Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!ucsd!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: gross@dg-rtp.dg.com (Gene Gross) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Pagans and Christ (was Re: Christians abetting Satan?) Message-ID: Date: 23 Oct 90 08:03:33 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC Lines: 59 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Chuck, is there a category for the most responses to one's own postings--if so how am I doing? ;-) I posted in part: >In >my home, Christmas and Easter are not celebrated in the usual manner. I >do not take any of my brothers and sisters to task for so doing, but I >simply cannot honor the foreign gods in this manner. I believe that it >is a matter between each individual Christian and our Father. As for To which OFM says: >[When you say you "cannot honor the foreign gods in this manner", I >trust you are not implying that those who celebrate Christmas or >Easter are honoring foreign gods. From my past readings of you, I >assume not, but the accusation has been made by others. For most of >us, there is no more connection between Yule logs and whatever god was >involved than between use of the word Thursday and worship of the god >Thor. Indeed one can make a case that groups who dredge up pagan >backgrounds from the dim past are actually creating pagan associations >for people who would not have had them at all. The more serious >issues of Christmas and Easter seem to me preserving the Christian >meaning against all the secular and commercial influences. Of course >those who would associate celebrations with other gods should >certainly abstain from them. Let me come at this from a bit different direction. First, I want to apologize to any brother or sister out there who took offense at what I posted. I intended no offense. I tend to agree that those trying to prove some nefarious case against Christians often dredge up the old pagan connections bit. In fact, since I've been posting to this group (close to a year now--maybe longer), this is the first time that I've expressed myself on this issue. For me, it ranks right down there with how many angels can stand on the head of a pin, or how many teeth are in a horses mouth. ;-) If any one thinks that I'm going to insist that my view be the mainline view, wrong!!! My wife is not like me in that she tends to decorate. Shortly after we were married, we had a long talk about my feelings on things like Christmas trees, etc. I am not a tyrant. If she wants to celebrate in the manner, I will not "lay down the law." She is comfortable in her celebrations. I understand the symbolism as it relates to both the pagan and Christianity. This does not alter my view that originally pagan gods were honored by such things. It may be that my faith is weak and I cannot find the faith at this time to rise above these things. If such be the case, then please love my anyway, I pray that you will. I do enjoy the hymns of the seasons and sing them with great joy in my heart. While there is no command to celebrate His birth, I can find no reason to be opposed to celebrating His birth--Salvation had come to us and that is reason enough to celebrate. So if you put up trees during the Christmas season to celebrate the birth of the Savior, then I say God be praised! For His glory, Gene Gross