Classical Values :: Allah hates Christmas, so feel free to celebrate!

December 24, 2004

Allah hates Christmas, so feel free to celebrate!

An Islamic scholar (the elusive Misha'al Ibn Abdullah Al-Kadhi) believes that Christianity is pagan.

Christmas:

Let us now move on to the "birthday of Jesus," Christmas. Jesus (pbuh) is commonly considered to have been born on the 25th of December. However, it is common knowledge among Christian scholars that he was not born on this day. It is well known that the first Christian churches held their festival in May, April, or January. Scholars of the first two centuries C.E. even differ in which year he was born. Some believing that he was born fully twenty years before the current accepted date. So how was the 25th of December selected as the birthday of Jesus (pbuh)?

Grolier's encyclopedia says:

"Christmas is the feast of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated on December 25.... Despite the beliefs about Christ that the birth stories expressed, the church did not observe a festival for the celebration of the event until the 4th century.... since 274, under the emperor Aurelian, Rome had celebrated the feast of the "Invincible Sun" on December 25. In the Eastern Church, January 6, a day also associated with the winter solstice, was initially preferred. In course of time, however, the West added the Eastern date as the feast of the Epiphany, and the East added the Western date of Christmas."

So who else celebrated the 25th of December as the birth day of their gods before it was agreed upon as the birth day of Jesus (pbuh)? Well, there are the people of India who rejoice, decorate their houses with garlands, and give presents to their friends on this day. The people of China also celebrate this day and close their shops. The pagan god Buddha is believed to have been born on this day when the "Holy Ghost" descended on his virgin mother Maya. The great savior and god of the Persians, Mithras, is also believed to have been born on the 25th of December long before the coming of Jesus (pbuh). The Egyptians celebrated this day as the birth day of their great savior Horus, the Egyptian god of light and the son of the "virgin mother" and "queen of the heavens" Isis. Osiris, god of the dead and the underworld in Egypt, the son of "the holy virgin," again was believed to have been born on the 25th of December.

The Greeks celebrated the 25th of December as the birthday of Hercules, the son of the supreme god of the Greeks, Zeus, through the mortal woman Alcmene. Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry among the Romans (known among the Greeks as Dionysus) was also born on this day.

Adonis, revered as a "dying-and-rising god" among the Greeks, miraculously was also born on the 25th of December. His worshipers held him a yearly festival representing his death and resurrection, in midsummer. The ceremonies of his birth day are recorded to have taken place in the same cave in Bethlehem which is claimed to have been the birth place of Jesus (pbuh).

The Scandinavians celebrated the 25th of December as the birth day of their god Freyr, the son of their supreme god of the heavens, Odin.

The Romans observed this day as the birth day of the god of the sun, Natalis Solis Invicti ("Birthday of Sol the invincible"). There was great rejoicing and all shops were closed. There was illumination and public games. Presents were exchanged, and the slaves were indulged in great liberties. Remember, these are the same Romans who would later preside over the council of Nicea (325 C.E.) which lead to the official Christian recognition of the "Trinity" as the "true" nature of God, and the "fact" that Jesus (pbuh) was born on the 25th of December too. The pagan emperor Constantine, who presided over the council of Nicea, was popularly considered the "embodiment" or "incarnation" of the this supreme Roman "Sun" god. Neither was Constantine the first Roman emperor to be given this title, rather, many or his predecessors before him were also promoted to the status of the "incarnation" of the god of the sun.

Edward Gibbon says:

"The Roman Christians, ignorant of his (Christ's) birth, fixed the solemn festival to the 25th of December, the Brumalia, or Winter Solstice, when the Pagans annually celebrated the birth of Sol"

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. ii, Gibbon, p. 383.

Christmas festivals today incorporate many other pagan customs, such as the use of holly, mistletoe, Yule logs, and wassail bowls. The Christmas tree itself is the most obvious aspect of ancient pagan celebrations which were later incorporated into church rites. Scholars believe that the Christian celebration was originally derived in part from rites held by pre-Christian Germanic and Celtic peoples to celebrate the winter solstice. The Christmas tree, an evergreen trimmed with lights and other decorations, because it keeps its green needles throughout the winter months, was believed by pre-Christian pagans to have special powers of protection against the forces of nature and evil spirits. The end of December marked the onset of a visible lengthening of daylight hours - the return of warmth and light and defeat of those evil forces of cold and darkness. The Christmas tree is derived from the so-called paradise tree, symbolizing Eden, of German mystery plays. The use of a Christmas tree began early in the 17th century, in Strasbourg, France, spreading from there through Germany, into northern Europe and Great Britain, and then on to the United States.

Christmas is not the only Christian festival which was borrowed from ancient paganism and foisted upon the religion of Jesus (pbuh). There is also Easter (see details in chapter one), the Feast of St. John, the Holy communion, the Annunciation of the virgin, the assumption of the virgin, and many others have their roots in ancient pagan worship. Since we can not get into the details here, therefore, the interested reader is encouraged to consult the above books.

Many people object to people who advise them not to introduce new and innovative practices into their religion, even if they were only to be festivals and celebrations. They object "what could it hurt if I were to worship God and thank Him for his blessings on this day when pagans performed their worship? I am not worshipping idols." For this we only need to read the very explicit prohibition of God in this regard which He Himself emphatically declared in the Bible:

"Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them (pagans), after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise."

Deuteronomy 12:30

There is a good reason why God commands us to do things. Just because we do not know the wisdom behind a prohibition does not give us the freedom to disregard it. Indeed, it is exactly such willingness to "adapt" and "compromise" which eventually lead to the loss of the message of Jesus, as seen chapter one.

General similarities with paganism:

As we have seen, the common thread among most of these pagan sects is their worship of the sun as their deity and their selection of the winter solstice (25th of December) as the time of the birth of their supreme god. The winter solstice is the time of year when the sun would reach its last stage of decline and once again begin to rise and become "re-born." This rise would continue until day and night become equal in length. At this point, the god of the sun would appear to be at a stand off with the "prince of darkness." This would occur at the vernal equinox, or Easter. This situation, however, would not last for long, as the god of the sun would triumph after Easter, and days would become longer than nights.

We notice that the church too received divine "inspiration" that Jesus (pbuh) was born on the 25th of December, and also that he too "triumphed over the prince of darkness" on Easter day, just as the pagan gods of the Greeks and Romans had done centuries before.

The Muslim author goes to great lengths to "prove" that Jesus was a mere Muslim prophet of the Bigot God of 9/11, and that the religion established in his name is a hopelessly pagan creation. (As if that makes it self-apparently wrong.)

That what we call God might be expansive and infinite, and able to appear in many forms to many peoples during many periods, would never occur to the author, as it is antithetical to fundamentalist Islam. (It's heresy, of course. Meaning they'd kill me for saying it.)

Yet another reason why we must defend the classical tradition. The enemy would destroy every trace of it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !

posted by Eric on 12.24.04 at 08:55 AM

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Comments

Islam has proven itself to be a religion of inclusion, in that it includes its hatred for just about everything. That it also includes Christmas shouldn't come as any real surprise. What I do find surprising is how this Islamic scholar reconciles his views on Christmas with Islam's theologically incongruent belief that Jesus as the Messiah will one day come again.

Robert Torres · December 24, 2004 10:10 AM

I used to be amused by Islamist scholars that keep preaching that Abraham, Moses and Jesus were all muslims.

But considering the historical havoc Islamism is having on the world, I am amused no more.

Most Christians realize that on the modern calendar, Dec 25 is not Jesus's actual birthday. But that is the day we celebrate the event ... akin to a family that has a bunch of birthdays in the month of July picking one day to celebrate them all.

What I found startling in the piece is the attack on the central event of Christianity - Easter. For most Christians, Christmas is a family holiday in honor of Jesus' birth, but Easter is a holy day in rememberance of his crucifixion and resurrection. Regardless of whether or not someone wants to accept the story of the resurrection, the New Testament makes it clear that the events leading up to the crucifixion have nothing to do with the vernal equinox ... unless Islamists consider Passover a 'pagan' ritual too.

Then, again, since Islamism is a cobbled together religion, stealing for itself the traditions/histories/people of Judaism and Christianity that actually does when the scholar accuses Judaism and Christianity of doing ... this kind of breathtaking hypocrisy should not be surprising.

Darleen · December 24, 2004 10:28 AM

And oh...

Have a very Merry Christmas!!

:-)

Darleen · December 24, 2004 10:29 AM

Excellent analysis Darleen!

BTW, Muslims maintain that Jesus was never crucified. Therefore, all depictions of the crucifixion are literally blasphemous, as they deny the Koran. This is why crucifixes are not tolerated in fundamentalist Muslim countries.

(Obviously, without the crucifixion, there's no resurrection, and hence no Easter -- pagan or otherwise....)

Merry Christmas to you too!

Eric Scheie · December 24, 2004 11:13 AM

Eric: That what we call God might be expansive and infinite, and able to appear in many forms to many peoples during many periods, would never occur to the author, as it is antithetical to fundamentalist Islam.

This agnostic wonders what you mean by a god who "appears in many forms to many peoples during many periods". If you mean what I think you mean, then your view is antithetical to the overwhelming majority of Christians, Jews and Muslims. No need to pick exclusively on the last group.

Eric: The Muslim author goes to great lengths to "prove" that Jesus was a mere Muslim prophet of the Bigot God of 9/11, and that the religion established in his name is a hopelessly pagan creation.

Don't most Christians (and Jews) believe that Muhammad was either a lunatic or an evil liar?

Jews, Christians and Muslims, by definition, reject some of each others religious teachings. Jews and Muslims believe Jesus wasn't the Son of God, and Jews and Christians believe Mohammed wasn't God's prophet. Since this is a truism, why focus on Al-Kadhi's rejection of Christianity?

Darleen: I used to be amused by Islamist scholars that keep preaching that Abraham, Moses and Jesus were all muslims.

Is it any more amusing than the Christian belief that the Old Testament prophets are de facto Christians, i.e., they're in heaven and they worship God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit?

MDP · December 24, 2004 12:17 PM

Jews, Christians and Muslims, by definition, reject some of each others religious teachings. Jews and Muslims believe Jesus wasn't the Son of God, and Jews and Christians believe Mohammed wasn't God's prophet. Since this is a truism, why focus on Al-Kadhi's rejection of Christianity?

Cause the jews and the christians aren't trying to kill each other. This is true tolerance, to disagree with one another, even vehemently, and somehow manage not to throw rocks at each others' heads. Sorry to say a large number of muslims haven't learned this lesson yet.

Jo�o · December 24, 2004 02:23 PM

Ah! Christianity is "pagan"!

Since Imam "the Man" has spoken from the true heart of control-freakdom, 'proving' that Christianity is nothing more than a thinly disguised paganist fabrication, we can- at last!- revel in it, rather than getting those wishy-washy Wiccans to reinterpret the past for us all.

At last, a reason for the Secular Leftists to defend their own culture.

/not holding my breath

urthshu · December 24, 2004 02:47 PM

urthshu: LOL!

Merry Christmas Eric!

Rue · December 24, 2004 05:06 PM

MDP: Jews, Christians and Muslims, by definition, reject some of each others religious teachings. Jews and Muslims believe Jesus wasn't the Son of God, and Jews and Christians believe Mohammed wasn't God's prophet. Since this is a truism, why focus on Al-Kadhi's rejection of Christianity?
Jo�o: Cause the jews and the christians aren't trying to kill each other. This is true tolerance, to disagree with one another, even vehemently, and somehow manage not to throw rocks at each others' heads. Sorry to say a large number of muslims haven't learned this lesson yet.

I agree with your observation about tolerance, but I don't see what it has to do Al-Kadhi's argument that Christianity is heavily influenced by paganism. Many Christians make a similar argument against Islam (and perhaps both groups are right about each other). I don't think it makes any sense to equate this kind of criticism with "intolerance".

MDP · December 24, 2004 05:52 PM

Yet another excellent post. An excellent overview of the ancient origins of the splendiferous celebration of December 25 in the West, even if written by an enemy of the West.

I'm a polytheist, and I recognize that Political Correctness, and the totalitarian Islam before which it so abjectly prostrates itself, is the enemy of polytheists, Christians, and Jews alike, and I must align myself with conservative Christians and Jews in opposing it. I celebrate the Mass of the Christ, and all the symbols and festivities associated with it, and all the holy myths of which that was a culmination.

Hail to Osiris and to Isis, to the Christ and to the Virgin Mother of the Christ, to the Divine Redeemer and to the Queen of Heaven! God, and all Gods and Goddesses, bless America! To Eric Scheie, to Justin Case, to Dennis, to Darleen, to Portia, to Nick Packwood, to Persnickety, to Ironbear, to Urthshu, to Joao, to Robert Torres, and to everyone else writing in and/or reading Classical Values, I wish each and every one of you a very....

....Merry Christmas!

Steven Malcolm Anderson (Cato theElder) the Lesbian-worshipping man's-man-admiring myth-based egoist · December 24, 2004 10:33 PM

Merry Christmas to Puff, too!

Steven Malcolm Anderson (Cato theElder) the Lesbian-worshipping man's-man-admiring myth-based egoist · December 24, 2004 11:41 PM

Mrs. Bricker is preparing a gigantic dinner in her enormous dining room in her home in the San Francisco East Bay Area for all of her many, many guests to celebrate Santa's Day.
Mr. Bricker is staying with a family on a farm in his old home town in the middle of Ohio while encouraging his fellow Republicans in 29 states to conserve the Constitution.
Rev. Jim is staying with his men in a motel in Atlanta, Georgia, preparing a sermon on the Son of Man.
Wicked Wanda is staying with her women in the most expensive hotel in downtown Manhattan while attending a conference of the world's greatest scientists to promote the atheistic theory of EVILution.
Holy Dawn and her holy Negro wife Norma are alone on one of the Western islands of Hawaii celebrating the Mass of the Christ and of the Most High Goddess, the Queen of Heaven.

Steven Malcolm Anderson (CatotheEler) the Lesbian-worshipping man'sman-admiring myth-based egoist · December 25, 2004 03:49 AM

First and most important: MERRY CHRISTMAS!! MERRY CHRIST'S MASS, even!

& yet another interesting post - how do you do it?

Persnickety · December 25, 2004 06:38 AM

Steven Malcolm Anderson wrote:
I'm a polytheist

My stray observation:
Most people are Secular Henotheists [def.], worshipping various secular 'dieties' in turn & by season.

A little like so:
Santa in Dec., Father Time in Jan., Cupid in Feb., Leprechauns in March, the weather in April, flowers in May, women & the sun in summer, etc etc
We've got a folkloric pantheon all our own.

Heh.

urthshu · December 25, 2004 11:28 AM

Gettin' up a good fight with those lefty liberal communist muslim bush haters?

Here's some ammo you might wanna use:

http://www.pharmacratic-inquisition.com/nontesters/pharmacratic/

amanita · December 25, 2004 11:09 PM

It's always amusing to see various Abrahamite extremists calling other denominations "pagan" when they can't belittle their tenets or values, or are looking for excuses to beat up on people they don't like who aren't really that different. Protestants did it to Catholics during the Reformation. Hopefully all this silliness won't get too bloody...

Raging Bee · December 27, 2004 04:30 PM

Then there's the Mormon genaeologists who label long-dead ancestors "Mormon," even though there's no evidence that they were, or they died before Mormonism existed, or were holy men of completely different faiths. Dangerous silliness abounds...

Reging Bee · December 27, 2004 04:33 PM

"Yet another reason why we must defend the classical tradition. The enemy would destroy every trace of it."

That sounds like you think we should go kill all the Muslims. You don't really mean that.

Blogesota · December 29, 2004 10:52 PM

Now, how can I not really mean what a reader says he thinks I sound like?

Do I sound like I'm smoking crack too?

Eric Scheie · December 30, 2004 07:36 AM

Dear Everyone posting,
I realised there was no muslim response here, so I thought I could include one.
To start, I as a muslim find it sad to see the title of this page as 'Allah hates christmas'. We dont believe that. Whether Christmas on the 25th of dec is a pagan day or not is not important. The author of the article is showing roots of the pagan holiday, but not insulting the day of christmas itself, but rather its roots. For me and many other muslims I know, the day of christmas is the day to call my christian friends and wish them a merry christmas, and to read one of my favourite chapters of the Quran titled "Mary". Its beautiful, and speaks of the birth of Christ. To muslims, christmas is not about buying and trees, but about the birth of our beloved prophet Jesus (peace and blessings be upon him) and his beautiful preachings to create a better world. Happy new year everyone. I leave you in Peace.

Omar · December 30, 2004 05:49 PM