Christmas Myths Old and New

Mike Winger of BibleThinker.org is doing yeoman work combatting myths about Christmas.

Old Myths that Will Not Die

Here’s his YouTube video in which he takes on “the usual suspects,” i.e., those myths that we have to refute every year:

Is Christmas PAGAN? In defense of Christmas.

“Is Jesus just a rehashed pagan deity? Is December 25th the birthday of pagan gods? Christmas trees are pagan? Where did Santa come from? Is there anything wrong with celebrating Christmas? What is the REAL threat to Christmas today?”

Mike provides accurate information about Mithras and Horus and Dionysus, pagan deities that some Atheists claim were the model for Jesus. Unlike the New Testament documentary evidence for Jesus, there are no actual ancient sources for these myths.

Even the specific claims about these deities show they don’t parallel the virgin birth of Jesus.

December 25th is not the Roman celebration of Saturnalia. Saturnalia isn’t remotely like the celebration of Christmas, for that matter.

No, the Bible doesn’t forbid us from celebrating feasts/holidays beyond the ones specifically mentioned in the Old Testament.

Christmas trees are not pagan.

A New Myth

Here’s his video posted on 12/17/18 in which he takes on a more recent myth, namely, that Christmas Trees are frowned upon all the way back in the book of Jeremiah:

Christmas Trees Are Not in The Bible:

“When we read Jeremiah 10 in context it is obvious that it is not about Christmas trees or anything like it.”

Mike says that the context of Jeremiah 10 is clearly about the practice of idolatry. The ideas of Christmas trees didn’t exist back in the times of Jeremiah.  Mike notes that the people pushing this idea are trying to take a modern idea and force-fit it back into the Old Testament.

Timeless Wisdom

Pastor Greg Laurie said it well: “Text without context can be a dangerous pretext.”

I encourage you to check out each video and then discuss them with family and friends.  Doing so can help prevent the Grinch from messing with your Christmas joy!

I also encourage everyone to subscribe to Mike Winger’s YouTube channel, Bible thinker – Clearly Teaching and Defending Biblical Truth.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7u2HaYBKDaLPcWmldxgGEA

Merry Christmas!

Michael Oswald

michael@msochartered.com

www.msochartered.com

Michael Oswald is a follower of Jesus who lives in Boise, Idaho.  Unless otherwise specified, the opinions expressed in this article are his own.

© 2018 Michael S. Oswald

Published by

Michael S. Oswald, Chartered

Hi! I’m Michael Oswald. I am a business guy who also happens to be a lawyer. I love living in Boise, Idaho! I’ve also had the pleasure of living in Silicon Valley, Colorado Springs, Austin, and Orange County, CA. I started this blog so business owners and senior execs could find actionable guidance on common legal issues. Titles of posts I have previously written include: “The Managerial Overtime Exemption, and How to Keep It,” “Using a Sales Contract that speeds up Getting to Yes,” and “Tone at the Top is Vital for Preventing Sexual Harassment!” I provide a wide range of business-savvy legal services to small and medium companies and nonprofits. I am also certified to teach Real Estate Law by the Idaho Real Estate Commission. My favorite thing to do for a business is to take their standard sales contract and strip it down from an unintelligible 20-page monstrosity to a concise, 3-page doc that is easy for their customers to understand and to sign! I have experience in a number of industries, including Real Estate, Construction, Defense, and Technology (Hardware, Software and E-Commerce). I look forward to collaborating with you!

Leave a comment