Hehe..

I find no need to war "Against" Christmas.  I think we should "War" for Christmas.  :)

Merry Christmas?

What's "merry" about what God condemns? Don't you believe the Bible that whitewashed pagan hollow days are abominations? Aren't you a Christian? National captivity won't seem too merry. Merry national captivity? Merry catastrophe? Think again and have the change of heart God calls upon our nation to experience or suffer the serious consequences!

Christmas condemned!

C.H. Spurgeon on Christmas and Roman Catholicism
Christmas is About Giving -- Says Who?
Why I No Longer Celebrate Christmas
Will God Curse Our Countries for Christmas?

Some pretty mean words about Catholics and protestants there.  Just out of curiosity, how many categories are there after you've put those two on the table?

Really, trying to malign the holiday (old 'holy day') because it started out as a celebration of the Christ Mass is a reach.  A common one, but a reach nonetheless.  If a person wants to set aside a particular date to celebrate the birth of Christ he certainly can and there is no reason why just because the name of that holiday is derived from the Christ Mass doesn't mean that these people are actually celebrating a Mass.  This is especially the case when so few people have any idea about the origin of the name.

And even if the origin of the name is objectionable, its current usage and understanding might be utterly different.  Hence, it is ridiculous to suppose that protestants are celebrating a 'Mass.'

I want to be a little more clear.  You seem pretty well bent on condemning hordes of Christians here which is fine so long as you have a case.  What you are up against here are the Scriptures, however.  You claim to be abiding by them- so you'd better well abide by them:

"One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike.  Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.  He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord..."  Romans 14:5

As far as I'm concerned, any kind of pronouncements like these ones about Christians celebrating particular days are completely out of line.  You judge yourself and call the wrath of God upon your own head because in spite of clear passages insisting that how a Christian handles 'special days' is up to the discretion of the Christian, you nonetheless condemn them.  And so, by blatantly defying the clear instruction of the very Word you say you are obeying, you will be condemned.

As for the larger principle of 'pagan' elements, if you can assure me that you do not utter the names of the days of the week and months I will take your statements seriously.  What's that you say?  When you hear 'Thursday' you don't think of "Jupiter's Day" and consequently that in uttering it you are paying homage to a Roman god, do you?

Neither do most Christians pay homage to the 'Christ Mass' whatever your beef is with it.

"Paul said, "Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?""

Yes, but Paul really was telling the truth.  You are wrong.  That makes a difference.  At any rate, it isn't that they were 'mean' that bothers me so much as that hard words require hard support.  That is lacking- and always will be, because it is an unsupportable position.

"and such vain attempts at modification of pagan holidays to worship the true God are condemned in Scripture."

Wrong again.

"I encourage you to learn to rightly divide the Word of truth, and then you'll see Paul was referring to FAST DAYS, not pagan holidays pretending to be Christian!"

Orthotomeo is better translated as 'rightly handle.'  But you're still wrong about the point he's making.  In point of fact, 'baptizing' 'pagan' holidays is never addressed in the Scriptures one way or the other.  Evaluating the issue must be done by extending other principles.  With that said, the chief issue of days had to do not with FAST DAYS but mainly with the Jewish holidays, which many Christians were setting aside but many- the converted Jews- thought still had value and merit.  Chief of these would be the Sabbath, which many Christians (being Jews) still thought should be honored, and then on Saturday, whereas many Christians had stopped and were celebrating the 'Lord's Day' on Sundays, instead.

For a nation that had always revolved around various feasts and holy days it was difficult, to say the least, to abandon them wholesale.

"Actually, you've condemned yourself by your rash judgment"

The Lord will judge between us.  Good luck on your end.  :)

"The God of law and order has graciously given us HIS holy days, pure festivals, to observe. Why not celebrate them like Yeshua, the apostles, the early Church of God, and the faithful flock who continue to do so?"

Whether I do or not, the passage that I provided covers the issue.  Each man should be fully convinced in his own mind.  God created all days.  You must obey all the scriptures, David.  As seems to be typical for 'rightly dividers,' you are effortlessly dividing Romans 14 right out of consideration, leaving no room for anyone convinced in his own mind but convinced of a different position.

Your terrible error here is not in having a different notion about 'days' than I (and most of Christendom) do, but because you cast a judgment on a topic where Paul writes clearly forbidding you to cast a judgment.  Jesus said Judge not lest you be Judged.  This does not mean you don't judge, it only means that when you judge expect to be judged in return.  Since you know you will be judged when you judge, you should judge rightly, not 'by mere appearances.' 

You are judging on mere appearances and deliberately refusing to be gracious to other Christians about a subject that the Scriptures specifically order you to be gracious.

Edited because I forgot to mention- I note that you were curiously silent about my observation that you have no objection to using the 'pagan' names of the days of the weeks and months.  How is it that you can say 'Thursday' without participating in a 'Babylonian Mystery religion' but those of us who say 'Christmas' have to be?

In my opinion, unless you answer now that in fact you do not use the custom names of the days of the week, the months, the planets, and literally any other thing of any sort that is derived from a 'pagan' name, this conversation is over:  you are utterly discredited. 

You cannot call me to celebrate "like Yeshua, the apostles, the early Church of God, and the faithful flock" if in fact you tell your employer that you'll be in at such and such time on Thursday, or that you will be at an appointment on a particular day in August, or that you see Venus in the sky.

Moreover, words such as 'lunacy' and 'lunar' must be cast out of your vocabulary!  They are, after all, derived for the Roman name for the 'moon God,' Luna.

The minute that I think you take your arguments to the logical conclusion, using only the Hebrew names for the days of the weak and the months, for example, and never using a word derived from 'pagan' elements, I will take your arguments seriously.

The Christian Church is guilty of so many things.  It is a pity that some Christians think that sterilizing the Church is the answer.

Well, that's it, then.  You are utterly discredited.    As for whether or not your interpretation of the Scriptures is better than mine, I will happily submit the matter henceforth to the lurker.   Your post is a good reminder that 'there really is nothing new under the sun.'   The Judaizers have never really disappeared- there are still those whom will call 'unclean' what God has created, the 'circumcised group' who never learned what Jesus meant when he said, "Go and learn what this means:  I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

I might add:  go and learn what this means:  "To the pure, all things are pure..." Titus 1 will make good reading in this context.

Just out of curiosity, I simply must know:  do you celebrate Easter, David?  Or only the Passover?

How do you "war" for "the mass of Christ"? Kill those who refuse to participate in pagan practices?

Through prayer.  Is that simple enough of an answer?  Why did your mind concieve of human violence when I answered that way?  Because I used the word war in my initial response to you? 

You, as a bible student (it seems), should note that Paul used this verb in some of his letters.  It's quite interesting the point he gets to.

Paul references that we are indeed at war... but not with flesh and blood.  Hmm..

Battling for Christmas is very logical and necessary for me.  It's a hill that must be conquered because this is the time (a very real historical event) when God came to earth to save humanity.  :)   

Indeed. I find the whole underlining 'legalism' to be what's telling that this condemnation of Christmas view is wrong.

Ah, yes, the hysterical charge of "legalism" against those who take God at His Word and love and obey Him rather than fall for the idolatrous traditions and replacement theology of Romanizers.

What's telling is that there is nothing new under the sun: "religious" folks who prefer their TRADITIONS more than the commandments of God their traditions transgress (Mark 7:7).

Ah, yes, the hysterical charge of "legalism" against those who take God at His Word and love and obey Him rather than fall for the idolatrous traditions and replacement theology of Romanizers.

What's telling is that there is nothing new under the sun: "religious" folks who prefer their TRADITIONS more than the commandments of God their traditions transgress (Mark 7:7).

All I have to say is: Merry Christmas David.

Love you too man.

Love you too man.

I do love you, even if it must be TOUGH LOVE, as necessary, or I wouldn't waste my time.