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Celebrating a Lie

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The true story of Jesus' birth has been syncretized into a non-Christian festival, and even that has been obscured by a wrong date and a phony crèche scene.

The Crazy in Christmas

CGG Weekly by Ronny H. Graham

Jesus tells us that we must worship God in spirit and truth. Where is the truth in Christmas? What is the Christmas spirit, and where does it come from?

Christmas Contradictions

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Christmas is a bundle of contradictions, inanities, and outright lies. Most people, even Christians, are aware of this yet still observe this pagan day.

Reasons for Not Celebrating Christmas

CGG Weekly by John Reiss

Why do we not keep Christmas? Jesus was not born on December 25, during Saturnalia, a pagan festival. It is a commercialized holiday rife with lies.

Syncretismas!

Article by Martin G. Collins

Christmas is a very blatant form of syncretism, the blending of diverse religious practices. The origins of Christmas testify of why we should reject it.

Dating Christ's Birth

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

While a minority of Christians insist that December 25 is the actual date of the Nativity, most people realize that proof for this early winter date is quite scanty.

Crazy or Christmas

Sermonette by

If Christmas is Christ's birthday, it is strange that everybody else except Christ receives a gift. All of its symbols derive from pagan sources.

Cogitations on Christmas

Article by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Most recognize Christmas' pagan origins and its lack of biblical support. These facts should make us consider whether Christians should celebrate it.

The Plain Truth About Christmas

Herbert W. Armstrong Booklet

Did Christmas come from the Bible or paganism? Here are the origins of the Christmas tree, Santa Claus, mistletoe, the holly wreath, and exchanging gifts.

Hearing and Understanding the Truth

Sermonette by Cody Ford

Santa Claus figures into the discussion as part of a broader explanation of Christmas's pagan origins, offered as a brief history lesson for younger listeners and a refresher for others. Christmas traces back to the Roman festival of Saturnalia, a winter celebration near the solstice marked by gift-giving and feasting. Later, Germanic peoples contributed yuletide traditions, including evergreen trees and lights meant to ward off darkness and evil spirits, celebrated over twelve days beginning around December 20th. When Christianity spread through Europe, the Catholic Church could not suppress these entrenched pagan customs, so it merged them with the concept of Christ's birth, assigning December 25th as the date. Out of this blending came the modern Santa Claus figure, said to be modeled after Odin, the god of the Norse people, alongside Christmas lights that originated as a means of warding off evil spirits. This historical background serves a larger purpose: demonstrating that there is no truth in Christmas or any worldly holiday, since God, being Spirit, would never command worship rooted in falsehood or pagan practice. The Santa Claus origin is one piece of evidence used to show how thoroughly the holiday's traditions stem from sources entirely disconnected from Scripture, despite widespread belief that observing it is righteous or harmless. This point connects to a wider argument about why the world struggles to hear God's truth at all. Citing scriptures such as John 6:44 and I Corinthians 2:12, the point is made that understanding requires being called by God and receiving His Spirit. Even sincere, Bible-literate people—such as a respected homesteading teacher who keeps the Sabbath yet still prepares for Christmas, or a knowledgeable creation-science teacher who rejects the Sabbath entirely—illustrate how minds can remain closed to certain truths even while grasping others, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy quoted in Matthew 13 about people who see but do not perceive. The deeper concern is that 93% of Americans celebrate Christmas, spending enormous sums and emotional energy on a tradition rooted in Saturnalia, yuletide, and Odin-inspired figures like Santa Claus, because they lack the true purpose that comes from God's calling. Lacking that calling, people pour themselves fully into substitute devotions—Christmas, sports, politics, business—searching unconsciously for meaning. Those called by God, by contrast, are urged to recognize their calling as a gift to be guarded and cultivated, using scriptures like I Timothy 4:14-16, II Peter 1:10, and I John 4:4-6 to reinforce the need for diligence, spiritual growth, and firm resistance to worldly pressures. This includes protecting children from peer pressure surrounding school parties and holiday customs, since drifting away, as Hebrews 2:1 warns, often begins with small compromises. Ultimately, Santa Claus and Christmas lights serve as concrete symbols of the pagan roots underlying a holiday widely assumed to be Christian, reinforcing the call to remain set apart, hold one's ground, and guard both personal understanding and family against worldly deception.

For the Love of the Truth

Sermonette by Ryan McClure

Christ has never been in man's holidays, which are built on lies, and which teach children they cannot trust the veracity of their own parents.

Christmas and Sun Worship

Sermonette by Mike Ford

Christmas, Easter, and Halloween all derive from sex, fertility, and sun worship. Christmas traces to the incestuous relationship of Semiramis and Nimrod.

What Is the Origin of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6, 15)?

Bible Questions & Answers

Acts 6 mentions 'Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.' Writings of the time say he later came to follow Gnostic teachings and became an ascetic.

Gray Areas in Human Reasoning

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

We must be on guard for the incremental nature of gray areas. Godly reasoning recognizes no gray areas; just because something is lawful does not mean it is good.

The Commandments (Part Eighteen)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

A community can only be established upon a foundation of stability and truth. Our relationships must be based upon God's truth, producing faithfulness.

God and Reality

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

What God puts us through is designed to reveal reality to us. Accepting His doctrine without looking for loopholes will keep us true.