Title: “Debunking the myths and misconceptions about Christmas”
- To debunk is to expose the falseness of the said statement
Introduction: Christmas has been part of our lives. We cannot imagine a year without
Christmas. I think, it’s more convenient for us to remove other holidays than Christmas. And
for us to hear a negative statement on one of our most cherished holidays is a little bit of to
us. But today we will answer the myths and misconceptions about Christmas.
1. It’s a great sin to celebrate Christmas
2. Jesus was born on December 25
3. There are three kings who visited Jesus at his birth
4. Mary and Joseph was not yet married when the revelation came to them
5. Matthew and Luke were contradicting each other in their accounts about Jesus’ birth
1. It’s a great sin to celebrate Christmas
Christmas has pagan origins. The bells, candles, holly, evergreen branches and other
Christmas decorations are mentioned in the history of pagan worship.
There was no Christmas in the early days. It only starts in the time of Constantine, a
roman emperor. (Romans are pagan).
There was no explicit command from the Bible to celebrate Christmas. (Deuteronomy
4:2)
Let’s debunk now:
First, it’s a great sin to celebrate Christmas because Christmas decorations today have a
paganistic origins.
Bells – to ward the bad spirits, hollys - it has protective powers
But how do we answer this? Its simple, when we attached these decorations in the
corner of our houses or in our Christmas trees what are we thinking? Do we think of
powers, or to ward away the evil spirits, do we think gods and goddesses or we think
about Jesus Christ.
If all the things related to paganism must be avoided, then why are we using the
Gregorian calendar. Don’t you know that some of the months of our calendar are
named after the gods and goddesses of Rome.
January: Named for Janus, the god of beginnings and endings. - February: Named for
Februus, a Roman festival of purification. - March: Named for Mars, the god of war and
agriculture. - April: Named for aperire, Latin for "to open," symbolizing the opening of
spring. - May: Named for Maia, a goddess associated with fertility. - June: Named for
Juno, the goddess of marriage and women. - July: Named for Julius Caesar himself. -
August: Named for Augustus Caesar, Julius Caesar's nephew.
It does not mean that because it has a pagan origin, we should not use it anymore. So, in
Christmas, what is sin is that we celebrate it with all these decorations and gifts without
thinking of Christ the most important person of Christmas.
Second, it’s a great sin to celebrate Christmas because Christians in the early days don’t
celebrate Christmas, it only began when Constantine legalized Christianity 313 CE/AD
1700 YEARS na ang nakalipas. This is a false statement sapagkat bago pa man na convert
ang rome sa kristyanismo, may mga Christians napo na inaalala nila ang kapanganakan
ni Hesus. (wala lang po yung word na Christmas, hindi lang po nakalagay sa calendar)
Tertullian(Approximately 155-240 AD) Clement of Alexandria (Approximately 150-215
AD)
Before Rome got converted to Christianity. Roman culture already celebrated a holiday
on December
Saturnalia – honoring the god saturnus; he is the god of agriculture, plenty, wealth etc.
they celebrate it from December 17-24
Sol Invictus – “unconquered Sun” They celebrate it on December 25 (Dies Natalis Solis
Invicti) birthday of the unconquered sun.
Pope Julius I was believed to be the one who formalize dec. 25 as the birth of our Lord
Jesus Christ. (350 AD)
Celebrating Christ birth is not commanded yet it is not sin to celebrate Christmas.
2. Jesus was born on December 25
For a long time, it was being debated if Jesus was really born on December 25
Why Pope Julius I the first formalize it together with the support of the early Christians.
let’s see if these verses will jive in to the said month and day of Jesus’ birth
Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:8 – see map
Weather condition of Judea during December
But there is a new study that says that even in December shepherds are tending their
sheep
Luke 2:4 – Mary and Joseph traveled
Winter in Judea brought cold temperatures, rain, and even snow in higher elevations.
This would have made travel treacherous, especially for those on foot or riding animals.
Difficult Terrain: The journey between Nazareth and Judea involved traversing hilly and
mountainous terrain, which would have been even more challenging in winter
conditions
Since, we do not know the date when the Lord’s birth taken place, Date is no big deal
for celebrating Christmas.
3. There are three kings who visited Jesus at his birth
The most common names associated with the three kings are Caspar, Melchior, and
Balthazar.
Caspar: Often depicted as a young man from India, sometimes of Ethiopian descent.
Melchior: Often depicted as an elderly man from Persia, sometimes with a white beard.
Balthazar: Often depicted as a middle-aged man from Arabia, sometimes with a dark
beard and black skin. (show picture)
Matthew 2:1-11
There were no kings who visited Jesus Matthew 2:1
It was the shepherds who visited the lord at his birth Luke 2, Matthew 2:11 picture
They were not only three in numbers = study shows that people in their time always
travel in caravans because it is much safer.
Caravans provided protection from bandits and wild animals
The sheer number of people and animals in a caravan made it more difficult for
attackers to target individuals
Luke 2:44 – caravans
4. Mary and Joseph was not yet married when the revelation came to them
Matthew 2:18-25
5. Matthew and Luke were contradicting each other in their accounts about Jesus
Alleged contradictions
1. The place where Jesus stayed after his birth was unclear
2. The visitors of Jesus
Lets debunk it:
Luke 2:21-38 – they present him to temple
Luke 2:36-40 – they go back to Nazareth
The next record of their coming back to Judea was when Jesus was 12yrs old. Luke 2:41-
41
Let’s go to Matthew 2:1-23
Let’s understand that the writers have different ways of how they present Jesus Christ.
Jesus was presented as king and fulfillment of the prophecy while Luke presented Jesus’
humanity.
There were no contradictions here all we need to do is to combine them