World Mission Society Church of God follows teachings of Christ Ahnsahnghong and Mother.
Christmas originated in pagan customs
Christian history testifies that Christmas originated in pagan customs, from those who worshiped idols, and that it was not until much later that the festival became "Christianized."
1 ■ HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH by Philip Schaff, Hendrickson Publishers, pp. 396-397. "The Christmas festival was probably the Christian transformation or regeneration of a series of kindred heathen festivals—the Saturnalia, Sigillaria, Juvenalia, and Brumalia—which were kept in Rome in the month of December, in commemoration of the golden age of universal freedom and equality, and in honor of the unconquered sun, and which were great holidays, especially for slaves and children. This connection accounts for many custom of the Christmas season, like the giving of presents to children and to the poor, the lighting of wax tapers, perhaps also the erection of Christmas trees...Finally, the church fathers themselves confirm the symbolical reference of the feast of the birth of Christ, the Sun of righteousness, the Light of the world, to the birth-festival of the unconquered sun, which on the twenty-fifth of December, after the winter solstice, breaks the growing power of darkness, and begins anew his heroic career."
2 ■ THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY A Lion Handbook, p. 141. "The Christian church took over many pagan ideas and images. From sun-worship, for example, came the celebration of Christ’s birth on the twenty-fifth of December, the birthday of the Sun."
3 ■ A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY by Bamber Gascoigne, Robinson, p. 16. "In 274 Aurelian believed that the sun-god had brought him victory in Syria. He set up a state cult to Sol Invictus, the unconquered sun: and announced that the birthday of the sun, a day of special festivity, was December 25th. The sun’s halo, as well as the date of his birthday, would later be borrowed by Christianity."
Through these historical evidence, we can easily conclude that there is no relationship between Christmas and Jesus’ birth. Christmas is merely a Roman festival—for the sun god—that was Christianized later.
Dictionaries and newspapers also testify that December 25th was not the birthday of Jesus, but of the sun god.
1 ■ Encyclopedia BRITANNICA, p. 704. "Christmas/December 25 was the date of a pagan festival in Rome, chosen in A.D. 274 by the emperor Aurelian as the birthday of the unconquered sun (natalis solis invicti), which at the winter solstice begins again to show an increase of light. At some point before A.D. 336 the church at Rome established the commemoration of the birthday of Christ, the sun of righteousness, on this same date."
2 ■ Encyclopedia AMERICANA, p. 666. "This date [December 25] was not set in the West until about the middle of the 4th century and in the East until about a century later...The reason for establishing December 25 as Christmas is somewhat obscure, but it is usually held that the day was chosen to correspond to pagan festivals that took place around the time of the winter solstice, when the days begin to lengthen, to celebrate the "rebirth of the sun." Northern European tribes celebrate their chief festival of Yule at the winter solstice to commemorate the rebirth of the sun as the giver of light and warmth. The Roman Saturnalia (a festival dedicated to Saturn, the god of agriculture, and to the renewed power of the sun), also took place at this time and some Christmas customs are thought to be rooted in this ancient pagan celebration."
3 ■ "TODAY" (a newspaper published in Singapore) Tuesday, December 21, 2004 "Two thousand years ago, this [Christmas] was the very kind of celebration that alarmed the early Christian Church, which was disgusted with the cheer and merriment that marked the pagan festivals of their new converts. At first, the Church forbade this kind of celebration. But it was to no avail....The 25th was not only sacred to the Romans, but also to the Persians—whose religion, Mithraism, was one of Christianity’s main rivals then. The Church was successful eventually in taking the merriment, lights and gifts from the pagan festival and bringing them to the celebration of Christmas. The history of celebrating the end of the year or of a cycle dates back to more than 4,000 years. Many of the Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before Jesus Christ was born...As the winter solstice approached, with its long cold nights and short days, many people feared the sun would not return. Special rituals and celebrations were held to welcome back the sun..."
