Associated Press
Charleston, W.Va. – As Christmas draws near, Pastor John Foster won’t be decorating a tree, shopping for last-minute gifts or working on a holiday sermon for his flock. After all, it’s been 50 years since Christmas was anything more than a day of the week to him.
He’s one of very few American Christians who follow what used to be the norm in many Protestant denominations – rejecting the celebration of Christmas on religious grounds.
“People don’t think of it this way, but it’s really a secular holiday,” said Foster, a Princeton-based pastor in the United Church of God. He last celebrated Christmas when he was 8.
His church’s objection to Christmas is rare among U.S. Christians. Gallup polls from 1994 to 2005 consistently show that more than 90 percent of adults say they celebrate Christmas, including 84 percent of non-Christians.
That’s a huge change from an earlier era, when many Protestants ignored or actively opposed the holiday. But as it gradually became popular as a family celebration, churches followed their members in making peace with Christmas.
The change didn’t happen overnight. Through much of the 19th century, schools and businesses remained open, Congress met in session and some churches closed their doors, lest errant worshippers try to furtively commemorate the day.
“The whole culture didn’t stop for Christmas,” said Bruce Forbes, a religious studies professor at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. “Government went on as usual, business went on as usual, school went on as usual.”
In researching his book, “Christmas: A Candid History,” Forbes discovered that major American denominations – Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, Methodists and Congregationalists – either ignored the holiday or actively discouraged it until the late 19th century.
That rejection was rooted in the lack of biblical sanction for Dec. 25 as the date of Jesus’ birth, as well as suspicion toward traditions that developed after the earliest days of Christianity. In colonial New England, this disapproval extended to actually making the holiday illegal, with celebration punishable by a fine.
“Some somehow observe the day,” wrote Boston Puritan Samuel Sewall on Christmas Day 1685, “but are vexed, I believe, that the body of people profane it, and blessed be God no authority yet compels them to keep it.”
Some 322 years later, Sewall might be surprised to see his congregation – today known as Old South Church – proudly displaying a decorated Christmas tree outside the church.
“We think it’s cheerful and seasonal,” said Nancy Taylor, senior minister of Old South, one of America’s most venerable congregations, counting among its past worshippers not only Sewall but Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams.
Now part of the United Church of Christ, Old South not only has a Christmas tree, but encourages its 650 or so members to exchange Christmas presents – although the focus is on charitable donations and service, rather than shopping.
“We are the descendants of the Puritans and Pilgrims, but we have loosened up a lot since then,” Taylor said. “We have changed and adapted and I think that’s part of why we haven’t died out.”
Like Sewall’s successors, the mainline Protestant churches have learned to accommodate Christmas. But the change came from the pews rather than the pulpit.
Christmas benefited from a 19th century “domestication of religion,” said University of Texas history professor Penne Restad, in which faith and family were intertwined in a complementary set of values and beliefs.
Christmas became acceptable as a family-centered holiday, Restad said, once it lost its overtly religious significance.
At the same time, aspects of the holiday like decorated trees and gift-giving became status symbols for an aspirant middle class. When Christmas began its march toward dominance among holidays, it was because of a change in the culture, not theology.
“In America, the saying is that the minister follows the people, the people don’t follow the minister,” Restad said. “This was more of a sociological change than a religious one. The home and the marketplace had more sway than the church.”
That’s partly why Christians like the United Church of God reject the holiday: They say divine instruction, rather than culture and society, should determine whether the holiday is appropriate.
“It’s common knowledge that Christmas and its customs have nothing to do with the Bible,” said Clyde Kilough, president of the United Church of God, which has branches all over the world. “The theological question is quite simple: Is it acceptable to God for humans to choose to worship him by adopting paganism’s most popular celebrations and calling them Christian?”
There is still lingering unease with the holiday in denominations that once rejected it. This can be glimpsed in worries about commercialization and in individual Christians like Phillip Ross.
Ross is an elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Vienna, near Parkersburg. Well-versed in the history of Christianity, Christmas and Presbyterianism, Ross knows his church historically objected to Christmas.
On the other hand, Ross is also a father of two, and while he made up his mind to reject Christmas as a teenager, his children’s early years included gifts, decorations and a tree.
“I have a love-hate relationship with Christmas,” he said. “It seems obvious to me that there’s nothing scriptural about it, but that’s a hard sell with children.”
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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posted December 13, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Well, it’s their perogative to ignore the holiday if they want. I’m no christian, but I have always enjoyed the “Holly-Jolly” angle of christmas. Santa, colorful decorations, gifts, time with family and friends – all fine in my book! I could care less about it’s origins, be they pagan, christian or otherwise.
posted December 13, 2007 at 2:39 pm
The origins of Christmas are pagan, which I find great. It is Yule.
My family and I always celebrated Christmas, but not for Christian reasons. It offers a time when families can get together, to hopefully appreciate each other more, and to use an old term, “break bread” together. The giving of gifts to those you love, is part of the celebration.(however I do think folks get carried away). To me the birth of the baby known as Jesus and all the biblical celebration surrounding it, represents the joy at the birth of all children and the promise they represent. (unfortunately not all children are welcomed).
Wonder who decided Dec. 25th was the time JC was born…in a manger no less. Makes for a great story.
For those who don’t want to celebate the fun of the season, no problem.
posted December 13, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Christmas is not the birth of Jesus. Jesus is not the reason for the season. There was a son born on 25th of December, but it was not Jesus. It was the Babylonian child Tammuz, not Jesus. Christmas was celebrated many years before Jesus was born. The birth of Jesus on 25th of December is a Christian thing, to which there is no truth.
posted December 13, 2007 at 11:31 pm
I really like dressing as Santa and Ho-Ho-Hoing all over the place. I like the legends and rituals of the holiday. I love seeing the mystery unfold for children and watching adults relive it as they share a portion of the story. Yes, it has everythring from Zoroastrian to Celtic roots, but that is the beauty of it. It is a wonderful gumbo of all sorts of legends and myths, rituals and traditions, and any number of innovations as well. And all through the noise and obligation there is still an air of celebration. Look at the way people hang Christmas lights outside. For most people they just like the colors and the light during the longest darkest nights of the year. Our theology of Christmas displays is an amazing amalgamation of secualr and religious corny & cute, as well as profound and imaginative. Our consumer culture is based on a Christian holiday. Now is proof enough of the deep roots the story holds. And if I ever ty to introduce new words to Christmas Carols everyone from my family and the long time church memebers to C & E folks (that’s Chirstmas & Easter) go into open rebellion. (It is far easier – and safer – to adapt scripture than to modify even slightly the familiar lyrics to carols.)
My advice is for folks to get over their neo-Scroogyness and get into the spirit. I appreciate what they are trying to do. But the best way to cross a current is not to fight it but to go faster than it. So put on your red suit, get a cheesy beard and THEN try to make subtle shifts and gentle changes. Merry Christmas – or else!
posted December 13, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Minor History Lesson…
A widely held belief: In 274 A.D. the Romans were the ones who first dated December 25th as the birth of the Sun God Mithra and later the Catholic church attempted to “Christianize” this day by placing it as the observance of Christ’s birth. The truth is Christians in certain geographical regions, such as Egypt in Northern Africa, were celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ 243 years before the Roman Emperor Aurelian made his edict regarding the “Natale Solis Invicti” (The Birth of the Unconquerable Sun) They associated Christ’s birth with the old testament prophecy found in Malachi 4:2 which calls the Messiah the “Sun of Righteousness”. Should this be true it’s not the Christians who attempted to christianize a pagan holiday…but Pagans who attempted to paganize a Christian holiday. The latter is more plausible when one recalls the Emperor Diocletian later reinforced Aurelian’s earlier edict to “expunge Christianity” in the Great Persecution from 293-305 A.D..
Also, in the 4th century, Christians considered March 25th to be the surrounding date of Jesus’ Passion, Resurrection, as well as His -conception-. Thus, 9 months later, December 25th, was set as the observance of Jesus’ birth.
posted December 14, 2007 at 12:46 pm
I’m thankful I was born in a time that all people enjoyed Christmas, and the love that it engendered among us on the east coast. I say the east coast because I don’t really have a reality other then that, at that time. I remember the happy excited and peaceful moments it brought, friends of all nationalities, religions, visiting, eating, singing, worshipping together. The World War Two, brought some of the happiest Christmas’s I remember; the crowds of travelers in Penn Station greeting their sons, husbands getting off the trains from whatever theatre of war they came, the snow on the ground making it more Christmas like to shop whether you were in the City, or in a suburb. Christmas Carols, and related songs pouring out of stores. Many of these smiles, and relationships are now gone, but their beautiful love lingers on, and they will continue to make my Christmas’s happy as long as I live. The young, and the dissatisfied old, can argue, and dissect it as they wish, it’s still a magical time to me and it’s because of Baby Jesus who started it all centuries ago.
posted December 15, 2007 at 4:10 am
Merchants and presents are the reason for the season. Ya’ll go on and have ur pagan rituals. I’ll just as soon stick with halloween. No difference. Materialists.
posted December 15, 2007 at 5:27 pm
This isn’t the first time somone said “Bah humbug”.
posted December 15, 2007 at 6:56 pm
But Pagan holidays are fun!
posted December 16, 2007 at 1:59 am
The only reason X-mas got so much more popular was because in the 1920s Coca-Cola ‘invented’ santa claus as a marketing sceem. Ever since, starting with coking people up, it has led into a universal corporate scheem aimed at children. “buy this buy this.” It’s really just sick and wrong. Any in the faith of Messiah should be ashamed, let alone it’s a veneration of all major Pagan Folklore.
LEAR SELF CONTROLE AND INDEPENDANCE AMERICA! Don’t think our creator doesn’t see you! He said don’t do what the heathens do, and specially don’t do what they do and say you’re doing it for him, IT IS ABOMINATION, and just as ancient Yisrael, YOU WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR INSOLENCE, GLUTTENY, AND LACK OF PERSEVERANCE. He will judge the wicked.
posted December 16, 2007 at 10:53 am
While it may be true that the date is arbitrary, it does seem a good thing to celebrate Christ’s birth. If the event is important enough to be included in the scriptures then it seems important enough for Christians to celebrate.
posted December 16, 2007 at 6:46 pm
The reason for the season is that the Christian church incorporated the Pagan celebration of Yule, in order to “convert” the heathens to their way of thinking, Tzeph.
As to a creator watching me? She will see a very happy Pagan who knows that She is a loving creator and has no problem with a celebration of happiness and love with family anf friends. If that is being wicked, then it is the way it is. No fear.
Happy Yule, and may you have a great 2008!
posted December 16, 2007 at 11:32 pm
All of this aside, I hope everyone had a boisterous Beethoven’s birthday today (thanks, Schroeder!).
posted December 17, 2007 at 10:54 am
Thanks aiko for the interesting Bibical history lesson.
posted December 17, 2007 at 11:03 am
I don’t think I’ll be inviting Tzeph to my Christmas party this year.
posted December 22, 2007 at 8:42 pm
dec. 25 is 9 mos after the (christian/roman catholic) liturgical feast of the annunciation/incarnation of the Word – when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the Mother of the Savior. see the gospel of Luke chapter 1 regarding the “sixth” month reference (the lunar/Hebrew calendar) of Elul. Dec. 25th is probably based on the Annunciation feast date. also the darkness becoming more light speaks about the Light of the World coming to earth from Heaven…etc.
there is a book about the star of bethlehem and some say April 17 6 BC/BCE is the more/most accurate date…
i’ll try to post a link to that book
http://blog.beliefnet.com/chatteringmind/2005/12/new-birthdate-for-jesus.html
here’s a book about the star of bethlehem – when some believed it may have occurred
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813527015/qid=1135289546/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-2413146-9597723?n=507846&s=books&v=glance
fyi/fwiw (for what it’s worth)