As followers of the Honorable Louis Farrakhan, we are constantly
admonished to �Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.� It is
in this spirit that we once more question the validity of a widespread
tradition, thereby enabling us to do as all intelligent people do�become
able to give a better explanation for all our actions than the lame and
overused �everybody else is doing it.�
The practice in question is the widespread celebration of a holiday
known as �Christmas,� widely celebrated on December 25th and alleged to
be the date of birth of Jesus Christ. We have no qualms about
questioning which appear in the Bible if they do not ring true. But in
this case, much of the nonsense carried out by us in the name of this
holiday appears nowhere in the Bible. A perfect example is the fairy
tale we were raised on, that three wise men came to visit Baby Jesus in
a manger. We even sang about it, assuming that it was described in the
Bible. Not so! The Bible, in Matthew 2:11, states that wise men came to
visit Baby Jesus in a home, and never specified how many wise men there
were.
Just for starters, reflect upon how most celebrants honor Jesus�
supposed birthday�including the predominance of liquor and illicit
sex�and ask yourself if such behavior is fitting to honor a righteous
man.
Next search the Scriptures and find any place where the Disciples,
who walked with Him, ever indulged in rowdy, drunken orgies in His
honor. In fact, find any mention of their having celebrated his birthday
at all! On December 18, 1968, the PHOENIX GAZETTE carried the
headline: �BIRTH OF CHRIST NOT CELEBRATED UNTIL 5TH CENTURY.� In 1659,
the Puritan colony of Massachusetts passed a law against
celebrating Christmas. Boston rebelled against the statue until
finally�in 1856�the legislature made it a legal holiday. There are no
Biblical instructions concerning the exchange of gifts, but study will
show that the practice can be found in all of the pagan mid-Winter
�festivals.�
Another bone of contention is the fairy tales about shepherds
watching their sheep in the fields at the time of Jesus� supposed birth.
Shepherds in that area have always put their sheep up in late September
or early October�even before �Thanksgiving,� let alone �Christmas.�
Palestinian shepherds routinely put up their sheep by October 1st.
The CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA is explicit in its assertion that
�Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the church.� However,
Romans and Greeks who practiced the religion of �Mithraism,� in which
December 25th was celebrated as �The Nativity of the Unconquered Sun.�
They worshipped the �SUN-GOD,� not the �SON OF GOD!�
In the Bible, God gives the direct order, �Ye shall utterly destroy
all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their
gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green
tree.� (Deut. 12:2). Tree worship is condemned in at least a dozen
places in the Bible, including Isaiah 57: �...Are ye not children of
transgression, a seed of falsehood, enflaming yourselves with idols
under every green tree.� Altogether, tree-worship is condemned in at
least a dozen places in the Bible.
The Eleventh Chapter of Jeremiah begins with a warning from God not
to follow the ways of the heathen nations�such as cutting down a tree,
fastening it in place, then decorating it �with silver and Gold.� In
Isaiah 14, Lucifer is quoted as threatening, �I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregations, in the sides of the north.�
Finally, on what grounds can we, as parents, punish our children for
lying, then tell them lies like virgins giving birth and rabbits laying
eggs? And can we justify punishing them for disobedience, yet serving
them a ham dinner, despite God�s Biblical admonition (Leviticus 11:
7-8), �And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven-footed,
yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall
ye not eat, and their carcass shall yet not touch...�
BON APPETITE!!!
