Preface

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"The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." John 4:23‑24

(King James Version)

Perhaps you have never heard the true story, "Christmas ‑ the Greatest Story Never Told. " As astounding as it may seem, what the religions of the world have told you about Christmas is not true!

If you celebrate and love Christmas, as the world celebrates and loves Christmas, the information in this booklet will be most revealing. Most people who celebrate Christmas believe they are honoring God the Father and Jesus Christ. But the truth is that they are not. As you read this booklet, you will have to ask yourself some difficult questions:

"If Christmas does not honor God, who does it honor?" Most people claim that they desire to worship the true God of creation, but they have been deluded into accepting practices that, in fact, worship false gods. So we must ask ourselves, "Do we want to worship the God of creation, or the gods which men have created for themselves? Do we want to be justified by God, or do we want to justify our own human ways, and thoughts?"

In order to solve this dilemma, we need to do as the Scriptures admonish and prove what is "good and acceptable before God" (I Tim 5:4). Indeed, if we are desiring to follow and honor God, we should be willing to follow the example of Jesus Christ. Notice what Jesus said: " 'The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.' As he spake these words, many believed on him . . . 'If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free' " (John 8:29‑32). We must be willing to search the Scriptures and history to find the real truth about Christmas. We must find out from the word of God whether the celebration of Christmas is pleasing to God or not.

However, in the world in which we live, too many people feel that if they have good intentions in whatever they are doing, then, in their view, everything is right. As many religious people may say, "What's really important is what's in my heart." Some claim that the origin of the celebration of Christmas on December 25 is of no importance. You may have heard it said, "We will make it acceptable to God as long as we put Christ into the celebration with a renewed and deep spiritual meaning!"

So that we are not misled by our feelings, let's see God's righteous view about the human heart. In Genesis 8:21 it is recorded: "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth..." (emphasis ours throughout). Human rationale is most deceptive because it seems so right. "There is a way which seems right to a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12). God inspired Jeremiah to write about the human heart of man, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah. 17:9). Although we may think that our hearts are pure, and our intentions right, we must not rely on our own deceitful reasonings, but we must rely solely on the Truth of the Word of God.

Moreover, Jesus Christ clearly denounced the religious traditions of men as vain. "Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men!" (Mark 7:7). Since Christmas is a tradition of men, in celebrating it, do we worship God in vain? Listen, to what Jesus also said about the observation of human traditions. "Full well you reject the commandments of God that you may keep your own traditions" (verse 9).

You need to carefully read this booklet and ask yourself, "Am I rejecting God by observing the tradition of Christmas?" You are encouraged to look up all the scripture references used in this booklet. Then you need to follow the example of the Bereans who "searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11).

It's also important to dispel the misconception that the Old Testament is old news ‑ not applicable to us today. We need to realize that most of the scriptures the apostles of Jesus Christ directly quoted and wrote about are the ones we call "the Old Testament."

Furthermore, as each of the Gospels and epistles were written, they were accepted by the New Testament church as inspired, carrying the scriptural authority of Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:16). Notice what the apostle Paul wrote about the scriptures we now call the "Old Testament . He considered them the inspired Word of God which we are to use today. "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 perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (II Tim. 3:16‑17). Remember, neither God the Father nor Jesus Christ referred to the Scriptures as "Old Testament" and "New Testament." These names were given later, by men.

Even knowing that, many may think, and with conviction, "I just don't see how all these churches could be wrong about Christmas ‑ it just doesn't make sense!" But remember, it is well known by the facts of history and science that a majority of people also held beliefs which were later proven to be wrong. How many people believed that the world was flat? How many believed that the sun revolved around the earth? As you read this booklet, you will come to understand that those who celebrate Christmas, have been led to believe and practice the lying traditions of men while intending to do good.

Notice what Jesus Christ said about those well‑intended religious practices done in His name! "Not everyone who says unto Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but the one who is doing the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day [the day of judgment], Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name? and in Your name have cast out demons? and in Your name have done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, 'I never knew you: Depart from Me you who are working iniquity'” (Matthew. 7:21‑23).

We hope that God has given you the desire to read this booklet to find out if Christmas worships Christ or if not Christ, then whom? This is "The Greatest Story Never Told."

Fred R. Coulter

Introduction

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The muffled sounds from the TV were only a camouflage. Nathan's mom and dad were busily putting toys together, wrapping presents and putting them under the tree, eating the cookies the kids had put out for Santa Claus, and sneaking a quick kiss under the mistletoe. They were as excited as the kids on this special night. They felt a warm glow as they carried on the traditions that had been so much fun for them when they were children.

At the other end of the house, Nathan was too excited to sleep. It was Christmas Eve and he couldn't stop thinking, "What will Santa bring me?" Nathan had visited Santa at the mall earlier in December and told him what he wanted. On his list was the latest and greatest video game because his parents said they couldn't afford it. He knew it was getting late, but he couldn't resist one more peek to look for Santa in his bright red suit flying to his house. As he looked, he wondered how it was possible for Santa to get to all those houses in one night. Well, no matter, Mom and Dad said he could, so it must be true. He worried a little. He had been pretty mean to his little sister lately. But he always got presents anyway, so maybe that didn't count to Santa. Presents! Yeah!

Grandma and Grandpa were coming too. More presents! Those would have to wait until after Grandma went to church, even though it wasn't Sunday! Dad just said, "Grandma is old fashioned." Grandma said, "Christmas is special because that was the day Christ was born." "We don't go to church on my birthday," he thought. Anyway, the people at the store had told Dad, "Christmas is for the children. That's what it's all about."

And so it goes. A similar scenario is played out in countless homes around the world with activities planned and anticipated throughout the year. Most often they are carried out without a thought given to the one whose life it claims to celebrate. Although children are interested in the activity and the presents, Christians who really study their Bible will have nagging questions: How do Christmas traditions really celebrate the birthday of Jesus? Where is the observance of Christ's birth taught in the Bible? How did Santa Claus get involved with the birth of Christ? Where did we get Christmas trees, Yule logs, wreaths, and mistletoe? Jesus was born on December 25, wasn't He? Christmas is one of the most important Christian holidays, isn't it?

We live in a world filled with customs that most people grow up practicing without question. The majority participate in the observance of Christmas believing it to be one of the principal teachings of the New Testament. Since we look to Christ as the author of our salvation, maybe we should take a deeper look into the celebration of his birth. This booklet will answer those questions. We can know the origins of these customs, and just how these traditions became associated with Christmas.

The Bible Commands the Observance of Christmas ‑

Doesn't It?

The story of Christ's miraculous birth is one of the most widely known and popularly embellished stories from the Bible. Few realize that "Christmas" is never mentioned in the Bible. How can it be determined whether or not the origins of Christmas are important to Christians? If we uncover evidence that proves Christmas is actually the unrighteous worship of Baal, or any false god, it is imperative that we withdraw from such abominable traditions. We would not want Christ to utter to us the words he spoke to the scribes and Pharisees, "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias (Isaiah) prophesy of you saying, THIS PEOPLE DRAWETH NIGH UNTO ME WITH THEIR MOUTH, AND HONOURETH ME WITH THEIR LIPS; BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME. BUT IN VAIN THEY DO WORSHIP ME, TEACHING FOR DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN" (Matthew. 15:7‑9 ‑ King James Version throughout). If we consider ourselves Christians, our worship must be to God the Father through Christ alone. (See I Kings 18:21.) We cannot rely on our human intellect, feelings or emotions because as Proverbs 14:12, states, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death." We must rely on the truth of God and His Word is accessible to us. We may have great peace of mind in knowing that God provides for us, in the Bible, the godly way to worship Him in a manner in which He approves and delights.

Finally, did you know there is not one word in the New Testament, nor for that matter, anywhere in the whole Bible telling us that we should observe Christmas? The Christians of the first century, under the inspired teachings of Paul and Peter and the other apostles, never observed it. Just what do we really know about Christmas? You will be surprised, maybe shocked! It just may be The Greatest Story Never Told!

Chapter One

The Birth of Christ

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A great and important event occurred nearly 2,000 years ago in ancient Palestine. It was the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. We have all heard of the story told in the gospels. Joseph and Mary had gone to Bethlehem at the decree of Caesar Augustus. "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem ... to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child" (Luke 2:1‑5).

We remember, of course, there was no room at the inn; they spent the night in what we would call a barn, and there Mary gave birth to Jesus. His bed was a manger filled with hay.

Out of town, in the open fields around Bethlehem, shepherds were spending the night with their flocks. As the shepherds watched their flocks, suddenly they saw angels appear in the sky, and "the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angels said unto them, fear not, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:8‑11).

This is the story of Christ's birth. Those shepherds rejoiced that night, so we should also rejoice because Christ, the Messiah, the Savior was born ‑ that same Christ through Whom we have salvation!

What Day Was Christ's Birth?

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When did this event take place? The actual date can only be estimated (Write for our booklet, When Was Jesus Christ Born?). While people all over the world commemorate His birth on December 25th, one thing we can know for sure is that it was NOT in winter. The Bible states in the Song of Solomon 2:11, and Ezra 10:9& 13, that winter was a rainy season not allowing shepherds to remain in open fields at night. The evidence of the shepherds in the field shows it could not have been during the cold, rainy season of December and January.

From the Adam Clark Commentary, Volume 5, page 347, we learn "[i]t was an ancient custom among the Jews of those days to send their sheep to the fields and deserts about Passover (early spring) and bring them home at commencement of the first rain." The authority continues, "during the time they were out, the shepherds watched them night and day, as ... the first rains began early in the month of Marchesvan, which answers to part of our October and November (begins mid‑October), we find that the sheep were kept out in the open country during the whole summer, and as these shepherds had not yet brought home their flocks, it is a presumptive argument that October had not yet commenced, and consequently, our Lord was not born on the 25th of December, when no flocks were out in the fields by night. On this very ground, the nativity in December should be given up."

This is a profound statement of truth. Nevertheless, it seems that the majority of people are willing to ignore the facts. In all too many cases, when they do stumble onto the truth, instead of believing it, they just get up, dust themselves off and continue to believe all the same old myths and fables they have always believed ‑ content in their deception.

Chapter Two

Christmas Began When!?

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We often hear the slogan: "Let's put Christ back into Christmas!" Let's look at just how Christ got into Christmas in the first place.

Earls W. Count, Professor of Anthropology at Hamilton College, in his book 4,000 years of Christmas, states:

"We do not know when the Christ child it [Christmas] venerates was born or exactly how it was that, over the centuries, a bishop saint of Asia Minor, and a pagan god of the Germans merged to become Santa Claus.

"Although the Christmas story centers on the Christ child of Bethlehem, it begins so long before his coming that we find its hero arriving on the scene after more than half the time of the story has gone by. Christmas began over 4.000 years ago, as the festival which renewed the world for another year. The twelve days of Christmas, the bright fires and probably the Yule log; the giving of presents; the carnivals with their floats; the merry makings and clownings; the mummers who sing and play from house to house; the feastings the church processions with their lights and song - all these began three centuries before Christ was born. And they celebrated the arrival of the new year" (ibid. page 18).

"Taken altogether, the coincidences of the Christian with the heathen festivals are too close and too numerous to be accidental. They mark the compromise which the church in the hour of its triumph was compelled to make with its vanquished yet still dangerous rivals. The inflexible Protestantism of the primitive missionaries, with their fiery denunciations of heathendom, had been exchanged for the supple policy, the easy tolerance, the comprehensive charity of shrewd ecclesiastics, who clearly perceived that if Christianity was to conquer the world it could do so only by relaxing the too rigid principles of its Founder, by widening a little the narrow gate which leads to salvation" (The Golden Bough, page 419, by Sir James George Frazer, emphasis added).

It is important to note that the "Founder" of Christianity, referred to by Sir Frazer, is Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, by whose authority we enter into salvation. By accepting and promulgating these pagan celebrations those "shrewd ecclesiastics" declared God's principles (by which we enter into His Kingdom) to be too rigid, and His gate too narrow. Let us remember that Christ Himself said, "Enter ye into the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth into life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14).

Pagan Origins

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Most Bible scholars agree that Christmas, as celebrated today, is of pagan origin. This is documented in a broad variety of sources. William Muir Auld adds, "The heathen contributions now are precisely those which lend to Christmas much of its warm color and human charm." Auld goes into great depth showing the connections of the festival of Saturnalia, or Sacaea, which were ancient celebrations in honor of the pagan sun god Nimrod/Tammuz. He tracks its observance from Babylonian Mystery Religion through the Roman Empire where it eventually became connected with their worship of Mithra. "Schools were closed, war was never declared on this day, and the practice of giving gifts and receiving presents was almost as common then as it is now at Christmas ... a sense of brotherhood prevailed" (Christmas Traditions, page 45).

No, the warm feelings that they enjoyed did not alter the debauchery that was the real attraction for the celebrations. "For many a day the Church fought bitterly their excesses (the pagan's spirited festivities) and superstitions, especially those bound up with the Kalends and Yule. . . . But burning denunciations and threats of excommunication failed to wean the barbarians from their heathen modes of rejoicing. It was discovered they were far more ready to abandon their gods and the dates of their festivals than to change their habits and manners.... Christianizing work went on. What it could not extricate itself from, it nobly sought to consecrate" (ibid. page 45).

The research becomes complicated as these pagan festivals traveled from country to country. The names and customs were adapted into yet other pagan religions. From the Roman Empire, Auld shows the gradual acceptance of the festivities starting in England in 592, and Germany in 813, from the Synod of Mainz. It was as late as the tenth century that King Hakon the Good introduced these pagan festivals to Norway.

The Early Church

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So we ask, "How did this pagan custom get into Christian professing churches?" Most recognized authorities show us that Christmas was not observed by the early church for the first two or three hundred years, a period longer than the United States has existed as a nation. It first appears in the western segment of the Roman Church in the fourth century AD. However, it was not until the fifth century that the Roman Church ordered it to be celebrated as an official Christian festival.

Compton's Encyclopedia comments, "Many of the customs now associated with Christmas go back thousands of years to a time when the people of Europe worshipped pagan gods. The early Christian Church took the ancient festival time and gave new meaning to it ‑ the religious meaning of Christianity ‑ and made it a holy season. Many of the customs can be traced back to the pagan midwinter festival of the Teutonic people of Northern Europe." The World Book Encyclopedia tells us, "Bishop Liberius of Rome ordered the people to celebrate on December 25. He probably chose this date because the people of Rome already observed it as the Feast of Saturn (Saturnalia), celebrating the birthday of the sun." This great compromise was made easy by the fact that the real date of Jesus' birth wasn't known.

The Encyclopedia Americana and others show how these customs became a part of Catholicism. Indeed the name "Christmas" comes from the Mass of Christ, instituted by the Catholic Church which, after failing to eradicate the former heathen customs, tried to remake them into church celebrations.

Since it has come to us through the Catholic Church, why not examine the Catholic Encyclopedia, published by that church? Under the caption "Christmas" we find: "Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church! ... The first evidence of the feast is from Egypt." It also remarks that, "in the scriptures sinners alone, not saints celebrate their birthdays." (The three Biblical examples of birthday celebrations are in fact ‑all evil! You read these accounts in Gen. 40:20‑22; Job 1:4‑5; Matthew 14:6‑11). "Pagan customs centering around the January Calends gravitated to Christmas." This truth is further acknowledged in the Encyclopedia Britannica, Compton's, and Americana (which adds that it was "not celebrated in the first centuries of the Christian Church, as the Christian's usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth"). The New Testament Passover was personally instituted by Jesus Christ as a memorial of His death. The Encyclopedia Americana continues, "A feast was established in memory of this event (Christ's birth) in the fourth century, and in the fifth century the Western church ordered it to be celebrated forever on the day of the old Roman feast of the birth of Sol, as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ's birth existed."

The Nativity ‑

Sun Worship's Role in Choosing December 25

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The date of the Nativity of the Unconquered Sun, however, was well known. We learn, again from the Catholic Encyclopedia, that it was already being celebrated as the feast honoring the sun god Mithra or Baal, in which the pagan priest announced "the Virgin has brought forth!" during the midnight Mass on the eve of December 25. The encyclopedia goes on to say this celebration "has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date." The pagans, who were devoted to Mithraism, called their celebration DIES NATALIS SOLIS INVICTI. The Catholic Church even kept part of the name: "Natalis or Nativity." The cult that kept this "birthday of the invincible sun" was very strong in Rome. To gain the acceptance and supposed conversion of these people to Christianity, the [Catholic] Church fathers were referring to Christ as the "Sun of Justice" by the beginning of the third century.

A Simple Solution

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The Roman Catholic Church's order to celebrate the "Nativity of the Sun," came in response to the hoards of pagans coming into the church, bringing with them their old idols and customs. This fact is recorded in the Encyclopedia Americana and in many other sources. The church could not allow the open worship of the pagan sun‑god, but at the same time did not wish to offend their new "converts." They found a simple solution ‑ simple, that is, to an apostate church: Substitute Christ's birth for that of the pagan sun‑god. In other words, compromise the truth of God!

The church had already reasoned that it was all right to accept many old pagan festivals, IF they renamed them and made them appear Christian. In this way the heathens could be "converted" en masse, without the tremendous problems of teaching them the true Word of God, and demanding, AS GOD COMMANDS, that they repent and give up their false deities. The Roman Church was interested in gaining numbers, NOT the SPIRIT of GOD! Apparently the Catholic "fathers" had never read Paul's warning in Galatians 1:8‑11 when he asked those around him if he sought to please God or man by his teachings. Paul plainly states if he sought to please man, then he WOULD NOT BE A SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST! Further, he pronounces a CURSE on anyone who would pervert the worship of Christ! The Catholic Church clearly has sought to please man, rather than God.

If that is not enough to convince us of the pagan origins and influence, the Schaff‑Herzog Encyclopedia offers this: "The pagan Brumalia (December 25th) following the Saturnalia (December 17‑24), and celebrating the shortest day of the year and the 'new sun' . . . were too deeply entrenched in popular custom to be set aside by Christian influence. The pagan festival with its riot and merry‑making was so popular that Christians were glad to have an excuse to continue its celebration with little change in spirit and manner. Christian teachers of the West and Near East protested against the unseemly frivolity, while Christians of Mesopotamia accused their western brethren of idolatry and sun worship for adopting as Christian the pagan festival."

The Book of Christmas Folklore, by Tristram Potter Coffin says the Saxons attempted to hold out against the Holy Roman Empire. Though they called it "converted," Emperor Charlemagne and the church conquered the last and most powerful holdout of the German tribes by the eighth century. In LeRay E. Froom's book, Prophetic Faith of our Fathers Vol. 1,we may be educated concerning Pope Gregory's instruction to Augustine in 596 AD regarding conversion of the pagan Saxons in Britain. The direction was: "to retain the customs of the heathen, idol temples ... rededicated as Christian Churches and heathen festivals renamed as those of Christian Saints."

Louis Laravoire Morrow, Bishop of Krishnagar, says in his book My Catholic Faith, "In the history of the church we find that she often Christened pagan festivals, making use of dates and ceremonies and endowing them with an entirely new and Christian significance'' (page 416).

William Walsh in the Story of Santa Claus, reveals, "This was no mere accident. It was a necessary measure at a time when the new religion was forcing itself upon a deeply superstitious people. In order to reconcile fresh converts to the new faith, and to make the breaking of old ties as painless as possible, these relics of paganism were retained under modified forms, in the same way that antique columns, transferred from pagan temples, became parts of the new church built by Christians in honor of their god and his saints" (page 61).

This was made even more acceptable to the superstitious sun‑worshipping "new converts of Christianity" by the non‑Christian idea that their beloved sun gods were one in the same with Christ the Son of God. This idea was encouraged by Emperor Constantine, who, while sending out his armies under the symbol of the cross, memorialized his victories with monuments to pagan gods.

It is interesting to note that some, of the most documented and thorough history, supplied by the Catholic Church, proves that the celebration of Christmas, including the Dec. 25 date, is a pagan abomination. Reading the material that they have recorded through the ages is enough to make us utter a repentant prayer, "O merciful God, forgive me for my prior ignorant participation in falsehood. Fill my heart with understanding and desire for your true holy seasons. Let me abhor any inclination to return to Babylon, serving false gods ‑ May it never be again!"