warmonger1981 wrote:Why do so many Christians celebrate their holidays on Pagan holidays. Is it coincidence that Christmas is on winter solstice? Easter Bunny represented fertility and the timing of it is from Druidism? Jesus wasn't even born in the winter. Is communion a take from cannibalism? Was the Gospel of Judas correct? Why does Christianity seem to be a rip off of other ancient religions?
The death of Jesus occurred on Nissan 14 as is the set date of the passover from the Old Testament to remind Israel of the Passover that occurred while in Egypt. So while the priest were slaughtering lambs for passover, Jesus was being slaughtered as the sacrificial lamb for all of mankind who believes in Him.
So the timing of the church today celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a sort of accurate date. However, Jews remained on the solar-lunar calendar and gentiles switched off that to Gregorian/Western/Christian calendar. So today the actual date that Jesus died would be the full moon of Nissan 14, which ranges from late March to early April on the Christian calendar. But to Christians it's not so much as which day Jesus died on the cross and which day He rose from the grave, it's that He did. So the focus is on the act, not the date of the act.
As far as Jesus being born during Christmas time: Jesus started His ministry when He was 30 years of age (Luke 3) by being baptized by John the Baptist in the area of Bethany. Then fasted for 40 days and tempted 3 times. Then He traveled up to Nazareth, then Cana (turning the water to wine at a wedding), then onto Capernaum, then back down to Jerusalem for Passover on Nissan 14. So working backwards from Nissan 14, traveling by foot, that would put Jesus being baptised around late December on His birthday. Hence late December. So I have no problem with picking a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. For to Christians it's not when Jesus was born, it's that God in the flesh was born as fully man through Mary and fully God, not being of Joseph's seed, but of God's seed, ie the virgin birth. This fulfilled prophecy. Also that Jesus' birth was through Mary the royal blood line to King David as depicted in the genealogy of Luke, and the birth of Jesus was through the Legal line to King David through Joseph in the genealogy of Matthew. Different genealogies going through two families to establish Jesus' legal and royal title to be King of the Jews.
Paganism is everywhere, remember Satan is very clever and knows scripture better than most believers. Satan is/was clever enough to lure 1/3 of the angels from the midst of God. So let's not discount how powerful he is. For example, even the American Medical Association has the god of healing as it's caduceus (intertwining snakes). So just because paganism has infiltrated the "Religion" of Christianity does not warrant discrediting the Bible. For that is the source of truth, and man's shortcomings of correctly interpreting and living by the standards of the Bible is why paganism is in the "Religion" of Christianity, but not in the Bible. So when in doubt, just turn to the Word of God, not "Religion".
Remember according to the Bible, believers are living in a world ruled by Satan and his demonic forces and they will do everything in their power to cloud the truth and deceive as many as possible. And the further the world drifts away from the Bible, the closer comes judgement and the 2nd coming of the Messiah.