Holidays

Answer: There are huge differences between Christmas and Easter and the Holy Days God commanded His people to observe. Christmas and Easter are man-made festivals without biblical authorization. God's festivals mentioned in Leviticus 23 are biblically sanctioned and were commanded forever. God's Holy Days teach us how to live godly lives and give us hope by explaining His plan of salvation. Christmas and Easter customs and celebrations mask these important truths.

As an example, the Days of Unleavened Bread, commanded by God (Leviticus 23:6) and observed by the early Christians (1 Corinthians 5:6-8), teach us to put sin (represented during this weeklong festival by leavened items such as bread and cake) out of our lives. This festival teaches us that we must struggle to overcome sin with the help of God's Spirit and live righteously. Easter celebrations ignore this important instruction.

The contrast between the biblically authorized Feast of Tabernacles and Christmas is similar. The former inspires us with hope in Christ's future 1,000-year reign on earth in the Kingdom of God, while the latter celebrates His birth with traditions, ornaments and customs He would not approve, on a day He could not have been born. (The Bible shows His birth was nowhere near Dec. 25.)

Easter and Christmas not only lack biblical authorization, but they entered traditional Christianity through men who deliberately replaced God's commanded festivals with their own. Trying to justify the change, both of these pagan (pre-Christian) festivals were dressed up with supposed Christian meanings—one to celebrate Christ's resurrection, the other His birth.

As wonderful as Christ's birth and resurrection are, the Bible does not tell us to celebrate these things (and especially not with the pagan customs associated with them). Instead, it tells us to annually commemorate His death (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) and to seek the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). God commands us to observe His Holy Days (Leviticus 23), which help us do these things. Using rabbits and Easter eggs to remember Christ's resurrection or decorating evergreen trees to remember His birth comes not from the Bible, but from ancient paganism.

Given the history and meanings of Easter and Christmas, it is quite understandable why so many people today think of Christianity as only a celebration of what Christ has done for us instead of the honorable quest to live godly lives in anticipation of His return to establish the Kingdom of God.

If you want more of the facts about Christmas and Easter, request our free booklet Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep? Additional information about God's annual Holy Days is presented in our free booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. You will find both of these booklets at www.ucg.org/booklets/.

Answer: We should ask ourselves several questions to determine whether or not we should celebrate a religious holiday. For example: Is it commanded by God in the Bible? Do we see examples of it being kept by God's people in the Old and/or New Testaments? What is the history of the observance of a given holiday? Do its roots lie in pagan worship, which God commanded His people not to imitate in their worship of Him?

The word Easter is mentioned only once in the King James Version of the Bible in Acts 12:4. Scholars recognize that this is a mistranslation of the word pascha, the Greek form of the Hebrew word meaning "Passover," as it is now rendered in the New King James Version. "Easter," as is noted in The Companion Bible margin, "is a heathen term, derived from the Saxon goddess Eastre, the same as Astarte, the Syrian Venus, called Ashtoreth in the Old Testament."

Easter not only lacks biblical authority, but it was brought into "Christianity" to replace God's commanded festival. Trying to justify this, religious leaders gave this festival a Christian meaning—the celebration of Christ's resurrection. As wonderful as Christ's resurrection is, the Bible tells us to annually commemorate His death (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). The Bible says nothing about using rabbits and Easter eggs to remember Christ's resurrection.

Therefore, those of us in the United Church of God, publisher of Vertical Thought, keep the biblical Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread, as Jesus Christ and the early New Testament Church did. We do not celebrate Easter.

Given the history of Easter, it is quite understandable why so many people today think of Christianity as only a celebration of what Christ has done for us, instead of the honorable quest to live godly lives.

If you would like to know more of the facts about Easter and other holidays, request our free booklet Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep? Additional information about God's annual Holy Days is also presented in our free booklet God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. You can read these booklets online or request printed copies by going to www.gnmagazine.org/booklets.

Answer: For those of us who do not celebrate Christmas, knowing how to respond to someone who might be sincerely wishing us well is difficult. Here are a few principles that are important to keep in mind:

1) Most people wishing us well about Christmas have no idea that Christmas is pagan in its origin, and are often unaware that we do not celebrate it.

2) There is usually not enough time to respond to that person by giving a short explanation of either the origin of Christmas or the fact that you don't celebrate it for reasons of conscience.

3) To most, saying "Merry Christmas" or "Have a happy Christmas" becomes so commonplace, it is very similar to saying "Have a good day." Most people say it out of obligation or common courtesy.

4) To simply say "Thank you" to someone who has wished you such would not be wrong—given the circumstances. It thanks them for the sentiment, but is not responding "in kind" by implying you observe Christmas.

As for the similar spelling of the words Santa and Satan, this is purely a coincidence, as these words originate in different languages and are wholly unrelated. Santa is a Latin word meaning "saint" or "holy." Satan, on the other hand, is a Hebrew word which means "Adversary" or "Accuser."

Answer: Purim is the celebration of God's deliverance of the Jews during the time of Queen Esther and Mordecai. Esther 9:27 explains that "the Jews established and imposed it [this celebration] upon themselves and their descendants." The following verse adds that this celebration was "to be observed among the Jews."

Purim is not a celebration commanded by God. It is a day of thankfulness established by the Jews themselves. Along similar lines, the United States established Thanksgiving as a holiday to thank God for His blessings. It is not wrong to observe Purim or Thanksgiving. Many Jews continue to observe Purim and many Americans observe Thanksgiving. But God doesn't command us to observe either. The days God commands us to observe are listed in Leviticus 23 and include the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days.

As for the Old and New Testaments, we obey God's instructions in both. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul tells us, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

There have been some administrative modifications of God's instructions from the Old Testament, such as a change in sacrifices, to whom we should tithe, etc. These modifications, however, are explained in the New Testament. It is not Jesus' desire for us to simply ignore anything that comes from the Old Testament. He specifically said that He did not come to destroy the law or prophets (Matthew 5:17). When Jesus spoke this, He was clearly referring to the Old Testament. The New Testament did not come into existence until many years later.

Answer: Simply put, the answer is yes! In the earliest days of the Church (first and second centuries after Christ) there were no such celebrations as Christmas and New Year's. The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: "According to the hypothesis accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned the date of the WINTER SOLSTICE (December 25th on the Roman Calendar . . . January 6th on the Egyptian Calendar) because on this day, as the sun began its return to the northern skies, the pagan devotees of MITHRA celebrated 'dies natalis Solis Invicti' (the birthday of the invincible sun)."

Those customs carried over in the observance of Christmas (with its many traditions and practices steeped in paganism and mythology), and the "birth" of the "new year" of the sun! This is why the Roman calendar designates Jan. 1 as the beginning of the "new year" as opposed to God's holy calendar (the Hebrew calendar). The beginning of the year from God's perspective is in the spring.

Much of the symbolism associated with New Year's today (mistletoe among others) has very definite sexual origins and meanings.

Because we live in this secular society and must operate within the Roman calendar, even as Christians we acknowledge that a new calendar year begins to be counted on Jan. 1. Yet to get involved in the celebration of such would not be appropriate. That said, one should be careful not to become too judgmental if a Christian is, for example, viewing a football game or parade at that time of year—as opposed to actually "celebrating" the "new year."

There are many resources that show the pagan origins of New Year's celebrations. You can find related material in reference encyclopedias and online research resources as well.

Answer: Since the Jews added the feasts of Purim (the origins of which are described in the book of Esther) and Hanukkah, otherwise known as the Feast of Lights or Feast of Dedication (John 10:22-23), some believe we are free to add any religious holidays and celebrations of our own choosing. Is this true?

Important differences in the background and intent of these observances are obvious when we compare them to Christmas, Easter and Halloween. Purim commemorates the defeat of the Jews' enemies during the time of Queen Esther, and Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Jerusalem temple after its defilement by the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes. Neither incorporates pagan customs. Hanukkah, like the American holiday of Thanksgiving, is a celebration of thanks and honor to God for His blessings.

An important distinction between these holidays and those rooted in paganism is the realization that these celebrations can be kept in addition to God's commanded feast days. Unlike Christmas and Easter, they do not alter, replace or distort the meaning of a festival of God or other biblical truths. These particular days are in harmony with the apostle Paul's admonition for "giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20) (Source: Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep?, p. 23).

The festivals of God reveal His plan for the salvation of mankind in a step-by-step manner. Once you understand them, you can explain God's plan from beginning to end.

Briefly, the meanings of the biblical festivals are as follows:

Passover reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins.

The Days of Unleavened Bread point us to the need to seek God's help to live a sinless life based on the Ten Commandments and the other laws of God.

Pentecost reminds us of the pouring out of God's Holy Spirit upon His people and the founding of the Church. It reminds us that this is not the only day of salvation. It is the time of evaluative judgment of those God is calling at this time.

The Feast of Trumpets reminds us of the coming of Jesus Christ at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and the resurrection of those who have responded to God.

The Day of Atonement pictures the binding of Satan. Besides showing Satan's responsibility in instigating sin, it reminds us of Christ's sacrifice for all mankind, which makes it possible for man to be reconciled to (or made "at-one" with) God.

The Feast of Tabernacles represents the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ on the earth.

The Last Great Day represents the second resurrection when all those who never had the opportunity to understand God's way of life will be given that opportunity. 

The explanation above does not include scriptural references, so the details are missing. To better understand the festivals of God, we recommend you read God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind.