... The blossoms, fruit, and cider is used. Use for love, healing, and binding. Apple cider can be substituted for blood in rituals and spells."
-D.J. Conway, Wicca: The Complete Craft, Random House LLC, 2011, p. 368, ISBN: 9780307785893

If you think that the drinking of cider makes it different from blood sacrifices, then you do not understand what high-level witches do in the dark behind closed doors. It is a fact that sacrificing people is a very important aspect to witchcraft, and so things like chicken blood or apple cider are used when they are not able to get the blood from human sacrifice.

"Placing cakes in the boughs of the oldest apple trees in the orchard and pouring on cider as a libation was an old Pagan Yuletide custom practiced in England, and known as 'Wassailing the Orchard Trees.' It was said that the cider was a substitute for the human or animal blood offered in primitive times as part of a Winter Solstice fertility rite. After offering a toast to the health of the apple trees and giving thanks to them for producing fruit, the farmers would then enjoin the trees to continue producing abundantly."
-Gerina Dunwich, Wicca Craft: The Modern Witches Book of Herbs, Magick and Dreams, Citadel Press, 1991, p. 36, ISBN: 9780806512389

The reason witches talk about blood sacrifices so casually, as if it is a normal thing to sacrifice people in a blood ritual, is because, for them, blood sacrifice is a normal, everyday concept. If readers want to learn more about that, I would suggest reading "Abortion: Paganism, Satanism, Sacrifices, and Witchcraft" here at creationliberty.com, and that will cover the horrifying reality of what witches do in secret, and why so many witch covens own and operate abortion clinics.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
-Ephesians 5:11-13

(Photos by Bill Bradshaw, published by Hilary Osborne, "Wassailing the Cider Orchard," theguardian.com, Jan 21, 2010, retrieved Sept 24, 2021, [theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/jan/21/wassailing-cider-apple-orchard])

"Singing to an apple tree to ensure a good harvest might seem to be bit of a strange business, but you can't risk the cider supply... The custom of wassailing dates back to pagan times but has enjoyed a minor resurgence in recent years as cider has regained popularity among drinkers... A wassail queen (or king) leads a parade to a tree, often the oldest in the orchard. When she gets there, she dips a piece of toast in some mulled cider which is lifted and placed in the boughs of the tree to attract favourable spirits. More mulled cider is then poured round the base of the tree, and evil spirits are scared away with loud noises — sticks banged together, maybe even gunshots. Then the tree is serenaded by the crowd."
-Hilary Osborne, "Wassailing the Cider Orchard," theguardian.com, Jan 21, 2010, retrieved Sept 24, 2021, [http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/jan/21/wassailing-cider-apple-orchard]

In essence, they are worshiping the tree itself, just as many churchgoers do with the Christmas tree, although very few (if any) are willing to admit it:

serenade (n): music performed in a clear night, an entertainment of music given in the night by a lover to his mistress under her window
(See 'serenade', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Nov 4, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Again, knowing how demonic and sinful the practices of the pagans were, and why these traditions exist, how can anyone calling himself a Christian participate in them? If we love the Lord Jesus Christ, we ought to look to His Word as the standard operating procedure for Christian living, but sadly, many churchgoers do not care about what Jesus taught us, and instead follow the wicked traditions of men.

If ye love me, keep my commandments.
-John 14:15

Speaking of "wassailing" and "caroling," now that we have a good understanding of the pagan origins of Christmas traditions, we will now be able to more clearly see the corruption in some of the most famous Christmas songs.



 

As I pointed out at the beginning of this book, Colossians teaches us to take caution against corrupt ways of thinking, which indoctrinate us against the knowledge of Christ:

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [a way of thinking] and vain deceit [useless lies], after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings you learn] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

Sadly, most churchgoers believe in their hearts that if they sing passionate songs about Jesus Christ, it is automatically pleasing to God. Rarely do any of them consider that God hated much of the Jews' singing and instrumental music played in worship because they were judging unrighteously in their day to day activities:

Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
-Amos 5:23-24

It is not that music is wrong or bad, so please do not misunderstand the meaning of these verses. The problem was that the Jews were not coming to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) of their sins, and were judging as hypocrites, instead of judging righteous judgement according to God's Word, and therefore, when they sang their songs, it was all for show, and it angered Him.

The Bible teaches us that if we pray and sing, we should not do so just because it might feel good to us personally. Prayers and songs should be brought to God with understanding of His Word:

For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
-Psalm 47:7

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
-1 Corinthians 14:15

For those readers who understand how corrupt the so-called "Christian" music industry is, it should be no surprise to learn there are a number of Christmas songs that teach corrupt and anti-biblical doctrines. For those who do not know about the very serious problems with so-called "Christian" music, and how it has plagued the minds of churchgoers with false doctrine, I would encourage you to read a book I wrote called Christian Music: For The Love of Money, which (like this book) is free-to-read here at creationliberty.com.

For example, a very famous Christmas carol is the song "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," the origin of which is a bit of a mystery, but the earliest known copies of it come from Catholic and Anglican sources. The Catholic origin of this song is an important point to understand why this song is preaching a false gospel.
(See C. Michael Hawn, "History of Hymns: 'God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen'," Dec 12, 2019, retrieved Dec 23, 2021, [https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-god-rest-you-merry-gentleman])

GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, for Jesus Christ our Savior was born upon this day, to save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray. O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy.

Because the melody is so ear-catching, the average listener never notices the offenses against the Gospel of Salvation in this song. First of all, it should be noted that, if Jesus Christ came to this world to save us from "Satan's power," that would mean that not only does Satan carry authority (i.e. that is what the word 'power' means in this context), which is not true, but it would also mean that Satan has more power/authority than God does, which is blasphemy.

Furthermore, Jesus Christ did NOT come to this world to die on the cross and rise from the dead to "save us all from Satan's power." Jesus Christ came to this world to die on the cross and rise from the dead to save us all FROM OUR SINS, and to destroy the works of the Devil, and that is a VERY important distinction.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
-John 3:16-17

This begs the question: Saved from what? If we needed to be saved from "Satan's power," that would imply a few anti-biblical concepts:

That would mean our sin is not really our fault. Instead, Satan is at fault, which means we really did not need salvation in the first place because someone else is to blame. If our sin is not our fault, then there was no reason for Jesus Christ to come here in the first place. If the shed blood of the son of God was only to appease Satan, then the entire New Testament would be nothing more than witchcraft. If no one could be saved from Satan's power before Jesus Christ, then God should have sent Christ immediately after Adam and Eve ate the fruit to defeat Satan.

The truth is that Satan does not have any power unless mankind submits to him, and that is because God does not allow it. The book of Job makes it very clear that Satan has to ask God's permission to do anything.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
-Job 1:12

The truth of the Gospel of Salvation is that Jesus Christ came to save us from the corruption of our sins, because of our own wrongdoing. It is the doctrine of false religious institutions that teach "the-devil-made-me-do-it" philosophy, so people can blame an external entity for their own wrongdoings, thereby making themselves feel unashamed for the guilt of their sins.

The Scripture did not conclude that we are all "under Satan's power," but rather, we are all "under sin," and need to be saved from our sins:

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
-Galatians 3:22-24

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
-1 John 1:7

Of course, those who are blind to their sin are taken captive by the lusts of the Devil, but this is done through mutual agreement. These are not innocent victims being lured in by Satanic authority, but rather, these people sin willingly, and they require God to give them the gift of repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of their wrongdoing) so they can see the snares they are in, that they might depart from it and do the will of God.

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
-2 Timothy 2:24-26

The song "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" takes away the importance of sin as a factor in the true Gospel of Salvation, and puts the blame on Satan instead. It is no wonder that the Catholics/Anglicans would cling to such a corrupt hymn because their Eucharist ritual teaches that their works make them holy and give them grace (which is a lie of the Devil), and that Jesus Christ's only purpose was to come to the earth to give them a ritual that would "save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray," which only leads the next generation into more deception and depravity because they will never see their sin for what it is.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
-James 1:13-15

But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
-Romans 7:8-12
(See "The Book of Romans: My Notes on Chapters 6-10" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Again, Satan has no authority, but he has done many corrupt works. Christ came for two main purposes, to save us from our sin, and to destroy the works of the Devil:

And ye know that he [Jesus Christ] was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
-1 John 3:5

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
-1 John 3:8

This is just one example of many that could be mentioned, but I would never be able to cover all of them because more "Christmas" songs are being created every year, so we just have to keep studying God's Word, and compare the lyrics of a song with His Word to see if what they teach is true. Next, we will go over some Christmas songs that are promoting the very paganism and witchcraft from which Christmas stems.

In the last chapter, we learned about 'wassailing', and how it is a corrupt practice of drunkenness in combination with witchcraft to honor pagan gods. The following video consists of clips from Will Vinton's famous 1987 Claymation Christmas Celebration, which my family used to watch around Christmastime about every year when I was little, and it shows the claymation characters trying to figure out the meaning of wassailing:

(See Creation Liberty Evangelism Official Rumble Channel, "Christmas: The REJECTION of Jesus, Claymation," Nov 24, 2021, [https://rumble.com/vpqght-christmas-the-rejection-of-jesus-claymation-creationliberty.com.html])

To summarize, the two character hosts, Rex and Herb, are addressing a group of characters pushing a cart selling waffles, singing, "Here we come a waffling." Rex explains that the proper term is 'wassailing', but no one accepts it because no one (including Rex) knows what 'wassailing' means.

WAFFLE TRUCK: "Here we come a waffling among the leaves so green, here we come a waffling so fair to be seen, love and joy come to you, and to you your waffle too, and god bless you—" REX: "Pardon me! Pardon me, but you're making a lyrical error in that final Christmas carol. Now, the key word, my good fellows, is wassailing, not waffling." WAFFLE TRUCK: "Well, what the heck is wassailing?" REX: "Uh, wassailing, yes. Uh... [looks around confused]"

Towards the end of the show, a truck pulls up carrying a bunch of dwarfed Irishmen in elf costumes (I am not joking, this is actually what happens in the show), carrying mugs of ale. They point out that wassailing is singing and drinking "Christmas cordial" (i.e. cordial is most often alcoholic beverages), and one of them offers some to Herb for him to drink, which Herb accepts with vigor. (Just a reminder, yes, this is a show intended for children.)

REX: "It's wassailing! I know it's wassailing!" IRISH ELF TRUCK: "Here we come a wassailing among the leaves so green..." REX: "That's it! Somebody's got it right!" HERB: "So, what does it mean?" IRISH ELF: "Wassailing? Why, just going around the neighbourhood singing Christmas carols, receiving treats, and Christmas cordials." HERB: "Now that, I like! Let's wassail!"

So in summary, the concept of "wassailing" is directly connected to blood sacrifices (which we covered in the last chapter) and drunken parties. Because such a thing is so repulsive, to make it fluffier for public practice, the Catholic Church took out all the bits that many people frowned upon in European cultures, and that is where we get the "Wassail Song," which is a message of getting drunk and toasting to the gods and goddesses of the pagans.

THE WASSAIL SONG Here we come a-wassailing Among the leaves so green, Here we come a-wand'ring So fair to be seen. Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail, too, And God bless you, and send you A Happy New Year, And God send you a Happy New Year.

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
-Proverbs 23:28-29

wo/woe (n): grief; sorrow; misery; a heavy calamity
(See 'wo', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 23, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Those who drink a lot, and those who seek out mixed drinks (e.g. spiked eggnog), have a lot of problems which bring grief, misery, and sorrow. They discover wounds on themselves and have no idea where they came from, they have redness of eyes which causes soreness and loss of clear sight, they babble like idiots, they have little understanding, and they fight with strangers, as well as family and friends.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
-Proverbs 23:31-35

When the wine is red, it has a color that is appealing to those who like to drink it, and so they look upon it with desire in lust, in the same way a man might look upon a woman with lust and desire, committing adultery in his heart. (Mat 5:28) When the wine "moveth itself aright," that is what happens when wine is in its fermented (alcoholic) state (i.e. you can see it moving in its fermentation process), and the drinking of such things causes a man to lust after strange women, speak perverse things, be stricken and beaten without feeling it, wake up in strange places he does not know, and in the morning, he foolishly determines within himself to do it all over again the next day.

Is it a sin to go around singing songs? No, of course not. However, why do churchgoers do this at this particular time of year? It is not because of Jesus Christ, otherwise, they would do it all year long; rather, it is about a pagan ritual that was founded in the worship of the gods and goddesses of witchcraft.

When I first began to research this subject many years ago, I started to recall a number of Christmas songs I grew up listening to, and looked up their lyrics. It is amazing how many perverse and corrupt things you can discover by shutting off the melody, and just reading the words of a song.

For example, a popular Christmastime song called "Silver and Gold" teaches covetousness and worship of precious metals:

SILVER AND GOLD Silver and gold, silver and gold Ev'ryone wishes for silver and gold How do you measure its worth? Just by the pleasure it gives here on earth. Silver and gold, silver and gold Mean so much more when I see Silver and gold decorations On ev'ry Christmas tree. What's a Christmas tree without tinsel And pretty silver and gold decorations? Can't really call it a Christmas tree now, Can you? And think of all the fun and joy That would be lost on Christmas morning If all the young folks didn't get to see That sparkling happy tree.

This song is teaching idolatry. Of course, churchgoers would quickly object because they want to justify themselves in unrighteousness, but the fact is that the song specifically states that a "a Christmas tree without... silver and gold decoration... cannot really [be] call[ed] a Christmas tree."

Let's look at what the Bible has to say:

The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
-Psalm 135:15

Please do not misunderstand; the Bible is not telling us that silver and gold are inherently evil because, as I have pointed out in previous chapters, such things are inanimate objects, or in other words, they are just rocks. All paper money is (or at least, is SUPPOSED to be) backed by precious metals like gold and silver, which means we use gold and silver to pay for almost everything we buy. (Although it should be noted that, in the early 20th century, when I authored this book, the American dollar is fiat money, meaning that it is backed by nothing at all.) Material objects do not contain morality within themselves (e.g. guns cannot be "bad" because inanimate objects cannot have morals), and substances like silver and gold are used for money (which Christians use to purchase our needs, and for that of the poor), but the problem in this instance is that silver and gold are objects of worship for the heathen, specifically to adorn their idols, and that is why this song teaches that a Christmas tree would not be a true Christmas tree (i.e. a pagan idol of witchcraft unto their sun god) without silver and gold.

Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
-Psalm 115:4

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
-1 Peter 1:18-19

The song does teach the truth when we consider the pagan attributes of Christmas, and therefore, it is teaching a corrupt philosophy. These are the songs that go completely unnoticed by the average churchgoer, but worse still, churchgoers generally do not care that these songs corrupt a child's way of thinking from an early age because their emotional attachment to paganism (i.e. Christmas) blinds them to the truth of Scripture.

The idols of the heathen were covered (i.e. decked) with silver and gold. This is exactly what Christmas songs are promoting, namely, to deck their idols with silver and gold.

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
-Jeremiah 10:2-4

Again, the Bible teaches us that God hates the ways of the heathen (i.e. the pagans and witches), but some of the most famous Christmas songs teach the opposite of God's Word. They teach people to learn the way of the heathen, and rejoice in pagan customs.

Deck the Halls Deck the halls with boughs of holly Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la 'Tis the season to be jolly Don we now our gay apparel Troll the ancient Yule-tide carol Strike the harp and join the chorus Follow me in merry measure While I tell of Yule-tide treasure Fast away the old year passes Hail the new year, lads and lasses Sing we joyous, all together Heedless of the wind and weather

In the last chapter, we learned that holly is used by pagans in worship of the gods of witchcraft, and that the heathen decorate their homes with it in hopes that it will increase blessings from their false gods. As we can see, this popular Christmas song encourages this pagan practice.

When it says "troll," it means that the tongue is rolled, as in to sing "fa-la-la-la-la" in honor of the Yule celebration, which we learned in chapter two is the pagan worship of the sun. The "treasures" of the "Yule-tide" season would consist of the blessings coming through witchcraft and pagan tradition.

The following song also points to the emotional attachment to silver and gold, and the holly of witchcraft put on the doors of willingly ignorant churchgoers:

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Everywhere you go; Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again With candy canes and silver lanes aglow. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Toys in every store But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be On your own front door.

The following song uses the word 'Noel', which is the French word for "Christmas," and so in France, they say "Joyeux Noel," which means, "Merry Christmas." Therefore, this song is claiming that the birth of Jesus Christ was the "First Christmas," and as we have already learned, that could not be further from the truth.

THE FIRST NOEL The First Noel, the Angels did say Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay In fields where they lay keeping their sheep On a cold winter's night that was so deep. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel Born is the King of Israel!

It is an odd thing that we often tend to first embrace the emotions of a song before we take time to consider the lyrics, and many people never consider the lyrics at all. These songs are played on the radio, on television, and on the internet every year, and most people remain completely clueless about the lies, paganism, and witchcraft that is involved in them.

The following video is the opening scene from the 1965 movie, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" that was aired on TV every year when I was growing up: (See Creation Liberty Evangelism Official Rumble Channel, "Christmas: The REJECTION of Jesus, Charlie Brown," Nov 24, 2021, [https://rumble.com/vpqfz7-christmas-the-rejection-of-jesus-charlie-brown-creationliberty.com.html])

CHILDREN SINGING: "Christmas time is here, Happiness and cheer, Fun for all that children call, Their favorite time of year; Carols everywhere, Olden times and ancient rhymes, Of love and dreams to share; Sleigh bells in the air, Beauty everywhere, Yuletide by the fireside, And joyful memories there." CHARLIE: "I think there must be something wrong with me Linus. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel. I just don't understand Christmas I guess. I like getting presents, sending Christmas cards, and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed." LINUS: "Charlie Brown, you're the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem. Maybe Lucy's right: of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie Browniest."

The song created for this show also teaches "Yuletide," promoting the same pagan concepts we have learned about in this book. This song is singing praises unto joyful memories, specifically for the witchcraft rituals of Christmas, and children learn, from an early age, to associate positive feelings with those customs, and just like addicts to drugs or alcohol, they become vicious in defense of themselves if anyone dares to raise reasonable questions about those traditions.

An interesting note about this show is what was said, namely, that Charlie Brown did not feel happy like other people did during the Christmas season. He knew he had been indoctrinated to believe (i.e. he was told over and over again to get him to accept the idea) that he was supposed to feel a certain way at Christmastime, and when he came forward with honesty that he did not share the same sentiments as everyone else, he was not only berated and ridiculed for it, but even his name was used as an insult.

Therefore, what lesson do children learn? If they do not feel the way everyone else does during the Christmas season, or if they question it in any way, they will be ridiculed by society, and that is exactly what we are taught.

For example, the fiction novelist and evolutionist, Dr. Seuss, made sure the world would give a name to anyone who dared to question Christmas traditions. Those who want to understand the origins of these things and sanctify ourselves from that which opposes the Lord Jesus Christ are labeled a "grinch," which is a fictional green-haired creature that attacks townfolk, steals their property, and laughs while causing them misery.

Readers may have noticed that I am not stealing anything, I am not laughing at anyone, nor am I causing anyone misery, and in fact, no one is forced to read this book, nor do I coerce anyone into reading it. However, churchgoers everywhere have created a false dilemma (i.e. a logical fallacy we will cover more in chapter ten), claiming that you are either in favor of Christmas and Jesus Christ, or you are a grinch that is working with the Devil to try and steal everyone's joy.

There is a dangerous false doctrine that has infected church buildings across America, and that is the phrase, "Don't let anyone steal your joy!" Joyfulness is a fruit of the Spirit of God, but it is not a foundation of faith because the very people who are full of joy and laughter should mourn and weep in the sorrow of repentance so they can be saved, and false preachers that teach a "nothing but joy" message are preventing people from hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ that will lead them to the grace of God.

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
-James 4:6-10

Concerning the Christmas celebration, there is a third option: A man becomes born again in the Lord Jesus Christ (through repentance and faith, Mark 1:14-15), he stops lying to people, does his research as a dedicated disciple (studying to show himself approved unto God, 2Ti 2:15), dedicates himself to sanctification from evil, and then tells people the truth. I believe that is preferable to willful ignorance.

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
-Colossians 3:8-10

To expose the truth behind the songs of churchgoers, especially concerning Christmas songs, ignites a firestorm of rage in many. However, after much study of the Word of God and experience in speaking with people over the years, I have learned the valuable lesson that there is nothing more loving than telling someone the truth, even when they hate you for it.

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
-John 15:18-19

Why do we not see more people being hated for the Christmas celebration if it were truly of Jesus Christ? Why are all these songs so popular among so many people?

Food for thought.



 

There are some churchgoers who argue that they celebrate Christmas, but have nothing to do with Santa Claus. This is a quick, one-liner that churchgoers use to provide an excuse that they think will justify them in the eyes of men, but the last five chapters have covered the various demonic aspects of Christmas, and we are only now getting to Santa Claus.

Christmas is filled with depravity from start to finish, and Santa Claus is only one aspect of that corruption. No matter the subject, churchgoers often try to cherry-pick only the good-looking traditions, the fluffy feel-good customs, and leave out the rest, so they can say it is "all about Jesus," believing in some conceited fashion that they will fool both God and man with their vain words.

You can make excuses all you want, but God knows the idolatry of the heart:

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
-Luke 16:15

The fact is that Santa Claus is a wildly famous concept that is drenched in pagan lore. Most readers should be relatively familiar with the concept of Santa Claus because of its popularity in folklore and media, but just in case you may not understand the general concept, Dictionary.com (surprisingly) has a listing of 'Santa Claus' in their dictionary:

Santa Claus (n): a benevolent figure of legend, associated with Saint Nicholas, supposed to bring gifts to children on Christmas Eve
(See 'Santa Claus', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

They are correct about the core meaning of the name, or in other words, 'Santa Claus' comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, with the Dutch word 'Santa' meaning "Saint" and 'Klaas' being a shortened form of "Nicholas," which is where we get the name "Saint Nicholas." However, that being said, not only is it ridiculous that an English dictionary has included a character of folklore into its database, the definition itself is just as absurd because it is only based on the corrupt Catholic Church's interpretation of the folklore, not the origin and meaning behind it.

Obviously, there is nothing in Scripture concerning Santa Claus (i.e. Saint Nicholas), and we know the Catholic Church was founded in pagan belief, so it should be no surprise for readers to learn that Santa Claus is the Catholic Church's interpretation of the Holly King: "HOLLY KING is a symbol of the waning forces of Nature [i.e. the daylight shortening and the colder temperatures causing plants to wither]... The Holly King is depicted as an old man in winter garb. His head bears a wreath of holly and he often carries a staff that is typically a holly branch. Some Santa Claus figures are actually Holly King figures." -Raven Grimassi, Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2000, p. 219, ISBN: 9781567182576

The Holly King is worshipped by pagans as the god of Yule, and in some cultures, he is given the same title as the sun god who is reborn by the moon goddess at the Winter Solstice:
"In another example of the Pagan roots of Christian [i.e. Catholic] holidays, even the modern personification of the Christmas spirit known as Santa Claus was at one time the Pagan god of Yule. To the Scandinavians, he was once known as 'Christ on the Wheel', an ancient Norse title for the Sun God who was reborn at the time of the Winter Solstice. Placing cakes in the boughs of the oldest apple trees in the orchard and pouring on cider as a libation was an old Pagan Yuletide custom practiced in England, and known as 'Wassailing the Orchard Trees.' It was said that the cider was a substitute for the human or animal blood offered in primitive times as part of a Winter Solstice fertility rite."
-Gerina Dunwich, Wicca Craft: The Modern Witches Book of Herbs, Magick and Dreams, Citadel Press, 1991, p. 36, ISBN: 9780806512389

I quoted part of this in chapter four, and to recall what we learned, the reason cider is often drunk during the Christmas season is because it was an ancient tradition of wassailing (i.e. festive drinking), and wassailing has a close traditional relationship to worship of the Holly King. In that chapter, we learned that the cider is a replacement for the blood of sacrifices, specifically of men, women, and children.

Some pagans believe that the Holly King is the sun god himself, but most pagans today believe that he is directly connected to the sun god's rebirth, not the sun god. The Holly King is roughly where the modern-day depiction of Santa Claus comes from, but that is only the surface interpretation because it gets much darker as we dig deeper into this subject.

In chapter four, we read a quote that briefly made mention of an entity called "The Horned One," also known as the "Horned God," and this god is very iconic to pagans and druids. The following author is considered an expert among witches, and he describes the concepts that are connected to the Yule celebration:
"Yule--Winter Solstice...
Ritual Theme: Rebirth of the Sun God, return of the old God to the Underworld...
Lunar Correspondence: Dark of the Moon,
Deities: Solar Child, Sun King, Great Mother, Underworld/Horned God, Oak King & Holly King, Saturn/Chronos, Bel, Mabon, Pryderi, Taliesin, Cerridwen, Balder, Apollo, Horus, Set,
Altar: Evergreen decorations, pine cones, oak, holly, mistletoe, white candles,
Colors: Red, green, white, black,
Herbs: Herbs of Saturn, Capricorn, and the Sun. Traditional herbs include holly, mistletoe, pine, oak fir birch, chamomile, cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, wintergreen, nutmeg, clove, ivy, blessed thistle, hyssop, and rosemary." [bold in original]
-Christopher Penczak, The Outer Temple of Witchcraft: Circles, Spells, and Rituals, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2004, p. 365, ISBN: 9780738705316; Penczak is a bestselling author on the subject of witchcraft, and is founder of the Temple of Witchcraft and the Temple Mystery School.

This is very revealing because we can now begin to see a lot of correlating concepts between witchcraft rituals and Christmas traditions. Notice that the altars created for the worship of pagans in the Winter Solstice consist of evergreen decorations, pinecones, oak, ivy, wintergreen, nutmeg (often used in the dairy drink of eggnog), holly, mistletoe, and white candles, as well as red and green colors. It does not take a rocket scientist to draw the connection between these pagan decorations and Christmas decorations, especially since we have covered all these in previous chapters, and so we can now see that churchgoers around the world are turning their living rooms and church buildings into pagan altars of sun worship.

You also may have noticed the use of frankincense and myrrh (i.e. expensive oils), two of the gifts that were brought to Jesus Christ by the wise men who visited Him after He was born. I want readers to understand that these substances have been part of pagan rituals for thousands of years, and the Catholic Church came along about 1700 years ago to try and convince pagans that they should merge with Catholicism by pointing out similarities between the sun god and Bible stories, ultimately creating a false version of "jesus" as a sun god.

It is not that any of these colors, herbs, or oils are wrong or bad in any sense. However, we need to ask: WHY are they always associated with the Christmas season? There is no Biblical association that can be made, but there is a lot of strong evidence that there is a pagan/witchcraft association, which leaves us with only one conclusion, namely, that the traditions of this season have NOTHING to do with Jesus Christ.

Along with all the names for the sun god, we also saw the "Horned God," which is a commonly worshipped entity in witchcraft. Many pagans possess statues of their horned god because he is seen as the god of nature and wild beasts: "Some Witches and other Pagans refer to the masculine aspect of God as the Horned God or the Horned One... Cernunnos, the Celtic horned God (indeed, his name means 'horned one') is depicted as a Lord of the forest and the animals. In a similar way, the Greek God Pan is depicted as having horns and goat-like legs and feet. Like Cernunnos, Pan is seen as a God of nature and of wild beasts." -Carl McColman, When Someone You Love Is Wiccan: A Guide to Witchcraft and Paganism for Concerned Friends, Career Press, 2002, p. 99, ISBN: 9781564146229

As we just read, other names for this god are Cernunnos and Pan. Pan also happens to be one of the gods that was worshipped by Aleister Crowley (i.e. one of the most influential Satanists of the 20th century), and he even wrote a short poem called "Hymn to Pan."
(See PoemHunter.com, "Hymn to Pan," retrieved Sept 1, 2021, [https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hymn-to-pan])

According to witchcraft lore, this Horned God is supposed to take the place of the sun god for six months out of the year, which is why he is also called the god of darkness:
"In some traditions, the God is viewed as a child, and the Universal Mother gives birth to the young Sun King. Others see the God of Light, as the Oak King, rise up out of the Underworld and combat the God of Darkness, the Horned God or Holly King, and take his place as ruler for half of the year."
-Christopher Penczak, The Outer Temple of Witchcraft: Circles, Spells, and Rituals, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2004, p. 365, ISBN: 9780738705316

Of course, it is common for willfully ignorant churchgoers to judge according to the appearance instead of doing what Jesus instructed His disciples to do (i.e. judging righteous judgment, John 7:24), so they look at the Holly King/Santa Claus, see something that is pleasant-looking to the appearance, and think that it could not be evil. This is why they struggle to understand how Santa Claus could be demonic, and since they judge unrighteously (i.e. according to the appearance only), then let's take a look at the other side of that coin, namely, one of the original versions of Santa Claus, which is known as "Krampus."

Pagans and witches have something called a Magical Almanac (i.e. an annual publication with a calendar detailing the coming year's events, predictions, and other statistical information), and the following is a quote from their 2016 edition:
"The idea that Santa Claus is 'making a list' has shown to be not enough to keep some children out of mischief throughout the year. Additionally, and until recently the general public has been reluctant to lay the dispensation [distribution] of severe punishment at the feet of Santa Claus. Krampus is but one of the varied bad/evil personages invented to keep children inclined to poor behavior in line. His origins go back to the time of gods and goddesses, superstition, and earth-based beliefs."
-Llewellyn, Llewellyn's 2016 Magical Almanac: Practical Magic for Everyday Living, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015, ISBN: 9780738734057

Krampus is a horned demon that punishes bad children, and is still celebrated during Yule (i.e. Christmas) in places like Germany and Austria. Krampus even has his own museum, and the following image was taken at the museum located in Austria.

Again, the reason that churchgoers are not in favor of associating Krampus with Christmas is because his outward design is unpleasant to the eye. They are a flock of hypocrites because Krampus is the outward nature of the inward nature of Santa Claus.

"Krampus's physical being may take several forms. Most common is the part man, part beast (goat, ram, or other cloven-footed animal) seen in numerous illustrations... Alternately he is portrayed with trousers, in Santa Claus's red suit, or the bishop's robes of Saint Nicholas."
-Llewellyn, Llewellyn's 2016 Magical Almanac: Practical Magic for Everyday Living, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015, ISBN: 9780738734057

The image on the left is an actual Austrian Christmas greeting card, which depicts a hairy, demonic goat man with a disturbingly long tongue who has forced a little girl to her knees with his foot on her back, while she is writhing in pain from having the braids of her hair pulled by this devil. God forbid there would be anyone that would believe that this was pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ in any sense, but churchgoers are happy to pick out the pleasant witchcraft traditions, while ignoring all the unpleasant witchcraft traditions, and in hypocrisy and great offense, doing it all in the name of "Jesus." If any churchgoers think they would never be convinced to adopt such offensive traditions, I would remind them that they already have because Christmas traditions are all centered around this very same paganism and witchcraft. Furthermore, if they find it offensive that children are being scared by people in costumes during the Christmas season, then why do they suffer it during the Halloween season? (Read "Halloween: Are Christians Lovers of Death?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

I compiled the following video to show what Krampus is like during the Christmas season in Europe:
(See "Krampus: Santa's Little Helper," Creation Liberty Evangelism Official YouTube Channel, Jun 23, 2021, [https://youtu.be/Sr_LRU76-F8])

The video shows the tradition of people dressing up in demonic goat-men costumes and scaring children, while often banging on bells and loudly rattling pots and pans together. (The noise is quite irritating.) The parents just sit and relax while people dressed up as devils jump in through the windows of their meeting halls, and they all laugh as they watch their children cry and run in fear.

Another segment of the video shows a Christmas parade, in which many people dressed in Krampus costumes surround a man dressed up in a "Saint Nicholas" costume that looks exactly like the garbs of the Catholic Pope, who is an antichrist. (See my free-to-read book, Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism, specifically chapter seven, "The Pope: Throne of an Antichrist" here at creationliberty.com for more details.) These Krampus actors have chains and whips in their hands, threatening the children with them as they walk by.

Why do they continue to do these things? Because these are the traditions they learned as children, and they are based on witchcraft, as the Magical Almanac goes on to explain:
"Krampus's methodology may be considered by some to be rather severe. Bad children receive no mere lump of coal from this fellow. Legend has it the first form of punishment is a beating with those birch switches... A second punishment by Krampus was prescribed for those more incorrigible. When the beatings did not accomplish the desired level of obedience, children were said to be taken away in the basket or a sack."
-Llewellyn, Llewellyn's 2016 Magical Almanac: Practical Magic for Everyday Living, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2015, ISBN: 9780738734057

After this concept picked up some attention in the United States, Hollywood (i.e. better known as Hell-ywood) got involved by creating movies by which they could profit. The one thing I will give them credit for is finally producing a movie that seems to portray Christmas in a more accurate light, showing how we born again Christians (i.e. who have had our eyes opened by the Lord Jesus Christ to see clearly) view the religious traditions of men.

There are many who claim to be of Christ, but have rejected the Holy Ghost because they cannot see sin as sin, or in other words, they continue to view the wicked things of this world as something good or pleasurable, instead of looking inwardly at their own corruption to acknowledge the truth:

Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.
-Romans 7:13

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
-Ephesians 5:8-14

Notice that the Bible did NOT say, "ASSUMING what is acceptable unto the Lord," but rather PROVING what is acceptable. When parents and churchgoers sit back and assume everything they do is good because they are following the traditions they learned as a child, that is willful blindness, and not only will they fall into the ditch, but they will lead others to do the same.

And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
-Luke 6:39

Many of us are familiar with the stories surrounding Santa Claus, namely, that he is a fat old man that rides in a sleigh (i.e. a carriage that has skiis on the bottom to traverse across snow and ice) that is pulled by eight reindeer. Without explanation, children are told that he is able to unlawfully break into their houses through the chimney (even if they do not have a chimney in their house), and leaves them presents (which are developed by elves at the North Pole through some form of slave labor) from a bag that is somehow able to carry presents for children all around the world because he is supposedly able to visit all the homes around the planet in one night.

Before I go on to explain the pagan origin of these details surrounding Santa Claus, I would like to point out that, for those of who believe the Word of God and take it seriously, you have only two conclusions you can come to about Santa Claus:

1. He is practicing witchcraft and lying to people about what he is capable of doing.

2. He is a spirit. Since there are only three general categories of spirits (i.e. God, angels, and fallen angels), and because there is sin involved, that means he is a devil (i.e. a fallen angel).

From a Biblical perspective, there is no other way to view this. This is why people like me tend to call him "SATAN Claus," and I do not say that to be cute; I mean it quite literally because such a concept could only be of the Devil.

Santa Claus is said to drive a sleigh that is pulled by eight reindeer. The first thing we need to ask is: Why reindeer? Why not horses, dogs, or polar bears? The horned god of the pagans is the reason for the reindeer because the reindeer horns are the same as those on the horned god.

Furthermore, the number of reindeer is also significant in paganism:
"Eight reindeer represent both the number of sabbats and an animal sacred to the Celtic and Italian custom. The sleigh refers to the Germanic custom against using the wheel on this night. And gift giving is a Druidic practice during Yule."
-Bruce K. Wilborn, Witches' Craft: A Multidenominational Wicca Bible, Skyhorse Publishing Inc, 2011, ISBN: 9781616084431

In chapter two, we saw the witch's Wheel of the Year, which represents all their major holidays, and there are eight of them in total. Having the number eight represented on animals is also done in Norse/Scandinavian pagan folklore:
"The name Nicholas itself is not a mistake as it is rooted in the name 'Old Nick,' a reference to Nik (also Woden), who is an old Scandinavian Holly-King god. The myths of Nik describe him flying on the back of a horse through the night sky instead of being pulled by the familiar reindeer (animals which are, incidentally, another symbol for the pagan horned god.)"
-Timothy Roderick, Wicca: A Year and a Day - 366 Days of Spiritual Practice in the Craft of the Wise, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2005, p. 66, ISBN: 9780738706214

Some readers might be more familiar with the name "Odin," which is a god of Norse mythology, and it is important to note that Woden and Nik are other names for the god Odin. In Norse mythology, Odin rode a flying horse that had eight legs, and just like the "Horned One," Odin is a Wiccan symbol of the underworld.
We can find more connection to Christmas traditions when we look at what Odin symbolizes in witchcraft:
"Odin Symbols: The World-Tree, the spear, and the runes, Tools: Living trees, the runes... Odin is the Norse god of the universe, of magic and poetic vision. He is also lord of the dead and an archetypal underworld figure."
-Timothy Roderick, Wicca: A Year and a Day - 366 Days of Spiritual Practice in the Craft of the Wise, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2005, p. 345, ISBN: 9780738706214

Part of Odin's symbolism are living trees, like evergreens that stay green throughout the entire year, and the world tree, which is Yggdrasil (i.e. symbolized in the Christmas tree), which we learned about in chapter three. Again, Odin is associated with the underworld, just like the horned god.

The 1823 poem, "Twas the Night Before Christmas," is one of the key factors in the connection between pagan tradition as it was in the 18th century, and the figure of the modern day "Santa Claus" most of us are now familiar with. The fat "jolly" Santa started out as a tiny elf, and for readers who do not understand the pagan concept, elves are essentially demonic beings from what witches call the "fairie realm," and are used in their magical incantations.

Here is the original poem:

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children have nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
[Sugar-plums are candy-coated nut, like a peanut M&M.]
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
[A kerchief is a woman's hair bandana.]
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
[A sash is the movable part of the window.]
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a luster [reflected light] of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
[A courser is a speedy animal that pulls carriages or sleighs.]
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
'Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!'
As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too -
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with abound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight' -
'Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!'"
The description of "Saint Nicholas" in this poem is what drove society to the depiction of Santa Claus that our modern culture is accustomed to, but even our modern depiction of Santa is still not accurate to the poem. (e.g. Santa was supposed to be a tiny elf, pulled by tiny reindeer.) As the following author rightly points out, the connection between Catholic lore and the description of Santa in the poem is "nominal," meaning that the two only carry the same name, but there is no other likeness between them:

"Although the poem, like Dickens' famous story, makes explicit references to 'Christmas,' it is otherwise fully pagan and is completely divorced from orthodox Christian tradition and theology. The relationship between the protagonist and the fourth-century saint is purely nominal. St. Nick has been transformed from a kindly [Catholic] bishop to a magical 'right jolly old elf' who is transported by a 'miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.' (Modern readers of the original poem have been so influenced by subsequent depictions of a robust and larger-than-life Santa Claus that they generally fail to note that the original in the poem was a tiny, elfin figure who was able to travel so easily through the chimney because his size was so small.)

...Although, like his successors, the 1823 St. Nick is rotund (albeit an elf), comes down through the chimney, and fills stockings with gifts, he is not yet dressed in red (but in fur), nor does he live at the North Pole... Although not yet named 'Santa Claus,' this magical, well-nourished St. Nick would soon be promoted by merchants in lieu of Jesus Christ, whose birthday they were ostensibly [supposedly, or professing] honoring."
-Derek Davis, The Oxford Handbook of Church and State in the United States, Oxford Handbooks Online, 2010, p. 287-288, ISBN: 9780195326246

Artists tend to sway the imaginations of the public, and over time, the tiny elf is turned into an old man, pagan colors are added into the story (e.g. fur is changed into a red coat), and the next thing we know, an army of elves have toy factories at the North Pole. Often, these types of depictions are created in order to satisfy the public, meaning that children would enjoy listening to their father read this poem to them, but the story has a lot of pagan connections which contradict the Bible, which also raises questions, and so like the corrupt Catholic Church, people change aspects of paganism to make them seem more "Christian" so they can be enjoyed by churchgoers, even though there is NO Biblical justification for that.

There are historical documents from the third century (A.D., before the creation of the Catholic Church) that provide evidence that a man named "Nicholas" had inherited a sum of money, and he was giving parts of it to poor and needy families. He would toss a bag of money (gold or silver) through their window in the middle of the night, and in at least one particular instance, when all the windows were locked, he climbed up on the chimney and dropped a wet bag down the shaft where it would be safe from embers and dry next to the fire on the living room floor.
(See Adam C. English, The Saint who Would be Santa Claus: The True Life and Trials of Nicholas of Myra, Baylor University Press, 2012, ISBN: 9781602586345)

This had nothing to do with the Christmas season (which was still Yule/Saturnalia at the time since Christmas had not been invented yet), and it had nothing to do with an alleged celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Essentially, the modern-day version of "Santa Claus" is nothing more than some sort of Mr. Potato-Head god, which is an entity that is formed from many pieces of various cultures and imaginations, but ALL of it stemmed from the traditions of witches, and today, church buildings and businesses make an absurd fortune on the profits of it every year.

Even the simple tradition of "leaving cookies for Santa" is rooted in paganism:

"From Odin St. Nicholas inherited his gray horse, which in some Germanic countries he uses in his nightly rides, but which he traded for a reindeer before coming to America. For this horse of St. Nicholas, children in parts of Europe leave the hay and oats once left for the horse of Odin."

-George H. McKnight, St. Nicholas: His Legend and His Role in the Christmas Celebration and Other Popular Customs, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1917, p.138-139

Remember that a philosophy is a way of thinking, and from a philosophical standpoint, leaving cookies for Santa makes ABSOLUTELY no sense. When we were children, we were told the lie that if we were "good" boys and girls that behaved ourselves, we would get presents from Santa, but if we were "bad" boys and girls that misbehaved, we would not get presents from Santa (and likely end up with nothing but a lump of coal), however, allegedly, we could bypass that rule by BRIBING Santa with food.

I have never once heard an explanation on why that makes sense because, in the real world, if you bribe people to get favors, that is a crime. Here is the listing under 'bribe' in The Law Dictionary, which is the 2nd Edition of Black's Law Dictionary:
"Any valuable thing given or promised, or any preferment, advantage, privilege, or emolument, given or promised corruptly and against the law, as an inducement to any person acting in an official or public capacity to violate or forbear from his duty, or to improperly influence his behavior in the performance of such duty."
-The Law Dictionary, "What is BRIBE?" retrieved Sept 24, 2021, [https://thelawdictionary.org/bribe]

If you bribe someone to bypass the "good boy" rule, then that automatically means you are doing bad things, which makes you bad, and if Santa were to oblige the favor, then that makes Santa bad, which would mean he is a total hypocrite and sets a terrible example for children and parents alike! However, we are not done there because if you think about it, offering gifts to children to influence their behavior is bribery in the first place, and it also means that the gifts are not really gifts, but they are debt that is earned by good behavior, which means Santa OWES them these payments!

Not only is this insanely confusing and founded in pagan nonsense, but it is morally depraved when applied to the modern Christmas traditions.



 

If the demonic nature of the Santa Claus concept was not bad enough, what is worse is that parents have decided that it is good, harmless fun to LIE to their children. Sadly, there are many churchgoers who lie all the time, every day, and do not believe there is any problem with it, nor do they believe there are any consequences for the lying words that come out of their mouths.
(Read "God Does Not Justify Lies" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

This is why it is so easy to see the huge amount of hypocrisy in churchgoers and pastors who, on the one hand, claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ, while on the other hand, do not take the Word of God seriously when He says He hates lies with the utmost hatred:

Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
-Proverbs 12:22

abomination (n): extreme hatred
(See 'abomination', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 7, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
-Proverbs 6:16-19

The Lord God hates lies so much, he not only mentioned it once in the list of six things He hates, but He extended the list to seven points so He could mention lies twice. Since God obviously hates lies with extreme hatred, He expects His children to hate lies in the same manner:

A righteous man hateth lying: but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.
-Proverbs 13:5

What many people do not understand is that God has told us in His Word that a liar HATES those who are afflicted by their lies:

A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.
-Proverbs 26:28

affliction (n): a state of pain, distress, or grief
(See 'affliction', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 7, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Of course, it is a rare thing to find a parent that would openly admit to hating their children, and most of them will reject this verse and claim that they love their children when they are lying to them, which means someone is wrong. Either the parents are right and God is wrong, or God is right and the parents are wrong, and I am certainly inclined to believe the latter.

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
-Titus 1:2

There are many areas of family life in which parents lie to their children, but in this particular instance, they lie to their children about Santa Claus. When the day comes that the child is old enough to understand the basic nature of things in this world, and they begin to question the existence of Santa Claus (or someone else outside the home tells them the truth), they are somewhat skeptical because, in the mind of a child, they refuse to believe that their parents would lie to them.

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
-Colossians 3:9

Then, when the father and mother finally come clean and tell their child the truth, the child is devastated. Of course, parents foolishly think the child is afflicted with much grief because he is coming to the realization that Santa is fake, but that is NOT the case, and parents do not want to even think about the truth of why that child is in tears.

The child believed Santa was real ONLY because his parents TOLD him it was true. In their selfishness and hatred, they deny the fact that the child is devastated because he has come to the realization that his parents are LIARS who tricked him, which causes the child much shame, and it extends the child's great heartache when he finally figures out that his parents cannot be trusted.

The child will typically suffer a lot of embarrassment as well, and this is something parents do not consider either. The embarrassment comes from siblings or schoolmates who laugh at him and make fun of him for believing in such an obvious fantasy, but the child did not believe in the fantasy because he lacked common sense; rather, he believed in the fantasy because he put his faith and trust into his father and mother, who he looked up to as shining examples of what an adult should be, and his trust was betrayed.

It is an extraordinarily cruel and terrible thing when a child defends Santa Claus because he does it not for the sake of the concept of Santa, but for the sake of his father and mother. They will lash out at those children who are making fun of them for believing in Santa because, in reality, they are innocently defending their parents who they trust completely, suffering the ridicule for their sakes, only to discover they have been betrayed by those who alleged to love them the most.

What fascinates me is that, at this point, children learn a hard lesson not to trust their parents. Then, in willful blindness, the parents are baffled as to why their children, when they reach teenage years, do not trust them and begin to rebel, and the point I am making is that young men and women tend to trust their parents more when their parents do not lie to them in the first place.

Parents are not only being encouraged to lie to their children, but many believe in the absurd idea that a child's belief in paganism is NECESSARY for his healthy development. In 2013, I retrieved the following quotation from Child and Family Services, an alleged "Christian" 501c3 organization, from their "Parentline" Q&A section:
"ANONYMOUS PARENT: Our oldest son, age 12, just told his little brother, age 7, that Santa doesn't exist. Of course, we're upset about that because we wanted the little one's belief in magic and miracles to last longer, but as it is, he cried and said, 'He does too exist!' I don't know if we can salvage his faith. Please help."
-Child and Family Services, "ParentLine," letter from Southern NH, retrieved Dec 5, 2013, [http://cfsnh.org/pages/programs/parentline/santa.html]; The website has since been changed to childandfamilyservice.org, and they have deleted their old archives, see also Internet Archives Wayback Machine, [https://web.archive.org/web/20141124072257/http://cfsnh.org/pages/programs/parentline/santa.html]

Again, why would any parent become so desperate to defend their child's faith (or belief) in a lie? What is their drive to keep them grounded in witchcraft? Any answer to these questions would be pointless because there is no moral reason to do so, and it only creates resentment and distrust in the child.

It does not matter how much a parent says the generic phrase "I love you" to a child, if the parent has lied to the child, God has declared that the parent HATES the child. I know of a lot of churchgoers who would be furious with me for saying that, and would do everything in their power to argue against that fact, but they do so in their own foolishness because they are arguing against God Himself (i.e. "A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it"), being prideful and refusing to acknowledge the truth of His Word, having no repentance (i.e. godly sorrow) of their sins, while hypocritically claiming to serve Jesus Christ.
(Read There is No Saving Grace Without Repentance here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

But if you thought the question was absurd, wait until you read the response:
"CFS RESPONSE: As for your little guy, ParentLine hopes you gave him a big hug and told him, 'Good for you.' His willingness to believe despite the Grinch's attempt to steal his Christmas this year says 'Yes,' he still wants to believe. Chris Van Allsburg, author of The Polar Express, says that 'believing in Santa is not just a passing phase, but a real necessity for kids in this age.' Allsburg says that his book was about his own feelings when he was 8 or 9, and though he wasn't consciously writing about those feelings and beliefs, he ended up writing about a time that did bring him a lot of joy and happiness. This year, why not start a holiday tradition and read The Polar Express or watch a Christmas chestnut of a movie... Use the books and movies to spark discussion about magic and miracles."
-Child and Family Services, "ParentLine," letter from Southern NH, retrieved Dec 5, 2013, [http://cfsnh.org/pages/programs/parentline/santa.html]; The website has since been changed to childandfamilyservice.org, and they have deleted their old archives, see also Internet Archives Wayback Machine, [https://web.archive.org/web/20141124072257/http://cfsnh.org/pages/programs/parentline/santa.html]

I could not think of a more foolish, ignorant, and irresponsible answer. To understand what was happening in that household, we need to consider a few points.

First of all, the 12-year-old boy was most likely trying to use his more developed knowledge of the truth to hurt his younger 7-year-old brother, rather than using the truth for his benefit so he could gain understanding, and for that, the older brother should be scolded and disciplined because he spoke the truth in hatred, rather than in kindness. However, the important point is that if the parents had not LIED to either of their children about the ridiculous concept of Santa Claus, then they would not have given the older brother ammunition to use against his younger brother in the first place.

Again, this is supposed to be a "Christian" website, but they have no concern about making sure parents are educating their children according to the truth of Scripture. The faith of a Christian is not established in magic or Santa, and even though the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a miracle, Christmas has nothing to do with that.

Jesus Christ taught us that it is a wicked generation that looks for signs and miracles over the truth.

The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven... A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
-Matthew 16:1-4

If the older brother simply told his younger brother the truth out of concern, he should also have been praised and encouraged for telling the truth, and the parents should have apologized to him for not having the boldness and responsibility to be the first ones to tell the truth. With that, there should have been an apology from the parents to both brothers for lying to them about Santa. If the parents chide the older brother while encouraging the younger brother, it only sends a message to both children that lies are not only acceptable with God, but lies are "good" things that will make them happy, will keep them from suffering punishment, and that telling the truth is "wrong," meaning that they will continue to lie in the future, just as their parents have taught them to do by example.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
-Isaiah 5:20

Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
-Proverbs 17:13

These children are being raised to believe that lies are acceptable, so long as you make someone smile in the process, and readers should note that con men do that for a living. The lesson those children will carry with them into their adult years is that they should turn away from the truth for the sake of entertaining stories, and they will go on to teach their children to do the same wicked things, which, ultimately, teaches them a philosophy (i.e. way of thinking) that they should not take the Bible seriously.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [i.e. they will only want to hear pleasant-sounding messages] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
-2 Timothy 4:3-5

There are many books, TV shows, and movies on the market that promote the idea to parents and children that it is a good and acceptable thing to teach children the lie that Santa Claus is real. One of the more well-known examples in American society is Miracle on 34th Street (originally created in the UK and was titled The Big Heart), which was so popular in the U.S., it had a 1994 remake.

One of the key themes in the movie is summed up in the question one of the actors asks: "What's better: The lie that draws a smile, or the truth that draws a tear?" The Biblical answer to that question is: If you do not lie to your children in the first place, there will be no tears later when they discover that you are a liar and you cannot be trusted.

The general story is that an old man named Kris Kringle is secretly Santa Claus himself, and is hired to play Santa Claus in the famous annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He does such a good job at it, he is hired full time by Doris Walker, Macy's events director, who is an all-work and no-play kind of woman, and over the course of the next few weeks, Kris helps Doris and Susan, her only daughter.

In the movie, Susan (the daughter) is portrayed as an emotionless drone because Doris was honest with her daughter and told her that Santa Claus does not exist, implying that the truth turned her daughter into a stoic robot. Meanwhile, Doris's neighbor, Fred, volunteers to watch Susan for a day, and he takes her to see Santa Claus at the Macy's store.

The following video is a clip that was taken from the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street, which I watched when I was young. Please note that in the 1994 version, Fred was renamed Brian:

[Scene opens with children in line waiting to see the mall Santa.] SUSAN: "This seems like a pretty pointless exercise Brian." BRIAN: "I know, I just thought as long as we were here, we might as well stop by and say 'hello' to the old guy. Look at him." SUSAN: "Why?" BRIAN: "Well, let's just say for the sake of argument, that there is a Santa Claus, and that you don't believe in him. Is it worth the risk that you might not get anything for Christmas this year?" SUSAN: "Well, I didn't believe in him last year, and I still got everything I asked my mother for." BRIAN: "[Unsure of what to say next] Yeah... [lengthy pause] You get a free candy cane?" SUSAN: "I'm trying to limit my intake of sugar." BRIAN: "Uh huh."

It needs to be said that this little girl sounds AMAZING, and I would be overjoyed to have a daughter who was so soundly reasoned. Even the comment about her limiting the intake of sugar was fantastic because Americans tend to ignore the fact that most food manufacturers in the United States are corrupt, and care only about addicting children to their so-called "food" through the intake of large amounts of processed sugar, which stunts their growth, hinders their ability to learn, weakens their natural immune systems, and is the leading cause of diabetes.
(Read "The Cure for Cancer" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

That being said, the main question we need to ask is this: Why is this man so hell-bent on coercing this little girl to go sit on a stranger's lap when she does not want to? Let's make sure we understand the definition of 'coerce':

coerce (v): to compel by force, intimidation, or authority, especially without regard for individual desire or volition
(See 'coerce', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

Just to clarify, Brian brought her to this location against her will, and then, he threatened her by saying she might not get any presents for Christmas if she did not believe and do what he was telling her. That is the very definition of coercion, and it is illegal across the entire United States!

Of course, some churchgoers might argue that he was not committing any crime, but I would retort that this man, Brian, was NOT her father, he was betraying her mother's trust by violating her wishes, teaching things to her daughter that she did NOT want Susan to learn, and under any other context, this would be considered child abuse. Please think about this for a moment: Take away the Christmas decorations and the red Santa Claus suit, and then tell me you would not be calling the police on a man who was using coercion against a little girl to get her to go sit on a strange old man's lap.

Furthermore, Brian is attempting to teach Susan covetousness in a sinful manner. The word 'covet' in general means "to wish" or "to desire" for a thing, and therefore, covetousness is not always evil because it is morally acceptable to desire or wish for something. (e.g. One can covet the gifts of God, covet wealth to help his family through hard times, or covet the health of his friend.)

But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
-1 Corinthians 12:31

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
-3 John 1:2

However, the sin of covetousness involves an unrighteous path to obtain that which one desires, whether through criminal activity or wickedness (i.e. sins like witchcraft and paganism). There is no sin in a child who desires for a gift from his parents, and often, it is the joy of the parents to give their child something he wants, but the problem is in the fact that the child is not being taught to be obedient to parents in order to please the Lord God and receive His blessings; rather, the child is being taught to be obedient to parents in order to receive the blessings of a demonic symbol of the gods of witchcraft.

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
-Romans 7:7

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
-Hebrews 13:5

This begs the question: During the Christmas season, are children being taught to be content with the things they have? What example are parents showing to children? To answer that, I would not need to go any farther than showing in-store video of the hellish annual shopping day called "Black Friday."

The name "Black Friday" is a 19th century term that was used to describe the pay day of workers that was affected by a scheme in which railroad tycoons stockpiled gold and manipulated the price of it when the U.S. was taken off the gold standard during the Civil War. This caused a lot of dread among workers in that day because the value of their work was being decreased by the manipulation of the market value of gold by those who held majority control of it. In the 1950s, the term "Black Friday" was revived to represent the dread of workers having to deal with the masses in a buying frenzy for the first day of the Christmas shopping season, which is (ironically) the day after Thanksgiving.

(See Creation Liberty Evangelism Official Rumble Channel, "Christmas: The REJECTION of Jesus, Black Friday Madness," Nov 24, 2021, [https://rumble.com/vpqfgl-christmas-the-rejection-of-jesus-black-friday-madness-creationliberty.com.html])

In the video, crowds of people are knocking each other over, people are being injured without any concern from those around them. People are punched and kicked, and screaming can be heard echoing throughout the stores. The public who attend these frenzies are reduced to nothing more than brute beasts in order to obtain vain material objects.

brute (adj): senseless; irrational; bestial; rough; uncivilized
(See 'brute', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 21, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
-2 Peter 2:12-13

Again, I ask: What example are these parents showing to their children? These brutish actions in shopping centers come from a covetous desire to have material things for themselves, and specifically for their children, to make sure they can have something from "Santa" on an annual pagan holiday.

Although I typically do not like to hand out advice if I am not asked for it, I am going to ignore that and give parents some solid Biblical advice: It is vitally important that you teach your children the principles of God concerning the sins of lying and covetousness, why they are wrong, and what we ought to do. Then, if you have lied to them, show them your genuine repentance (i.e. grief and sorrow) that you have done them wrong by lying to them, and ask them to forgive you for your wrongdoing, just as Jesus Christ has forgiven us Christians of our wrongdoing.

For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
-Isaiah 66:2

So I would ask parents this question: Which is better? The lie that teaches children to deceive others, or the truth that teaches a strong moral foundation?

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
-Isaiah 5:20

 

Aside from Santa Claus, one of the most commonly used depictions during the Christmas celebration is the "Nativity Scene," which is supposed to represent the birth of Jesus Christ, and is typically seen in lawn figures, lights, and paintings.

nativity (n): birth; the coming into life or the world; time, place and manner of birth
(See 'nativity', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 24, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Through tradition, the willful ignorance of family, and the false preaching of corrupt pastors, churchgoers have gotten the idea in their minds that if they put a nativity scene about Jesus Christ in their front yards during Christmastime, the celebration will be about Jesus Christ. This is as absurd as putting up a baby chicken sign in front of a beef steak, and declaring that eating the steak is all about the birth and sacrifice of chickens.

Essentially, most people tend to judge a book by its cover, or in other words, they are only judging the appearance of the thing by what they see with their eyes. This means that the average person drives by a lit-up nativity scene and judges that it is good and true because it looks pleasing to their eyes.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
-Proverbs 14:12

All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
-Proverbs 16:2

Many years ago, when I first started researching this subject, I found it fascinating how the traditional nativity scene, which I saw many times as a child, is actually giving a false view of what happened. Today, most churchgoers are blissfully ignorant that their perceptions of the birth of Christ have been skewed by Christmas decorations.

For example, go to the average church building and ask the average churchgoer the following question: How many wise men visited Jesus Christ when He was born? Their answer will almost always be, "three," but that is incorrect.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
-Matthew 2:1

I have seen some articles on this subject from various so-called "Christian" organizations. There are numerous authors out there who still say there were "three" wise men.

This is all the information we have on how many wise men came to Jerusalem looking for Christ. There could have been as few as two (because the word 'men' is plural), or there could have been 100 of them; we have no idea because the Bible never said how many there were. However, the question we have to ask ourselves is this: Why do churchgoers automatically assume there were THREE wise men? The reason is because, after the manner of children, they have looked at displays and paintings that have shown three wise men, and they conclude that the Bible also says there are three wise men, even though that information is false.

Some churchgoers might argue the reason for three wise men is because there were three gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, just because there were three types of things presented to Jesus Christ, it does not mean there had to be three men; there could have been more or less.

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
-Matthew 2:11

The nativity scene depictions show that Jesus was laid in a manger in a barn, which is a trough or box that grain and other food is poured into for the purpose of feeding cattle. However, notice in Matthew 2:11, that the wise men went "into the house," not a barn or stable.

Let's walk through what actually happened:

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
-Luke 2:1-3

Every province in the region would have a town/city that was setup to receive taxation from the citizens, and this would have required rural citizens to travel into the city to pay their taxes. Because Joseph was of the lineage of David, he went to Bethlehem, with his family, to pay the tax.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife [i.e. wife via betrothal], being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
-Luke 2:4-7

Either on the way to Bethlehem, or just after arriving, Mary went into labor, meaning that the baby (i.e. Jesus Christ) was coming out. Just like any responsible husband, Joseph would have sought a comfortable and private place where his wife could give birth, preferably a place that was near to clean water, like an inn (i.e. hotel) for example, but because so many people had come to pay their taxes at the same time, the local inns were completely booked, and so the next logical place where there was some privacy and access to fresh water would be a nearby stable, where visitors would have paid to lodge their horses and camels for the night.

After Jesus Christ was born, there was a group of men that came to visit Him while he was laying in the manger, but it was not the wise men.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
-Luke 2:8-12

This gives us another indication that the birth of Jesus Christ did not take place in December, and we already went over the details of that in chapter two, how the corrupt Catholic Church adopted the timing based on the timing of the pagan solstice celebration. The month of December would be very cold, and the shepherds would not be out in the middle of night with their flocks in that kind of harsh weather; this was a warm night, indicating it was probably summertime, which would make more sense because if Caesar wanted everyone to pay tax, it would be much more difficult to get it during the winter, but easier to get it during the summer.

Once the child was born, and the shepherds came, this would provide an opportunity for Joseph to have the shepherds keep watch over his wife and child while he went to go search the city for any available housing in local inns, or even in someone's house. Even today, it is not uncommon for people to open up some of the bedrooms in their homes (acting as a mini-bed-and-breakfast) if there is a big event in town; it is just another way for locals to bring in some extra money for their household. Once he found an available room and paid for it, Joseph would have gone back to retrieve Mary and Jesus to bring them into the inn for the remainder of the night, which is where the wise men ended up finding him, in a house, in a proper bed, not in the manger.

Therefore, the manger scene is fictitious on multiple accounts. Churchgoers like to argue that these details do not matter, but the fact that churchgoers do not understand the difference between the yard displays and the Bible shows that there is a VERY important difference; namely, that they look to what is pleasing to their own eyes, rather than looking to the authority of God's Word.

Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
-Isaiah 5:21

And yet, the hypocrisy does not end there because many so-called "evangelicals" are against creating statues of Jesus Christ for worship as the Catholics do. They are claiming that the nativity scene is a divine event (which it was in Scripture), and they are creating images of Jesus Christ (who is God). How is that any different than a pagan creating an image of his gods and goddesses? They know that is idolatry, especially because they claim to worship Jesus Christ, but they somehow think it is different because it is a baby, which is ridiculous.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
-Exodus 20:4-5

Remember, the churchgoers who defend their pagan Christmas celebration claim they are honoring Jesus Christ, and that is the definition of worship:

worship (v): to adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration
(See 'worship', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 1, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Many times, I have heard pastors and churchgoers defend themselves on this by claiming that the image of Jesus Christ in the nativity scene is not an idol because they are not worshiping the image. They claim they really worship Jesus Christ, and that the image is just a representation of Him, but little do they understand that pagans (who these same churchgoers would agree are idolaters) make EXACTLY the same excuse.

The following pagan author states:
"As one of the few modern followers of the ancient Roman Religion, and educated in the fields of archaeology and theology, I can safely say you're on the right track with this. [i.e. She is referring to the question asked.] No pagan religion ever believed the statues, fetishes, or images were the gods themselves. Much like Catholic ikonography [study of symbols and their meanings], they were reminders and representations of the gods. Also like the ikons [representation of a sacred person], they were made to glorify and praise the god in whose image they were made."
-Lia Rees, "Did The Pagans Actually Worship Statues?" Quora, Dec 7, 2015, retrieved Mar 29, 2018, [quora.com/Did-the-pagans-actually-worship-statues]

This is the same excuse that churchgoers make, and in their willful blindness, do not understand that the pagans do not believe they are guilty of idolatry either. If what the pagans and the churchgoers at Christmas are doing is not idolatry, then idolatry does not exist, and God must have made a mistake, but of course, we know that is nonsense, and it is just that mankind loves to make excuses when it comes to their sin.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
-Proverbs 21:2

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
-Luke 16:15

Furthermore, churchgoers are typically unaware that the Catholic Church makes the same excuse for their idolatry of Mary (i.e. they worship her as a pagan goddess), and all their false images of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Catechism states:
"The Christian [i.e. Catholic] veneration [reverence, or high degree of respect] of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, 'the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype [the original from which the image was copied; thus, they are saying that prayers to the image of Mary pass through to Mary],' and 'whoever venerates [greatly respects] an image venerates the person portrayed in it.' The honor paid to sacred images is a 'respectful veneration,' not the adoration due to God alone: Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate."
-Catechism of the Catholic Church, "IV. You Shall Not Make For Yourself A Graven Image," Part 3, Section 2, Chapter 1, Article 1, Canon #2132, retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P7F.HTM]

To an extent, I could agree with the concept that a pagan does not believe that the statue itself is a god or goddess (because they believe it only represents them), but neither pagans or Catholics understand that they are still guilty of idolatry because they are willingly blinding themselves to the meaning of it. From a Biblical perspective, there is no difference between a Catholic and a witch; both use the same excuses to justify themselves, both follow the same wicked traditions and philosophies, and worse still, some witches have used Catholicism as their justification for idolatry:
"Wiccans would certainly have difficulty following all 10 commandments and harmonizing them with their own theological and moral beliefs. However, Christians [i.e. Catholics] have similar problems: most don't worship on Saturday; many have statues of the Virgin Mary and crucifixes. Yet they still consider themselves to be Christian."
-Jeanne Curran & Susan R. Takata, "Syncretic Religion: Wiccans, Witchcraft, and Christianity," California State University Dominguez Hills, Aug 12, 2002, retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [http://dearhabermas.org/religion22.htm]

What we just read is a witch looking at the Catholic Church, seeing the striking similarities between witchcraft and Catholicism, and concluding that pagan worship is acceptable since Catholics (who falsely call themselves Christians) do it too. Likewise, we have millions upon millions of churchgoers across the world who claim they are disciples of Jesus Christ, adopt the same idolatrous practices that witches and Catholics do, but they think it is justified because everybody else is doing it.

I also find it pathetic that so many churchgoers think putting up a nativity scene in their yards is somehow "sharing the gospel." They do nothing to actually teach the doctrines of Jesus Christ to others, but they do think they have done a good work by putting up a light display that boils down to idolatry and false interpretations of God's Word.

We who are born again in Christ worship only the Lord Jesus Christ, and not the traditions of men. The Bible tells us that those who worship Him must do so in spirit and truth, not with silly decorations to put on a show that depicts something that is false.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
-John 4:24

The Lord God did not make the Bible a picture book, and for good reason. He knew that men would start worshiping images, and if He had provided pictures in the Bible, it would only have made things worse.

However, a few hundred years ago, believers in various places, especially in early American Colonies (which would later form the United States) knew about the corrupt debaucheries surrounding the Christmas celebration, and the attachment it has to the vile Catholic Church. Because of that understanding, some public communities banned its celebration.



 

Most Americans today treat Christmas as a national holiday, as if it is part of standard operating procedure for Christians, but few of them understand that early Americans knew that Christmas was paganism and witchcraft that was transformed in the bowels of the Catholic Church. Having personally witnessed the atrocities of the Catholic Church across Europe, in which vicious Inquisitors hunted and killed Christians (among many other groups who disagreed with the Pope), the early colonists wanted nothing to do with Catholic traditions, and that is why Catholics in the colonies were forced to form their own colony (i.e. Maryland/Mary-Land) to have a place to call home.

To be fair, many of those who banned the celebration of Christmas adopted other false doctrines and corrupt religious traditions that did not reflect Christ. However, at the very least, they understood that the Bible condemned the practices of pagans and witches, and they wanted no part of them in their towns and cities.

Increase Mather (1639-1723), a preacher during the Reformation in Europe, pointed out that disciples of Christ have typically stayed away from such celebrations. In the beginning of chapter three of his book, Testimony Against Prophane Customs, he summarized his argument:
"In the Apostolical Times the Feast of the Nativity was not observed. The very name of Christmass savours of superstition. It can never bee [sic] proved that Christ was born on December 25. It is most probable that the Nativity was in September. The New-Testament allows of no stated Holy-day but the Lords-day. Objections answered. It was in compliance with the Pagan Saturnalia that Christ-mass Holy-days were first invented. The manner of Christ-mass-keeping, as generally observed, is highly dishonourable to the Name of Christ."
-Increase Mather, Testimony Against Prophane Customs, Volume 81, University of Virginia Press, 1953, p. 36

I cannot vouch for all the doctrines of Mather because I am not well-versed in his teachings, but for this subject specifically, I can agree with him whole-heartedly because the clear teaching of God's Word does not, in any way, encourage or mandate the celebration of Christmas traditions, especially concerning their proclaimed (or rather, false) connections to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Mather provides us all of the following points of argument to support his premise:

1. "In the pure Apostolical times there was no Christ-mass-day observed in the Church of God. We ought to keep to the primitive Pattern."
Mather points out that early eyewitnesses and historians, who documented the lives, beliefs, and deeds of the disciples of Christ in the first and second centuries, NEVER mentioned anything concerning Christmas traditions, or any other tradition like unto them. Furthermore, they never kept any special days to celebrate and honor the nativity of Christ, and Mather commented that historian Martin Chemnitius wrote, "Anniversarium diem Natalis Christi celebratum fuisse, apud vetustissimos nunquam legitur [We do not read in most ancient Christian writers that the annual day of the birth of Christ was celebrated]," and Mather rightly adds, "The most Ancient writers speak not the least word concerning the celebration of Christ's Birth-day."

I would contend that we should not have to look any further than Scripture alone for confirmation that the early Christians had no part in such pagan traditions. However, because many churchgoers do not care what Scripture actually says and teaches (despite the fact that they love to hypocritically sing songs about Christ every week), it requires us to add in carnal reasoning to help them come to an acknowledgment of the truth because they are splashing around the milk of the Word, being children in their understanding.

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
-1 Corinthians 3:1-2

Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
-1 Corinthians 14:20

2. "The word Christ-mass is enough to cause such as are studious of reformation to dislike what shall be known by a name so superstitious."
Mathers argues that those who have born again in the Lord Jesus Christ should have absolutely NO part in anything that contains the word 'Mass' because it is a strictly Catholic ideology that wars against the doctrines of Jesus Christ.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
-2 Corinthians 6:14

3. "It can never be proved that Christ's nativity was on 25. [sic] of December."
4. "Though the particular Day of Christ's Nativity is now unknown unto the world, yet it seems most probable that He was born in the latter End of September, or in the beginning of October."
Mathers provides references to the writings of second century authors that searched for the exact day of Christ's birth, and they could not find it. These were men who lived 1800 years closer to that day than we do, and they could not find any references or eyewitnesses that could confirm it. As I pointed out in chapter two, it was an invention of the Pope of Rome to merge with pagan tradition (as Mathers will mention in point #6), not a historically confirmed date and celebration of Christ.

What specific calendar day Christ was born into this world is irrelevant, and it only serves the purpose of making superstitious churchgoers feel more "holy" by worshiping on a particular calendar day. (i.e. It is no different than what pagans or Catholics do.) Many various historical records confirm the life and death of Jesus Christ, and so having a particular date he was born is not going to help anyone convert to faith, nor is it going to help churchgoers to look to Him first and foremost in all matters.

5. "God in his Word has no where appointed Christians to keep an Anniversary Holy-day in Commemoration of Christ's Nativity."
Of course, any Christian is permitted in liberty, based on his own conscience, to honor God in the way he chooses; however, churchgoers are not celebrating the Christmas season because of their own conscience. They are celebrating Christmas because of their emotions and traditions, and that is proven true time and time again because when churchgoers are presented with the truth of Scripture in a book like this, more often than not, they come up with any excuse they can think of to retain their Christmas traditions, finding it too grievous to give up anything they adore for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
-2 Timothy 3:4

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
-Matthew 10:37-39

6. "Christmas Holidays were at first invented and instituted in compliance with the Pagan Festivals, of old observed at that very time of the Year."
7. "The generality of Christmas-keepers observe that Festival after such a manner as is highly dishonourable to the name of Christ."
Mathers refers back to early authors (e.g. Tertullian, Jerome, etc) who spoke of Saturnalia and the rituals of pagans, but never of Christmas traditions (or any other similar traditions) in the name of Christ, demonstrating once again that Christmas (or Christ-Mass) did not exist until the popes of Rome invented and propagandized it. Once again, it is sad that churchgoers on every side walk after the manner of heathen, but worse still, they claim the manner of heathen to be "Christian" in nature, which is metaphorically slapping Jesus Christ across the face.

And ye shall know that I am the LORD: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.
-Ezekiel 11:12

Finally, Mathers pointed out the revellings, mirth, and excess of wine that is often done during the Christmas season. They claim they celebrate Christmas in worship of Jesus Christ, and yet, profane His name by participating in many of the things I have written about in previous chapters.

Mather ends by saying:
"[T]he Feast of Christ's Nativity is attended with such Profaneness, as that it deserves the name of Saturn's Mass, or of Bacchus his Mass, or if you will, the Devil's Mass, rather than to have the Holy name of Christ put upon it. Mr. Perkins [In his Exposition of the Creed.] justly complains that, The Feast of Christ's Nativity (commonly so called) is not spent in praising God, but in Revelling, Dicing, Carding, Masking, Mumming, and in all Licentious Liberty for the most part, as though it were some Heathen Feast of Ceres or Bacchus [See Gataker of Lots, p. 238.]. And Latimer in one of his Sermons saith, That Men dishonour Christ more in the 12 Days of Christmas, than in all the 12 Months besides."
-Increase Mather, Testimony Against Prophane Customs, Volume 81, University of Virginia Press, 1953, p. 39

It should be noted that the pilgrims of the Mayflower (i.e. the ship which brought the colonists from Europe to the east coast of what is today the United States of America) settled at Plymouth Rock in 1620, and the United States did not declare independence from England until 1776, over 150 years later. The early settlements most often banned the celebration of Christmas in their towns, and there was a threat of fines if any citizen participated in them.

The following is a 17th century notice published by the colonists living in Massachusetts: "Publick Notice - the Observation of Christmas having been deemed a Sacrilege, the exchanging of Gifts and Greetings, dressing in Fine Clothing, Feasting and similar Satanical Practices are hereby FORBIDDEN with the Offender liable to a Fine of Five Shillings."
-P.N. Oak, World Vedic Heritage: A History of Histories, Vol. 2, self-published, 2003, p. 1024

Please note that five shillings at the time was a VERY small amount, nothing more than a financial slap on the wrist, but it was to help deter the spread of pagan rituals that were in opposition to Scripture. Greetings, gifts, fine clothing, or feasts were not an offense of themselves, but the particular practice of these things in recognition of the Christmas celebration, which was a promotion of the debauchery of witches during Saturnalia, and the atrocities of the Catholic Church in correlation with them, was (and is) a serious offense.

Some readers might not understand why they would go to such lengths, but if you and your family had to suffer under constant threat of being tortured and burned at the stake by the Catholic Church for simply standing firm on the doctrines of Jesus Christ, you would take this as seriously as they did. For them, it was imperative that they separate themselves from all religious practices that were connected to the Catholic Church, as it should still be a serious matter for anyone who claims to be a disciple of Christ.
(Read Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

By the early 19th century, a number of states adopted Christmas as a state-recognized holiday, but Christmas did not become a nationwide federally-recognized holiday in the United States until 1870. Prior to that time, government and businesses remained open, and civilization operated normally throughout the month of December, but as more pagans and Catholics sailed to the Americas, they gained more influence over wayward citizens, which slowly corrupted American society to adopt paganism into their homes.

However, just because the government recognized a holiday (despite the fact that the U.S. government is supposed to be separate from the church, keeping government out of religious affairs), it did not mean that the faithful at that time were just going to roll over and let it happen. They still had a right to reject federal/state holidays, and a number of church groups still rejected Christmas celebrations, and closed their doors in protest of it:
"The churches of the Presbyterians, Baptists and Methodists were not open on Dec. 25 except where some Mission Schools had a celebration. They do not accept the day as a Holy One, but the Episcopalian, Catholic and German Churches were all open. Inside they were decked with evergreens."
-New York Daily Times, December 26, 1855, quoted by Joanne Martell, American Christmases: Firsthand Accounts of Holiday Happenings from Early Days to Modern Times, John F. Blair, 2005, p. 100, ISBN: 9780895873194

Just to clarify, there is no such thing as a "denomination" in Christ's church, and Paul rebuked denominations in the book of First Corinthians, so there is no reason any legitimate church should have a denominational title. However, that being said, it is amazing that the Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists rejected the paganism, witchcraft, and idolatry of Christmas early on, but today, the majority of them have full celebrations of it, welcome nearly all pagan Christmas traditions with open arms (while hypocritically claiming they are all about "Jesus" after their predecessors had strictly taught the opposite), and now they even scoff at those who dare to question the golden calf of Christmas because they believe it to be "holy."
(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Despite all this evidence, there are still many preachers who teach that Christmas is a long-standing "Christian" holiday, and that Christians have always celebrated it over the past 2,000 years. (We will learn more about some of their absurd teachings in the next chapter.) We have already learned that this is not true, and that such a claim cannot be backed up by any historical or Scriptural records, but they still make the claim because they know most people will never double check them to make sure they are telling the truth.

Just in U.S. records alone, only going back a few hundred years, we can prove that many church organizations did NOT observe Christmas. Furthermore, even British organizations pressed to ban the corrupt holiday:
"With the coming of the Reformation, some Protestants began to question not only the perceived idolatry in what they thought was Catholic worship of the carved nativity figures, but also the entire celebration of Christmas with its legacy of pagan decorations. During the Reformation, many Protestant churches saw Christmas as an intrinsically Catholic holiday and deemphasized its importance. English Puritans and Scottish Presbyterians in particular voiced their disapproval of the Christmas holiday. The most vociferous opponents of Christmas were the English and American Puritans, but Calvinists and Presbyterians also were offended by the Catholic-tainted pageantry of the Christmas holiday... By 1652, Christmas observance in England was banned both in and out of church."
-Derek H. Davis, The Oxford Handbook of Church and State in the United States, Oxford University Press, 2010, p. 286, ISBN: 9780199716937

England and the newly formed U.S. colonies made effort to ban Christmas because of its paganism, idolatry, and other lewd activities that still take place to this day:
"The pagan celebration called 'Christmas' became so indecent that in the seventeenth century, under Oliver Cromwell's Puritan rule, the Christmas celebration was banned in England for thirteen years from 1647 through 1660. And for the same reason, Christmas was outlawed in the New England Colonies of British America, with the exception of New York and Virginia. In fact, it was not until the 1800s that people really began to celebrate Christmas in America."
-Luis Munoz, Birth, Criminal History and Judgment of the Roman C. Church, Balboa Press, 2012, p. 29, ISBN: 9781452560588

As we learned in chapter two, Yule came from witchcraft, and Saturnalia was a pagan day of lust and violence, which was even worse than the practices and traditions of the lewd American "Spring Break" celebrated by college students, or Louisiana's demonic "Mardi Gras" celebration. We could not imagine having an entire week where the courts and our U.S. Constitution were suspended. Such a thing would be a living nightmare, and completely contradictory to the doctrines of government submission in Romans 13.
(Read "Should Christians Submit to Governing Authority?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Knowing this, many early colonists wanted nothing to do with Christmas because they fully understood the Catholic/pagan abomination, and did what they could to educate future generations. Even 19th century preacher Charles Sumner, in a July 4th speech, appropriately attributed the atrocities of war, described them as a "fiendish Saturnalia," demonstrating that there were still many in the United States that understood the corruptions of Christmas:
"This is plain and frank, and reveals the true character of War. I need not dwell on the moral debasement of man that must ensue. All the passions of his nature are unleashed, like so many blood-hounds, and suffered to rage. All the crimes which fill our prisons stalk abroad, plaited with the soldier's garb, and unwhipt of justice. Murder, robbery, rape, arson, theft, are the sports of this fiendish Saturnalia, when the gates of mercy shall be all shut up, And the fleshed soldier, rough and hard of heart, In the liberty of bloody hand shall range With conscience wide as hell."
-Charles Sumner, "The True Grandeur of Nations," emersonkent.com, July 4, 1845, retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [http://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/the_true_grandeur_of_nations.htm])

Perhaps if claymation artists, or a Charlie Brown Christmas special, depicted Christmas by showing the brutish sexual and murderous nature of the Romans during this season, or the malicious torture, rape, and murder by Catholic Inquisitors, some people might be willing to reconsider what they believe. However, today, most people have abandoned the reason of truth for the pleasures of emotion.

If Christians have "always celebrated Christmas," then why did so many religious organizations ban it and fight against it? I am not saying they all did, but there used to be a stronger stand against these wicked things. The reason they used to stand firm on the truth is because they were much more intimately familiar with the history, namely, that that warm glow of lights and delicious treats was (and still is) a fluffy appearance to fool the masses into accepting the demonic traditions of witchcraft as a normal, annual practice to be adored and revered. (i.e. They were trying to prevent exactly what our society looks like today!)

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [a way of thinking] and vain deceit [useless lies], after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings you learn] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:6-8

Though there are many preachers that love to quote the teachings of the famous 19th century preacher, Charles Spurgeon, they seem to be oddly quiet when it comes to his teaching against the anti-biblical Christmas traditions:
"We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas: first, because we do not believe in the mass at all, but abhor it, whether it be said or sung in Latin or in English; and, secondly, because we find no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day as the birthday of the Saviour; and, consequently, its observance is a superstition, because it is not of divine authority. Superstition has fixed most positively the day of our Saviour's birth, although there is no possibility of discovering when it occurred... Where is the method in the madness of the superstitious? Probably the fact is that the holy days were arranged to fit in with heathen festivals. We venture to assert, that if there be any day in the year, of which we may be pretty sure that it was not the day on which the Saviour was born, it is the twenty-fifth of December."
-Charles Spurgeon, sermon given Dec 24, 1871, Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit: Sermons, Passmore & Alabaster, 1872, p. 697

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
-Acts 17:22

Superstition involves taking small matters of little importance (e.g. the position of the sun in the sky), and blowing them up to be grave matters of religious importance (e.g. the winter solstice celebration), most especially when they are based on no evidence. Thus, when a churchgoer takes the winter solstice and puffs it up into a celebration of the birth of the Son of God, it is silly superstition, in which they believe, without evidence, that their decorations represent spiritual events, and that the rituals of man have spiritual influence.

superstition (n): excessive exactness or rigor in religious opinions or practice; extreme and unnecessary scruples [doubts over insignificant matters] in the observance of religious rites not commanded, or of points of minor importance; excess or extravagance in religion; the doing of things not required by God, or abstaining from things not forbidden; or the belief of what is absurd, or belief without evidence
(See 'superstition', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Sept 29, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

That being said, I find Charles Spurgeon to be a hypocrite in such matters because I have read letters he wrote later in his life in which he wished merriment to others in their celebration of Christmas. Thankfully, I am not one of those people that believes every word of man must be without error for him to be a child of God; I have certainly done a lot of things in error too, but it is very odd and contradictory that Spurgeon would stand so firmly against idolatrous practices, especially those which come from the vile Catholic Church, and then later wish people Christmas blessings.

In fact, Spurgeon preached a teaching he called "A Merry Christmas," in which he argued:
"I wish there were a half-a-dozen holidays in the year. I wish there were more opportunities for the poor to rest; though I would not have as many saint's days as there are in Romish countries; yet, if we had but one or two more days in which the poor man's household, and the rich man's family might meet together, it might perhaps, be better for us. However, I am quite certain that all the preaching in the world will not put Christmas down."
-Charles H. Spurgeon, "A Merry Christmas," Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol. 7, Dec 23, 1860, retrieved Sept 29, 2021, [https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/a-merry-christmas]

This is a very weak argument coming from Spurgeon because, essentially, he was teaching believers that if something was wrong, and contradicted the Word of God, we should ignore it and go along with it, as long as the majority decides it is acceptable. And yet, that was not the philosophy that God taught the Jews:

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
-Exodus 23:2

The majority of the world rejects the doctrines of Jesus Christ, so should we also reject His doctrines, so they will be appeased? Just because a multitude wants to do something that is wrong, it does not mean that we should do it with them, nor should we cease from preaching the truth in the face of an overwhelming majority against us, and if Spurgeon believed otherwise, then he would have to condemn Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for standing up when everyone else took a knee, he would have to condemn Moses for rebuking the Hebrews at Mount Sinai, and he would have to condemn Jesus Christ for preaching against the hypocrites in Israel.

However, one aspect that Spurgeon and I are in agreement is that the poor are given more attention during the month of December, and though that is good, it would be better that such a thing would be done throughout the year. This is what Spurgeon meant when he said that he wished "there were a half-a-dozen holidays in the year," but sadly, there are MANY churchgoers online who have erroneously written about Spurgeon on this matter, cherry-picking his phrases out of context, to make it seem like he loved the Christmas celebration, when that was not the case; he only loved the charity to the poor at that time of year, but again, it is hypocritical for churchgoers to ignore the poor and needy for the rest of the year.

Furthermore, in his teaching, Spurgeon preached that there was no sin in feasting with family and neighbors, and again, to that I whole-heartedly agree; there is no Biblical mandates against feasting with one another, and it is good that a man take joy in time with his family. However, what is not being considered in Spurgeon's speech is charity, namely in that we ought not to take food which would wound the weak conscience of new Christians, considering them first before ourselves:

But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
-1 Corinthians 8:9-13

When a young man converts from paganism, and is born again in the Lord Jesus Christ, is it acceptable to wound his weak conscience by having a Christmas feast that is full of the paganism, witchcraft, and idolatry that he just departed from? Churchgoers are often quick to make excuses about having "liberty in Christ," and yet, their hearts are far from Jesus Christ because they do not consider others in what they say and do.

Granted, there are many corrupt religious cults that abhor the celebration of Christmas, like Seventh-day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses for example, but even though they might seem like they are doing the right thing, they are doing it for the wrong reason because they believe their works will get them into heaven. Works do not save a man; only the Lord Jesus Christ can save a man by grace through repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of one's wrongdoing) and faith.

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
-Mark 1:14-15

Hundreds of years ago, few Christians could have foreseen how bad things would become with the obsession of churchgoers over pagan holidays. Fewer still could have imagined how many corrupt preachers would defend this idolatry.



 

Pastors, elders, and evangelists across the world know full-well that their donations swell in the month of December. In fact, for many of them, the majority of the donations they receive for the entire year come in during Christmastime, and that is one of the main reasons so many pastors push Christmas propaganda.

Sadly, most church buildings today are 501c3 incorporated, which means they are leavened because they have signed away their rights and adopted a corrupt master (i.e. the IRS), but that also means they are nonprofits. Many nonprofits are required by law to report their finances, and through that, we can determine a few interesting facts.
(Read 501c3: The Devil's Church here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Almost one-third of annual giving occurs in December. About 12% of all giving happens in the last three days of the year. More than a quarter of nonprofits raise between 26-50% of their annual funds in December. Two-thirds of people who make donations do no research before giving.

(See Ronnie Gomez, "10 Year-End Giving Statistics Every Fundraiser Should Know," Neon One, Sept 15, 2021, retrieved Nov 17, 2021, [https://neonone.com/resources/blog/year-end-giving-statistics/]; See also Nonprofit Tech for Good, "20 Must-Know Fundraising and Social Media Stats," Sept 16, 2015, retrieved Nov 17, 2021, [https://www.nptechforgood.com/2015/09/16/20-must-know-fundraising-and-social-media-stats])

There are numerous charities, both religious and secular, that are scamming people, giving very little of their donations to the actual cause they promote, and sadly, few churchgoers look into these charities and missions because they would rather go home with the feeling they did good than to face the truth. I cover some details on the corruption in charities in my teaching called "The Cure for Cancer" here at creationliberty.com.

If any reader thinks church buildings operate any differently from these nonprofits, then you do not understand how things operate behind the scenes. Because Christmas donations increase so much in the month of December, it invites corruption into church buildings, which is why there are many preachers who make absurd arguments in defense of the Christmas celebration.

In attempts to justify themselves (and their financial bottom line), pastors often make foolish arguments that initially sound good to a crowd of churchgoers who typically do not care what the Bible says, despite the fact that they claim God's Word is their "final authority in all matters of faith and practice." We will go over a few of these arguments so Christian readers can better mentally arm themselves against deceivers.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
-1 Peter 5:8

For example, some pastors argue that we use pagan names for the days of the week (i.e. Thursday is named after the pagan god Thor, so it is another way of saying "Thor's-day"), and because we use those pagan names for the days of the week, the celebration of Christmas is therefore justified. However, there is a very serious difference between days of the week and Christmas, and that is the fact that we do not celebrate (and/or worship) the week days.

This argument is another logical fallacy called a "Conflation Fallacy," or some readers may commonly know it as "comparing apples to oranges" and calling them the same thing. The argument looks like this:

A has quality X, and B has quality X.
Therefore, A and B are the same.
That might be confusing for some readers, so let's look at an example:

Watermelons are green, and lettuce is green.
Therefore, watermelons and lettuce are fruit.
As you can see, a Conflation argument is not sound reasoning. We cannot classify lettuce as a fruit just because it has the same coloration as a watermelon.

Likewise, the pastoral argument is as follows:

We use the pagan names of week days, and Christmas has a pagan name.
Therefore, the week days and Christmas are all acceptable with God.
Again, this is not logically sound because, as I already pointed out, we do not worship Thor, or the traditions of the pagans, on "Thor's-day." If there were Christians going out to worship/celebrate things for "Thor's-day" on a Thursday, and claiming those traditions were of Christ, I would object to Thursday as well (i.e. not the day itself, but the celebration on that day), but that is not what they do; rather, churchgoers are worshiping Christmas, so that is why I object to it.

In Scripture, one of the New Testament pastors in Corinth was named Apollos:

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
-1 Corinthians 3:6

Apollos is named after Apollo, which is a name of the pagan sun god, but that does not automatically make Apollos evil in the sight of God. What determines good or evil is by reading the Word of God and comparing the facts of Scripture with the words and actions of Apollos, which is called "judging righteous judgment."

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

The name is not as important as the substance of what is being talked about. However, in the case of Christmas, the name actually points to the substance of the evil (i.e. the "Christ-Mass" of the demonic Catholic Church), which is why I titled this book, Christmas: Rejecting Jesus, not only because of what the name 'Christmas' actually means, but that it refers to doctrines and practices of Catholicism that reject the Lord Jesus Christ.

If any preacher argues that Saturday (i.e. "Saturn's-day") is evil because of its name (i.e. it is named after the pagan god Saturn), then simply ask him what traditions or rituals we are using to honor Saturn on Saturday. If he cannot name anything in particular, then tell him that you CAN name traditions and rituals that honor Saturn in the CHRISTMAS celebration because it was developed from the pagan celebration called SATURN-ALIA, which was designed to worship Saturn.

Another fallacious argument some pastors make is that they have heard people in corrupt cults, like Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs), teach that Christmas is evil, and because JWs are grounded in theological error, therefore, those pastors believe Christmas is justified. The logical fallacy these preachers are using is a form of the "Association" fallacy, or some readers may be more familiar with the phrase, "guilt by association."

An Association fallacy looks like this:

A has the label X. A also has the label Y.
Therefore, X and Y are the same.
Again, that might be confusing for some readers, so let's look at an example:

Bob is a crooked politician. Bob proposes that animal cruelty is wrong.
Therefore, animal cruelty is good.
As you can see, Association fallacies are absurd in every sense. We cannot automatically say that animal cruelty is a good idea without comparing objective moral facts first, and so to say that animal cruelty is a good thing, just because a corrupt politician said it was not, is the product of a deranged mind.

Likewise, it is deranged of a pastor to argue the following:

Jehovah's Witnesses are corrupt. JWs teach that Christmas is corrupt.
Therefore, Christmas is a godly holiday.
This is not how God instructed us to read and study Scripture to determine facts, and our moral standards are not determined based on how we personally feel about something. God and His Word are one, and the Word of God will persist through all eternity; therefore, we are to compare spiritual things with spiritual, meaning that we go to God's Word to determine the truth:

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
-1 Corinthians 2:12-13

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
-John 17:17

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
-John 1:1

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
-Mark 13:31

A preacher who makes this kind of fallacious argument is not looking to God for approval, or in other words, the Word of God is not his final authority on this matter. A pastor's use of the Association fallacy means that his final authority in matters of faith and practice is simply the opposite of whatever decision is made by the Watch Tower Society (who oversees the Jehovah's Witnesses), which makes him not much different than the Jehovah's Witnesses who follow that organization.
(Read "Corruptions of Christianity: Jehovah's Witness" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

For example, if that pastor heard the Watchtower Society state that Jesus Christ is Lord over heaven and earth, would he then declare that Jesus Christ is NOT Lord over heaven and earth because the Watchtower Society said the opposite? Of course not, and so we can see that a pastor who would use the Association fallacy is a hypocrite.

Another argument I will cover is one in which a pastor claims that he has encountered people who preach against Christmas that are mean or hateful, so therefore, only mean and hateful people argue against Christmas. This is a combination of three logical fallacies rolled into one, namely, "Appeal to Emotion," "Ad Hominem" (i.e. a personal attack), and "Poisoning the Well."

In my book, Psychology: Hoodwinked by the Devil (which is free-to-read here at creationliberty.com), I gave examples of modern day commercials that use Appeal to Emotion fallacies. For example, a peanut butter commercial appeals to the emotion of the viewers by showing a mother playing with her children while eating the peanut butter, which attempts to create an absurd link in the mind of the viewer that eating that specific brand of peanut butter will create fun experiences and relational bonds between parent and child.

In the pastoral Christmas fallacy, he brings a negative emotion to the forefront of the hearer's mind, in which the pastor associates arguments against Christmas with negative characteristics of the person making the arguments. (e.g. "That guy is mean, therefore, he's wrong.") The pastor knows that most people do not like "mean people," nor do they want to be mean people, and therefore, they will associate the negative feeling of "mean people" with "anyone who argues against the celebration of Christmas," instead of weighing the facts, reasonings, and merits of the arguments.

By appealing to emotion, the pastor then introduces a personal attack on those claiming that Christmas is pagan and should not be worshipped. Now that the audience has drawn in their minds the concept of a mean person, the pastor then directs that thought at the person who is making the arguments against Christmas.

This has a natural result to "Poison the Well," and that argument looks like this:

Person A is X. X is bad.
Therefore, you should not listen to the arguments of Person A.
Again, that might be confusing, so let's look at an example:

Only an idiot would think that vaccines are bad for you.
In this example, those who would argue against vaccines are automatically labeled an "idiot," and an idiot is generally viewed to be someone who does not have knowledge. Therefore, a trap is set up ahead of time to try and convince an audience that they should ignore the evidence presented by the opposing party, so they will automatically assume that anyone who argues against vaccines is an idiot.
(Read "The United Vacci-Nations" here at creationliberty.com for more details on the vaccine scams being run by pharmaceutical companies.)

Likewise, some pastors try to "Poison the Well" by labeling people who argue against the paganism and witchcraft of Christmas as "mean" people so others will not bother to listen to the merits of the argument. In the next chapter, we will look at some examples of more popular false preachers doing this exact thing. What they fail (or rather, are unwilling) to understand is that a person who is quick to insult a man without first addressing the reasons of his argument is a "mean" person, or in other words, these corrupt preachers are projecting onto their opponents the very thing they are guilty of doing.

mean (adj): offensive, selfish, or unaccommodating
(See 'mean', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

Finally, there are some preachers who attempt to misuse the Word of God to justify themselves, and they often do so with the following verses:

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
-Romans 14:5-6

After hearing these verses read to them from the pulpit, the average churchgoer becomes convinced that they can say and do as they please for whatever holiday they desire because the pastor taught them that these verses gave them permission. However, they miss the entire context of the chapter, which was to address people who would enter into the church and demand that all the church must observe the Old Testament feasts and rituals in the Torah.
(Read "The Book of Romans: My Notes on Chapters 11-16" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
-Romans 14:1

Those who believe they need to participate in holidays to be pleasing to God are those who are "weak in the faith," who do not yet understand the fullness of liberty and perfection in Christ. If anyone in the church brings in "doubtful disputations," meaning that they are trying to force upon the church mandates for religious worship on certain days, then they should be removed from the church.

Of course, the pastor making the deceptive argument would then say that we should allow someone to celebrate whatever day they like, but that is a foolish statement the pastor speaks in hypocrisy. The reason I say this is because if the holiday is based on sinful things, then it is not good for Christians to take part in it, meaning that "regarding the day" is irrelevant if sin is involved.

For example, there is a National Abortion Provider Day (i.e. NAP Day), in which medical staff who murder children are glorified. Would it be acceptable for churchgoers to "reclaim it for God," and declare that National Abortion Provider Day is "all about Jesus?"
(See What National Day Is It, "When Is National Abortion Provider Day?" retrieved Nov 16, 2021, [https://www.whatnationaldayisit.com/day/Abortion-Provider])

Of course, most churchgoers would not be too keen on that idea because they want nothing to do with a celebration that honors the murder of children. And yet, they continue to hypocritically honor a day in which witches sacrificed men, women, and children unto their gods, and claim it is "all about Jesus" without any thought to the offense against God, and against those pagans who could potentially hear the Gospel of Salvation.

Furthermore, most pastors and churchgoers care nothing for those who have come out of paganism, who were converted to the Lord Jesus Christ, and are offended by these symbols of witchcraft. Most church building attendees do not understand (nor care) about the Scripture that teaches us that we should not abuse our liberty, and that doing such a thing is sin against Christ:

But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak... But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
-1 Corinthians 8:9-12

Again, I am not condemning people to hell for putting up a Christmas tree. Rather, I am pointing out the hypocrisy of corrupt preachers and lackadaisical churchgoers, who hypocritically claim they love the Lord Jesus Christ, but have no concern about what His Word tells us, and are grieved at being corrected, rather than being grieved over their sin.

Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.
-Proverbs 15:10

Such false teachers are unruly (i.e. they do not govern themselves, and will not be disciplined) and vain talkers (i.e. useless speakers) that do no one any good because they only preach the commandments of men they learned from their seminaries. From a spiritual perspective, they teach things they should not be teaching, and they do it for the sake of filthy lucre (i.e. money), having a slow belly (i.e. they rake in the profits of others' hard work so they can constipate themselves in the fatness of their gluttony), and it is our job as born again disciples of Christ to rebuke such men:

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
-Titus 1:10-14

What I am saying here has nothing to do with the fact that they celebrate Christmas, although it is better that they would not. This has to do with the fact that such false preachers lie and deceive their viewers with false messages to pour honey in their ears, because the people they are preaching to are selfish and undiscerning, caring only to be taught "smooth things," rather than what is right and good, just as the Jews wanted to hear "smooth things" from the prophets, desiring to hear lies instead of the truth:

That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
-Isaiah 30:9-10

Let me clarify that I am in no way arguing that it is wrong for Christians to enjoy time and feasting together with family and friends, nor am I saying that it is evil to give gifts because there is no law against such a thing. However, we have to stop and consider that if we bring the rituals and traditions of pagans into our homes, and declare falsely that they are "all about Jesus," how much damage might that do to us on an unseen spiritual level?



 

It is not hard to find pastors that are more than happy to stand up behind a pulpit and talk about the wonders of the Christmas season. They do their best job at crafting poetic sentences when telling creative stories about the birth of Jesus and the warm, fun-time feelings they have during the month of December. However, what is hard to find are those who will look at their arguments objectively, and call them out on their hypocrisies for the sake of the protection of Christ's church, that they will not be deceived by such vain (i.e. useless) men.

I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness... Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
-Ecclesiastes 7:25-29

Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred [extreme hatred of] his own inheritance.
-Psalm 106:39-40

This chapter will be a bit lengthier than the others because it will take time to go through the insane arguments of some popular preachers, and I do not use the word 'insane' lightly, as you will soon find out. They will do and say whatever they find necessary to please their listening audience and encourage them to continue in pagan practices, and by doing so, pastors know full-well that it increases their popularity and funding.

I can testify through my own experience that I have lost listeners and had people withdraw donations from my ministry because I teach these things. I have also gained a lot of ridicule, railing, and backbiting for shedding some light on these matters, but I do it for the sake of the church, that the Lord God might allow me to be an example to the flock, so they would also go forward and speak the truth in service of Jesus Christ.

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre [i.e. money], but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
-1 Peter 5:1-3

 

JOHN MACARTHUR GRACE TO YOU

I contend (as I have for many years) that John MacArthur is a false preacher for various reasons that I will not cover in this book, but primarily because he rejects the Gospel of Salvation, which is repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of wrongdoing) and remission of sins as it is taught in Scripture. (Luke 24:44-47) MacArthur celebrates Christmas, and practices all the typical traditions with his family, but during a Q&A session, a man named Michael posed an objection to MacArthur's worship of Christmas, and the following video documents that interaction.

(For more details on the truth of the Gospel of Salvation that is rejected by mainstream preachers like John MacArthur, read Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell here at creationliberty.com.)

(See Creation Liberty Evangelism Official Rumble Channel, "Christmas: The REJECTION of Jesus, John MacArthur," Nov 24, 2021, [https://rumble.com/vpqi0j-christmas-the-rejection-of-jesus-john-macarthur-creationliberty.com.html])

MICHAEL: "You spoke on Christmas, how it started back in Genesis... I've talked to many Christians who realize that Christmas is of pagan origins, and as in Jeremiah 10, it says not to learn those ways of cutting down trees, and I think it's high time we stop doing the things and get back to the true word of God, and believe what he said."

(John MacArthur, "If Christmas is a Pagan Celebration Then Why Do Christians Celebrate it? John MacArthur | Q&A," The Gospel of Christ YouTube Channel, Dec 19, 2020, retrieved Oct 5, 2021, [https://youtu.be/Xfc7VmubGYQ]

If you look up the original clip and listen to the whole thing, Michael was obviously incorrect in some of his doctrines, but his general argument on Christmas was correct, namely, that one who claims to be a disciple of Christ should not learn the ways of the pagans, and should remain true to the Word of God. Michael was looking for MacArthur's response to this:

MACARTHUR: "Let me respond to that. I appreciate that... I understand that Christmas, the birth of Christ, has gotten mingled with paganism through the years. I fully understand that."

First of all, in Michael's objection, he said that MacArthur taught that Christmas was started in Genesis (which MacArthur nodded in confirmation), which is beyond absurd. There is not even the slightest hint that a Christmas celebration was initiated by God in Genesis, but if we consider the matter carefully, we can now understand why MacArthur teaches that absurdity.

Notice that MacArthur defined the word 'Christmas' as "the birth of Christ," which means we can see that MacArthur has never bothered to learn or understand what the word 'Christ-Mass' actually means. He starts with the false premise that 'Christmas" is "the birth of Christ," and because God prophesied the coming of Jesus Christ after the fall of man in the book of Genesis, he (in his childish mentality) concludes that "Christmas" was established in Genesis.

This is why MacArthur then said that Christmas had gotten "mingled" with paganism. He does not want to know, nor does he want others to know, that Christmas IS pagan because that is what it was born from, and if a man with that much time in study and research, with all his prestige, and all his resources, cannot figure that out, then we know there is a spiritual blindness hanging over him.

This is the kind of philosophical sleight-of-hand that MacArthur is well-known for doing (except by those who blindly follow him), and we are going to see more examples of this in his response. Please keep in mind that MacArthur is a highly-skilled speaker, meaning that he knows how to manipulate a crowd into believing that he has a good understanding of the subject matter, and that is why they come to him in reverence, seeking his false wisdom.

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
-Romans 16:17-18

I am going to skip over about three minutes (i.e. 75%) of MacArthur's four-minute response, and the reason for that is because he sets up a straw man and red herring argument about Santa. A straw man argument is when you setup an argument that was not made, and defeat that argument to give the illusion that you have won. A red herring is a distraction from the main argument that is being made. MacArthur uses both of these by fervently condemning Santa Claus, which was not part of the discussion, and his purpose in doing so was to try and bring those who are against Christmas onto his side, to convince them that they are all in agreement with each other on this topic, so that they will also be persuaded to accept the arguments that follow.

In short, MacArthur is very manipulative. Once he finishes his three-minute rant on Santa, he provides us with his response to Michael's inquiry:

MACARTHUR: "But, having said all that, I will say this: God has allowed, in human history, for the birth of his son, to be, essentially, a global holiday."

I laughed when I first heard MacArthur make this argument because if you thought that his "Christmas in Genesis" argument was absurd, this takes it to a whole new level of absurdity. Essentially, MacArthur's argument is this: "God allowed [x], therefore, [x] is good."

Let's consider that for a moment. Has God allowed abortion to take place worldwide? Yes, He has. If we follow the philosophy of John MacArthur, that means it is acceptable for Christians to take part in abortions because God has allowed it.

Has God allowed for pagans and witches to perform their demonic crafts worldwide? Yes, He has. If we follow the philosophy of John MacArthur, that means it is acceptable for Christians to take part in paganism and witchcraft because God has allowed it.

God has divine, omniscient reasons for the things He does and does not allow to take place in this world, but they are not necessarily in line with our lowly level of thinking. For example, God allows false teachers (like John MacArthur) and false prophets to preach their false messages in this world, but the reason He allows this is so that His children are proven:

If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
Deuteronomy 13:1-4

False prophets and false teachers are allowed to exist in this world so that we will RESIST them, and sanctify ourselves from them. God has also allowed many of the wicked haunted houses and costumes of Halloween, but that does not mean that we are supposed to participate in them; rather, we are to resist them, sanctify ourselves from them, and love our neighbors enough to teach them the truth about those corrupt practices.

Finally, to add the nail in the coffin to MacArthur's ridiculous statements, God has allowed most of the world to reject the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Does that mean it is good to reject Jesus, and that we should yoke together with those who do? (God forbid.)

MACARTHUR: "Whatever accoutrements [accessories] have been added to it to confuse it, whatever pagan elements have been added to it—same with the resurrection, and Easter, and rabbits, and chickens, and whatever. The world may do everything they can to confuse and cover that, but it is still true that, at this time of year, the whole world is focused on the fact that the son of God was born into the world, and that reality gives us opportunity to speak the truth into that consciousness. That's all I'm saying."

Again, the problem is that MacArthur believes that Christmas and Easter are "Christian" holidays that have been corrupted by pagans, and that Christians are supposed to "reclaim" them for God, but this is backwards. The fact is that Christmas and Easter are pagan rituals that the Catholic Church attempted to "Christianize," and being that MacArthur is a part of the ecumenical crowd (i.e. he yokes together with many other false teachers), it is no surprise that he does not want to discuss the Catholic corruptions of these holidays, so that he can cling to his traditions.
(Read "Easter: Christians Celebrating Abomination" and Corruptions of Christianity: Catholicism here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

MacArthur goes on to argue that the Son of God can be preached more effectively to the world during the Christmas season because, he claims, the whole world is focused on Christ. Again, absurdity after absurdity comes out of the mouth of John MacArthur because apparently, in his world of delusion, he believes that people are really focused on Jesus Christ, when in reality, the grand majority are focused on decorations, songs, food, and gifts, which are all the material things of this world.

If Christmas were truly a "Christian" holiday about Jesus Christ, then it would only be celebrated by those who believe on Jesus Christ, and if that was the case, then those people would not need to have the Gospel preached to them in that manner because they would already believe. Rather, it would be the unbelievers who needed to hear that Gospel, and if it were about Jesus Christ, they would not celebrate Christmas in the first place (because they would reject Him), which would make Christmas useless because it would be like every other time of the year.

However, the world loves Christmas and that is because they know that Christmas has nothing to do with Jesus Christ and the Word of God. If it was really "all about Jesus," the world would never have adopted it, and because MacArthur makes his ridiculous argument, it is obvious that he does not believe what Jesus said:

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
-John 15:18-20

John MacArthur is not suffering any persecution, and that is because the world loves him. The world does not hate him. He yokes together with them, and they with him, especially during the Christmas season.

Religious traditions like Christmas make the Word of God of no effect to the hearers:

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13

Jesus Christ is not honored through witchcraft, and it is a shame that I would even need to say that because that should be obvious to one who reads Scripture. When the traditions of men are held up as a "holy" ritual, it turns people away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I knew a man once that used to support my ministry, until I started teaching the truth about the origins of Christmas. Suddenly, he turned vicious towards me, and after a brief discussion with him, I never heard from him again.

He told me that he was "saved because of a Christmas pageant," and I explained to him that no one is saved because of a Christmas pageant. Notice that he did NOT say that he was saved because of the blood of Jesus Christ washing his sin clean, and that is an important distinction because the Bible teaches us that a man can only be saved by the hearing of the law, which brings him unto Christ:

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
-Galatians 3:24

A man hears the law of God, which reveals to him the true nature of his corrupt spirit and flesh, which leads him to godly sorrow (i.e. repentance), in which he humbles himself in tears, pleading for grace at the foot of the cross of Christ. It is possible that the man I knew could have heard the law of God at that pageant and been converted through repentance and faith, but he never said that; rather, he REJECTED the Gospel of Salvation because he wanted to hold on to the insane idea that a Christmas pageant converted him.

If a man claims to have been saved by any other method apart from the instructions of the Bible, then he is a FALSE convert.

Just through that example alone, we can see how the traditions of Christmas block the hearing of the Gospel of Salvation. However, John MacArthur rejects repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of sin) unto salvation in his teachings, so that is why he cannot see the contradiction of paganism and witchcraft (i.e. Christmas/Yule/Saturnalia) against the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because he does not understand or believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the first place.

The following image is John MacArthur's church building where he is holding this Q&A session. Notice all the pagan decorations his production team has placed around him:
He just made the argument that pagan traditions were mixed into these holidays to confuse people, and yet, he is standing in the middle of two giant wreaths, which were made to be a vaginal symbol of the female goddess and the witch's "Wheel of the Year," representing all their witchcraft sabbats. If MacArthur really believed that pagan traditions were confusing people, then why is he allowing his production team to keep confusing people with all these decorations? I would invite John MacArthur, anytime he is ready, to show us where exactly in the Word of God those wreaths were instituted in Genesis.

If MacArthur can successfully prove that to me in Scripture, then I will delete this book, and apologize to everyone for teaching false doctrine. However, if he cannot, and he will not come to repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of his wrongdoing) for teaching false doctrines, then we can know for certain that he is a master manipulator that is deceiving you with his lying tongue.

MACARTHUR: "About a [Christmas] tree, let me say this: I don't know what pagans do with trees. But I know who made them. God made trees. And to celebrate God's creation, and even the birth of Christ, with some kind of expression that comes down to a tree, is far different than creating an idol because a tree is the handywork of God."

Alright, let's go to Scripture and test MacArthur's philosophy. At Mount Sinai, Aaron took gold (which is God's creation) from the Hebrews by their request, and fashioned it into a calf (i.e. a young cow, which is also God's creation).

And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.
-Exodus 32:5

So the Hebrews were celebrating the feast day of the Lord with this object, made of (and into) things that are God's creations, so according to the philosophy of John MacArthur, we would expect God to look upon the Hebrews and be pleased with their celebration. However, it turns out that MacArthur's philosophy does not match God's reaction to the situation:

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves... And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
-Exodus 32:7-35

If you remember in chapter one, we learned the definitions of 'celebrate' and 'worship', and that the difference between the two concerns divine honors:

celebrate (v): to honor or distinguish by ceremonies and marks of joy and respect
worship (v): to adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration
(See 'celebrate' & 'worship', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 5, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Again, churchgoers often use the word 'celebrate' in place of 'worship' because if they said they "worshipped" Christmas, they would seem like idolaters. However, they are, by definition, worshipping Christmas because they are claiming to pay divine honors to Jesus Christ through the Christmas traditions.

MacArthur stated that "the birth of Christ, with some kind of expression that comes down to a tree," or in other words, he is claiming to celebrate Jesus Christ through the Christmas tree, and because Jesus Christ is divine, it means that he and other churchgoers are WORSHIPPING the tree. They claim that the Christmas tree is symbolic of the birth of Jesus Christ, and therefore, they do commit idolatry, but try to justify themselves before men with things that are highly esteemed by the world.

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
-Luke 16:15

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
-Acts 17:29

MacArthur believes that because he is not carving a face and hands out of the wood of the tree, therefore, he is not an idolater. Again, that is not what God has told us because in Ezekiel 14, God addressed those who were idolaters in their hearts, meaning that they were not bowing to statues, but they were still idolaters:

Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
-Ezekiel 14:3-5

When I first wrote this, I was listening to the video clip one step at a time, pausing MacArthur to respond as I slowly worked my way through it, so I had not heard the entire video clip to the end yet. It was funny to me that Michael, the man who was questioning MacArthur, brought up the same example I did after MacArthur was finished justifying his idolatry:

MICHAEL: "I have to say, it reminds me of the children of Israel and the golden calf. They were serving God... but he said, 'Stand back, I'm going to destroy them.'"

I thought this was a great opportunity because, normally, when I write exposés like this, readers do not get a chance to hear the opposition's response. Here is how MacArthur would have responded to my argument:

MACARTHUR: "It's different in this sense Mike. We're not serving God in the name of Santa. We're serving God and trying to clear Santa out of the picture."

If you listen to the video, the inflection of MacArthur's voice changes a bit, and you can see his irritation that this was brought up against him because it is a powerful argument, so having no other answer that made sense, MacArthur went back to his crutch, meaning that he went back to his strawman and red herring argument about Santa Claus. He did not have an answer for the golden calf argument, and knowing that he would be embarrassed in front of his congregation, he had to distract the audience by changing the subject and fighting an argument no one was making.

In short, MacArthur claims Christmas was invented by God, despite the fact that he has no evidence for it, and bases it on redefining the word 'Christmas', without telling anyone that is what he is doing. Then, when called out on his hypocrisy, he changes the subject, demonstrating once again that MacArthur is a false teacher with a silver tongue.


 

BILLY GRAHAM BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION

Billy Graham, who is now deceased, was an ecumenical (i.e. one-world religion) preacher who taught a false gospel and ended up in hell when he died. If any readers do not understand why that is the case, I would highly recommend reading a teaching I wrote called "Wolves in Costume: Billy Graham" here at creationliberty.com for more details, so you can see some of the ecumenical, antichrist teachings Graham preached for 70 years on national (and sometimes international) television.

Graham made false statements about the Christmas celebration for many decades. The following video is Graham's Christmas message from 1952, in which he tells 17 lies in just two minutes: -Billy Graham, "Billy Graham Christmas Message (17 Lies-2 Min)," Creation Liberty Evangelism Official YouTube Channel, Dec 10, 2015, [https://youtu.be/O4dQuBd4RHg]

LIE #1

GRAHAM: "You know, down in my home in the mountains of North Carolina, every Christmas we have a whale of a time. I have four children, and we gather those children around the Christmas tree on Christmas morning and we have a wonderful time! We open our packages, and we sing together. We watch the excitement on the faces of the children, but at the same time, Christ is the very center of all our Christmas celebration."

Now that we know the pagan foundation of Christmas, we know that if Christ was the very center of Graham's focus, he would not celebrate Christmas, so the statement becomes an oxymoron in a sense. There is certainly no wrong in spending time with one's family, and getting gifts for children, but I cannot see any way in which we honor Christ by adopting the traditions of witches and pagans.

LIE #2

GRAHAM: "I get out the Bible on Christmas morning, and I read to the children the story of that first Christmas, and how thrilled and excited they are."

As we learned in chapter one of this book, the general celebration of Christmas was not instituted until 350 A.D. with the Roman Catholic Church's attempt to fuse Biblical stories with paganism. The birth of Jesus Christ is not defined as "the first Christmas," but rather, I prefer to define the birth of Jesus Christ as "the birth of Jesus Christ" to avoid any confusion or logical contradiction.

LIE #3

GRAHAM: "And then we get on our knees and we pray, and we thank God for that unspeakable gift that he gave the first Christmas when Jesus Christ came as the great and glorious gift of God to the human race."

Again, the birth of Jesus Christ was not "the first Christmas." The first Christmas (or Christ-Mass) was held in the fifth century (A.D.) by the demonically influenced Pope Sixtus III.

LIE #4

GRAHAM: "But, you know, today, the Devil is doing everything he can in America to get Christ out of Christmas."

What evidence does Billy Graham offer us to prove that statement? He did not offer anything; he just asserted it. In fact, I would argue that the Devil loves to have Jesus Christ involved in the Christmas celebration because it keeps people ignorant of what God's Word actually teaches, and it also keeps them ignorant of the devilish Catholic institution (which Graham yokes together with).

Such statements are called a 'mantra', which, in a religious context, is a word or phrase that is repeated over and over again. The purpose of a mantra is to brainwash people who speak or hear it into believing the words that are spoken without evidence or reason, and I have heard many preachers say very similar things as Graham, but I have never seen any evidence to that point because most people still celebrate Christmas whether Christ is in it or not.

mantra (n): an often repeated word, formula, or phrase
(See 'mantra', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

LIE #5

GRAHAM: "Everywhere, we see 'X-mas', but we're getting away from 'Christmas'. CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS!!"

When I was a child, I heard preachers and churchgoers tell me how bad the phrase "X-mas" was, but changing the name from Christmas to "X-mas" is actually a good thing, and it is far more accurate to the paganism and witchcraft which started the celebration in the first place. Certainly, there are some people that just flat-out hate Jesus Christ and do that on purpose just to spite Him, but Graham did not do any polls, research, or provide evidence to support that fact; he just says it as if it is a fact to convince his audience. Someone writing "X-mas" on a sign does not prove that "the Devil is doing everything he can in America to get Christ out of Christmas," but rather, that is Graham's opinion; an opinion that is not based on facts, and an opinion that actually leads people away from the truth, which is that the Lord Jesus Christ of Scripture has nothing to do with Christmas.

LIE #6

GRAHAM: "Is Christ in your home? Is Christ in your life and in your office?... You know, the Devil has built a lot of barricades to keep us from celebrating Christmas."

Where are these barricades, Billy? Where exactly did you find information that, in America, people are kept (or prevented) from celebrating Christmas? I would love to see that data because I guarantee that no reader of this book has ever heard of someone in America who said that they tried to celebrate Christmas, but they were somehow prevented by force, coercion, blackmail, or by threat of legal action, and because of that, I am certain that Graham has no evidence that the Devil was behind his imaginary "Christmas barricade."

LIE #7

GRAHAM: "You remember that first Christmas? Those wise men came?"

No wise men were in the Catholic Church when they instituted Christmas. They were fools who were following anti-Christian and anti-biblical practices.

LIE #8

GRAHAM: "They came thirteen hundred miles to celebrate the first Christmas."

Again, we have the mantra that the birth of Christ was "the first Christmas." I am pretty sure no one traveled thirteen hundred miles to participate in a Catholic Mass in the 5th century.

LIE #9

GRAHAM: "They came across rivers, and mountains, and they came through perilous places where robbers were at night, and during the daytime, they were bothered by the sun and the heat and the rain and the cold, but they overcame every barricade and every obstacle to get to Jesus Christ. And so the Devil is building barricades today to keep you from getting to Jesus Christ. He's building one barricade and obstacle after another to keep you from celebrating Christmas in the proper spirit."

I do not know where Graham got all this information about the perils of travel from because we do not even know where exactly the wise men came from (i.e. the Bible only says they came from the east), but I would not argue against the fact that they had a rough trip. I would also not argue against the fact that the Devil does not want people getting to Jesus Christ, and so that is why the Devil has used his Catholic Church to make a connection between Jesus Christ and Christmas, so many people will be fooled into thinking such practices of witchcraft honor God.

LIE #10

GRAHAM: "The first barricade that he's [the Devil's] building is the barricade of doubt. He's making you doubt that Christmas is anything except a holiday."

The world 'holiday' means "holy day," and so I would ask Billy where he got the idea that December 25th was a "holy day?" Did that come from Scripture? No. He got the idea in his head from his parents, who got the idea in their head from their parents, and so on; meaning it is nothing more than tradition, and therefore it is not a "holy day," so what the Devil actually wants is for you to believe it is really "all about Jesus" so you will learn to follow the vain traditions of men, and believe in the false idea that doing such things makes one holy and sanctified, instead of following the Word of God.

For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
-Mark 7:8

Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
-Jeremiah 7:8

LIE #11

GRAHAM: "Everybody thinks it's [Christmas is] nothing more than a holiday, or many people do, and there's nothing really to celebrate."

I would challenge readers to go knock on the doors of your neighbors and poll them by asking if they think that there is nothing to celebrate during the Christmas season, and I guarantee you that you will find that most people believe that there are things to celebrate during Christmas, whether they are believers on Christ or not. Graham's statement is absurd just by the thought alone. I think Billy Graham was a smart man, so I would not accuse him of being unintelligent, but rather, I believe he was a liar and deceiver that was very slick in his speech, and he took advantage of many simple-minded people around the world.

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
-Romans 16:18

LIE #12

GRAHAM: "Did you know that when we celebrate Christmas, we're celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ?"

Remember what I just said about mantras? He repeats this over and over again to get you to believe it.

LIE #13

GRAHAM: "The birthday of the Son of God!"

No, it is not. There is no reason or evidence (Biblical or historical) to back up that claim.

LIE #14

GRAHAM: "When Jesus Christ, the creator of the universe, came to earth. When Christ came, it was God coming to earth to live among men! That's the meaning of Christmas!"

No, the meaning of Christmas is to follow the Catholic Church into yoking together with witches and pagans. The meaning for pagans and witches is to worship the sun, and the meaning for Catholics is to worship their moon goddess "Mary."

LIE #15

GRAHAM: "And that's the reason we have a Christmas!"

No, the demonic Catholic Church is the reason Christmas exists. Jesus Christ has never had anything to do with their devilish ways because the Holy Ghost has taught us that we cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils at the same time.

Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
-1 Corinthians 10:21

LIE #16

GRAHAM: "Right now, at this Christmas season, you can do it. And you can know the real and true spirit of Christmas."

I would rather tell people that they can know the real and true Spirit of God if they would stop focusing on things that make them feel good, and instead, open up God's Word to read and understand it. If you put an elephant in front of someone, you do not have to convince them it is an elephant because that is obvious, you only have to work really hard if you are trying to convince them that the animal is a cat. The Word of God is about Jesus Christ, and we do not have to work really hard to convince people of that because it is clear by the evidence alone, but Billy had to work very hard to convince people Christmas is about Jesus Christ, and that is because Christmas is not really about Jesus Christ.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth.
-John 4:24

LIE #17

GRAHAM: "If you will, bow your head right now and let me pray for you, will you? That you might know the true spirit of Christmas for perhaps the first time in your life."

I am not saying that no one has ever been saved at a Billy Graham event, because it is possible that someone heard the law of God and was converted. However, I will say that anyone who follows the doctrines of Billy Graham will end up in hell because he taught a perverted, false version of the Gospel of Salvation, and so the only thing I would agree with him on is that he was trying to get his listeners to know the true spirit of Christmas, and that is the spirit of antichrist.

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
-1 John 2:18

 

KENT HOVIND DINOSAUR ADVENTURE LAND (formerly CREATION SCIENCE EVANGELISM)

Kent Hovind is a false preacher that has been revered in many "church-ianity" circles for his teachings on creationism vs evolutionism, but he also rejects the Gospel of Salvation as it is taught in Scripture, and teaches a false gospel in its place. I cover a lot more details on the corruption behind his so-called "ministry" in another book I wrote called Wolves in Costume: Kent Hovind, which is free-to-read here at creationliberty.com, and I would highly recommend that to any reader who believes that Kent is a "man of God."

Hovind was asked the following question, which he read aloud on his Q&A podcast in August of 2015, shortly after he was released from prison:

HOVIND: "How do you view Christmas? Do you and your family celebrate it? And do you tell the kids there is a Santa Claus?"

(See Kent Hovind, "Kent Hovind on Christmas," Creation Liberty Evangelism Official YouTube Channel, Jun 23, 2021, [https://youtu.be/0JgeWbd_QVA])

Hovind continues to answer it:

HOVIND: "Good question, very controversial. Jesus was not born December 25th. That's pretty obvious. December 25th was a pagan holiday to celebrate the shortest day of the year when they bring the sun back up. That used to be the day of the year, the shortest day of the year, and the priest would do their hocus pocus [witchcraft] and tell the people, you give us your, you know, hundred dollars and we're going to bring the sun back up."

Hovind begins by making a decent attempt at telling the truth about the date of Christmas and the worship of the sun, but then got it wrong when he said that the 25th used to be the shortest day of the year. As we learned in chapter two, the 25th was decreed by the corrupt Catholic Church to follow up the seven-day Saturnalia/Yule celebration of the pagans.

HOVIND: "My understanding is, the Catholics were trying to evangelize some kind of culture that they were meeting that had this particular day as the holiday, so they blended Christmas with their pagan holiday of the winter solstice... it's an attempted blending of a Christian holiday with a pagan holiday."

Again, he starts off with some relatively accurate statements, but then ends with error because the Catholic Church did not blend a "Christian" holiday because Christmas is not Christian. Christmas was a Catholic invention after the pagan traditions and rituals of witchcraft, and that is an important point because many false teachers try to claim that Christmas was something that Christians have always celebrated over the past 2,000 years, and that is simply not true; Christmas was invented by the Roman Pontiff (i.e. the Catholic Pope) to serve Rome's end goal, which was to ecumenically bring all religious entities under their leadership.

Christmas is corrupt from start to finish. It is not something that was later corrupted by pagans; it was pagan from the start.

HOVIND: "Now, do I celebrate it? Maybe celebrate is the wrong word. We put up a tree and have presents, and give the kids presents. We tell them it's the birth of Jesus Christ, and we tell them it's not his real birthday, but we don't know when it was, so we're celebrating it now like the rest of the people so you don't feel like a screwball at school."

Pay close attention to what Hovind just said because he was trying to back out of saying that he "celebrated" Christmas. He knows that whichever side he takes on that issue, he will lose supporters, which means he will also lose funding, and therefore, he tries to take the most neutral position he can.

However, the fact that he puts up a tree and links that to the birth of Jesus Christ, means that, by definition, not only is Hovind celebrating Christmas, but it also means he worships Christmas because of his claim to divine origin. Hovind tried desperately to avoid using any of those terms because he knew some of his listeners would not like it that he was participating in these things, and so he was trying to hide that from his listening audience to preserve his prestige and paycheck, which had already been heavily damaged from his time in jail.

So despite the fact that he was too cowardly to admit that he celebrated Christmas what justification did he offer for why he celebrated Christmas, and why he taught his family to do it? The reason Hovind participated in Christmas traditions is because he thought it was better to just go along with the majority to avoid anyone making fun of his family, which in Hovind's specific case, is far beyond hypocritical, and I will explain what I mean.

screwball (n): slang; an eccentric or irrational person; a nut
(See 'screwball', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

When I was a new Christian, I used to listen to Kent Hovind quite a bit, so I am intimately familiar with his doctrines, and I recall him teaching fervently that, in most cases, it was not a good idea to follow what the majority teaches, because the majority is often wrong:
"You do not change facts by majority opinion. A lot of scientists at one time thought all the planets go in little epicycles around the earth. Not true. That is what they all thought. They used to teach big rocks fall faster than little rocks. That was taught for 2000 years! Not true! They used to teach if you were sick you have bad blood. Take out your blood, you'll get better. That is how George Washington died; the guys that killed George were not stupid, they were very intelligent, highly trained, they were trying to help, and they were wrong in what they believed. Kids, you may have a teacher that is very intelligent, very sincere, good teacher, I do not care, it does not matter. But if they are telling you the earth is billions of years old, they are wrong."
-Kent Hovind, "Seminar 1: The Age of the Earth," 1998, retrieved Oct 5, 2016, [https://www.apologeet.nl/en/evolutie-schepping/hovind_transcripts/seminar_1_transcript]

So what we have here is a situation in which Hovind spent the majority of his life fighting against the corrupt, false doctrines of evolutionism, which are believed (even in part) by many, despite the fact that he has had thousands of atheists and evolutionists that have tried to make him feel like a "screwball." However, when it comes to the paganism and witchcraft involved in Christmas, he turned around and taught his children that they should just go along with the majority when it comes to spiritual matters, so they would not be picked on.

I could not imagine a worse and more hypocritical example to set for one's children than that. Hovind was willing to bravely stand up against some of the world's most hardened professors in universities around the country, and yet, when it came to something as simple as choosing not to participate in the Yule-tide traditions of witches, Hovind submitted to peer pressure, and taught his children to do the same.

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
-2 Timothy 3:4-5

The fact is that, like all the other hypocritical preachers in this chapter, he gets a warm, gooey feeling inside when it comes to the Christmas celebration, and that is why he participates in it. However, he does not want to say that to his listening audience because it would not look good, and it might hinder his goal of having a large listening audience that will bring him lots of money.


 

KIRK CAMERON WAY OF THE MASTER

Kirk Cameron is a Hollywood (or as I would prefer to call it, "Hell-ywood") actor that gained popularity through roles he received from the demonically corrupt Disney and ABC companies, and is most well known for starring in episodes of Growing Pains and Full House. Today, Cameron runs a leavened ministry called Way of the Master, and is commonly known to yoke together with leavened preacher Ray Comfort, taking advantage of his TV popularity to make money while pretending to be a Christian.

Cameron made himself a laughing stock across America for a 2014 film he starred in called Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas, in which he played the role of a fictionalized version of himself who is throwing a failing Christmas party, but "saves" it by reminding everyone that it is "all about Jesus." (As farfetched as this may seem, this is a real film—look it up if you do not believe me.) Shortly after the movie's release, it was temporarily voted into the #1 position of the 100 worst movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database's (IMDb's) official website, ranking alongside the 1964 movie disaster, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
(See Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas, IMDb, 2014, retrieved Oct 6, 2021, [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4009460]; See also Victor Luckerson, "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas Voted Worst Movie Ever at IMDB," TIME, Dec 6, 2014, retrieved Oct 6, 2021, [https://time.com/3621867/kirk-cameron-saving-christmas-worst-movie-imdb])

Cameron was invited to Liberty University to speak on the subject of Christmas. Despite the fact that he has no experience or qualifications to educate an auditorium of university students (other than being cast in the role of popular American TV shows back in the early 90s, which has nothing to do with the subject matter), Cameron attempts to argue in favor of the Christmas season being a "Christian" holiday:

CAMERON: "[using a British accent] One of the most overlooked and deadly evils in the modern world today is Chinese food... and this food is not only coming from the East, the place, the very heart of the most sophisticated forms of paganism, but by its very nature and composition, it reflects the eastern monistic philosophy that is so wicked and perverted... But there's more—because of the perverted nature of Chinese food, it is naturally unpalatable for the human tongue, it is naturally repulsive to the human taste buds, and therefore, vast quantities of MSG, mono-sodium glutamate, is added to make it taste better... its intrinsic to the very food itself, and if you don't believe this, well, let me put it bluntly, your Chinese food addiction is showing, you're clearly just stubbornly refusing to put aside your pagan traditions, or you simply haven't done your homework and you don't know your history... I'm sorry, but you cannot slap a Jesus sticker on your chicken chow mein and say it's alright for a Christian to eat it [stops using British accent]... The arguments are pretty good aren't they? That could be pretty convincing... but it's not right. It's all wrong. But you could replace Christmas for the word Chinese food in every one of those arguments, and that's exactly what you and I have been given by a bunch of other people, and we're swallowing it hook, line and sinker. We're buying it! We're buying it, and saying that all these things are bad."

No, they are not "buying it." If churchgoers were "buying it," then the majority of them would not celebrate Christmas, but as it stands, the majority of them (including nearly everyone in that audience) worship Christmas; they did not go there to learn some new philosophy about adopting Christmas traditions from Cameron, and in reality, it is much more likely that the auditorium is full of students because they were offered extra course credit for attendance because full-time college students are usually too busy to waste their time on this garbage.

Before I break down Cameron's deceptions, let's first recognize why Cameron was invited to speak at Liberty University on this subject because, as I said before, under normal circumstances, there would be no reason (either from his experience or qualifications) to have him come speak on this subject. However, readers should note that this was held on Sept 26, 2014, just a few weeks before the release of his new Saving Christmas movie, and so in case you have not already put the puzzle pieces together about what is really going on here, Kirk Cameron is the producer of Saving Christmas, and he has influence with the higher-ups at Liberty University, so this entire speech was put together for Cameron's sake to help promote his movie, so he and other investors could make more money.

In case you think I am just speculating, I have provided a reference below to the full 45-minute speech that Cameron gave, which was uploaded by Liberty University's official YouTube channel. The following screenshot was taken from the end of that video, which advertises Cameron's ridiculous, so-called "Christian" film. (See Kirk Cameron, "Kirk Cameron - Liberty University Convocation," Liberty University Official YouTube Channel, Sept 30, 2014, retrieved Oct 6, 2021, [https://youtu.be/mPJA8hn6tLY])

Cameron might be fooling the masses of mainstream church-ianity, but he is not fooling born again Christians. We know his charade (i.e. his dramatic acting) was to make more money from his movie, meaning that these people allowed themselves to be his ignorant tools, and he will gladly use them for his greedy purposes.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
-1 Timothy 6:9-12

It should be an embarrassment to all those students and staff of Liberty University that they put a character like Cameron on stage to present a fallacious argument, which is known as a "false analogy," and no one noticed or bothered to call him out on it. When Cameron said, "you could replace Christmas for the word Chinese food in every one of those arguments," he was setting up a false analogy argument, which looks like this:

A is like X, therefore, B is also like X.
Some readers may find that confusing, so let's look at an example:

"Nails have to be hit on the head to make them work.
Therefore, women have to be hit on the head to make them work."
The argument that nails and women are the same when it comes to their function is a false analogy, and can obviously lead to some terrible philosophy (i.e. ways of thinking) if taken seriously. Now let's look at Cameron's argument:

"If Christmas should not be celebrated because of pagan connections,
then Chinese food should not be eaten because of pagan connections."
This argument is absurd on so many levels, it is difficult for me to choose where to start, but essentially, Cameron is making the same argument we have already debunked many times in this book. He is saying that Chinese food would have to be evil if Christmas is evil, and his goal is to get his opponents to admit that a specific type of food is acceptable with God (which it is), so he can jump in and claim that pagan Christmas traditions are also acceptable with God.

I would agree that all meats are good for consumption in the New Testament, but that does not mean all meats should be eaten under the New Testament. Many preachers have taught this doctrine in error, so let's gain a full understanding of these verses, and allow the Word of God to pull the rug out from under Cameron's argument:

But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
-1 Corinthians 8:8-13

Here, we can see that the teaching of the Holy Ghost to Christians is that it is not good or charitable to eat of meat that has been offered unto idols, meaning that the food which has been dedicated to the gods and goddesses of the pagans should not be consumed for the sake of those who are weak in the faith (i.e. new Christians), and we should set a good example for those who we are trying to reach when sharing the Gospel of Salvation in Jesus Christ. However, Cameron did not factor that into his speech because he does not understand it, nor does he care if his audience knows the truth because he only cares about how much return he will get on his movie investment.

So in summary, it is lawful for me to eat meat that has been offered unto idols, but it is not necessarily expedient (i.e. suitable for the purpose at hand) because I do not want to set a bad example for anyone (especially pagans). It is a shame that I have not yet met one churchgoer who celebrates Christmas that has been willing to take that fact into consideration because most of them have no concern about winning the souls of the lost. If I were to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a pagan, but they saw me sitting and eating the meat offered unto idols, they may not hear me because they think I am a hypocrite, or worse, they would believe that what I preach of Jesus Christ is the same as pagan beliefs, and therefore, they would not take my words seriously.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
-Proverbs 11:30

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
-1 Corinthians 10:23

This is what Paul meant when he said that he brings his body into subjection, meaning that he disciplines himself not to do anything that his flesh pleases, because if he did not, and was found to be a hypocrite, those who would hear his preaching would make him a "castaway," meaning that they would not take him seriously anymore, which also means they would not be open to hearing the Gospel of Salvation.

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
-1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Remember, Cameron made the comments about Chinese food in a facetious (i.e. joking) manner, in which he was mocking someone for saying that Chinese food is evil, which no one says. His speech is titled, "Don't Celebrate Christmas? Better Not Eat Chinese Food!" This means that Cameron presented a false premise in his argument, namely, that all food is acceptable under any context or circumstance, which is not true, and then tried to use that false premise to argue that Christmas (a religious custom) is automatically good.

The reason he made the statement that Chinese food was created in "the very heart of the most sophisticated forms of paganism" is because he believes that Christmas is a "Christian" holiday that was invented in the midst of paganism. He rejects actual historical evidence that Christmas was invented by the Catholic Church, who took all of the traditions from pagan witchcraft.

An interesting side note is that when Cameron said "You cannot slap a Jesus sticker on your chicken chow mein," that was his counter attack against the demotivational poster I made the previous year (before he gave that speech) that was passed around the internet. This was his response to my teaching that, "You cannot simply slap a Jesus sticker on something and call it good," and my example was concerning how churchgoers are putting "Jesus" labels on the abominations of witchcraft and claiming they are of Christ.


The reason I created this demotivational poster many years ago was to demonstrate to churchgoers how they judge according to the appearance of a thing, rather than judging righteous judgment. When they see something that has the appearance of skulls, blood, and death, they judge that it is bad, but when they see something that is fluffy and pretty, like a Christmas tree, they judge that it is good because they do not judge righteously.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

Shall we put "I Love Jesus" stickers on pornography and claim it is for God? Shall we put "I Love Jesus" stickers on drugs and claim they are for God? Shall we put "I Love Jesus" stickers on abortions and claim they are for God? Where should we draw the line?
(Read "Abortion: Paganism, Satanism, Sacrifices, and Witchcraft" & Psychology: Hoodwinked by the Devil here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

For those who are born again in the Lord Jesus Christ, the line is drawn with the Word of God, not the word of Kirk Cameron. You will notice that God did not have to tell the Hebrews not to become witches (because, at the time, they were not actively practicing witchcraft), but He specifically instructed them NOT to learn their ways, meaning they were not to adopt paganism into their own practices.

When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
-Deuteronomy 18:9-11

The Old Testament proves to us how God perceives these things. The question we have to ask ourselves is this: Do we care at all about how God views something, or do we only care about how we personally want to view something?

I wish I did not have to cover this topic at all, to have to cover all the demonic details of witchcraft, but because of false preachers like Kirk Cameron, I have no choice. I will not allow my brethren to fall prey to the deceptions of the Devil on my watch, if (God willing) I can do anything about it.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
-1 Peter 5:8

I could address many of the other fallacies in Cameron's facetious remarks, but frankly, they are simply childish and would get us off topic, so let's continue on with his next argument:

Cameron: "Guys, don't worry about what the pagans do with trees. They do lots of stuff that you don't even want to know about. They've always stolen and perverted things like trees and rocks and people and music and noodles and science and art and sex, and try to convince us those things belong to them; that they've got a corner on those things... My bible says that the earth is the Lord's, and everything it contains. *applause* Everything God made is good, everything God made is sacred, and it all belongs to him."

What is amazing to me is that he is correct in telling the audience that pagans do a lot of stuff that they would not want to know about, and I have covered some of those dark things in my article, "Abortion: Paganism, Satanism, Sacrifices, and Witchcraft" here at creationliberty.com. However, what Cameron then goes on to argue is that Christians (or at least, those who claim to be Christians) should then take those things that they do not want to know about, pick out the parts of the pagan traditions and rituals that give them a happy feeling, slap an "I Love Jesus" sticker on them, and then adopt those practices into their homes and church buildings.

For the sake of argument, let's imagine that witches lit cinnamon candles just before they sacrificed a newborn baby unto their gods on the first day of January. Shall we say that is pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ? Absolutely not! Likewise, adopting the lighting of cinnamon candles on the second day of January (the day after) in an attempt to "reclaim abortion for Jesus" is not only nonsensical and vile in every way, but COMPLETELY unbiblical, and that is EXACTLY what Cameron is trying to argue, namely, that the debauchery of Saturnalia/Yule should be "reclaimed for Jesus."

It is true that God created music, people, rocks, trees, etc, but it is NOT true that God created the religious traditions of the pagans. For example, do abortions belong to God? Does He take ownership of abortion? I pose these questions for readers to consider that when it comes to sin and the things that God hates, there is no Biblical indication that we should "reclaim them for God."

The spiritual beliefs and religious rituals of witches do NOT belong to God because He takes no ownership over them, and declares in His Word that those traditions have no part with Him:

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
-1 John 2:15-17

However, like all the other so-called "ministers" we have seen in this book, Cameron uses the word 'Christmas' and the phrase "the birth of Jesus" interchangeably because he is trying to indoctrinate the audience. By 'indoctrination', I mean that he is repeating something over and over without evidence, in hopes that the audience will also begin to repeat it without questioning it.

Finally, Cameron argues, "My bible says that the earth is the Lord's, and everything it contains," and this is his attempt to paraphrase First Corinthians 10:26 from a new-age bible version:

For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.
-1 Corinthians 10:26

What I am about to show you is why it is so dangerous to listen to false teachers like Kirk Cameron. We covered this in chapter two, but I want to go over it again to point out Cameron's error, hypocrisy, and uncharitable spirit. They cherry-pick certain words and phrases out of Scripture, often taking them out of context, in order to teach a false doctrine.

Earlier in this section on Cameron, I quoted First Corinthians 10:23, which is just three verses before the verse we just read, which explained that, although Christians have freedom from the law, liberty is meaningless without charity. (i.e. loving your neighbor as yourself - Mat 22:39) Let's start in verse 23 and read through:

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient [good for the purpose at hand]: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.
-1 Corinthians 10:23-24

When it comes to things a man considers to be indifferent, meaning that he has no conscience of guilt one way or another, a Christian ought NOT to make his decision based on the satisfaction of his own flesh, and the whimsical emotions of his heart. Rather, he ought to make that decision based on what is good for the benefit of others around him; for their edification (i.e. building up), that they might gain understanding of God's Word and blessings of good things.

Whatsoever is sold in the shambles [the butcher], that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.
-1 Corinthians 10:25-26

There is no need for Christians to go around to every seller of food and question whether or not a religious ritual was performed surrounding everything we eat. If the food is good for consumption, then we may eat it with thanksgiving unto God, but there are conditions to this, so let's keep reading...

If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
-1 Corinthians 10:27-33

Notice that Paul repeated the phrase about the earth being the Lord's, and because of that, if we are given knowledge that a thing has been sacrificed unto idols, we should not partake in it. This was dealing with something as simple as food, so how much MORE offense is there for those who partake in a wide variety of witchcraft rituals of idolatry in a seasonal celebration like Christmas?

Cameron does not care if someone is saved or not; he only cares about how popular he is in the church-ianity crowd, and how much money he can make from them. He sought his own edification in his unbiblical, illogical, and embarrassing speech, being blinded by the idolatry in his own heart, and he is more than happy that millions will remain ignorant of the doctrines of Scripture, so long as he can increase his net worth.

Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
-Ezekiel 20:16

 

STEVEN ANDERSON FAITHFUL WORD BAPTIST CHURCH

Steven Anderson is an extraordinarily hateful, warmongering preacher who, like the previously mentioned preachers, rejects the Gospel of Salvation in Jesus Christ as it is taught in Scripture. Anderson not only fervently defends Christmas as a so-called "Christian" holiday, his willful ignorance and idolatrous desire to justify himself has also emboldened him to accuse all those who do not celebrate the paganism of Christmas as being involving in a Jewish conspiracy.

Anderson has a teaching in which he attempts to justify Christmas, and he addresses the passage from Jeremiah 10, which we learned about earlier in this book:

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
-Jeremiah 10:2-4

Anderson teaches that this passage is not directly referring to the Christmas tree, which we also learned earlier in this book. He argues that this is the process by which idols are created:
"And what the Bible is saying here is that they're carving it into an idol because look, in verse five, he says they are upright as the palm tree, but speak not. Nobody thinks that a Christmas tree can speak or walk or do good or evil."
-Steven L. Anderson, "Should Christians Celebrate Christmas," retrieved Dec 26, 2017, [https://youtu.be/-pQ0cyWHNI4?t=25m30s]; See also Steven L. Anderson, "Should Christians Celebrate Christmas," retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [https://ugetube.com/watch/should-christians-celebrate-christmas-pastor-steven-anderson_IH6RX6hjrR57FdV.html]

First, let's look at verse five:

They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
-Jeremiah 10:5

If you have read this book in its entirety, you may have noticed that I have not once argued that a tree speaks or does evil. Inanimate objects, like wood for example, do not have a conscience, and therefore, it is impossible for such things to have morality, let alone communicate. However, Anderson is trying to argue that the tenth chapter of Jeremiah cannot be talking about a Christmas tree, and that is because Anderson does not understand what idolatry is.

Anderson is correct in part, namely, that if you read the entirety of Jeremiah 10, you will clearly see that it is talking about the process by which the heathen craft an idol. And yet, I say that Anderson is only PARTIALLY correct because, as we covered earlier in chapter three (on the idolatry of the Christmas tree), idolatry stems from the heart, not from carving a face and hands out of an object.

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.
-Ezekiel 14:2-5

Anderson is willingly blind to the facts which we learned in chapter eight, namely, that witches also believe that they are not guilty of idolatry because they claim that their symbols are only a "representation" of something else. It never ceases to amaze me how many churchgoers (like Anderson) claim that the Christmas tree "represents" the birth of Christ (describing the various parts of it to "represent" the Biblical story) in the EXACT same way as pagans do with their gods at the EXACT same time of year.

Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
-Jeremiah 10:14

If you listen to Anderson's entire teaching, he later points out that, in verse 14, they carved idols out of a tree, and then smiths (i.e. the founders) would cover the wood with silver and gold plating, and that is correct; Jeremiah is describing that process. What Anderson ignores is the fact that Christmas trees are decorated (i.e. covered) with silver and gold in a very similar way.

Have you ever seen tinsel? It is a decoration (fashioned to look like silver and gold) that is often used around Christmas time to cover houses, light poles, and most especially Christmas trees, and it is most often sold in silver and gold colors.

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
-Jeremiah 10:4

The word 'deck' means "to cover:"

deck (v): to cover, to overspread, to put on, to clothe
(See 'deck', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 15, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

When carolers (or rather, wassailers) sing, "deck the halls with boughs of holly," what do they mean? They are covering their hallways with holly, and in like manner, churchgoers (including Steven Anderson) deck their idols (i.e. the Christmas tree) with silver and gold.

Is it wrong to put gold, silver, or plants in a home for decoration? No, there is nothing inherently (i.e. naturally) wrong with doing that, but when a man adopts a religious tradition from pagans, and attempts to fool everyone into thinking that is somehow honoring Jesus Christ, and furthermore, he refuses to acknowledge it, while warring against those who come speaking the truth about it, then it becomes inherently wrong.

Essentially, all churchgoers are doing is following the process of creating an idol in Jeremiah 10:2-4, but then stopping the process before carving a face and hands out of wood, then, in hypocrisy, corrupt preachers like Anderson think they have somehow found a loophole in God's Word, while glorifying themselves in their idolatry. This is just as absurd as a man who pleasures himself with pornography, but believes he is not an adulterer because he has never slept with a woman behind his wife's back.

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
-Matthew 5:28

Anderson deceives his listeners by telling them people like me are only quoting part of Jeremiah 10 out of context, and falsely accusing him, but in fact, it is the opposite because I am only accusing him of violating verses 2-4. I will only accuse a man of what he is guilty of doing. I will not accuse him of something he has not done. If I said that Anderson was guilty of ALL of Jeremiah 10, then I would be a liar, because Anderson is not carving out faces in the wood and plating them with silver. Apart from carving a face out of the wood of the tree, Anderson participates in all the other traditions of witches that were ordained thousands of years ago in their demonic covens, and then to save himself embarrassment, he speaks evil of born again Christians that sanctify themselves according to God's Word.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
-2 Peter 2:1-2

Anderson continues to yell and scream and mock sanctified Christians (which is standard operating procedure for him because many of his teachings are like that), and then claims that Christians like me will not address certain passages in the Bible. For example, he says that preachers like me will not address Isaiah 60:13, which he uses as a justification for his Christmas tree:

The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
-Isaiah 60:13

Anderson argues God had the Jews cut down pine and fir trees, and set them up in His temple, and therefore, Anderson concludes that he is justified to cut down pine or fir trees, deck them in his house for divine reasons, and then perform most of the other pagan Christmas traditions as well. However, there are some massive holes in Anderson's argument:

God commanded the Jews (not the Christians) to bring these trees into His temple. Unless Anderson has some secret plans to convert to Judaism and rebuild Solomon's Temple in his home, then Isaiah 60:13 does not apply to the context of the witchcraft Christmas traditions that Anderson practices. Solomon's Temple is no longer in a specific location, built with bricks and mortar, but rather, the temple of the New Testament dispensation is the bodies of born-again Christians, where the Holy Spirit dwells. (1Co 6:19) I highly doubt Anderson has plans to swallow whole trees to position inside his own body, which means he does not understand the context of these verses, nor does he understand the doctrines of the Holy Ghost in the New Testament. Anderson, who continually lies to his audience that he "teaches the context of Scripture" fails to understand the end of verse 13. Notice that God said, "I will make the place of my feet glorious," which means the Hebrews were not uprooting these giant fir, pine, and box trees to fasten them upright with nails (or even to plant and grow them) in Solomon's Temple, but rather, they were using fir, pine, and box wood to lay the inside, for bases and flooring, which would make all the Temple smell wonderful.

When Solomon built the Temple, he covered it with cedar, which has a wonderful scent. He also laid the floor of the Temple with planks (cut lengths) of fir wood.

So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar. And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
-1 Kings 6:9-10

And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.
-1 Kings 6:15

Nowhere does the Bible indicate that they brought whole trees into the Temple, stood them upright, and nailed them to the floor so they would not move. Again, these are simple matters that Anderson cannot see because he does not have the Spirit of God for understanding; he is only trying to justify the rituals of witchcraft that he prefers to celebrate, which cannot be Biblically reconciled.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
-1 Corinthians 2:13-14

Anderson is doing what every other false convert and false preacher does, which is to look for any justification to continue their traditions without having to confess they are the rituals of witches, and they are unwilling for one second to see or care how God views the things they do.

Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.
-Deuteronomy 12:8

We are not supposed to walk as the heathens and Gentiles walk, meaning that we are not supposed to adopt their pagan traditions and live according to their ways:

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
-Ephesians 4:17-24

To fully understand his near-unbelievable hypocrisy, we need to look at Anderson's teaching called, "The Seven Sins of Halloween." Halloween comes from the same pagan origins as Christmas, but very few churchgoers are willing to hear that, let alone accept it, and if any readers do not understand the details of that, I would suggest that you read "Halloween: Are Christians Lovers of Death?" to get more information on why Halloween is such an offense against the Lord Jesus Christ.

The ironic thing about Anderson's teaching on Halloween is that he somewhat agrees with what I have taught on it, and this is where he traps himself in contradictions: "Number 1. The first sin of Halloween is idolatry. Idolatry. The Bible says here, [1Co 10:20] 'But I say the things which the Gentiles sacrifice', and we know he's talking about sacrifice unto idols, he's saying they're not sacrificing it to an idol. They're not just sacrificing it to a piece of wood, or a stone, or gold, or silver; some kind of a graven image cunningly graven by the work of man! [he starting yelling again] Hey! We know they are SACRIFICING TO A DEVIL!"
-Steven Anderson, "The Seven Sins of Halloween," Steven Anderson's Official YouTube Channel, Oct 24, 2009, retrieved Feb 8, 2018, [https://youtu.be/8Gi7fL1KXEs]; See also Steven Anderson, "The Seven Sins of Halloween," retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [https://ugetube.com/watch/the-seven-sins-of-halloween-pastor-steven-anderson_HUqgNv2z4x5Nsq4.html]

As a side note, while preparing to publish this book, my lovely and hard-working editor was double checking my references, she noticed that Steven Anderson has recently made both his Christmas and Halloween teachings "Private." Do not misunderstand; he was not censored, but rather, he took them down from public viewing. We cannot know for certain his reasoning (and it is unlikely that Anderson would be honest about it anyway), but there is a possibility that he is aware of his hypocrisy and contradictions after I have exposed him on this matter, and he took them down so he would not be called out on them. (As of 2021, the references have secondary working links where you can view the full teachings, but I do not know how long those will last.)

For readers who have never heard Anderson preach, it is common for him to scream and yell things into the microphone in a similar manner to one of his early mentors, Alex Jones, and I tried to somewhat replicate that mannerism with the all-caps and exclamation points in the quote, but that being said, what he taught in this instance was correct, and that is what makes Anderson a complete hypocrite. As Anderson so aptly stated, witches and pagans sacrifice unto devils, and it is idolatry, however, Anderson is willingly ignorant that these same traditional sacrifices were done during Yule and Ostara (i.e. Christmas and Easter), but because the bunny eggs of Easter and tree lights of Christmas have a more fluffy outward appearance than devil horns and skeletons, he closes his eyes and ears to the facts of Scripture and history so he can maintain his favorite fun-time traditions, and teach others to do the same.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
-Proverbs 21:2

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land [travel around the world] to make one proselyte [a religious convert], and when he is made, ye make him twofold [doubly] more the child of hell than yourselves.
-Matthew 23:15

Though he properly rebukes Samhain (sao-win, or Halloween), Anderson embraces the devilish traditions that are done in Yule (Christmas) and Ostara (Easter), or in other words, to Anderson, it is all about what HE prefers, not what God prefers. Anderson does not like Halloween, so he rebukes it, but he does like Christmas, so he will not rebuke that. For Steven Anderson, it is NOT about the truth of the Word of God, it is about his personal preferences, and his teaching on Halloween exposes his hypocrisy.

As I have pointed out many times before, these holidays are just the same pagan witchcraft repackaged, and like many other false preachers, Anderson likes to slap a Jesus sticker on the holiday traditions he personally prefers:

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
-Matthew 7:5

In his teaching on Halloween, Anderson continues:
"'Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,'... Now before he told you not to bow down or serve them, he says don't make them."
-Steven Anderson, "The Seven Sins of Halloween," Steven Anderson's Official YouTube Channel, Oct 24, 2009, retrieved Feb 8, 2018, [https://youtu.be/8Gi7fL1KXEs]; See also Steven Anderson, "The Seven Sins of Halloween," retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [https://ugetube.com/watch/the-seven-sins-of-halloween-pastor-steven-anderson_HUqgNv2z4x5Nsq4.html]

Normally, I would not split hairs on this subject, but because Steven Anderson is such a massive hypocrite, I have to point out that if you go look at his family's Christmas tree in the image below (taken from Anderson's wife's formerly public blog, which has been recently taken down from public view), you will see ornaments on the tree that are images of the things in the earth beneath. For example, children learn to make snowflake cut-outs from folded paper when they are young, and I would not accuse them of idolatry for making something into the shape of a snowflake (because there is no harm in such a thing), but I am addressing what Anderson is teaching, and Anderson is the one who is arguing that God said not to make anything in the form of that which is in the earth, and once again, he is caught in his contradictions.
(I exposed Steven Anderson on this subject many years ago in various articles, so it is possible he is taking everything down from public view to save face.)

(See Zsuzsanna Anderson, "Christmas 2017," Steven Anderson Family Blogspot, Dec 26, 2017, retrieved Feb 8, 2018, [stevenandersonfamily.blogspot.com/search?q=christmas]; See also Internet Archive Wayback Machine, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170313055819/http://stevenandersonfamily.blogspot.com/search/label/holidays])

Anderson continues:
"Don't make any graven images. Don't make any idols. Now let me ask you something: When you walk down the street, or drive down the road, in the month of October, and you drive by a person's house, whose house is decorated for Halloween, what will you see on their porch? If it's not a carved image of an evil face in a pumpkin."
-Steven Anderson, "The Seven Sins of Halloween," Steven Anderson's Official YouTube Channel, Oct 24, 2009, retrieved Feb 8, 2018, [https://youtu.be/8Gi7fL1KXEs]; See also Steven Anderson, "The Seven Sins of Halloween," retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [https://ugetube.com/watch/the-seven-sins-of-halloween-pastor-steven-anderson_HUqgNv2z4x5Nsq4.html]

I find this argument fascinating because it is Anderson that argued that he is not bowing down to worship his Christmas tree in idolatry, so therefore, he is not an idolater, and yet, people are not bowing down to worship pumpkins, but he does accuse them of idolatry. Again, this is to point out Anderson's overwhelming hypocrisy.

Earlier, I quoted Scripture in which God taught us that idolatry is in the heart, and that idolaters are found guilty even when they do not carve out idols and bow to them. (Eze 14:2-5) To help understand this a little better, Jesus Christ addressed the subject of adultery in the same way:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
-Matthew 5:27-28

The problem is that there were men, who were in positions of authority in the synagogues (like pastors in church buildings), who claimed they did not commit adultery because they did not lay in bed with another woman. However, they would look at women and lust after them, very similar to pornography in our modern day, and they would think themselves to be innocent of any sin. Jesus Christ said they were guilty of that sin in their hearts, and that would be called "adultery of the heart."

Likewise, there is "idolatry of the heart," in which men like Steven Anderson do not go out and forge graven images into shapes and bow down to worship them, but rather, he is an idolater in his heart, doing the same things under a fluffier context, and trying to justify himself before men. Anderson's rebuke of Halloween, but not Christmas, is the same as him rebuking adultery, but not pornography. He hangs on to Christmas and Easter because of traditions of men that he was raised on (or as the Bible says, the "rudiments [first teachings] of the world" in Col 2:8), not because of any commandment found in Scripture, and thus, when he teaches for doctrine the commandments of men, that churchgoers are set at liberty to adopt the traditions of witches and pagans, he worships God in vain.

He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
-Mark 7:6-7

In his Halloween teaching, Anderson hypocritically quotes Second Corinthians 6 to support his argument:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
-2 Corinthians 6:14

And yet, he yokes together with the Catholic Church every year to honor their pagan idolatry. There are many false, so-called "Christian" institutions that Anderson hates, but he yokes together with them when it comes to Christmas, once again demonstrating that he is swimming in hypocrisy.

If we go back to Anderson's teaching on Christmas, he attempts to argue against the very title of this book, namely, that the word Christmas is a good word:
"Another objection people will bring to Christmas, they'll say, 'Well, you know, Christmas is Catholic!', they'll say. And basically, this is their proof that Christmas is Catholic... they'll say, 'Number 1, you know, it's called Christ-Mass.'... Saying the word Christmas is bad because it contains the word mass in it, first of all, no one is pronouncing it that way. No one's calling it 'Christ-Mass.' Okay? There are other explanations for where that name has even come from besides 'Mass' because even the word 'mass' comes from the word 'messiah.'"
-Steven Anderson, "Steven Anderson's Hypocrisy on Holidays," Creation Liberty Evangelism YouTube Channel, Mar 14, 2018, [https://youtu.be/QqJla-I8B50?t=171]

I have to give credit to Anderson on his ability to pack in a lot of propaganda, illogical arguments, and false information into a very short statement. Let's cover all of them one step at a time.

First of all, Christmas is Catholic, but not because of the name, even though the name obviously points to the origin. In various chapters in this book, we have learned about the historical documentation on the origins of Christmas coming from paganism, and channeled through the Catholic Church.

Secondly, Anderson claims that no one says "Christ-Mass," but rather, they say "Christmas" (kris-mus), so his argument is that Christmas has nothing to do with the Catholic Mass of Christ because people do not say it that way. That is like a preacher saying, "Arkansas is commonly pronounced ark-an-saw instead of ark-an-sass, so therefore, Arkansas is not a real state," which is shockingly stupid because a common pronunciation of a word has nothing to do with its origins and history.

Finally, Anderson attempts a whopper of an argument I have never heard anyone else attempt, and that is his belief that the word 'mass' comes from the word 'messiah'. If you thought Anderson has made some ridiculous statements so far, this trumps them all.

Before I explain the word origins and expose his obvious lie, I want to make sure readers understand why he is doing this. This is a quote from Anderson's teaching on the Catholic Church, and he is, once again, yelling and screaming this:
"I love the Catholics, which is why I'm telling them the truth about the Satanic minister who's trying to lead them to hell, with his pagan hocus pocus and superstition! If you love Catholics, you'll tell them the truth, that there is no salvation inside the Catholic Church!... There is NO SALVATION INSIDE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH!! NONE!!! IF YOU WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN, YOU MUST REJECT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH!!!... That rosary chanting and hail Mary is going to send you to hell!... That little wafer he holds up, you know what people used to do in England during the Reformation, there were people get so angry at the Catholic Church and get so mad, there are numerous stories of where somebody, when the Pope was holding up that piece of bread, would just grab it out of his hand, and throw it on the ground, and STOMP ON IT!!! AND SAY YOU'RE AN IDOLATER!!!"
-Steven Anderson, "No Salvation Inside the Catholic Church - Steven L Anderson," Cloud Work, Jun 29, 2018, retrieved Oct 19, 2021, [https://youtu.be/ac2bL3i19Ec]

So in what ritual do Catholics perform all this vile idolatry? The Catholic Mass, like the Christ-Mass they hold every December 25th (usually at midnight on Christmas Eve).

When Anderson yells and screams at the audience that they are to have absolutely nothing to do with the Catholic Church, but then he turns around and celebrates Christmas, it puts him in an awkward position where, on one hand, he is fervently set against Catholicism, and on the other hand, he is honoring their pagan, antichrist holiday. So Anderson has to come up with some sort of excuse for people to not accuse him of contradictions and hypocrisy, so that he does not have to give up his fun-time traditions to remain logically consistent, and knowing that whatever excuse he comes up with is going to contradict the facts, we also know he will present wildly absurd arguments.

As we learned in chapter one, the word 'Christmas' comes from 'Christ-Mass', with the word 'mass' coming from the Latin roots (as nearly all Catholic words do because they are Roman in origin), and it literally means "to dismiss." However, the word 'messiah' comes from the Hebrew word 'masah', which means "to smear or anoint," and so the Latin 'mass' and the Hebrew 'masah' have no connection to one another except the similar way they sound in the English language, which is not even considering that they are not written or sound the same if you were to write and speak them in their language of origin.
(See 'anoint', Bible Study Tools, retrieved Mar 13, 2018, [biblestudytools.com/dictionary/anoint]; I do not recommend BST for study, since most of it is from corrupt lexicons and concordances, but this is simply to address the subject of word origins in the Hebrew to demonstrate that Anderson does not know what he is talking about; See also 'mass', Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved Mar 13, 2018, [etymonline.com/word/mass])

For the sake of argument, let's suppose Anderson were correct that the word Christmas comes from the word 'messiah'. He has no clue that Christmas would actually become a redundant word that would make no sense.

The Greek word 'Christos' (where we get the name 'Christ') also means "anointed" just like the word 'masah' (where we get the word 'messiah') means "anointed." In other words, even if Anderson was right, he is arguing that the word 'Christmas' means 'Christ-Messiah' or 'Christos-Masah', which also means the word Christmas would literally mean "anointed-anointed," which is redundant nonsense.

In case some readers do not understand the absurdity of the argument, there are some words we use in the English language that have a noun and verb meaning for the same word. For example, the word 'hammer' is used as a verb of action, as well as a noun to describe the tool being used, but never in our language do we call it a "hammer-hammer" because that would be ridiculous and superfluous (i.e. unnecessary and useless by means of over-abundance).

But despite the fact that Anderson is making himself look like a total fool, he doubles down on his fallacy:
"And look, just because a word—and let's just say the word [Christmas] has a Catholic origin, that doesn't still make it a bad word because, you know, a lot of the words we have today have Islamic origins, a lot of words we have today have pagan origins..."
-Steven L. Anderson, "Should Christians Celebrate Christmas," Steven Anderson's Official YouTube Channel, Dec 9, 2013, retrieved Dec 26, 2017, [https://youtu.be/-pQ0cyWHNI4]; See also Steven L. Anderson, "Should Christians Celebrate Christmas," retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [https://ugetube.com/watch/should-christians-celebrate-christmas-pastor-steven-anderson_IH6RX6hjrR57FdV.html]

I would agree that just because a word has a particular origin, it does not automatically make the word bad, but what matters is the context of that origin, and the meaning of the word in the subject matter we use it. However, I am pointing out Anderson's hypocrisy, so let's see if Anderson upholds his philosophy on words in other contexts, like when it comes to homosexuals/sodomites:

ANDERSON: "YOU THINK I'M PREACHING TOO HARD?! YOU! HAVE! LOST! YOUR! MIND! AND IF YOU EVER SAY THE WORD [in mocking tone] 'LGBT Community' TO ME, you might as well just walk up to me and just say, 'You know what, I'm a brainwashed idiot! I don't read the bible! I don't love God! I'm just a brainwashed fool that has my mind filled with TV, Hollywood, and can't think for myself!' LGBT? They're SODOMITES!"

So if you use words like 'gay' or 'lesbian' or 'homosexual' or 'LGBT', instead of the Biblical term 'sodomite', Anderson says you are "a brainwashed idiot that does not love God." I would agree that such terms like 'LGBT' are corrupt terms commonly used by heathen unbelievers to justify their sin, but it does not mean that someone is wrong for referring to them in the context of denoting a group or organization. However, when attempting to justify the word 'Christmas' in the idolatry of his heart, Anderson hypocritically teaches that such terms are now acceptable as long as you slap a "Jesus" sticker on them, despite the fact that there is no Bible-equivalent term for the word (or celebration of) 'Christmas' because the holiday was not invented by the Catholic Church until many hundreds of years after Christ.

When he talks about the traditions of Halloween, Anderson tells his church building not to be partakers of the wickedness of the world:
"Ephesians chapter number five verse six: Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. BE! YE! NOT! therefore partakers with them!"
-Steven Anderson, "The Seven Sins of Halloween," Steven Anderson's Official YouTube Channel, Oct 24, 2009, retrieved Feb 8, 2018, [https://youtu.be/8Gi7fL1KXEs]; See also Steven Anderson, "The Seven Sins of Halloween," retrieved Dec 2, 2021, [https://ugetube.com/watch/the-seven-sins-of-halloween-pastor-steven-anderson_HUqgNv2z4x5Nsq4.html]

For one holiday (Christmas), Anderson believes the witchcraft traditions are acceptable, but for another holiday (Halloween), Anderson believes the witchcraft traditions are not acceptable. In summary, Anderson teaches that you should not be partakers with the heathens, pagans, and witches, unless it is first approved by his god, who also happens to be called Steven Anderson.


 

KEN HAM ANSWERS IN GENESIS

One of the things most churchgoers do not understand about Ken Ham (a man who has roughly a 54 million dollar net worth as of 2021) is that he is VERY quiet on many controversial issues, and because he is a marketer instead of a minister, most of the time, he leaves the tough subjects for other people. (i.e. Ham knows the less you say to the public, the more money you can make.) When it comes to the paganism of various holidays, Ham leaves it in the hands of his son-in-law, Bodie Hodge, who takes the heat for Ham while Ham promotes Hodge's books in the Answers in Genesis multi-million dollar book store.

The following is a post from Ken Ham's official Facebook account:
"Join the War on Christmas Launch Team - Our very own Bodie Hodge has recently finished editing a new book on our celebration of Christmas. Here is what our publisher Master Books (a division of New Leaf Publishing Group) shared this week: 'The War on Christmas - Is Christmas just a bunch of pagan symbols "Christianized" for the celebration? Is it about the birth of Jesus or simply celebrating the earthly gifts we give ourselves? Hodge addresses these questions and more in the soon-to-be released book from Master Books, The War on Christmas: Battles in Faith, Tradition, and Religious Expression. We want you to be a part of spreading this message. (We'll make it worth your while — we promise.)"
-Ken Ham, post made to his Facebook page, Sept 12, 2013, retrieved Dec 8, 2015, [facebook.com/aigkenham/posts/625066504190376]

I am unsure how they planned on making it "worth your while" since the customers would have to buy the book, and then also volunteer to promote it so Hodge and Ham can make more money from others who will buy it. In my experience, that is called a marketing strategy, not ministry or charity.

In this announcement, it is implied that Bodie Hodge is going to address the questions, and that is true, he addresses the questions; however, that does NOT mean he is going to give any Biblical answers. Hodge has given absurd answers on Halloween too, claiming that Halloween was invented by Noah (I am not joking, he actually made that statement), and if you want to learn more about that, see my teaching called "Halloween: Are Christians Lovers of Death?" here at creationliberty.com for the details.

In a blog post at Answers in Genesis (AIG), Hodge responds to the following question:
"Is it true that Christians today worship a Pagan holiday thinking they are worshiping the actual birthday of Jesus Christ?"

Hodge responds:
"This is a common, but good question—especially around this time of year—and the answer is much deeper than most realize... This celebration was the pagan holiday Saturnalia, which was the Roman festival for their god Saturn. It ran from about December 17—23."
-Bodie Hodge, "The Origin of Christmas," Answers in Genesis, Dec 19, 2008, retrieved Dec 8, 2015, [answersingenesis.org/holidays/christmas/the-origin-of-christmas]

Hodge was close, but it runs from the 17th to the 24th (because the solstice on the 21st is intended to be placed in the middle of the celebration week), and I say the word 'runs' (i.e. present tense), not 'ran' (i.e. past tense) because pagans still celebrate it to this day, but churchgoers are willingly blind to the fact that they also celebrate it in Christmas. Hodge continues:
"Saturn is the Roman god analogous to the Greek god 'Cronus' or 'Kronos.' Saturn/Cronus Goes Back to a Bible Person—The land of Greece was inhabited by the descendants of Noah's grandson Javan. In fact, the Hebrew name for Greece is still Javan. [This part is correct; Yavan in Hebrew] Javan had four sons: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, Rodanim... Many of the characters of Greek mythology are based on real historical figures who were raised up to godlike status. One example here is 'Hellen,' the alleged mythological patriarch and god of the Aeolians (or Elisians). Hellen is likely a variant of Elishah."
-Bodie Hodge, "The Origin of Christmas," Answers in Genesis, Dec 19, 2008, retrieved Dec 8, 2015, [answersingenesis.org/holidays/christmas/the-origin-of-christmas]

Some readers may be wondering what his sources and references are for where he got this information, but I could not tell you because he never provides that. What Hodge is doing is what is called "assertion" and "conjecture" not research.

assertion (n): a positive statement or declaration, often without support or reason:
conjecture (n): the formation or expression of an opinion or theory without sufficient evidence for proof
(See 'assertion' & 'conjecture', Random House Dictionary, 2021, [dictionary.com]; See also Collins English Dictionary, 10th Edition, William Collins Sons & Co, 2012)

Sadly, many churchgoers (and many people in general) think to themselves that if they read a book, whatever was stated in the book must automatically be true because it was published, especially if it comes from a so-called "Christian" author. They think no one who claims to be a Christian would ever lie to them to turn a profit. I would encourage readers not to even trust my book on this subject, but you should do your own research and check out my sources too, to verify what I am telling you is the truth.

Not only does Hodge not provide any evidence for his claim, but his overall argument is that because the gods and goddesses of the pagans are allegedly referring to people mentioned in the Bible, therefore, Christmas is acceptable in the sight of God. Even if his information was correct, his argument is a logical fallacy called "Jumping to Conclusions," which looks like this:

Little or no evidence is provided about X.
Conclusion about X is made.
For example, let's say a couple was thinking about buying a car:

HUSBAND: I do not have much information about this car.
WIFE: The salesmen did not say there was anything wrong, so let's buy it!
In the example, the wife tries to get the husband to buy the vehicle without first checking to make sure the car was in good working condition, which can lead to them buying a bad car at a very unreasonable price. Likewise, Bodie Hodge has tried to get his readers to buy his car without investigation by arguing the following:

My opinion is that gods and goddesses are based on Bible characters.
Therefore, Christmas is Biblical and honors God.
If churchgoers are that naïve, I would pray that God would protect them from getting scammed by salesmen because, despite the fact that many of them hate me for what I teach on this subject, I do not want them to be taken advantage of by con men like Hodge. One of the ways Hodge fools people is by providing references in his book, but some of his references do not point to any research.

For example, when Hodge said that "Hellen is likely a variant of Elishah," red flags went up in my mind the moment I saw the word "likely" because that means it is an opinion. However, Hodge did provide a reference, and when I looked up his "reference," this is what I found:
"Set spellings of names were not necessarily common until recent times (really after the printing press). Various languages often had variant spellings of the same name—even same language cultures often had variant spellings."
-Bodie Hodge, "The Origin of Christmas," Answers in Genesis, Dec 19, 2008, retrieved Dec 8, 2015, [answersingenesis.org/holidays/christmas/the-origin-of-christmas]

That did not point us to anything except Hodge's opinion, and so the reference was nothing more than his own opinion to back up his opinion. I would be laughing if this were not so sad, knowing that so many people are willingly buying this garbage to justify their pagan traditions.

So Hodge put aside facts to argue his opinion that the names sounded the same, and were spelled the same, in ancient times. I found this comment very interesting because Ken Ham has another "go-to" author for Easter, whose name is Roger Patterson, in which Patterson attempts to justify the paganism, witchcraft, and idolatry of the Easter celebration, and he argues AGAINST what Hodge just tried to argue:
"This is a leap to consider their relationships based on the sound of the names alone. We might find many examples of words that sound the same in various languages but share no common root or meaning."
-Roger Patterson, "Is the Name 'Easter' of Pagan Origin?" Answers in Genesis, Apr 19, 2011, retrieved Mar 15, 2016, [answersingenesis.org/holidays/easter/is-the-name-easter-of-pagan-origin]

So to summarize what is happening, Patterson discovered that the name 'Easter' comes from the goddess "Ishtar," and so to avoid logical contradiction, he argues that similar names do not conclude anything. However, to justify Christmas, Hodge argues the opposite, attempting to make a connection between names of pagan gods and Biblical characters, claiming that there is a "likely" connection because he has no evidence for it.
(Read "Easter: Christians Celebrating Abomination" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

As you can clearly see, both authors are biased in their research, and are willing to lie their way into Ken Ham's good graces, so they can make a killing on their book sales. I have already quoted this verse in this book, but we should read it again (and memorize it if possible):

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious [destructive] ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
-2 Peter 2:1-3

Just to be clear, Hodge did NOT provide any references, to the Bible or anywhere else, for his statements. The only Biblical information I can find concerning Javan is that he was one of the sons of Japheth, and the sons of Japheth were judged for their wickedness in Ezekiel 38, and so if Christmas was built upon paganism, and paganism was built upon corrupt men in the Bible, it would not change the fact that Christmas is unbiblical and corrupt.

Therefore, Hodge is not only asserting his conjectures, he is shooting himself in the literary foot. However, Ken Ham and Bodie Hodge know that the average person is not going to check out the footnotes and investigate their writings because, after all, they are prestigious leaders in AIG, and they know people will respect their persons in sin.

But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
-James 2:9

To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.
-Proverbs 28:21

Hodge goes on to assert:
"Not only did they live long lives, but they were obviously the oldest people around and would seem to be the people (gods, demigods) that started civilization. Noah would have been roughly 500 years older than anyone else and his sons approximately 100 years older. We know this was because of the Flood, but the true message would quickly be changed to fit the pagan ideas. Thus, it is interesting that this pagan festival was likely born as a result of a suppressed view of a biblical character."
-Bodie Hodge, "The Origin of Christmas," Answers in Genesis, Dec 19, 2008, retrieved Dec 8, 2015, [answersingenesis.org/holidays/christmas/the-origin-of-christmas]

Here, we see the ambiguous word "likely" from Hodge once again. Hodge provides nothing to back up that claim, and he is fully aware of that fact.

To say something is "likely" means that it is based on some sort of calculation. How likely is that alleged "possibility?" I found it fascinating that Hodge kept talking about how "likely" his statements are in Ham's so-called creation "ministry" because evolutionists use the exact same language when speaking about their insane chimp-to-man model, (i.e. they claim evolution "likely" happened), but both parties do this to protect themselves from blowback because if they are proven wrong, they can cowardly retort, "I never said it was a fact."

Hodge continues down his ridiculous train of thought:
"There is nothing inherently wrong with celebrating a Christian holiday at the same time the pagans celebrate. Do Christians refuse to take communion if it falls on a pagan holiday like Halloween?"
-Bodie Hodge, "The Origin of Christmas," Answers in Genesis, Dec 19, 2008, retrieved Dec 8, 2015, [answersingenesis.org/holidays/christmas/the-origin-of-christmas]

As we learned earlier in this chapter, this is called a "false analogy" which is comparing two things that have very different contexts. The main problem with Hodge's fallacy is that we have communion based on specific instructions in Scripture from the Lord Jesus Christ, and supporting Scripture from His apostles:

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
-1 Corinthians 10:16-17

However, there is NO instruction from Jesus Christ or supporting Scripture from His apostles that supports the Christmas celebration, thus, it is a false analogy. Hodge attempted to take something Biblical that was directly addressed in the New Testament, and compare it to idolatry and witchcraft to try and deceive people into thinking his pagan happy fun time is acceptable in the sight of God, and although he should be ashamed of himself, he is blinded by his own leaven.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
-1 Corinthians 2:13-14

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
-Hebrews 5:12-14

The real question that needs to be asked here is: Who stands to gain from Hodge's book? Do churchgoers honestly believe that there is no financial profit to be made from this? According to Charity Navigator, in 2014, AIG brought in over $27 million in revenue, and most honest, straight-forward businesses will tell you, a large portion of that is brought in during the month of December, so when you factor in that AIG knows they cannot bring in a large revenue if they preach against mainstream tradition, it should not be hard for readers to reach their own conclusions about what AIG is really doing behind the scenes.
(See Charity Navigator, "Answers in Genesis," June, 2014, retrieved Mar 19, 2016, [charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=5214#.Vu199uIrKUk])

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
-Matthew 13:22

Every year, AIG's Creation Museum puts on a special event called "ChristmasTown," in which they decorate the entire building in Christmas decorations that honor the gods and goddesses of pagans (or in Hodge's argument, dead men and women from the Bible, which makes it just as strange), and they have nativity dramas to bring in as much business as possible. It is the perfect event for those pagan-loving churchgoers who have more money than spiritual sense, and their families can sing-along with Ken Ham and his staff while they are dressed in the traditional clothing of Satan Claus.

---

There are other corrupt preachers who could be mentioned in this chapter, but I will not spend a lot of time on them because many of them make the same arguments as those we have already covered. For example, Kent Hovind's son Eric Hovind (Creation Today) has yoked together with the leaven of Ken Ham, and he simply resells Bodie Hodge's book in his book store, which also demonstrates that Eric Hovind does not bother to read what he sells, which also means that he is more concerned about turning a profit during the Christmas season than teaching what is right, and after learning as much as I know about what Eric says and does behind the scenes, this is unsurprising to me.

-Eric Hovind, "The War on Christmas eBook (PDF)," Creation Today, retrieved Dec 8, 2015, [creationtoday.org/product/the-war-on-christmas-ebook-pdf]

On his website, Eric Hovind has a personally signed Christmas message, which reads: "Remember, Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man — His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God — when we present our bodies a living sacrifice."
-Eric Hovind, "Merry Christmas From The Hovinds," Creation Today, 2014, retrieved Oct 21, 2021, [https://creationtoday.org/merry-christmas-from-the-hovinds]

The giving of gifts in Yule was to honor the sun god, not Jesus Christ, but that is a secondary reason for why I am documenting this. The main reason is because Eric Hovind speaks of gifts of God, and then right below this section, he has something called "A Gift For You," and I kid you not, when you click the link, the following is what is shown on his site: -Eric Hovind, "The Ultimate Goal of Apologetics Video Download," Creation Today, retrieved Oct 21, 2021, [https://creationtoday.org/product/the-ultimate-goal-of-apologetics-video-download]

I am sure that if someone, someday, calls him out on this, he will quickly change it. However, I know for a fact he has had it up that way on his website for many years.

Eric Hovind's Christmas "gift" to his viewers is for them to pay him six dollars (plus tax and shipping) to buy his DVD. Just to compare, the book you are reading right now is available for free at creationliberty.com so people can read it without having to pay anything for it (and, I even give people permission to print it out and give it away for free if they want), but that means that, even though I am preaching AGAINST the witchcraft of Christmas, I am more in the "Christmas spirit" of giving than Eric Hovind who is preaching in FAVOR of pagan Christmas rituals, which is some of the most extreme hypocrisy I have ever seen, and he does it because the Christmas season profit in the month of December is more important to him than the truth.

Michael (or Mike) Hoggard of Bethel Church in Missouri has made a name for himself on YouTube and Sermon Audio, and seems to be preaching the proper message of repentance as godly sorrow from the King James Bible, but just because he might be teaching correctly on those things, does not automatically mean he is a good teacher for the Lord Jesus Christ. Many of his listeners might have missed the fact that, in defense of the Christmas season, he taught that Jesus should be worshipped as a sun god:

"And the only light that there is, is the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That's the light that shines upon the—Jesus said this! He said, 'I am the light of the world,' meaning that the sun was a true and accurate representation—I'm going to show you this from Scrip—You're going to say, 'Ah, Mike's a baal worshiper! He's a sun worshiper!' No, I don't worship that little disc up in the sky. I worship the God who made that, the Bible says, in Romans chapter one, that the Godhood can be seen in the things that are made."
-Michael Hoggard, "Pagan Holiday Origins 1/6," bethelhoggman, Oct 29, 2012, retrieved Oct 28, 2021, [https://youtu.be/cAoPjHra4ys?t=454]

First, let's take a look at that:

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
-Romans 1:20

The very thing that Hoggard is teaching is the problem that Paul was addressing in the first chapter of Romans, namely, that the heathen were taking the glory of God and transforming it into a focus on things that God created:

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
-Romans 1:22-23

That is how we got Christmas trees in the first place. Pagans attributed trees to the gods and goddesses of witchcraft, as they did with creatures, other plants, rock formations, the celestial bodies (i.e. sun, moon, and stars), and so to suggest that Christians ought to do the same by switching the focus of worship to the Living God is still the same idolatry because God told us not to think He is like unto the devices of men, and that we should not learn the ways of the heathen.

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
-Acts 17:29

It is one thing to thank God for His wonderful gifts He gave us in His creation, but it is a completely different thing to adopt pagan philosophy. It is the heathen that worship gods through an object.

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
-Jeremiah 10:2

Essentially, Hoggard is teaching churchgoers to reclaim sun worship for God, which is a brand of foolishness that I have a hard time describing, especially for a man who claims he is a pastor. The light Jesus spoke of is the light of the truth and good works, not sunlight, which Jesus made abundantly clear:

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
-John 8:12

Nowhere did Jesus say that those who stand in sunlight would have the light of life. This is not referring to the sun in any sense, and we can prove that by correlating Scripture from the next chapter:

I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
-John 9:4-5

Even if Hoggard's claim were true (i.e. Jesus is symbolized by the sun), then the sun cannot be a symbol of Jesus Christ because Jesus is not currently in the world, or at the very least, the sun should have been blotted out of the sky as soon as Jesus Christ returned to heaven. I cannot confirm this for certain, but I suspect that Jesus included these words just to counter the foolishness of corrupt preaching by men like Hoggard, which he ought to be embarrassed and ashamed of, but he prides himself in his false teaching:
"I worship the Son of God, s-o-n, who is like the sun rising, whose face shines as the sun. Why? Because he's the light of the world."
-Michael Hoggard, "Pagan Holiday Origins 1/6," bethelhoggman, Oct 29, 2012, retrieved Oct 28, 2021, [https://youtu.be/cAoPjHra4ys?t=454]

I agree that the face of Jesus Christ has shone brightly as the sun, as it did in Matthew 17:,

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
-Matthew 17:1-2

But it shone AS the sun, or in other words, LIKE the sun, which is a "simile" (sim-ill-ee), that is, the comparing of similar features between two unlike things. For example, someone might say that woman's cheeks were like roses, but that does not mean that roses are a symbol of the woman, and that the rose then represents the woman because that thought is absurd. The light of Christ was not the sun itself, nor was the sun intended to be a representation of Christ, but the light in that instance was described that way to help readers understand that it was so bright, it was like what one would experience by looking at the sun, namely, that you can see it, but cannot look directly at it.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
-Matthew 5:14

If we follow the absurd reasoning of Hoggard, we Christians would have to conclude that we are the sun and should be worshipped because Jesus just said that we are the light of the world. Those of us who have even briefly read the Bible know that is ridiculous because the light is the true preaching of God's Word and good works of charity that glorify Him.

Hoggard then incorrectly uses Malachi 4 to support his argument:

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
-Malachi 4:1-2

He stated this same thing in another teaching he gave called "The Birth of the Saviour." He said:
"Jesus is—sun of righteousness. In Malachi, rising with healing in his wings. Jesus is the sun going in his circuit as a bridegroom coming out of his closet."
-Michael Hoggard, "Pastor Mike Online 12-22-16, The Birth of the Saviour," MikeHoggardVideos, Dec 23, 2016, retrieved Nov 12, 2021, [https://youtu.be/3AZ2l1tkGIA?t=6216]

These verses are referring to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and I have no argument against the fact that in nature, God has created many analogies, like the analogy of the sun being the greater light that gives light unto the lesser lights, like the moon (the church) and the stars (the preachers). An analogy is a likeness in philosophical circumstances, but NOT a symbol or representation. There are countless analogies in nature to reinforce the doctrines of Christ, but to say that the sun is a representation of Jesus Christ crosses the line into pagan symbology in the same way that saying a Christmas tree represents the birth of Christ.

If you listen to Hoggard's entire series on this subject, he goes on to argue that the equinox (upon which the pagan holidays are based) is a symbol of Jesus Christ because of the sun, he claims that the sun being at its highest point in the sky at noon "represents Jesus being the most high" (without any Scriptural references, meaning that he is teaching his own opinion as fact), he declares that the number 46 is the "human number" that correlates to First Corinthians because it is the 46th book of the Bible (i.e. silly superstition which is based on no evidence), and he says that all these things are LITERAL in Scripture, not metaphorical. (Do not take my word for it, check out the references, and listen to it for yourself.) He goes on to make so many more pointless (and sometimes, even contradictory) examples, I simply do not have enough room in this book to cover them all.
-Michael Hoggard, "Pagan Holiday Origins 3/6," bethelhoggman, Oct 29, 2012, retrieved Oct 28, 2021, [https://youtu.be/Zt_Aj70Nn7c]; See also "Numerology is Occult Divination" here at creationliberty.com for more details.

Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
-Proverbs 26:5

Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries is another false preacher that preaches a false version of the Gospel of Salvation, and teaches that Christ is the center of Christmas: "What's the Christmas story all about? It's not all about shepherds. It's not all about manger scenes as we would call them. It's all about His love. And you see, for you to celebrate Christmas honestly, you've got to deal with Jesus. That's what this is all about."

-Charles Stanley, "The Reasons for Christmas," In Touch Ministries, Dec 1, 2011, retrieved Oct 22, 2021, [https://youtu.be/vbzYAU08JfE]

In fact, the opposite of what Stanley said is the truth because it is churchgoers who are dishonest in their celebration of Christmas, namely, because they try to transform the pagan witchcraft traditions into something they claim is "all about Jesus." As wicked as their practices are, I would say that witches and pagans are MORE honest than churchgoers concerning the Christmas season, because at least witches know the true reason for the season.

Stanley continues:
"The question is: Did you really celebrate Christmas? Or did you just celebrate a holiday? Is it any wonder that the world wants to call it a holiday? I'll tell you why. Because deep down inside they know it has nothing to do with Jesus on their part."
-Charles Stanley, "The Reasons for Christmas," In Touch Ministries, Dec 1, 2011, retrieved Oct 22, 2021, [https://youtu.be/vbzYAU08JfE]

I laughed aloud when I heard him say this in the video because I am not sure he knows what the word 'holiday' means. In chapter two, I briefly mentioned that I despised using the term 'holiday' to refer to Christmas because the word means exactly what it is spelled out to mean, "holy-day."

The Online Etymology Dictionary says:
"1500s, earlier haliday (c. 1200), from Old English haligdæg 'holy day, consecrated day, religious anniversary; Sabbath,' from halig 'holy' (see holy) + dæg 'day' (see day); in 14c. meaning both 'religious festival' and 'day of exemption from labor and recreation,'"
(See 'holiday', Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved Oct 22, 2021, [https://www.etymonline.com/word/holiday])

So Stanley, in his willful blindness, attempted to separate Christmas from being a "holi-day" (i.e. a "holy day"), but then immediately argued that it is a "holy day" of God. In other words, Stanley is arguing that Christmas is not just a holy day, it is a holy day. In addition to this nonsense, Stanley spews out all the same false preaching on Christmas as we have heard from other false preachers we have read about in this chapter.

For many of these prominent preachers, it is often difficult to find them preaching on Christmas when searching their sites and other search engines for their teachings. Most often, the links you find are flooded with advertisements to donate to them or for buying toys to help others participate in Christmas worldwide, but very rarely do you see any of them working to feed, clothe, or shelter the poor and needy.

Again, almost none of these preachers I have listed above believe in or teach the Gospel of Salvation according to Jesus Christ, which is repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of wrongdoing) and remission of sins. This is not to say that everyone who celebrates Christmas is automatically a false preacher, so please do not go forward and use that as a standard to determine one's salvation in Christ (as there are some genuine Christians that have been fooled by these false teachers), but I want readers to note that there is a common connection between the two concepts, and almost none of them preach the correct doctrine on repentance and remission of sins during the Christmas season, despite how much they claim it is "all about Jesus."

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
-Luke 24:44-47

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
-2 Corinthians 7:9-10

 


For the first few years after I was saved, I somewhat celebrated Christmas as I had always done since I was little, having been raised and taught to participate in the traditions with my family. Once I got out and lived on my own, I did not really do much around Christmastime, but rather, I just preferred having a day off to relax. Certainly, Christmas day was very exciting for me when I was a child, as it is for most children, but as I became an adult and lived on my own, it really had no effect on me one way or another, meaning that, whether I (or others) celebrated it or not, it did not matter.

A few years after I had been born again in Jesus Christ, I heard someone in passing mention that the traditions of Christmas were pagan. I had never considered this before because I had always been taught that it was "all about Jesus," but after thinking about it for a while, this sparked my interest because it occurred to me that Christmas itself, along with the tree, decorations, and other traditions, were found nowhere in the Bible.

Even that thought alone is fascinating, namely, that many of us typically do not question why we do the things we do, most especially if they are rudiments (i.e. first principle teachings) of our education. It really does take the Lord God to open our eyes to certain principles for us to take notice of them, demonstrating our desperate reliance on Him for all wisdom and understanding.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [a way of thinking] and vain deceit [useless lies], after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings you learn] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
-Proverbs 9:10

The philosophical question I asked myself was this: If a spiritual holiday is not dictated by God in Scripture, then how do you justify it spiritually? Or in other words, how it is justified as spiritually good outside of the Bible? At this point in my life, I had already done a lot of research into wedding traditions, how they are founded in witchcraft, and that the Bible never approved of a man (i.e. a pastor or government official) to "marry" anyone, and knowing that much of that was made up from the traditions of men (from paganism and the vile Catholic Church), I realized that something seemed very wrong with Christmas for the same reason.
(Read The Biblical Understanding of Weddings & Marriage here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Once I finished researching the various aspects of it, I started to explain it to the church of which I was a member, and I started to explain it to my family. Most of them did not take it very well at first.

One of those who did not take it very well was my wife, Lorraine, because she was also raised up in the Christmas traditions, and loved them very much. However, as I began to write the articles that would eventually become this book, I slowly shared information with her over the course of a year, and by the end of the year, she had come to see things differently.

I went from participating in Christmas events with my family, and telling them the truth about Christmas, to not wanting to participate anymore with them because they would not hear the truth. I began to sense that my presence at these events was giving them the idea that adopting sun god worship, and claiming it was "all about Jesus," was setting an example that those traditions are acceptable with God, when they are absolutely not, and so I could not continue to partake in their Christmas events if they were going to continue to put up a tree and decorations.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
-2 Corinthians 6:14-18

In chapter four, we read about the pastor who was honest enough to explain that the Christmas decorations in homes and church buildings was a shrine, and the pagans completely agree with that sentiment. They are literally constructing shrines to a sun god. I could no longer stomach spending intimate time in the pagan shrines of churchgoers, any more than I could stomach spending intimate time in a pagan temple.

However, my wife is feistier than I am, and once she finally accepted the truth (which was a somewhat gradual process), she eventually agreed with me that we ought to burn any Christmas decorations we had in the house, turned her anger away from me and aimed it squarely onto the pagan decorations, being infuriated to go anywhere that had any decorations up, and she wanted to immediately abandon visiting anyone who participated in Christmas traditions. I know her well, that she tends to jump from one extreme to the other before she finds a good balance, and after a couple of years, she calmed down, especially after I reminded her that these idols are nothing, and to consider patience with others as God has had patience with us.

I want Christians to learn to focus on what is really important surrounding this topic, and that the issue at hand here is NOT about someone putting up a Christmas tree. I understand that the Christmas tree is, for all intents and purposes, an altar to the pagan sun god, but that is NOT what should be concerning born again Christians.

Remember, the pagans are going to do pagan things, and there is nothing we can do to stop that. In fact, it would be a fruitless endeavor to try and stop people from celebrating Christmas because not only will it never happen, but that is not our job as Christians.

Let's take a closer look at what the Holy Spirit has taught us in First Corinthians:

I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
-1 Corinthians 5:9-13

Paul starts off by repeating his instructions to the church, which is that they should not keep company with idolaters, but he expanded on this to clarify his meaning. Of course, we will have interactions with idolaters because we work jobs with them, interact with them in our daily business, and we sometimes sit and eat with them, but Paul instructed that if any man is called a "brother," meaning that he claims he is brethren in Christ, and he is found to be an idolater, then we should keep no company with him.

Paul then goes on to explain that we have no need to judge such matters with the world because we have no part with the world. The Lord God will judge them in due time, as He wills. However, we do have intimate fellowship with the church, and therefore, if any one among us is found to be an idolater, and that person will not come to repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of his wrongdoing), we should remove that person from among us because they will only corrupt (i.e. leaven) the church.

So with that understanding, we should rather focus on this: When a churchgoer (who claims to be brethren in Christ) is presented with this information, how do they react? Or, do they react at all?

When someone is presented with the truth of a matter (especially one that would be upsetting to their preconceived worldview), their reaction is very important. Even though my wife was very angry with me the first time I presented the information to her, at the very least, she showed two positive attributes:

1. She listened to the information.

2. She got angry.
Of course, the second point is one that many readers might consider to be a negative reaction, but I completely disagree. Lorraine took the matter to heart because it was important to her to be pleasing to God, and so in time, she thought on the matter and with the help of the Holy Ghost, her way of thinking (i.e. philosophy) was changed. Certainly, anger is not good in a lot of instances, but there are many other instances in which it is good, or at least, provides hope, and in this case, I believe anger is a better reaction than a neutral, stoic, uncaring lack of reaction because the person who heard the information took it to heart, and the anger demonstrates that person's true concern about the subject.

This is not just my opinion. This is what Jesus Christ prefers as well:

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
-Revelation 3:15-16

This demonstrates that the Lord Jesus Christ does not like people who try to ride the fence and stay neutral. He would rather that they show some genuine interest or curiosity to do more research, or on the other hand, get angry. He wants them to pick a side, and in most cases, when someone is presented with information like what I have written in this book, and they have little or no reaction, adding in some casual, self-serving excuses like, "Well, TO ME, it's all about Jesus," that is when we can verify we are talking with a lukewarm person who has no interest in what is pleasing to God, and it is almost impossible to have a conversation with someone who has closed their eyes and ears.

And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
-Acts 28:24-27

So again, I would say that Christians need to stop judging according to the outward appearance of a matter, namely, if someone has a Christmas tree up in their window, or if they have a Christmas wreath on their front door. If that household is not of Christ (whether they claim to be or not), then whether they participate in Christmas rituals or not will make no difference, and as I have already stated in this book, the rejection of the Christmas celebration is not a requirement for saving grace in Jesus Christ. Rather, we should judge righteous judgment by presenting the information to those who claim to be of Christ, and see how they react to it.

Over the years, I have had many people ask me questions like, "Is it wrong for me to celebrate Christmas?" I will give the same response I have given hundreds of times: It is not my job to tell you what to do in your own household.

My household is my responsibility, and your household is your responsibility, so you need to choose what you will do based on your convictions from the Holy Spirit. I am not responsible for you. I am not your father. I am not your priest. I am not your God. You ought to use the liberty Christ gave you to make good decisions for your household.

However, that being said, I would answer that question with another more important question: After seeing all the corruption surrounding the Christmas/Yule celebration, why would you want anything to do with honoring or promoting such vile witchcraft traditions that have been transformed by the antichrist Catholic Church?

honor (v): to revere; to respect; to treat with deference and submission, and perform relative duties to; to manifest the highest veneration for, in words and actions; to entertain the most exalted thoughts of; to worship; to adore
promote (v): to forward; to advance; to contribute to the growth, enlargement or excellence of any thing valuable, or to the increase of any thing
(See 'honor' & 'promote', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Oct 1, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

So rather than asking if you should or should not celebrate Christmas, ask yourself if you are pleasing the Lord Jesus Christ in your words and actions. Rather than looking to your feelings about certain things, first try looking to the Word of God to see how God views things, to get a better idea of who He is and what is pleasing to Him, and then you will not have to ask those questions in the first place.

One of the best things to do if you are still somehow on the fence about this matter, or just afraid of what your family and friends might think, is to just confess the truth. That is what God wants from His children because confession of the truth is part of the process of salvation in the first place:

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
-Romans 10:10

It is God that must give men repentance (i.e. godly sorrow of wrongdoing in his heart) to acknowledge and confess the truth.

In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
-2 Timothy 2:25-26

So I would suggest to new Christians that all you need to do right now is just confess the truth, meaning that you should admit to yourself, in your own mind and heart, that the Christmas tree is a pagan altar to a sun god, and the pagan decorations are the rituals of witches. When you see them, think on the truth. You will find that, eventually, the Holy Spirit will convict you in due time, you will know what you ought to do in your household, and you will find the words to say to your family and friends.

I want to be reasonable with folks on this topic, and I do my best to be calm and collected, but there are few things more irritating and infuriating than a lukewarm churchgoer who claims with their mouth to love Jesus, but their heart is far from him. Such people are a great test of a Christian's faith because they offer nothing but self-serving excuses, and often, they hide the fact that they are simply repeating something their leavened pastor told them.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
-Matthew 15:8

They refuse to consider the Lord Jesus Christ before opening their mouths, when they say "It's about Jesus TO ME," (i.e. not according to Jesus Christ, but according to themselves), meaning that they have become their own gods, and falsely attributed the Holy Spirit to something as whimsical as their personal feelings. Furthermore, it shows that they have no love whatsoever for those pagans and witches who are lost in a rushing whirlpool of their sin, and in order to satisfy their own pleasures, churchgoers are more than willing to lead those pagans to believe that Jesus Christ is no different from their false gods because everyone celebrates the same ancient pagan traditions.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy... Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
-2 Timothy 3:1-4

The Bible tells us that the wise will do things to win souls for the Lord Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God, but again, churchgoers, in a desperate effort to justify themselves and their feigned "holy" traditions, are more willing to sacrifice the lost souls of pagans to hang on to the ridiculous idea that they are somehow sanctified by participating in Catholic traditions that were taken from the inventions of devils, who many witches and pagans unintentionally serve.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.
-Proverbs 11:30

But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
-1 Corinthians 10:20

How long can we participate in sinful things before our conscience is seared, so we can no longer feel any pain of sorrow (i.e. repentance) when a wrong has been done?

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
-1 Timothy 4:1-2

Let's review what we have learned so far. This is a photograph from Northern Hills Christian Church for one of their Christmas services in 2009, and after reading this book, how many pagan symbols can you now recognize?
Most notably, you can see the giant wreaths above the stage, which are the symbol of the witch's "Wheel of the Year," that represents all the annual pagan sabbats. These are not symbols of Jesus Christ because, as we learned earlier in this book, Jesus Christ has no symbol (including the cross symbol, which is pagan, and not of Christ), and such things are not found in Scripture to have any link to godly worship. These symbols also have more than one meaning in witchcraft, and such circular pagan symbols often coincide with the vaginal symbol, meaning that they represent the female genitalia of the pagan goddess, which should be offensive to Christians.
(Read "Christian Symbols Are Not Christian" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The following author and folklore historian describes the May Day festival of the pagans, and what the wreath represents:
"The Maypole represents the phallus [penis] of the God [Atum-Ra]. The wreath atop represents the vagina of the Goddess. As the Maypole is danced, the ribbons wind around the pole and the wreath lowers, symbolizing the Divine Marriage, the sexual union of God and Goddess."
-Allison Thompson, May Day Festivals in America, 1830 to the Present, McFarland & Company, 2009, p. 172, ISBN: 9780786439157

In short, according to the pagans, the sun god dies at Halloween (Samhain), the sun god is reborn during Christmas (Yule), and the sun god has sexual intercourse with the moon goddess during Easter (Ostara). By the way, that is the reason why the date of Easter changes every year, because it coincides with the full moon, representing the pregnancy (or fertility) of the moon goddess, and if readers want to learn more about that, I would recommend my teaching at creationliberty.com called "Easter: Christians Celebrating Abomination."

In this instance, the church building production crew wrapped the ribbons around three wreaths. The triple-wreaths represent the triple moon goddess (a common theme in paganism), which would then symbolize sexual union between the three goddesses, but despite that perverted offense, we are instructed by corrupt preachers to believe it is "all about Jesus."

On the left and right of the stage, they have two large Christmas trees with many lights on them. We have learned that these are the phallic symbols of the sun god, lit up with the sun's light. We can also see that the stage is adorned with poinsettia plants, which is also the pagan symbol of fertility.

If some readers are unfamiliar with pagan symbolism, you may have thought that covered everything, but there is more because we can see silhouette images of what churchgoers commonly label as "angels," even though the Bible gives no such description that looks like what they are depicting. In fact, the "angels" with stork wings (as shown in the silhouettes) are a strictly pagan symbol that is used in the spells of witchcraft:
"Stork boosts protection spells, especially those intended for children. As a symbol of spring, include stork on your Ostara altar to celebrate the rebirth and renewal of nature. In addition, this bird supports transitions for any type of new beginning in your life... Additionally, stork can be called upon for help in contacting spirits."
-Sandra Kynes, Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2016, ISBN: 9780738749310; Kynes has authored many books on witchcraft and is featured in various Wiccan publications.

Have you ever seen the ridiculous drawings of a stork delivering a baby? Have you ever wondered where such an absurd idea came from? It is a pagan symbol of fertility.

These so-called "angel wings" of a stork are also specifically condemned in the Bible. The typical "angel" depiction is nearly always portrayed as a female with the wings of a stork, but as the angel of God told Zechariah the prophet, this is wickedness:

And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.
-Zechariah 5:7-11

In case readers do not understand, Shinar was part of Babylon, which was a kingdom that produced the foundations of paganism. The two women were not angels, and they were transporting the wicked woman sitting in the midst of the ephah (i.e. a Hebrew measurement), which demonstrates a difference between an angel of God and woman-like figure flying around with the wings of a stork.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft teaches that if a witch wants to convey fertility in spell-casting rituals, then he/she should use the symbol of the stork. This is why statues and paintings of fertility goddesses have often included stork wings on the back of a female, and I would normally include a picture here to emphasize that point, but due to the lewd nature of many of these images, I do not believe it is appropriate to show them in this book.
(See Denise Zimmerman, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft, Penguin, 2006, p. 194, ISBN: 9781592575336; Zimmerman owns a Wiccan store in Maryland and has been featured as a Wiccan author in newspapers and magazines.)

Over the years, I have received some emails from disgruntled witches, and nearly all of them have been structured in the same way. They first write to tell me how accurate I am about their pagan beliefs (which they often find surprising), and then proceed to tell me how offended they are that I would condemn their traditions and rituals as an abomination in the sight of God.

What I find amazing about the pagans' letters is that they are almost identical to the letters I receive from churchgoers, the only difference being is that one argues that Christmas is pagan and the other argues that Christmas is about Jesus. Neither pagans nor churchgoers write to argue against me about the facts I documented in this book, but both of them write angry letters to me because I teach that God condemns worldly holiday traditions as evil, and both parties claim that Christmas/Yule is completely justified in their own eyes.

And there is one more important similarity I noticed. It is the first time that many of them (i.e. pagans or churchgoers) had heard the truth on this matter from the Word of God, and I receive hatred from both parties because my goal and prayer is that as many as possible might come to repentance (i.e. godly sorrow) of their sins and be converted to Jesus Christ.

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
-Galatians 3:24

In these letters, I am always the target of the hatred, even though I remind them (both pagans and churchgoers) that I am not the one who condemned these practices. It is God who has condemned these practices in His written Word, but pagans and churchgoers alike rebel against Him in their own stubbornness.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
-1 Samuel 15:23

And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
-2 Chronicles 33:6

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
-Galatians 5:19-21

The reason it is so important that we Christians separate (i.e. sanctify) ourselves from paganism is because when we celebrate pagan rituals and traditions, the world gets the impression that God's Word is just another evolved form of pagan worship, and that these things are the religious duties of Christ's disciples. As I pointed out in "Halloween: Are Christians Lovers of Death?" it is impossible to testify of Christ while hypocritically partaking in sin that Christ rebukes, meaning that, for example, one cannot effectively rebuke fornication while practicing fornication, in the same way that one cannot rebuke witchcraft while practicing witchcraft.

Abstain from all appearance of evil.
-1 Thessalonians 5:22

In this world, we (who are born again) are ambassadors for Christ and the Kingdom of God, and as representatives, we should do nothing that would bring dishonor to our Lord and Master. This is what it means to "take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," or in other words, if we take His name upon ourselves (e.g. we call ourselves Christians, and claim to be disciples of Christ), then we need to take it seriously.

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
-Exodus 20:7

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
-Ephesians 5:3-7

Sadly, most of the churchgoers and pastors defending the witchcraft rituals of Christmas do not teach the Gospel of Salvation as Jesus taught it, and that is because they do not understand it. As much as they claim to lead people to Christ with their Christmas pageants, they are leading them to the wide gates of hell, and of course, they believe they understand the Gospel of Salvation, but when I ask them to present it to me, they often present a false gospel.

The Gospel of Salvation is made up of two key parts. The first is repentance, which means "grief and godly sorrow of one's wrongdoing" for the remission (i.e. forgiveness) of sins, and the second part is faith in the saving grace of Christ through His shed blood on the cross.

The second part is a given in most cases, but the first part is where there is a huge discrepancy because not only do many so-called "Christian" institutions not teach repentance unto salvation, most of them teach it WRONG, or in other words, they preach a false definition of repentance that is not taught in Scripture. In most cases, you will find that pastors teach what their seminary taught them to teach, namely, that 'repent' means "to turn" or "to change," which are both incorrect and contradict Scripture.

The word they are looking for is the word 'convert':

convert (v): to change or turn into another substance or form; from one religion to another; from one party or sect to another; from a bad life to a good one; to change the heart and moral character
(See 'convert', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Apr 11, 2018 [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Jesus Christ converts us AFTER we have come to repentance and faith. The hearing of God's law shows a man that he is inwardly wretched and corrupt, and if a man will hear that and believe it, it will lead him to godly sorrow, in tears kneeling at the foot of the cross to plead with Jesus Christ to save him.

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
-Galatians 3:22-24

Again, the word 'repent' generally means "grief," and a more expanded definition concerning the salvation of mankind is "godly sorrow of one's wrongdoing." This would be similar to a child who comes in tears of sorrow because he has done wrong against his father, and this is what Jesus told us would bring people to the remission (i.e. pardon) of sins:

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
-Luke 24:44-47

Just to clarify, this is what Christ and all His disciples taught. It started first with John the Baptist, who came preaching repentance:

John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
-Mark 1:4

The first thing that Jesus Christ taught when He started out in His ministry was repentance:

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
-Matthew 4:17

The first thing He taught His disciples to go out and teach was repentance:

And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits... And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
-Mark 6:7-12

As we just read in Acts 2, the first thing the apostles of Christ went out and taught, after the Holy Spirit of God had come upon them, was repentance. The first thing the church went out and taught after they were founded by the apostles was that men should repent:

But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
-Acts 26:20

The Bible makes it clear who God saves:

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
-Psalm 34:18

The word 'repent' is only one of the words used in Scripture to describe godly sorrow:

contrite (adj): worn or bruised, broken-hearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God; humble; penitent
penitent (adj): suffering pain or sorrow of heart on account of sins, crimes or offenses; contrite
(See 'contrite', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Nov 17, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

The word 'penitent' means the same thing, and those who suffer the day of wrath in Revelation are those who have an 'impenitent' heart, or in other words, a heart that rejects godly sorrow of wrongdoing:

But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
-Romans 2:5

impenitent (adj): not penitent; not repenting of sin; not contrite; obdurate; of a hard heart
(See 'impenitent', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved Nov 17, 2021, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

This is why Paul taught us that there is repentance unto salvation, which means to have godly sorrow of one's wrongdoing:

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
-2 Corinthians 7:9-10

There is a general sorrow of the world, in which they grieve over the normal processes of life, like the death of a loved one for example. However, a man can only be saved by having that sorrow pointed in the right direction, namely, toward God because of the sins we have committed against Him.

This repentance (i.e. godly sorrow) is a gift from God, and therefore, if any reader has never had godly sorrow, you should pray to the Lord that He would give it to you:

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
-2 Timothy 2:24-26

This doctrine is rarely taught in church buildings at all, let alone around Christmastime, in which churchgoers claim to be worshiping Jesus Christ. They do not know enough about His Gospel to be teaching it, but they believe they do, and therefore, when they are corrected, they get upset.

Churchgoers always draw close to Jesus Christ with their mouths, but for many, their hearts are far from Him because they do not care about His Word as much as they claim:

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
-Isaiah 29:13

He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
-Mark 7:6

Most of them passionately sing their songs about Jesus Christ, but they do so without understanding.

What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
-1 Corinthians 14:15

For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
-Psalm 47:7

God rebuked the hypocrites who sang their songs and played their melodies unto Him because they would not come to repentance and judge righteous judgment:

Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
-Amos 5:23-24

They were too busy singing passionate songs to look inward and judge themselves.

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
-1 Corinthians 11:31

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
-2 Corinthians 13:5

God told the Jews to judge righteous judgment, just as Christ told us Christians that we are supposed to judge righteous judgment:

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
-John 7:24

Many churchgoers think themselves righteous because they give to certain church charities (or their church organization sponsors charities) during the Christmas season, but many of these charities are all about providing Christmas presents in the form of toys to children (encouraging children in the celebration of Christmas, to corrupt them as well), rather than focusing on giving food, clothing, and shelter to the poor and needy. Furthermore, knowing how corrupt many church building charities are today, it is difficult for Christians to know where we should give, unless we find the poor and needy ourselves and give to them directly; cutting the flow of money out of the church building middle-man that invites corruption.

How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. [Pause and consider the matter.] Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
-Psalm 82:2-4

And it should be noted that the Lord God rebuked the Jews for celebrating the holidays that He appointed for them:

Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
-Isaiah 1:14-15

Unlike Christmas, the sabbaths and assemblies were given to the Jews by God, and yet, He still rebuked them for celebrating because of their iniquity (i.e. their sin), of which they would not repent (i.e. come to godly sorrow of their wrongdoing). They would sing their songs and lift up their hands to the sky (just like we see people doing in church buildings), but they were hypocrites, and whereas they thought God took pleasure in their worship, He was angry with them because He looked into their hearts and saw the corruption.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.
-Proverbs 21:2

The people of Israel would come to the altar to present their sacrifices for their sin, and would do it over and over and over again without any repentance of their sin. This is why He said, "your hands are full of blood," because they thought the sacrifices (i.e. the works) would save them, and did not look for the grace of God with a contrite spirit.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

At this point, readers should be able to piece together the striking similarities between what the Jews were doing in that day, to what churchgoers are doing with Christmas today. The only difference is that churchgoers are one degree worse than the Jews in this instance because their "holiday" (i.e. holy-day) is founded in witchcraft, not by the Word of God.

This is why it is so important that we study to understand. It is not only important; it is a commandment from the Holy Ghost.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
-2 Timothy 2:15

The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
-Proverbs 15:28

If this book has been helpful to your education in the Word of God, then please consider sharing it with others. Yes, they may hate you for it, but the suffering of afflictions, persecution, and tribulation has always been a guarantee for true Christians.

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
-Acts 14:22

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
-Matthew 5:10-12

Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
-Hebrews 11:25

As a final note, the Lord Jesus Christ did not tell us that everyone who called Him "Lord," and claimed to serve Him, would go to heaven. In fact, He told us the opposite, namely, that many of those people (i.e. millions of churchgoers) would end up in hell:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-Matthew 7:21-23

Why did Jesus Christ say this about people who claimed to believe on Him? If you want to learn more about that, and about the Gospel of Salvation in Jesus Christ (which many church buildings do not teach), I would recommend reading another book I wrote called Why Millions of Believers on Jesus Are Going to Hell which is free-to-read here at creationliberty.com.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
-Romans 12:2

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