HOLY DAYS - HOLIDAYS

Many modern traditions of Christian holidays do not originate from Christianity itself. These customs are not "harmless" sources of joy, but rather cause invisible spiritual damage to the souls of family members and other loved ones.

What is the source of such customs as adorning the Christmas tree with tinsel, ornaments, lights, holly, mistletoe, and yule logs, and exchanging of gifts? Why is Christmas celebrated on 25th December when all evidence says that Jesus was born months earlier? Where did the name "Easter" come from, and the 40 days of lent, the Easter Bunny, Easter eggs? What is the origin of days like All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day, Candlemas, Halloween, May Day, Palm Sunday, Saint Valentine's Day, Saint Patricks' Day, and the like?

The origin of nearly all of these customs can be found in ancient Babylon's idol worship and the festivals that they held in honour of their gods . The others are from the ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Druid worship of pagan gods and the festivals that they held in honour of their gods. These pagan cults were well known for their practice of witchcraft, forced prostitution, self-mutilation, human sacrifices to false gods, and even burning their own children alive.

Putting it another way, the so called Christian churches of today have accepted with open arms the pagan holy days or holidays along with all their traditions from ancient Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. They have accepted the pagan customs and traditions of those who oppose and hate the true God, who set up their own way of worship without God, and whose practices were condemned in the Bible.

Many people believe that the origins of such customs do not matter to God and that He allows mankind to determine its own ways and days of worship to Him. They assume that God will accept any form of religious practice so long as the worshipers mean it to honor Him.

What does the Bible say about this assumption?

"And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. . . . For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images." Exodus 23:13,23, 24.

"Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods." Exodus 34:11-17.

"Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth." Deuteronomy 6:14, 15.

"And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish." Deuteronomy 8:19.

"But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee: That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God." Deuteronomy 20:17, 18.

"And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger." Judges 2:12.

"And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him." Judges 10:6.

"And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them." 1 Chronicles 5:25.

"The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger." Jeremiah 7:18.

"This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing." Jeremiah 13:10.

Not only does the Word of God tell us to not worship false gods or participate in any worship of them, but it also forbids the practices that pertain to evil spirits. The worship of evil spirits is also a large part of these pagan celebrations.

What does God's word say about practices that pertain to evil spirits?

"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. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee." Deuteronomy 18:10-12.

"Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:31.

"A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them." Leviticus 20:27.

"So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;" 1 Chronicles 10:13.

"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.

What about holy days that have been modified or given Christian names?

"Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, 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. Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods." Deut. 12:30, 31.

"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?" 2 Cor. 6:14, 15.

"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. 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 Cor 10:20, 21.

"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." Eph. 5:5-7.

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matt. 6:24.

According to Scripture if something is either righteousness or unrighteousness, light or dark, Christ’s or Belial’s, pagan or Christian. There is no middle ground, and one cannot become the other. So if we change the name or modify a pagan feast or festival, it is still pagan. These Scriptures also tell us that as Christians we should have nothing to do with any pagan thing.

In the book of Ezekiel we read that the Lord commanded that the priests, "shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean." Eze. 44:23. This command was also given to Moses, "And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean." Lev. 10:10.

Are modern pagan celebrations harmless?

Modern celebrations of ancient or modern pagan festivals and holy days may appear on the surface to be quite harmless, but the spiritual implications of dabbling with pagan gods and the spirit world are extremely serious according to Scripture. God will not be trifled with. What He condemned back in Bible times, He condemns today for He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Jesus Christ tells us that, "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." Matthew 22:37, 38. The "Lord thy God" spoken of here is the Creator God. The God who made heaven, earth, sky, sea, and all that in them is. God alone is the giver of live and all good things. To give recognition to false gods, and to imitate practices that honour them, is not to worship the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. It is unacceptable to God and idolatrous.

As far as God is concerned there is only truth and error, black and white. There is no partial truth, because a partial truth is error. There is no inbetween. In the book of Job this righteous man of God asks a very interesting question and gives the answer. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." Job 14:4.

So according to God’s Word Holy Days or holidays that have their origins in paganism are pagan celebration no matter how we try to modify them. They are an abomination before the Lord and Christians should not celebrate them.

© April, 2006 by D & S Goeldner.