The Mensch Who Killed Christmas
What if Dr. Suess had written the truth about Christmas?
It might have went something like this:
There once was a Mensch
who lived just over the hill
from a town surrounded by a trench
that was named Saints Ville.
The Mensch would go there every Spring
just to hear their children sing.
The Mensch would visit each summer
arriving in his white and blue Hummer.
The Mensch would sell his wares
every Autumn in their fairs.
But as a boy in a sleigh one Winter
he became most ill by a tiny splinter.
So when it began to snow
The Mensch dared not go.
So every winter he spent all alone
busily crafting each ware
that he would sell over the phone
and with the needy his profits share.
Then one fateful year
The Mensch did hear
news most distressing
that was quite depressing.
In from the cold
he had taken in a stranger
who shined like gold
And warned of danger.
The people of Saints Ville
who lived just over the hill,
the angel went on to say,
had all been deceived
in a such a terrible way
that The Mensch hardly conceived
every sobering word
from that angel he heard.
So The Mensch faced his fears,
got in his hummer and started to drive
fighting back the tears,
knowing that his friends might not survive.
When The Mensch went over the hill
he saw something in Saints Ville
that gave him a terrible fright
as he peered through the night.
There was a tree of wondrous height
that was decorated with golden balls
and gave off a shimmering light
in the midst of the shopping malls.
As The Mensch headed towards town
his face made a terrible frown.
The sound of music he could hear
but it seemed wrong to his ear.
When The Mensch arrived
he could hardly believe his eyes.
There was a celebration derived
from pagan customs and numerous lies.
The children were only concerned
about the presents they demanded to get
while their parents were spurned
but went further and further into debt.
He wondered at what did next appear.
There was a man dressed in red
with eight tiny reindeer
in the air pulling a big sled.
The biggest surprise was when
he saw something even stranger
there were three wise men
kneeling down at a manger.
He could see this deception
from the False Church of Rome
had a warm reception
in almost every Saint's home.
Then in a moment of hope
The Mensch spied a glass box
that held The Book
in the midst of Founder's Square.
With his next move the Saints could not cope
but it made them jump out of their socks
as they dared to look
on a sight that made them stare.
Below the box was a sign that read,
"Break in case of emergency"
Everyone shimmered and stammered
in uncertain dread,
as with a sense of urgency
The Mensch used the little hanging hammer.
Of course, there is no need to mention
that now The Mensch had everyone's attention.
He could not stand another look.
So he stood on the stage and let out a shout.
Then The Mensch held up The Book
to remove every doubt.
Suddenly all of the music stopped
and nobody bopped.
With every eye on him
The Mensch looked grim.
All the Saints in Saints Ville
could see his alarm.
The Mensch had come over the hill
to save them from harm!
The Mensch knew the truth
that had to be spoken.
He spoke to the old and the youth
as the silence was broken.
He lifted up The Book before their eyes
and said that it would make them wise.
The truth about everything is in The Book
for those who dared to take a look.
He reminded them that in these pages
is all the wisdom of the ages.
"What does it say
about this holiday?
This story of a man most jolly
riding in a sleigh that flies
is surely untruthful folly
from the Father of Lies.
Year after year you go into debt
and train your children to be greedy,
leaving you wishing for something yet
to take care of those who are needy.
Now try to remember
that it snows in December.
So this night, there can be no doubt,
is one when shepherds would not be out.
The magi came to the Youth
at the house in reverent fear
when the Man of Truth
was a child of more than a year!
About this tree that is so adored
are these instructions from the Lord?
I intend to use this ax
unless anyone can dispute these facts."
The Saints all stood in wonder and shame
how could they have fallen for such a game?
Still some looked with all of their might
they searched The Book all through the night.
No where in The Book could it be found
so with a whack and a thud
the tree was felled to the ground
and then landed in mud.
Then to protect them from danger
down came the manger
where wise men did not appear.
Shepherds had not watched their flock
each night at the wrong time of year
The Saints had learned with a shock.
Next the tree was set ablaze
and Santa was cast into the fire.
Then The Mensch did something to amaze.
He called Christmas "the work of a liar".
Then the Saints all cried
saying "even though we lied
we need a holiday to make us cheery
because Winter can be so dreary".
The Mensch said that he had not ruined their fun
by taking away a day they thought was great.
Instead of a false holiday that lasted for one
there was a true holiday that lasted for eight!
Then The Mensch opened The Book for all to see
how the Man of Truth celebrated the Feast of Dedication
and explained how they should do the same as he.
Then all the Saints pondered this in quiet meditation.
The Father of Truth had given them better holidays
than those that celebrate a natural phenomenon
like the Winter Solstice and the arrival of Spring.
The Book showed them how to walk in His ways.
"Keeping His Feasts", The Mensch went on and on
to explain, "was not just a Jewish thing."
The Saints of Saints Ville
came to see things that were real
and how Christmas had move them year after year
further and further from reverent fear.
So for the next eight days
they mended their ways
and dedicated themselves to the One
who had given them His son.
That self centered celebration came to stop
as they learned each night how to play with a top.
Every night they threw a party for the poor
and it was more fun than they ever had before!
They no longer taught their children to be greedy.
Instead they showed them how to take of the needy.
Spreading the Good News became their mission.
So they could carry out the Great Commission.
Their money was used to amend
those who had fell into neglect.
They gave up a life of pretend
and lived like they were the Elect!
"Hanukkah is a holiday
that surely won't bore us"
they said each and every day
as they lit their Menorahs.
So they decided to walk in the Truth
from the eldest to the youth.
The Feasts of Truth they would now celebrate
instead of listening to those who were celibate.
They had neglected doing His will
when the Saints had been distracted
until The Mensch came to Saints Ville
and all of these lies were retracted.
Pagan holidays they will no longer be keeping,
but said, as they with joy were weeping,
"The Father of Truth will not dismiss us
thanks to The Mensch who killed Christmas!".
Now this may have caught you off guard and even given you a shock or two. You may be wondering about some things and have some questions.
For example, what is a Mensch?
A Mensch is a person of good and noble character. It is the opposite of an Unmensch.
Wasn't the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) born on December 25th?
No, he was not even born until about another three months later. In fact the Book of Truth (the Bible) gives enough information to determine when was Jesus born down to the day within a two day margin.
Didn't Joseph (Yoseph) and Mary (Mariam) flee to Egypt with the baby Jesus (Yeshua) within a few days of his birth?
No. Eight days after the Man of Truth was born they circumcised him (Luke 2:21). Then when he was six weeks old they took him with them when his mother went to the Temple to be purified according to the commandment of the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) (Luke 2:22-24). This when Simeon and Anna blessed the Man of Truth (Luke 2:25-38). Then they returned to Nazareth to live there (Luke 2:39).
Weren't the wise men at the manger?
No. They came to the house that the Man of Truth lived in when he was a toddler (Matthew 2:11). [The Greek word "paidion" translated as "young child" means a child that is older than an infant and is generally used of a child that can stand on its own and has started to walk.]
When did the wise men visit the Man of Truth?
The wise men saw the star appear when the Man of Truth was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-2). Herod then asked them when did the star appear (Matthew 2:7). Herod then had all of the children that were two years of age and younger were killed based on when the star had first appeared to the wise men (Matthew 2:16).
So the wise men went to visit the Man of Truth when he was about two years old.
Where did the wise men visit the Man of Truth?
When they arrived in Jerusalem then Herod directed them to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:3-8). They then went to the house, which may not have even been in Bethlehem, where the Man of Truth was by following the star instead of the directions of Herod (Matthew 2:9-11). Then they left to go back to the East while Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the Man of Truth (Matthew 2:12-15). Herod then had all of the children that were two years and younger killed in the area from Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem to Ramah, north of Jerusalem based on where he was told that the Man of Truth was born (Matthew 2:16-18). Joseph then intended to move the family to Judea after Herod died but was instructed to go to Nazareth instead (Matthew 2:19-23). Nazareth is where Joseph had returned to previously when the Man of Truth was six weeks old (Luke 2:39).
So it is not certain where they went to pay homage to the Man of Truth. They may have went to a house in Nazareth where the Man of Truth went to when he was six weeks old. (Nazareth was also in the jurisdiction of Herod so they would still be in danger and would still need to flee to Egypt until Herod was dead. However, Herod split his kingdom in his will and it was out of the jurisdiction of his son Archelaus.) Since Joseph sought to go to Judea after Herod died it could be that he had moved to Judea at some point after returning to Nazareth when the Man of Truth was six weeks old. Even so, there is no indication of where in Judea he sought to live. It might have been Bethlehem since he would have to be there every ten years for the census but it could have been somewhere else in Judea.
So it is not certain where the wise men went to visit the Man of Truth. What is certain is that the wise men did not kneel at the manger in Bethlehem in worship of the Man of Truth when he was an infant. They did this at a house, either in Nazareth or an unnamed city of Judea, or Bethlehem, when the Man of Truth was about two years old.
Is there anything like a Christmas tree in the Book of Truth?
Sort of but not exactly.
The closest thing is the description of idol worshipers cutting down a tree, decorating it with silver and gold, and placing it on a stand (Jeremiah 10:3-4). While this sounds a lot like a Christmas tree, if you read the rest of the passage it is clear that this is actually an idol that they carve into some sort of statue (image), like perhaps something that looks like a man, and then clothed with expensive cloth colored purple and blue (Jeremiah 10:5-9). It is obvious that these idols are being worshiped even though they have no power to deliver anyone from trouble (Jeremiah 10:10-15).
So while there are many similarities in creating these idols to decorating a Christmas tree, there is one important difference. The makers of these idols are doing so for the expressed purpose of worshiping them while practically no one puts up a Christmas tree to worship it. I have never met one single person who has looked to a Christmas tree to deliver them from trouble like these idol worshipers did with the idol they carved from a tree.
Do Christmas trees have any other connection to idol worship?
Yes. Christmas trees came from the customs of pre-Christian Germany. Originally they decorated an oak tree that they worshiped until Saint Boniface cut it down and replaced it with an evergreen tree in the 6th century AD that was supposed to remind them of the Trinity and heaven by its shape. The Germans then began cutting down evergreen trees and decorating them in their homes after that.
The Germans were hardly alone in tree worship and many other countries had similar practices that also changed into placing something similar to a Christmas tree in their homes. Over the years, the placing of Christmas trees in homes became a tradition that continued on long after most people had ceased to worship trees.
The tree worshiping roots of Christmas trees are exactly the same as those who worshiped trees in Canaan and other places. It was under green trees that idols were worshiped (Deuteronomy 12:2). It was in the groves of trees where idol worship was carried out (1 Kings 15:13). It was green trees that were used for the poles which were decorated to look like the fertility goddess (Asherah) (2 Kings 17:10). It was under green trees that sexual sin was committed in worshiping the fertility goddess (Jeremiah 3:6).
So while Christmas trees are not idols (unless you actually worship it) the custom of cutting down a tree, decorating it and placing it on a stand definitely has its roots in idolatry.
What does it matter if pagan customs are incorporated in honoring the Man of Truth for his birthday?
The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) does not want His Children worshiping Him by doing the same things that the pagans do to worship their idols that He ordered destroyed (Deuteronomy 12:2-4). For this reason there are not even to be trees anywhere near where the Children of Truth worship Him nor anything even resembling an idol (Deuteronomy 16:21-22). The Children of Truth are to worship in spirit and truth through customs He gave to the Jews instead of Pagan customs (John 4:22-24). Pagan customs come from customs used for worshiping Spirits of Lies (devils aka demons aka unclean spirits aka gods) and the Father of Truth does not want the Children of Truth to have anything to do with Spirits of Lies (1 Corinthians 10:20). He wants His Children to abstain from anything that appears to have anything to do with evil things like idol worship (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
So for these reasons, Christmas trees and other pagan customs should not be used to honor the birthday of the Man of Truth, even on the actual day of his birth, much less on a day that came via the Romans from Babylonian sun god worship.
What is so bad about Santa Claus?
Foremost, people are perpetrating a fraud on their own children, often with the help of the religious professionals in the place where they congregate. In other words, they are lying to their children instead of telling them the truth. In fact, everything about Santa Claus is a lie.
Not only that, many things about Santa Claus, like the hat he wears, come from pagan customs rooted in Babylonian sun god worship. This another bad thing about Santa Claus. Allowing this fraud, who is dressed like a pagan priest, into the lives of children because it is fun is the Satan Clause.
The Children of Truth are supposed to teach their children the Word of Truth (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). If they train their children in the Word of Truth then they will not depart from the Way of Truth when they grow up (Proverbs 22:6).
All lies are from the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) (John 8:44). There was nothing that belonged to him in the life of the Man of Truth (John 14:30). The Children of Truth should not make room for anything that is from him in their lives either (Ephesians 4:27). Their Father wants them to walk in truth at all times (2 John 1:4).
The Children of Truth should strive to always be walking in truth so they should have absolute nothing to do with Santa Claus.
Does the Book of Truth really say that the Man of Truth celebrated Hanukkah?
Yes, even though it was called the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah means dedication) he celebrated it during the Winter at the Temple in Jerusalem (John 10:21-22).
What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah is the Feast of Dedication to celebrate the dedicating the Temple after it was restored by the Maccabees who did exploits as had been revealed about 300 years earlier to Daniel the Prophet of Truth (Daniel 11:31-33). It is also called the Festival of Lights.
Why should Gentile Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) celebrate a Jewish holiday?
It's not just a Jewish thing to celebrate Hanukkah. Hanukkah has many applications for all of the Children of Truth. For example, it is about the Children of Truth dedicating the Temple that is their body. Everything that the Father of Truth gave to Israel is meant for His Gentile Children of Truth who have became part of the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13).
Is it enough to avoid pagan customs associated with Christmas and instead practice Biblical customs associated with Biblical holidays like Hanukkah?
NO!
The commandment to love other people is next in importance to the commandment to love the Father of Truth (Mark 12:30-31). The Children of Truth are to always remember the poor who live in the House of Truth (Galatians 2:10). The Children of Truth are to do good to everyone but especially those who are in need in the House of Truth (Galatians 6:10). Not doing what we can to provide for the needs of each other makes us worse than being a pagan (1 Timothy 5:8). It is not enough to avoid pagan customs unless you also take care of the poor (James 1:27).
In like manner, keeping the right holidays in the right way is worthless if it distracts the Children of Truth from doing their part to carry out the Great Commission. The Children of Truth must make disciples for the Man of Truth of all kinds of people (Matthew 28:19-20). The Children of Truth must tell everyone the Good News about the Man of Truth so they can be saved (Mark 16:15-16). Anyone that does not do all they can to save those who do not know the Man of Truth are guilty of the worst kind of hatred. They simply do not love the Father of Truth (1 John 4:20-21).
The Children of Truth do not use keeping the lessor matters of the Law as an excuse to neglect the weightier matters of the Law. If you observe the weekly Sabbath and all of the holidays found in the Book of Truth but do not take care of other people then whose Sabbath are you keeping?
Does it really matter if I observe Christmas or Hanukkah or nothing at all?
It does matter at all unless you come into the House of Truth. No one is saved by observing or not observing holidays or even by keeping the Law of Truth (Romans 3:27-28). You must first come into the House of Truth by surrendering control of your life to the Man of Truth because you believe his Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-10). Only after you come into the House of Truth will you be able to grow to the point that you can eat meat (Hebrews 5:12-13). It is only after you come into the House of Truth and have learned the foundational truths that things like killing Christmas will really begin to matter (Hebrews 6:1-2).
Come into the House of Truth.
It might have went something like this:
There once was a Mensch
who lived just over the hill
from a town surrounded by a trench
that was named Saints Ville.
The Mensch would go there every Spring
just to hear their children sing.
The Mensch would visit each summer
arriving in his white and blue Hummer.
The Mensch would sell his wares
every Autumn in their fairs.
But as a boy in a sleigh one Winter
he became most ill by a tiny splinter.
So when it began to snow
The Mensch dared not go.
So every winter he spent all alone
busily crafting each ware
that he would sell over the phone
and with the needy his profits share.
Then one fateful year
The Mensch did hear
news most distressing
that was quite depressing.
In from the cold
he had taken in a stranger
who shined like gold
And warned of danger.
The people of Saints Ville
who lived just over the hill,
the angel went on to say,
had all been deceived
in a such a terrible way
that The Mensch hardly conceived
every sobering word
from that angel he heard.
So The Mensch faced his fears,
got in his hummer and started to drive
fighting back the tears,
knowing that his friends might not survive.
When The Mensch went over the hill
he saw something in Saints Ville
that gave him a terrible fright
as he peered through the night.
There was a tree of wondrous height
that was decorated with golden balls
and gave off a shimmering light
in the midst of the shopping malls.
As The Mensch headed towards town
his face made a terrible frown.
The sound of music he could hear
but it seemed wrong to his ear.
When The Mensch arrived
he could hardly believe his eyes.
There was a celebration derived
from pagan customs and numerous lies.
The children were only concerned
about the presents they demanded to get
while their parents were spurned
but went further and further into debt.
He wondered at what did next appear.
There was a man dressed in red
with eight tiny reindeer
in the air pulling a big sled.
The biggest surprise was when
he saw something even stranger
there were three wise men
kneeling down at a manger.
He could see this deception
from the False Church of Rome
had a warm reception
in almost every Saint's home.
Then in a moment of hope
The Mensch spied a glass box
that held The Book
in the midst of Founder's Square.
With his next move the Saints could not cope
but it made them jump out of their socks
as they dared to look
on a sight that made them stare.
Below the box was a sign that read,
"Break in case of emergency"
Everyone shimmered and stammered
in uncertain dread,
as with a sense of urgency
The Mensch used the little hanging hammer.
Of course, there is no need to mention
that now The Mensch had everyone's attention.
He could not stand another look.
So he stood on the stage and let out a shout.
Then The Mensch held up The Book
to remove every doubt.
Suddenly all of the music stopped
and nobody bopped.
With every eye on him
The Mensch looked grim.
All the Saints in Saints Ville
could see his alarm.
The Mensch had come over the hill
to save them from harm!
The Mensch knew the truth
that had to be spoken.
He spoke to the old and the youth
as the silence was broken.
He lifted up The Book before their eyes
and said that it would make them wise.
The truth about everything is in The Book
for those who dared to take a look.
He reminded them that in these pages
is all the wisdom of the ages.
"What does it say
about this holiday?
This story of a man most jolly
riding in a sleigh that flies
is surely untruthful folly
from the Father of Lies.
Year after year you go into debt
and train your children to be greedy,
leaving you wishing for something yet
to take care of those who are needy.
Now try to remember
that it snows in December.
So this night, there can be no doubt,
is one when shepherds would not be out.
The magi came to the Youth
at the house in reverent fear
when the Man of Truth
was a child of more than a year!
About this tree that is so adored
are these instructions from the Lord?
I intend to use this ax
unless anyone can dispute these facts."
The Saints all stood in wonder and shame
how could they have fallen for such a game?
Still some looked with all of their might
they searched The Book all through the night.
No where in The Book could it be found
so with a whack and a thud
the tree was felled to the ground
and then landed in mud.
Then to protect them from danger
down came the manger
where wise men did not appear.
Shepherds had not watched their flock
each night at the wrong time of year
The Saints had learned with a shock.
Next the tree was set ablaze
and Santa was cast into the fire.
Then The Mensch did something to amaze.
He called Christmas "the work of a liar".
Then the Saints all cried
saying "even though we lied
we need a holiday to make us cheery
because Winter can be so dreary".
The Mensch said that he had not ruined their fun
by taking away a day they thought was great.
Instead of a false holiday that lasted for one
there was a true holiday that lasted for eight!
Then The Mensch opened The Book for all to see
how the Man of Truth celebrated the Feast of Dedication
and explained how they should do the same as he.
Then all the Saints pondered this in quiet meditation.
The Father of Truth had given them better holidays
than those that celebrate a natural phenomenon
like the Winter Solstice and the arrival of Spring.
The Book showed them how to walk in His ways.
"Keeping His Feasts", The Mensch went on and on
to explain, "was not just a Jewish thing."
The Saints of Saints Ville
came to see things that were real
and how Christmas had move them year after year
further and further from reverent fear.
So for the next eight days
they mended their ways
and dedicated themselves to the One
who had given them His son.
That self centered celebration came to stop
as they learned each night how to play with a top.
Every night they threw a party for the poor
and it was more fun than they ever had before!
They no longer taught their children to be greedy.
Instead they showed them how to take of the needy.
Spreading the Good News became their mission.
So they could carry out the Great Commission.
Their money was used to amend
those who had fell into neglect.
They gave up a life of pretend
and lived like they were the Elect!
"Hanukkah is a holiday
that surely won't bore us"
they said each and every day
as they lit their Menorahs.
So they decided to walk in the Truth
from the eldest to the youth.
The Feasts of Truth they would now celebrate
instead of listening to those who were celibate.
They had neglected doing His will
when the Saints had been distracted
until The Mensch came to Saints Ville
and all of these lies were retracted.
Pagan holidays they will no longer be keeping,
but said, as they with joy were weeping,
"The Father of Truth will not dismiss us
thanks to The Mensch who killed Christmas!".
Now this may have caught you off guard and even given you a shock or two. You may be wondering about some things and have some questions.
For example, what is a Mensch?
A Mensch is a person of good and noble character. It is the opposite of an Unmensch.
Wasn't the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) born on December 25th?
No, he was not even born until about another three months later. In fact the Book of Truth (the Bible) gives enough information to determine when was Jesus born down to the day within a two day margin.
Didn't Joseph (Yoseph) and Mary (Mariam) flee to Egypt with the baby Jesus (Yeshua) within a few days of his birth?
No. Eight days after the Man of Truth was born they circumcised him (Luke 2:21). Then when he was six weeks old they took him with them when his mother went to the Temple to be purified according to the commandment of the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) (Luke 2:22-24). This when Simeon and Anna blessed the Man of Truth (Luke 2:25-38). Then they returned to Nazareth to live there (Luke 2:39).
Weren't the wise men at the manger?
No. They came to the house that the Man of Truth lived in when he was a toddler (Matthew 2:11). [The Greek word "paidion" translated as "young child" means a child that is older than an infant and is generally used of a child that can stand on its own and has started to walk.]
When did the wise men visit the Man of Truth?
The wise men saw the star appear when the Man of Truth was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-2). Herod then asked them when did the star appear (Matthew 2:7). Herod then had all of the children that were two years of age and younger were killed based on when the star had first appeared to the wise men (Matthew 2:16).
So the wise men went to visit the Man of Truth when he was about two years old.
Where did the wise men visit the Man of Truth?
When they arrived in Jerusalem then Herod directed them to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:3-8). They then went to the house, which may not have even been in Bethlehem, where the Man of Truth was by following the star instead of the directions of Herod (Matthew 2:9-11). Then they left to go back to the East while Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the Man of Truth (Matthew 2:12-15). Herod then had all of the children that were two years and younger killed in the area from Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem to Ramah, north of Jerusalem based on where he was told that the Man of Truth was born (Matthew 2:16-18). Joseph then intended to move the family to Judea after Herod died but was instructed to go to Nazareth instead (Matthew 2:19-23). Nazareth is where Joseph had returned to previously when the Man of Truth was six weeks old (Luke 2:39).
So it is not certain where they went to pay homage to the Man of Truth. They may have went to a house in Nazareth where the Man of Truth went to when he was six weeks old. (Nazareth was also in the jurisdiction of Herod so they would still be in danger and would still need to flee to Egypt until Herod was dead. However, Herod split his kingdom in his will and it was out of the jurisdiction of his son Archelaus.) Since Joseph sought to go to Judea after Herod died it could be that he had moved to Judea at some point after returning to Nazareth when the Man of Truth was six weeks old. Even so, there is no indication of where in Judea he sought to live. It might have been Bethlehem since he would have to be there every ten years for the census but it could have been somewhere else in Judea.
So it is not certain where the wise men went to visit the Man of Truth. What is certain is that the wise men did not kneel at the manger in Bethlehem in worship of the Man of Truth when he was an infant. They did this at a house, either in Nazareth or an unnamed city of Judea, or Bethlehem, when the Man of Truth was about two years old.
Is there anything like a Christmas tree in the Book of Truth?
Sort of but not exactly.
The closest thing is the description of idol worshipers cutting down a tree, decorating it with silver and gold, and placing it on a stand (Jeremiah 10:3-4). While this sounds a lot like a Christmas tree, if you read the rest of the passage it is clear that this is actually an idol that they carve into some sort of statue (image), like perhaps something that looks like a man, and then clothed with expensive cloth colored purple and blue (Jeremiah 10:5-9). It is obvious that these idols are being worshiped even though they have no power to deliver anyone from trouble (Jeremiah 10:10-15).
So while there are many similarities in creating these idols to decorating a Christmas tree, there is one important difference. The makers of these idols are doing so for the expressed purpose of worshiping them while practically no one puts up a Christmas tree to worship it. I have never met one single person who has looked to a Christmas tree to deliver them from trouble like these idol worshipers did with the idol they carved from a tree.
Do Christmas trees have any other connection to idol worship?
Yes. Christmas trees came from the customs of pre-Christian Germany. Originally they decorated an oak tree that they worshiped until Saint Boniface cut it down and replaced it with an evergreen tree in the 6th century AD that was supposed to remind them of the Trinity and heaven by its shape. The Germans then began cutting down evergreen trees and decorating them in their homes after that.
The Germans were hardly alone in tree worship and many other countries had similar practices that also changed into placing something similar to a Christmas tree in their homes. Over the years, the placing of Christmas trees in homes became a tradition that continued on long after most people had ceased to worship trees.
The tree worshiping roots of Christmas trees are exactly the same as those who worshiped trees in Canaan and other places. It was under green trees that idols were worshiped (Deuteronomy 12:2). It was in the groves of trees where idol worship was carried out (1 Kings 15:13). It was green trees that were used for the poles which were decorated to look like the fertility goddess (Asherah) (2 Kings 17:10). It was under green trees that sexual sin was committed in worshiping the fertility goddess (Jeremiah 3:6).
So while Christmas trees are not idols (unless you actually worship it) the custom of cutting down a tree, decorating it and placing it on a stand definitely has its roots in idolatry.
What does it matter if pagan customs are incorporated in honoring the Man of Truth for his birthday?
The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) does not want His Children worshiping Him by doing the same things that the pagans do to worship their idols that He ordered destroyed (Deuteronomy 12:2-4). For this reason there are not even to be trees anywhere near where the Children of Truth worship Him nor anything even resembling an idol (Deuteronomy 16:21-22). The Children of Truth are to worship in spirit and truth through customs He gave to the Jews instead of Pagan customs (John 4:22-24). Pagan customs come from customs used for worshiping Spirits of Lies (devils aka demons aka unclean spirits aka gods) and the Father of Truth does not want the Children of Truth to have anything to do with Spirits of Lies (1 Corinthians 10:20). He wants His Children to abstain from anything that appears to have anything to do with evil things like idol worship (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
So for these reasons, Christmas trees and other pagan customs should not be used to honor the birthday of the Man of Truth, even on the actual day of his birth, much less on a day that came via the Romans from Babylonian sun god worship.
What is so bad about Santa Claus?
Foremost, people are perpetrating a fraud on their own children, often with the help of the religious professionals in the place where they congregate. In other words, they are lying to their children instead of telling them the truth. In fact, everything about Santa Claus is a lie.
Not only that, many things about Santa Claus, like the hat he wears, come from pagan customs rooted in Babylonian sun god worship. This another bad thing about Santa Claus. Allowing this fraud, who is dressed like a pagan priest, into the lives of children because it is fun is the Satan Clause.
The Children of Truth are supposed to teach their children the Word of Truth (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). If they train their children in the Word of Truth then they will not depart from the Way of Truth when they grow up (Proverbs 22:6).
All lies are from the Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) (John 8:44). There was nothing that belonged to him in the life of the Man of Truth (John 14:30). The Children of Truth should not make room for anything that is from him in their lives either (Ephesians 4:27). Their Father wants them to walk in truth at all times (2 John 1:4).
The Children of Truth should strive to always be walking in truth so they should have absolute nothing to do with Santa Claus.
Does the Book of Truth really say that the Man of Truth celebrated Hanukkah?
Yes, even though it was called the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah means dedication) he celebrated it during the Winter at the Temple in Jerusalem (John 10:21-22).
What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah is the Feast of Dedication to celebrate the dedicating the Temple after it was restored by the Maccabees who did exploits as had been revealed about 300 years earlier to Daniel the Prophet of Truth (Daniel 11:31-33). It is also called the Festival of Lights.
Why should Gentile Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) celebrate a Jewish holiday?
It's not just a Jewish thing to celebrate Hanukkah. Hanukkah has many applications for all of the Children of Truth. For example, it is about the Children of Truth dedicating the Temple that is their body. Everything that the Father of Truth gave to Israel is meant for His Gentile Children of Truth who have became part of the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13).
Is it enough to avoid pagan customs associated with Christmas and instead practice Biblical customs associated with Biblical holidays like Hanukkah?
NO!
The commandment to love other people is next in importance to the commandment to love the Father of Truth (Mark 12:30-31). The Children of Truth are to always remember the poor who live in the House of Truth (Galatians 2:10). The Children of Truth are to do good to everyone but especially those who are in need in the House of Truth (Galatians 6:10). Not doing what we can to provide for the needs of each other makes us worse than being a pagan (1 Timothy 5:8). It is not enough to avoid pagan customs unless you also take care of the poor (James 1:27).
In like manner, keeping the right holidays in the right way is worthless if it distracts the Children of Truth from doing their part to carry out the Great Commission. The Children of Truth must make disciples for the Man of Truth of all kinds of people (Matthew 28:19-20). The Children of Truth must tell everyone the Good News about the Man of Truth so they can be saved (Mark 16:15-16). Anyone that does not do all they can to save those who do not know the Man of Truth are guilty of the worst kind of hatred. They simply do not love the Father of Truth (1 John 4:20-21).
The Children of Truth do not use keeping the lessor matters of the Law as an excuse to neglect the weightier matters of the Law. If you observe the weekly Sabbath and all of the holidays found in the Book of Truth but do not take care of other people then whose Sabbath are you keeping?
Does it really matter if I observe Christmas or Hanukkah or nothing at all?
It does matter at all unless you come into the House of Truth. No one is saved by observing or not observing holidays or even by keeping the Law of Truth (Romans 3:27-28). You must first come into the House of Truth by surrendering control of your life to the Man of Truth because you believe his Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-10). Only after you come into the House of Truth will you be able to grow to the point that you can eat meat (Hebrews 5:12-13). It is only after you come into the House of Truth and have learned the foundational truths that things like killing Christmas will really begin to matter (Hebrews 6:1-2).
Come into the House of Truth.
posted by The House Of Truth @ December 14, 2014
<< Home