PUBLICATIONS, SERMONS, AND WRITINGS

OF

 DR. RAJA J. SINGH

The word "Christmas" is made up of two words : 'CHRIST' AND ' MASS' which are of Latin origin meaning : 'The Mass of Christ'. Christians all over the world celebratethe 25th day of the month of December as the birthday of Y'shua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ), every year, and a special 'Mass' is conducted in the Roman Catholic Church, while in the Protestant Churches special worship services are held in this regard.

When one peruses through the Bible in its entirety, following questions baffle the mind of a non-Christian, more specially from the non-Western world :

(a) Does the Bible tell the date of 25th of December when Y'shua Ha Mashiach ( Jesus Christ) was born ?

(b) Was this present calender in operation at the time of Y'shua's (Jesus') birth in Palestine ?

(c) Is it written in the Bible that Y'shua (Jesus) was born in the month of December ?

(d) Is it ordered by any command of YHWH (God), or Y'shua (Jesus), or the Apostles, or the Prophets, to celebrate the birthday of Y'shua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ) every year ?

(e) Is it also not written in the Bible, not to 'add' anything to it, not to 'subtract' anything from it (Revelation 22:18,19; Deuteronomy 4:2), not to 'interpret' it as one feels like (II Peter 1:20, 21); and that these are the only Scriptures given to mankind (Galatians 1:6-10) forever (Jude 3) ?

According to the Apostolic tradition in the First Century, after Y'shua (Jesus) had left this earth, there is absolutely no record that the Apostles celebrated the birthday of Y'shua (Jesus), otherwise it would have been recorded in the New Testament. Neither we come across any command of Jesus that His followers should celebrate His birthday after He left the Earth. In fact, there is no mention in the New Testament of His date and month of birth. How is it, then, that Christmas has become the major festival of the Western World, celebrating the birth of Y'shua Ha Mashiach ( Jesus Christ) on the 25th day of December every year ? As far as Y'shua (Jesus) is concerned, except one command about His own self, to remember Him through the commemoration of His Last Supper (I Corinthians 11: 23-25), every First Day of the week (Acts 20:7), we do not find any other command which Jesus gave to obey regarding Himself.

During the time when Christianity was preached in Western Europe, in the earlier half of the First Century by the Apostles of Y'shua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ), majority of Europeans were non-Christians who worshipped Greek or Roman pagan gods. As the winter season was extremely harsh, in the absence of modern amenities, people needed a holiday to stay at home in order to escape the extremity of the cold weather. They used this time in worshipping their pagan gods in the form of a month-long festive season, a time full of enjoyment and celebrations.

On the other hand, it was a difficult situation for the few neo-Christian converts who hesitated to participate in these pagan festivals. Church history records that earlier converts of Europe faced discrimination, torture, and persecution for being Christians. It was, therefore, almost impossible for them to stay without being in the mainstream. They, therefore, thought of celebrating the birthday of Y'shua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ), while the pagans worshipped their own gods and goddesses. Thus, from the very beginning, Christmas has a tradition of being mixed up with pagan festival of Western Europe.

Later, as the time passed by, under the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, various church leaders of the world decided to set a fixed date for the celebration of the birthday of Y'shua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ) during this festive season and, by a concensus, it was agreed to have it on the 25th day of December every year. Since then, Christmas is being celebrated regularly by the Christians of all denominations, except a few, all over the world on 25th December, regardless of what the Holy Scriptures say about this.

To a non-Westerner, the tradition of 'Father Christmas' or 'Santa Claus' appears strange since there is no mention of it in the Bible. There is a Western legend that there was a noble man who used to come from the northern country of snow, a snowman, who brought with him gifts for children which he distributed among them. In the Roman Catholic Church, there is a Patron Saint by the name of St. Nicholas of Myra whose feast day is celebrated on December 6 annually. St. Nicholas had his association with bakers, brewers, brides, merchants, pawnbrokers, travellers and, of course, children. There is a strong possibility that during the course of centuries, the name St. Nicholas changed into Santa Claus because he was very closely associated with children, as the tradition records. Similarly, his association with bakers, brewers and merchants also reflects upon a great emphasis given on cakes, cookies, drinks and other items of expensive merchandise during this festival.

Similarly, the 'Christmas Tree' has been an amusement to a non-Christian because it is absent from the Holy Scriptures but it is a major component of Christmas. Again, the historical tradition has it that the pagan worshippers of Western Europe decorated their trees with the statues of their gods and goddesses. However, this pagan practice of decorating the Christmas Tree entered in the celebration of Christmas by the Christians.

The outward image of Christmas to the non-Christian world has always been that it is a festival where, of course, the Christians celebrate the birth of their Lord Yishua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ) but the major emphasis is laid on eating, drinking, lavish spending and holiday-making, all of which is completely absent from the Holy Bible. It is also a fact that in some non-Western, non-Christian countries, for example India, many people even do not know what this festival is all about ! Christmas is understood for having fun, rejoicing, merry-making, drinking to the maximum, and the like.

It is also amazing to note that on the Christmas Day, all the Church buildings record full attendance by its members and non-members alike. Whereas, on ordinary Sundays, one can find ample empty chairs to sit inside the building. It is a matter of record that on the Christmas Day, mainly in the Western world, a large number of road accidents and deaths take place due to rash and drunken driving. It is also recorded that during and even after the festive season many people die due to overeating, and high blood pressure, leading to heart attacks !

After going through the abovementioned facts and figures, briefly, one is at a loss as to what really Christmas is ? Is it a festive time for the Western world, because even the non-Christians are actively involved in it ? Is it the time of celebration of the birth of Yishua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ), in utter disregard of the Holy Scriptures ? If the Christians celebrate the birth of Y'shua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ), then, why the non-Christians are involved in it, when they don't even believe on Him ? How are the Christmas Tree, the Santa Claus and other unscriptural things are associated with the birth of Y'hua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ) ? If Christmas is a festive time for the Western world, then why associate it with the celebration of birthday of Y'shua Ha Mashiach (Jesus Christ), which did not even take place on 25th December ? Does it not appear that the word "CHRISTMAS' is a 'MISNOMER' ? Can we seriously ponder over the above-raised issues and follow what is right ? Find the answers of the above questions in the Bible, and follow what is written in it ! Man-made traditions may appear attractive but they are far from the TRUTH of the Bible (Matthew 15: 8,9)!