What has happened to Christmas ?

bobman1235

ben62670 wrote: »

We forgot about Jesus. The true reason for the season.

Tell that to the Pagans who invented it.

shack

bobman1235 wrote: »

Tell that to the Pagans who invented it.

The pagans didn't invent Christmas. The end of year celebration goes back almost 4,000 years to the Mesopotamians. Various cultures (Persians, Babylonians Greeks, Scandinavians, Europeans) have had celebrations around the winter soltice including the pagans who believed in evil spirits, witches, ghosts and trolls who they feared would cause the sun to not return. Special rituals and celebrations were held to welcome back the sun. The actual Christmas we celebrate today is more closely related to the Roman winter festival. As the Roman festival became more decadent and influenced by pagans and as the Roman Govt. started leaning toward Christianity they attempted to "tone down" the revelry. It didn't work. The Church then started celebrating the birth of Christ during this time to offset other rituals of the time, which ultimately had the intended effect. Christmas took the place of the many year end festivals (not just the pagans). So the "Christmas Celebration" as we now know it was indeed created to clebrate the birth of Christ. It did not evolve from a pagan festival but competed against it...and became the predominant celebration of the time and continues today.

bigaudiofanatic

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=912328221308047856&q=charlie+brown&total=7304&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
This is what christmas is all about

bobman1235

shack wrote: »

The pagans didn't invent Christmas. The end of year celebration goes back almost 4,000 years to the Mesopotamians. Various cultures (Persians, Babylonians Greeks, Scandinavians, Europeans) have had celebrations around the winter soltice including the pagans who believed in evil spirits, witches, ghosts and trolls who they feared would cause the sun to not return. Special rituals and celebrations were held to welcome back the sun. The actual Christmas we celebrate today is more closely related to the Roman winter festival. As the Roman festival became more decadent and influenced by pagans and as the Roman Govt. started leaning toward Christianity they attempted to "tone down" the revelry. It didn't work. The Church then started celebrating the birth of Christ during this time to offset other rituals of the time, which ultimately had the intended effect. Christmas took the place of the many year end festivals (not just the pagans). So the "Christmas Celebration" as we now know it was indeed created to clebrate the birth of Christ. It did not evolve from a pagan festival but competed against it...and became the predominant celebration of the time and continues today.

Sorry, forgot to put a wink, I was mostly just joking about the pagan thing. Like most things it doesn't matter how or why it started but rather what it means to you today.

Merry Christmas everyone

ben62670

Thanks Bob:)
Merry Christmas to you, and all.

obieone

mrbigbluelight wrote: »

As well you should be, obieone, as well you should be.

.........we're watching you.

.....while you sleep.:)

I friggin KNEW it!!! Everyone keeps telling me to ignore you and just take my Thorazine!!!

hearingimpared

shack wrote: »

The pagans didn't invent Christmas. The end of year celebration goes back almost 4,000 years to the Mesopotamians. Various cultures (Persians, Babylonians Greeks, Scandinavians, Europeans) have had celebrations around the winter soltice including the pagans who believed in evil spirits, witches, ghosts and trolls who they feared would cause the sun to not return. Special rituals and celebrations were held to welcome back the sun. The actual Christmas we celebrate today is more closely related to the Roman winter festival. As the Roman festival became more decadent and influenced by pagans and as the Roman Govt. started leaning toward Christianity they attempted to "tone down" the revelry. It didn't work. The Church then started celebrating the birth of Christ during this time to offset other rituals of the time, which ultimately had the intended effect. Christmas took the place of the many year end festivals (not just the pagans). So the "Christmas Celebration" as we now know it was indeed created to clebrate the birth of Christ. It did not evolve from a pagan festival but competed against it...and became the predominant celebration of the time and continues today.

All this is true but you left out one important fact. The Christians at the time also wanted to incorporate (convert) the heathens also, so it made it easier for them to convert the pagans during the "revelry" when infact the Christmas Celebration was being held at the same time.
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The leaders of the pagans found also that the Christians had been sorely persecuted and slaughtered and despite this, Christianity got stronger and stronger and soon was dominating the area. They figured they would convert to the stronger "god" and be as powerful as the Christians. That one thought led to thousands and thousands of converts who became devout Christians and they began to spead the Word also! The story of the pagan Emperor Constantine had the same type of beginning.

That is the short version.

hearingimpared

bobman1235 wrote: »

Sorry, forgot to put a wink, I was mostly just joking about the pagan thing. Like most things it doesn't matter how or why it started but rather what it means to you today.

Merry Christmas everyone

Merry Christmas Bob!!!

beardog03

Merry Christmas hp !!!

dorokusai

hearingimpared wrote: »

That is the short version.

Thank goodness as I was starting to actually believe in God at some point in that diatribe.

hearingimpared

You old heathen you!

dorokusai

I just sacrificed a goat to my tree deity tonight....figured it was perfect timing.

thejck

I thought Christmas was all about shopping and giving your hard earned money away...

bah humbug.... What a crappy season wish I was a kid again