The Fundamental Grinch

by James Beller
December, 2001

Here is an actual question posted to a pastor on a Christian web site:

What does Nimrods birthday have to do with Christ? Christmas itself, I truly believe, is pagan.

If we are light, what does the light have with the darkness? I hope you write back. I truly believe that Christmas is pagan. I think that by teaching these teachings you will hurt a lot of people.

Karen

Oh well, Karen is not alone in her assessment of the evil and pernicious Christmas– that demon inspired cultic aberration that seizes most of the world each December.

Oh my soul! Just check out the webs that deep six Christmas:
http://www.studiesintheword.org/sermons/Christmas.html ~this site declares boldly: “”Who are you really worshipping on December 25th?”
http://www.radiomissions.org/sermons/xmas.html ~this site has the banner: “Christmas a Demon Holiday” That is the news from First Baptist Church of Algiers in New Orleans, LA.

These fundamentalist sites are all over the web. In evangelicalism, you hear the criticism of the Christmas holiday. OK, alright already, some of what is called Christmas has its origins in paganism. I know, I KNOW. Yet I think that in proportion to the accusation, the punishment does not fit.

The award for “the Fundamental Grinch” has to go to Mr. Rick Miesel of the “Bible Discernment Ministry”. Miesel is a layman who preaches on the internet. He “has the goods” on everything, everything, especially that wicked pagan Christmas. I quoth:

Thus, pagan rituals and idols took on Christian names. For example, Jesus Christ was presented as the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2) replacing the sun god, Sol Invictus. Pagan holidays were reclassified as Christian holidays (holy-days). December 25th was the “Victory of the Sun-God” Festival in the pagan Babylonian world, and a celebration of the Festival of Saturn (Saturnalia), or winter solstice, in the ancient Roman Empire. To all ancient pagan civilizations, this date was the birthday of the gods — the time of year when the days began to lengthen and man was blessed with a “regeneration of nature.” Moreover, all the December 25th Babylonian and Roman festivals were blah, blah, blah, blah, etc, ad nauseum.

I do not see any warrant in the Word of God to forbid people from being nice, mindful of Christ, giving gifts and meeting needs, decorating their houses, fixing a feast of charity, spending extra time and money on their families, and wishing for others peace and happiness.

I am not talking about lying about Santa Claus, getting drunk, overeating, being rowdy, overspending, being greedy. Americans celebrate that every day. I’m sorry–Mr. Meisle-Grinch, but, can’t you find something else to preach about? I challenge you to show me when acknowledging the birth of Jesus and spending sweet and needed time with your family EVER sent anyone to Hell. Show me where it caused a lost man to stumble and miss the message of Christ.

I will tell you this Rick, when I was a lost teenager my sister was involved with the cult, “the World Wide Church of God” which preached as you do against that demon Christmas and I thought it was the most ridiculous belief I had ever encountered. I had to totally redo my thinking to even listen to a message about Christ after hearing the demon Christmas mentality. If you think I am angry about this– I am. Here is what you said about angry pro-Christmas sympathizers:

Since Christmas is not a Biblical concept, why is it that when it is exposed for what it really is, people are angered? It angers Protestant people! There is a good reason why it does so. When the pagan celebration of Christmas is rooted up, and rejected, then what has become a Protestant tradition is, in effect, being rejected! And that is why people become angry. It began as a Roman Catholic holy day, and then it became a Protestant holy day. And if anyone dares show it up for what it really is, they face the wrath of the Protestant religious machine.

You just don’t get it, do you Grinch. We are not mad because we belong to a “religious machine” (where does this machine meet and take its orders?). We are mad because opposing Christmas is really stupid. It takes no courage because, if the holiday is used in the right way, it is not wrong. Alas, repairing stupidity is an impossible task.

Show me Rick, when acknowledging the birth of Jesus and spending sweet and needed time with your family EVER sent anyone to Hell. Show me where celebrating Christmas in a honorable manner caused a lost man to stumble and miss the message of Christ.

jbeller