Why Do Christians celebrate pagan holidays?

They don't only those who claim to be Christian celebrate them :)

(Matthew 7:15-20) “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? Likewise every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit; a good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, neither can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire. Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those [men].”

@Cupcake,

Your quite correct, nowhere does it say in scripture to celebrate Jesus' resurrection, although it's not often an individual picks up on this and the other things you've mentioned enough to mention them :)

Sigh.... As a pagan I'm really sick of questions like this. Every new developing culture adopts some practices, customs, traditions and such from pre-existing cultures. Neo-pagans do the same, so what's the big deal? As a pagan, I do not celebrate the birth of or resurrection of Jesus (which are the reasons Christmas and Easter were established). So what if Jesus was not born on Dec 25th and that was simply the day chosen for all to celebrate. Sheesh, we had a birthday party for my neighbor's kid on Saturday, but his actual birthday was in the middle of the week prior - should we not have celebrated on Saturday when everyone was available to gather because he was not actually born on 6/25? So what if Christians incorporated some old seasonal customs into their celebrations of Jesus. Decorations and such are more so secular now anyway. The spiritual meaning of them depends on the individual using them. It's perfectly okay with me if a Christian has a Christmas tree and I have a Yule tree at the same time of year. Pagans do not own exclusive rights to the month of December for goodness sake. There IS room for all of us here - and no need to bicker over such things that are so petty now considering they came about so long before you or I were even born. I still celebrate Yule and Ostara for what they mean to me - have been doing so my whole adult life - so it seems Christianity did not STEAL my holy days after all.

Over the thousands of years/centuries the Church adopted & re-dressed pagan holidays in an effort to convert & keep converted the pagan masses. They must have believed it was a small price to pay for thousands more church goers.

And besides, the holidays are pretty fun ^_^v (even Atheists like Easter Egg chocolate ;D !!).

Though as a side note, you'd be surprised at how much more than just holidays the Church adopted when it came the pagan stuff (even things like Church Silver/holy relics and Baptism have much more ancient origins than Christianity).

You must remember that not all professed Christians are true Christians. At John 8:31, Jesus said: "“If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples." Did Jesus tell his followrs to worship pagan holidays like Easter, Christmas, and Halloween? No. History shows that all of those holidays have pagan origins.

The only observance Jesus commanded his followers to celebrate was the anniversary of his death.

1) because they aren't true Christians.

2) they would rather do as they want/please, rather then please Jehovah God.

3) bc years ago, the church adopted the pagan practices, for the pagans to accept Christianity.

4) They don't think there is any harm in these practices.

5) They don't know that it is pagan.

6) they don't care if its pagan.

You are 100% correct that they have nothing what-so-ever to do with Jesus,

nor his God and Father.

Could be any one or a combination of these things listed above.

No where does Jesus say to commemorate his resurrection.

But his sacrificial death ~ Luke 22:

Once Judas has left, Jesus introduces a meal to commemorate his impending death.

He takes a loaf of the unleavened bread, expresses thanks in prayer, breaks it,

and instructs the 11 to partake.

"This means my body," he says, "which is to be given in your behalf.

Keep doing this in remembrance of me." <~~~

He then takes a cup of red wine.

After saying a blessing, he passes the cup to them,

telling them to drink out of it. Jesus adds: "This means my 'blood of the covenant,'

which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins."—Luke 22:19, 20;

Matthew 26:26-28.

If Christendom would stop! and throw away the traditions of mankind,

they would be ending the apostasy on their part.

If you would like to learn Bible truths, go here:

http://www.watchtower.org/

Less stuff to get hung up on.... :D

Whether there is an egg or not, a celebration that is dedicated to a pagan goddess named Easter ("Ashtoreth" in the Bible) breaks the first two of the Ten Commandments.

A pagan fertility goddess

has nothing to do with Christ's death or true worship. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17)

Thus true Christians must endeavor to avoid pagan practices and celebrations,

really all things that dishonor God, completely.

News flash! They only have to do with Jesus! Read and learn. Most Romance languages use some derivation of Paschal to denote Easter. English uses Easter, German uses Ostern. The question about whether the Bible commands celebration is a straw man. The Church, which has existed since the beginning, has always celebrated Easter. The Bible nowhere forbids celebration of the Resurrection.

Hello,

As the Founder of true Christianity did not celebrate ANY pagan days, so TRUE Christians never did, and NEVER will. Please see Mat. 13:24-30 where Jesus explains the difference between TRUE and counterfeit. Also Mat. 7:13-21.

Kind regards, Günter

God created everything and declared "It is good". Someone, somewhere, a long time ago misused part of God's perfect creation so therefore, we cannot use it?

Someone, somewhere, a long time ago, worshipped Ishtar so therefore we cannot celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead?

Someone, somewhere, a long time age, worshipped the return of the sun on Dec. 25, so therefore we cannot celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus on that day? Even though He created the day?

Someone, somewhere, a long time ago, held orgies in the groves, so therefore we cannot walk throught the woods?

Someone, somewhere, along time ago, worshipped a tree, so we cannot have Christmas trees?

Someone, somewhere, a long time ago, worshipped a false god on a certain day so therefore, we cannot worship the True and Living God on that day?

If we continue this line of thought to its conclusion we cannot enjoy sunlight because someone, somewhere, a long time ago worshipped the sun?

Someone, somewhere, a long time ago worshipped the moon, so we cannot look at a full moon and enjoy it?

In the roughly 6000 years man has been on this Earth nearly everything has been worshipped or misused for sin.

If everything is excluded that someone, somewhere, a long time ago sinned with, worshipped, or somehow misused there will be nothing that we can do.

Should we let someone, somewhere, a long time ago determine what we do today? Is what they did so important that we should let them determine our behavior?

No one cares about what you celebrate and don't the majority of believers like to remember Christs resurrection and birth unlike some brainwashed idiots who pay too much attention to the accusations of non believers

The way I celebrate those holidays has much to do with Jesus. I don't know about other people.