Jesus And Christmas
A Pagan Festival
Accepted As ‘Harmless’
Christian Event
(M. Javed Naseem)
“Christmas (i.e., the Mass of Christ)...
Christmas was not among the earliest festivals
of the Church... It was not instituted by Christ
or the Apostles, or by Bible authority. It was
picked up afterward from paganism.’
(Encyclopedia Britannica, 1946 edition)
Modern Christian world is celebrating Christmas these days. In fact, the entire month of December is dedicated to it, although all scholars are convinced that Jesus was not born on 25th of December. That celebration was added to Christianity by the pagans in the 4th century after the crucifixion. And in the 5th century, Christmas became an official holiday (actually a pillar) of Christianity.
Christmas is not Christian! As a matter of fact it’s got nothing to do with Jesus or Christianity. On the
contrary, it is an anti-Christ, anti-God or anti-Lord tradition dating back to Nimrod or the period of Abraham (or even before?). It is a part (or ritual) of Pagan religion. Since the whole affair is man made, there is no reference to it in the Semitic religions and their holy Books/Scriptures. Christmas and its accessories (Santa Claus, red-nosed reindeer, mistletoe, holly wreath, tinsel-decorated tree, stockings full of gifts and candies, exchanging gifts, celebrating 25th of December, etc.) were added to Christianity three hundred years after the death of Jesus by those pagans who became believers and converted to Christianity. Most of them brought their pagan customs and rituals (or festivals) and ‘Christianized’ them as they did not want to abandon them. Later on, these customs/rituals were accepted by both Catholic and the Protestant Churches as ‘harmless’ fun festivals and then became important part of Christian faith.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 1968:
The Council of Nicaea met on May 20, 325. Emperor Constantine himself presiding, actively guiding the discussion, and personally proposed the crucial formula expressing the relation of Christ to God in the creed issued by the council: ‘of one substance with the father’. Over-awed by the emperor, the bishops, with two exceptions only, signed the creed, many of them against their inclination. Constantine regarded the decision of Nicaea as divinely inspired. As long as he lived, no one dared openly to challenge the creed of Nicaea.’
Trinity is idolatry.
‘In our day and time, the doctrine of the trinity is a cornerstone of idolatry’ – Jeff Rath.
So, the Trinity is idolatry! At least this is the majority opinion among the Christian religious authorities. A true religion or faith is not based on idolatry. The faith or religion promoted by the Prophets and Messengers of God promotes the Oneness of God Almighty.
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God,
the Lord is One!”
(Deuteronomy 6:4)
Dictionary of the Bible, 1995, John L. McKenzie:
“The trinity of God is defined by the church as the belief that in God are three persons who subsist in one nature. The belief as so defined was reached only in the 4th and 5th centuries AD and hence is not explicitly and formally a biblical belief.”
The New Encyclopedia Britannica, 1976:
“Neither the word trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” – (Deut. 6:4).
A History of Christianity, Vol. 1, 1997, Kenneth Scott Latourette:
“To enforce the decisions of the Council of Nicaea, Constantine commanded, with the death penalty for disobedience, the burning of all books composed by Arius, banished Arius and his closest supporters, and deposed from their sees Eusebius of Nicomedia and another bishop who had been active in the support of Arius.”
Allah, the Creator of mankind, says in the Holy Quran:
“And lo! There is a party of them who
distort the Scripture with their tongues,
that you may think that what they say is
from the Scripture, when it is not from
the Scripture. And they say: It is from
Allah, when it is not from Allah; and they
speak a lie concerning Allah knowingly.”
(al-Quran 3:78)
Gospel of Barnabas, Ch. 93-97:
Barnabas was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, the son of Mary. His quotes/references are considered very authentic. During the height of the controversy about the status of Jesus, people got divided into three main groups – those who believed that Jesus was God; those who believed that Jesus was son of God; and those who believed that Jesus was a prophet of God. There was a big turmoil as these groups started fighting with each other. Therefore, the Roman Governor of Judea, King Herod and the high priest sought a public meeting with Jesus. They asked Jesus to explain to the huge gathering of thousands, who he really was.
Here are some excerpts from Chapters 93-97:
‘The priest answered: “Now is Judea so greatly moved over your signs and your teaching that they cry out that you are God; wherefore, constrained by the people, I am come here with the Roman governor and King Herod. We pray you therefore from our heart, that you will be content to remove the sedition which is arisen on your account. For some say you are God, some say you are son of God, and some say you are a prophet.” ‘Jesus answered: “And you, O high priest of God, why have you not quieted this sedition? Are you also perhaps, gone out of your mind? Have the prophecies, with the Law of God, so passed into oblivion, O wretched Judea, deceived of Satan!”
‘And having said this, Jesus said again: “I confess before heaven, and call to witness everything that dwells upon the earth, that I am a stranger to all that men have said of me, to wit, that I am more than man. For I am a man, born of woman, subject to the judgment of God; that live here like as other men, subject to the common miseries. As God lives, in whose presence my soul stands, you have greatly sinned, O priest, in saying what you have said. May it please God that there come not upon the holy city great vengeance for this sin”.
Then said the priest: “May God pardon us, and do you pray for us”.
Then said the governor and Herod: “Sir, it is impossible that man should do that which you do; wherefore we understand not that which you say”.
Jesus answered: “That which you say is true, for God works good in man, even as Satan works evil. For man is like a shop, wherein whoever enters with his consent works and sells therein. But tell me, O governor, and you O King, you say this because you are strangers to our Law; for if you read the testament and covenant of our God you would see that Moses with a rod made the water turn into blood, the dust into fleas, the dew into tempest, and the light into darkness. He made the frogs and mice to come into Egypt; which covered the ground, he slew the first-born, and opened the sea, wherein he drowned Pharaoh. Of these things I have wrought none”.
“And of Moses, every one confesses that he is a dead man at this present. Joshua made the sun to stand still, and opened the Jordan, which I have not yet done.
And of Joshua every one confesses that he is a dead man at this present. Elijah made fire to come visibly down from heaven, and rain, which I have not done. And of Elijah every one confesses that he is a man. And (in like manner) very many other prophets, holy men, friends of God, who in the power of God have wrought things which cannot be grasped by the minds of those who know not our God,
almighty and merciful, who is blessed for evermore”.
‘Accordingly the governor and the priest and the King prayed Jesus that in order to quiet the people he should mount up into a lofty place and speak to the people.
Then went up Jesus on to one of the twelve stones...’. ‘Jesus said distinctly, so that everyone might hear: “It is written in the testament and covenant of the living God that our God has no beginning, neither shall he ever have an end”.
The priest answered: “Even so is it written therein”.
Jesus said: “It is written there that our God by his word alone has created all things”.
“Even so it is”, said the priest.
Jesus said: “It is written there that God is invisible and hidden from the mind of man, seeing he is incorporeal and uncomposed, without variableness”.
“So is it, truly”, said the priest.
Jesus said: “It is written there how that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, seeing that our God is infinite”.
“So said Solomon the prophet”, said the priest,
Jesus said: “It is written there that God has no need, for as much as he eats not, sleeps not; and suffers not from any deficiency”.
“So is it”, said the priest.’
Jesus said: “It is written there that our God is everywhere, and that there is not any other god but he, who strikes down and makes whole, and does all that pleases him”.
“So is it written”, replied the priest.
Then Jesus, having lifted up his hands, said: “Lord our God, this is my faith wherewith I shall come to your judgment; in testimony against every one that shall believe the contrary”.
‘... When the prayer was ended, the priest said with a loud voice: “Stay Jesus, for we need to know who you are, for the quieting of our nation”. Jesus answered: “I am Jesus, son of Mary, of the seed of David, a man that is mortal and fears God, and I seek that to God be given honour and glory”.
The priest answered: “In the Book of Moses it is written that our God must send us the Messiah, who shall come to announce to us that which God wills, and shall bring to the world the mercy of God. Therefore I pray you tell us the truth, are you the Messiah of God whom we expect?”
Jesus answered: “It is true that God has so promised, but indeed I am not he, for he is made before me, and shall come after me”.
The priest answered: “By your words and signs at any rate we believe you to be a prophet and a holy
one of God, wherefore I pray you in the name of all Judea and Israel that you for love of God should tell us in what wise the Messiah will come”.
‘Jesus answered: As God lives, in whose presence my soul stands, I am not the Messiah whom all the tribes of the earth expect, even as God promised to our father Abraham, saying: “In your seed will I bless all the tribes of the earth”. But when God shall take me away from the world, Satan will raise again this accursed sedition, by making the impious believe that I am God and son of God, whence my
words and my doctrine shall be contaminated, insomuch that scarcely shall there remain thirty faithful ones; whereupon God will have mercy upon the world, and will send his Messenger for whom he has made all things who shall come from the south with power, and shall destroy the idols with the idolaters who shall take away the dominion from Satan which he has over men. He shall bring with him
the mercy of God for salvation of them that shall believe in him, and blessed is he who shall believe his words. Unworthy though I am to untie his hosen, I have received grace and mercy from God to see him.
Then answered the priest, with the governor and the King, saying: “Distress not yourself, O Jesus, holy one of God, because in our time shall not this sedition be any more, seeing that we will write to the sacred Roman senate in such wise that by imperial decree none shall any more call you God or son of
God”.The Jesus said: “With your words I am not consoled, because where you hope for light darkness shall come; but my consolation is in the coming of the Messenger, who shall destroy every false opinion of me, and his faith shall spread and shall take hold of the whole world, for so has God promised to Abraham our father. And that which gives me consolation is that his faith shall have no end, but shall
be kept inviolate by God”.‘... And having said this, the multitude departed with the priest and the governor with Herod, having great disputations concerning Jesus and concerning his doctrine. Whereupon the priest prayed the governor to write to Rome to the senate the whole matter, which thing the governor did; wherefore the senate had compassion on Israel, and decreed that on pain of death none should call Jesus the Nazarene, prophet of the Jews, either God or son of God.
Which decree was posted up in the Temple, engraved upon copper.’It’s ironic that People of the Book blame the Romans for every evil whereas the Roman Senate did a great favor to the Jews and Christians by issuing an imperial decree regarding the status of Jesus, the son of Mary.
(From my book “God’s Prescription – al-Quran”, Chapter ‘Christianity – The Truth’, pub. 2012)
***************
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.