Is Christmas a pagan holiday?

Is Christmas a pagan holiday? We're going to answer that question. You can also discover more on GotQuestions .org. No, Christmas is not a pagan holiday. Christmas is the Christian remembrance and celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Christians believe that in Christ, God entered the human race and so deserves the title Immanuel, or God with us. Even so, some say that various Christmas traditions have pagan origins, so the question is legitimate.

The Uncertain Pagan Origins of Christmas

First, the pagan origins of Christmas are far from certain. The winter solstice, nor Saturnalia, which both have been proposed as the origin of Christmas, were never celebrated on December 25th. Other Christmas symbols, such as trees and candles, may have had some pagan connotations, but these are so common in the human experience that it can hardly be claimed that their use was ever exclusive to paganism.

Why Current Meaning Matters More Than Origin

Second, the meaning of any word, symbol, or custom is determined by current usage, not origin. For instance, the swastika has been around for thousands of years as a symbol of good fortune. It was therefore reasonable for the Nazi party to take this as their symbol, as they emphasized that they were the party to bring back good times to Germany, which was going through hard times after World War I.

However, it would be absolute foolishness for a person to decorate his home today with swastikas based on their real meaning. The original meaning of the symbol is rendered completely irrelevant by its now-associated atrocities.

Likewise, if you asked the average American to tell you about Nike, probably better than 90 would talk about a brand of athletic shoes and clothing with any mention of the Greek goddess of victory for whom the company is named.

Regardless of what the Christmas symbols may have once meant, their use today needs to be evaluated on the basis of what they mean today. To automatically associate candles, colored lights, or decorated trees with pagan worship is unwarranted.

If there are unbiblical practices in our Christmas celebration, then those should be forsaken. Feasting, drinking alcoholic beverages, and giving gifts are not forbidden in the Bible, but gluttony, drunkenness, and going into debt are forbidden by Scripture.

Therefore, it's good for Christians to examine their celebrations to make sure that they truly honor God. Third, when cultures clash, there is always an attempt to change and co-opt language and cultural symbols.

Christians May Redeem Cultural Symbols

Paul had no problem co-opting a pagan altar in order to spread the gospel. If what we know as Christmas originally started out as a pagan celebration, then it has been so successfully co-opted by Christians that any self-respecting pagan would be distressed at what Christians have done to it.

Christmas celebrations are so completely the opposite of paganism that any suggested link between the two can be disregarded. Christians celebrating Christmas are no more pagan than churches who gather to worship on Sunday, so named because it was the pagan day of the sun, or hold a prayer service on Wednesday named after the Norse god Woden.

The pagan origins of the names of the days of the week have nothing to do with churches' weekly gatherings, and ancient pagan winter festivals have no real bearing on the modern Christian celebration of Christmas.

Discerning How Christians Should Observe Christmas

With every cultural practice, Christians usually fall into three different camps. Some simply accept the practice wholesale, without any reflection. Obviously, this is unwise. Other Christians will simply reject it and often retreat into a Christian subculture.

Finally, some will carefully reflect on the cultural practice, embrace what they can, reject what's ungodly, and redeem what's worth saving. Christians have been so successful in co-opting some cultural practices that no one even remembers what the original meaning of the practices were.

If the origins of Christmas are indeed pagan, then this is what happened, and to God be the glory. One person considers a day more sacred than another. Another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.

Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. If an individual does not feel comfortable with some or all aspects of celebration of Christmas, that Christian should do what he or she believes to be right.

He should not judge others who believe and celebrate differently, nor should the others judge him when no clear biblical guideline is involved. That answers the question, Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?

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