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humorist-workshop
why
Why do many non-Christians celebrate Christmas? Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, so I just don't understand how anyone who doesn't believe in Jesus could celebrate his birth just for presents. And why do nonreligious people have to celebrate Christmas? Why not Hannukah or Kwanza?
Also, why do people who only celebrate Christmas and Easter consider themselves Christian? (people who don't pray or go to church, but still celebrate Christian holidays)
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Want to answer more questions in the Miscellaneous category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Spirituality?
Christmas is not really a Christian holiday. It used to be called Saturnalia, a festival where people would worship the sun god. Christmas trees actually symbolize a male penis. The white holly symbolized the sun god's semen. Saturnalia was a celebration of fertility and sex.
However, the Roman Catholic church decided to hijack the celebration and mix it in with Christianity.
So instead of asking why non-Christians celebrate a Christian holiday, you should be asking why Christians celebrate what is essentially a non-Christian holiday.
There is no mention of Santa Clause in the Bible. There is no mention of flying reindeer in the Bible. There is no mention of Christmas trees in the Bible. The Bible doesn't even tell followers to celebrate Jesus's birth (although it does say you should have a day for his death). If a Christian uses Christmas as a time to remember Jesus's birth, other religions are not excluded. For example, Muslims believe in Jesus. Muslims revere Jesus as a prophet but do not believe Jesus came back to life after he died on the crucifix. Instead, Muslims just believe Jesus was an ordinary person. That doesn't stop a Muslim from acknowledging Jesus as a prophet. Jews are the same. Jews believe in the existence of Jesus but do not believe he came back to life after death and that this was supposed to wash away the sins of humanity.
But perhaps the primary reason why most Jews and Muslims don't celebrate Christmas is because it is a pagan holiday that celebrates sex.
Buddhists and Hindus are different to the Abrahamic religions. Eastern religions are usually polytheistic, meaning that they are allowed to worship as many Gods as they want, so adding in the sun god wouldn't really matter.
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There may be as many answers to your question as there are non-Christians who celebrate Christmas and celebrating the birth of Jesus "just for presents" is surely one of those reasons.
But I suspect that far more people celebrate the birth of Jesus because his life was special and a gift to more than just those who consider themselves to be Christians. After all, Jesus himself did not walk among Christians. His message of peace on Earth was not directed to a single Christian. It's a message that resonates on a universal plane.
One does not have to be a self-described "Christian" to celebrate a day that recognizes the birth of a child whose message teaches us to be revolutionaries for the sake of bringing peace throughout our world. It is a day for embracing, as the Wise Men did, things that are new and perhaps even radical. It is a day for boundless hope for love and change. It is a day that celebrates the gifts inherent in all of us -- and perhaps particularly the most "common" among us -- to be agents who are capable of transforming the world or just our little corner of it.
To embrace any or all of these wonderful messages -- messages that are often ignored among the most devout Christians who rush pell-mell to the shopping malls to place gift-wrapped boxes beneath a co-opted pagan fertility tree -- there's no need to sign on to any creed or church register. One need not subscribe to the virginal conception of Christ or Mary or even believe in his resurrection or the truth of a prophecy that he will return to Earth. To embrace Christmas, one need only feel a glimmer of peace, love or basic goodness in one's heart and understand that from that spark alone, the world can become a vastly better place.
Besides that, the music's good and there's comfort to be found in many of the non-spiritual-based Christmas traditions that Christians have embraced (including the curious concept of incurring personal debt to exchange presents and indulge in gluttonous and conspicuous consumption). And who can argue with an excuse to bring families together and break bread with one another?
I detect in your question a bitterness that non-religious people are interlopers on the Christmas holiday and I'm sorry for that. The message of Jesus' life should transcend any concept of club. The parables he told do not speak to excluding the "wayward" from the feasts, but -- to the contrary -- his life and his message is affirmed by the fact that his birth day celebration and feast brings so many prodigal children to his message.
Being Christian -- one hopes -- isn't a matter of collecting merit badges, such as by attending church services each Sunday. Coming back to church and joining fellow Christians as full-fledged members should be embraced, not resented. So there are people who are less worthy of being Christians in your eyes than you are...on the basis of church attendance. But what else do they do that excludes them? Should the doors to the church be closed to them? If so, then in what ways might others -- people who engage in more rituals and more spiritual endeavors than you do -- argue to keep you as an outsider to Christianity?
Be glad when you see people that you, in your finite wisdom, believe are non-Christians join in in the celebration of the birth of Jesus!
Be glad when you see people that you regard as less holy than you are welcomed and embraced unconditionally in church!
Because when you see these things happening, you are witnessing the message of Christ coming to life before your eyes.
But, more importantly, be an exemplar to keep the spirit of Christmas a spiritual one. Do not get caught up in the gift-wrapped, mall madness version of Christmas...as that is the best way to help more and more people see the spiritual meaning of Christmas -- the meaning that is far more attractive than the exchange of gifts you can find at Best Buy or Target every other day of the year.
Peace...
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Well hannukah is for jews who believe in God but do Believe in Jesus Christ but don't believe that he is the messiah.(Sorry I really don't know that much about Kwanzah)But if you are talking about Ethusis their celebrating Christmas for the stuff even for Easter.I know its sad isn't.We just have to keep praying for these people.And the church is in us.Oh and Hannukah is celebrations of light or someting like that
God bless
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if you believe in God then why does it matter if you go to church or not? i consider myself christian even though i have only gone to church about three times in my life. personally i find sitting on a bench listening to someone talk for hours boring, yet i still believe in God and Jesus. my family celebrates Christmas as a way to get the entire family together and just enjoy the time we have together along with the fact that it's christ's birthday. i think "non religious" people celebrate christmas as apposed to hannukah or kwanza because they are from Christian decent, not jewish or african. i think there are different levels to the religiousness of christianity so people who dont go to church every sunday still consider themselves christian whereas jews are all more religious.
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I'm not really sure how to answer all of this question because I am a Christian that celebrates Christmas. No one really knows the exact date that Christ was born or the exact date of his resurrection. Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. But I believe it's just become a ritualistic thing is why non-Christians celebrate Christmas.
Being a Christian doesn't have any concern with attendance or celebration of Easter or Christmas. I believe even some Christians have lost the true meaning of Christmas. I know of a family that only gives one gift a piece to their 2 kids every Christmas so they don't all caught up in the commercilization of it. We don't know who are Christians and who aren't. Only God does. Many, many people pray and we are unaware of it. Just remember that God knows each and every person's heart. We cannot judge anyone based on the days they attend church or judge them for any matter. That's between them and God. =) Also, I've wondered that before too.
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Basically, Christmas really isn't a Christian holiday - its date is based off a pagan holiday. Its based of the pagans holidays Yule and Saturnalia which are winter celebrations. Most scholars also point out that Jesus wasn't even born on the 25th. ([Link](Mouse over link to see full location))
As for Easter, most holidays nowadays are for families to get together - not celebrate a shared faith.
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I'm sorry if this reply is too late but I have to answer it.
Firstly (and although nothing to do with your question, but I want to correct this misconception)
" Have you ever heard of Xmas? It's not just an abbreviation, it's some non-Christians way to take Christ out of Christmas."-In ancient Greece, Christ was spelled "Xristos", Xmas is just a shortening of that.
And if you are so worked up about non religious people celebrating Christmas, why do you want them to celebrate Hanukkah-which is a Jewish holiday ?
The people who only celebrate Christmas and Easter consider themselves Christians because(IMO), they have been led to believe that celebrating the holidays makes them Christians. It is the same as the people who go to church and then forget about God until the next time they go to church(not read the bible or pray for example)
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Non christains celebrate it because it still seems like a traddition of being thankful towards everyone and stuff.Non chritains dont celebrate hannukag oe kwanza because they arent familiar with it.Plus theyd rather celebrate xmas that hannukah or whatever because xmas is where a lot of people celebrate it, its more popular
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Christmas has evolved into a society holiday. Christians are really good at shoving their ideas at everybody, and when ideas are forced at you, well, that's what happens... people take what they like about them and blow off what they don't. The same thing would happen if we forced kids in school to pray, they'd get used to saying the words but never really believe, because really believing takes more than just exposure.
So, it was so important to Christians that everyone celebrate Christmas and we get work off and everything that they made sure they got their way without thinking about the consequences. And now, here we are... Christmas has been corrupted by the retail industry and 90% of the people who celebrate it are missing out on its more important aspect. Sad, but true.
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You have to realize that Christmas, for most people, has lost all religious meaning. For many people, Christmas is more of a family tradition than the celebration of the birth of Christ. Christmas is a time for many to get together with family members that they haven't seen in a while and be with them. Also, the entire spirt of Christmas (peace on earth and goodwill towards men, etc.) is something that everybody wishes could be real all the time. Some people celebrate Christmas because their parents were Christians and it has become a tradition for them, it also brings back good childhood memories. Try not to judge people too harshly, everywhere you turn Christmas is being commercialized. Its hard not to buy into it, when everybody else is. If you aren't Christian, you are still exprected to buy gifts for everybody you know and you are given gifts, even if you don't want any. Also, many children that are in non-christian families pressure their parents to celebrate Christmas and buy them gifts because they see their friends doing it and they see all the toy commercials on television.
When non-christians celebrate Christmas, the reason why they do so as opposed to celebrating another winter holiday may have something to do with family tradition, etc. It it also due to the sheer popularity of Christmas as opposed to other holidays. Christmas is pushed on us from every direction. I mean, when was the last time you saw Channakah specials on television?
Some people do not feel the need to go to church to worship god. They feel that they can show god thier devotion through their everyday life and home worship. Others, were simply raised Christian and consider themselves Christian at heart, or with Christian values.
There you have it (basically). There are obviously many more complexities to the issue. Commercialization has a lot to do with it, though. I hope I answered your question.
Love, Rainbow
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Alright, not trying to be mean hun.. but you're not the one to judge. People don't have to go to church, or pray everyday to be christian. You sound really into god, and well, if this is true.. you of all people should know that god knows who's a follower. People might not preech the bible, but their still following in god's footsteps. And They celebrate these holidays, because maybe it's a tradition in their family, to do that. Even if they don't believe in god.. they just want to follow the tradition of their familyyy.. but really hun, don't go and be all judging of people who celebrate christmas and stuff.. because it's just not cool.
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Christmas might be about Christ, but the date wasn't Christ's actual date of birth. Not that that is the reason non-Christians celebrate Christmas, but its good to remember that the Church chose that date to celebrate the birth of Christ on, to forward its own agenda. I could say to you "why do YOU celebrate Christmas on a day that was someone elses holiday to begin with, when scholars generally agree that Christ was born in an entirely different month?"
But anyways. I'd venture to guess that commercialism has a lot to do with it - this wasn't the way it has always been. You combine the fact that many of the worlds most industrialized nations in at least the past 100 years have been Christian by a vast majority, and combine that with people seeing they could make money on this holiday, and you'll see what I mean. Go shopping, and you'll see very. very little 'Christian-centric' items, its all toys and $$$.
Anymore many non-Christians don't even care about the fact that there is 'Christ' in the title, they have now started their own family tradition, and its centered around gifts.
EDIT: took out some extraneous stuff I shouldn't have put there in the first place, I apologize =/
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many no christians celebrate xmas not as a celebration of the birth of christ, but a celebration of family and happiness. I know in my family, christ or religion has nothing to do with anything, its irrelevant. For us christmas is about the family coming together for one night and everyone has fun and gets along and there are good memories that come from that. We most definetly dont celebrate for presents, although there are some peopel im sure that do.
And as for the people that only go to church on easter and christmas. yes they can consider themselves christians, why not. why should it eb nessisary to go to church everyday to prove that you follow this god? just because they dont worhsip every sunday doesnt mean taht they dont believe, i have a few friends that are unquestionably christan and they dont not attend church but o those days. And there should be nothing wrong with that. And as for not celebrating other holidays such as hannukah or kwanza.. well simply those havent been shoved down our throats since pre school. Most people are brought up with christmas, unless their family or themselves believe otherwise. Its a hallmaerk holdiay in a way. It has beent eh msot commercialized. hope i helped.
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First off, feel free to do the research on your own - Kwanza is not a religious holiday.
Christmas has been turned into the largest commercial holiday ever. Just to show you how bad it is: I went to a mall about twenty minutes from my house to return a jewlery item. This was a week after my birthday, so the second week of October. There were Christmas decorations already up. I wanted to puke!
Or just watch for this: Halloween decerations were put up everywhere, people trying to sell candy and costumes and anything else. Well...what about thanksgiving? You will see little to no mention/decoration for it. Why? Because while it is a holiday, the commercialism is low: nobody really needs to buy that much for thanksgiving. Just last year, Christmas decorations and 'Christmas Sales' where going up a week before Thanksgiving.
So I think that is why people celebrate Chirstmas - the media and market have hand-in-hand made Christmas about Santa Claus, presents, and lots of decoration.
They don't have to celebrate Chirstmas, they just go along with the tradition of buying and giving presents. Almost all symbols for Christmas have been reduced to a tree, a snowman, a candycane, snowflake, Santa Claus, etc. Nobody goes out to get a manger or anything Jesus related. Oh well... Hope that helped. Honestly, the worst part is hearing about Christmas two months before its here. I go to the Dominican Republic to visit family, and while more than 95% is Catholic and celebrates Chirstmas, they do have Jesus related symbols and decorations. It's a secular/media/market thing in the US.
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The shortest and clearest answer is this: Because they can.
People were encouraged, by law, for the longest time to engage in these Christian-eque rituals. So they fell into the habit, they do what their parents and grandparents do, even when they fell out of the faith.
Christmas is no longer limited to it's religious connotations (in fact, it never really was! Read up on your history of Christmas. Even ignoring the pagan roots of the holiday, particularly interesting are the Christmas riots in England in the 16th and 17th century. You'll learn quickly that Christmas, even back then, had dreadfully little to do with Jesus and a lot to do with partying and politics.)
Why do people who only attend church at Christmas and Easter consider themselves Christians? Again, because they can. Because very few churches are going to kick those people out, or judge them too harshly for it. Why would the church, or their fellow Christians, judge them or insult them? Don't you want them there are church? Aren't they just as worthy of the message as any of you? Don't you still hold out hope for them?
Most modern Christians tolerate or even embrace Easter and Christmas Christians because of the evangelical nature of Christianity. They want more people involved. They are called to spread the word. They want more people to be saved.
It is the history of Christianity that has created this current situation. Be very careful when passing judgments on those who are responding to history, culture and religion. Those are not things you can escape either.
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They celebrate it because it's fun for them. It's all about the material stuff. Have you ever heard of Xmas? It's not just an abbreviation, it's some nonchristians way to take Christ out of Christmas.
They consider themselves Christian because they either don't realize how wrong they are, or because they want to seem Christian, but don't live the life. They talk the talk but don't walk the walk. Have you ever heard the term "Sunday Christian"? It's someone who is a Christian on sunday: Goes to church, prays, gives offering, but Monday through Saturday, they don't live the best Christian lives. This Is kind of the same thing.
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