Christ was not born at winter time because
it's too cold for sheep to be in the field.
How many times have we heard this crap in the Church of God? The myths that were taught be theologically ignorant men was appaling. Just because one man in Pasadena made a dumb statement, the entire church was treated to this nonsense as fact.
The person who posted this on Facebook said:
Consider the fact that Bethlehem shares about the same climate as Jacksonville, FL. Mild winters. Sheep have a lot of wool which keeps them nice and warm. In the Navy I was stationed in Iceland and saw sheep out in the winter months.
26 comments:
You can find info online about sheep being kept outside 365 days a year in Israel/Palestine area. IN fact there are photos of sheep grazing in December in Bethlehem.
Also, you must be in Jerusalem for the 3 holy seasons. So no Jewish man would have gone for a census during the feasts and there would have been revolt had Rome insisted. Rome knew that and was more interested in money than getting their cash cows riled up. The only season a census calling for return to one's hometown would be in winter when there are no holy days to contend with.It would be perfect for Jesus Christ to have been born on the final day of Chanukah when the light and cleanliness were restored to the temple.
Armstrongism is made up of lies.
All of what HWA taught was lies! Unfortunately, some dumb "sheep" are still deluded by his nonsense.
2000 years of man-made sheep evolution.
Fools
The sheep are all right, however it says "the shepperds were outside in the fields."
I was in the church of the nativity at december 25 some years ago. Just before the broomstick incident between the christian monks cleaning their half of the church, crossing their assigned perimeter causing a religious war of broomsticks.
Actually the weather was pretty good for my built, but the middle easterns thought it rainy, windy and cold. The soldiers wore warm scarves and thick winter clothing. As a matter of fact I had to stand in the rain for 1.5 hours before the Palestinian guards let us roam the Haram al Sharif for half an hour, before they closed it down and sought shelter in the warm mosque.
Christmas morning was the saddest feastday morning ever in my hotel in Jerusalem.
I left for Yad Vashem which was about the most miserable, sobering experience ever, then a last drive to East Jerusalem for another last view on the Old Town before I was swept away by rain and cold.
In other hotels the settlers had joyous feasting for Hannukah. It felt a bit Feasty and it was like the FOT to me after decades, my wife said, I feel like an outsider, just when we visited your parents at the nearby Feast site for a day. REALITY CHECK.
What a lame attempt this posting, since the roster of duties for John the Baptists father and many other scriptures indicate another date for Christ' birth, which in itself is of not so much consequence.
A man is known by his friends and his deeds, not his birth.
Enough reason to enjoy the next Maria Carey video, whose particular song is in itself proof of the existence of God whatever ones opinion of the Big Bang.
nck
I just read that you were stationed in Iceland in the navy.
I salute you sir, just as I saluted the airmen in the Azores, taking a break halfway some time ago.
Thank you for protecting Northern Nato territory in the service of Norad and Northern Command or the Atlantic Fleet on behalf of a free and grateful people.
nck
Even though I have become an atheist I still think it is a good idea to have a holiday at the darkest time of the year where many decorate buildings with multi-color lights, and people get together with family and friends in a festive atmosphere. I personally look at X-mas as a secular holiday and I don't have a problem with it. As I said it is a good time of the year to have a festive holiday. So bring on the lights and the festivities!
This is a topic which is near to my heart... Best wishes!
Where are your contact details though?
See how much progress I have made! Everything in me wants to explain the Birth Narratives, how they were inserted in Luke and Matthew, why the need to aggrandize the birth of Jesus, are two different irreconcilable tales and made up from Old Testament scriptures since no one had any clue about Jesus birth circumstance, when, where and how. But I am growing and overcoming!
Baaaaaaaah…..Ice and Snow encrusted sheep are moot...
Dennis reminded us of: "...how much progress I have made! Everything in me wants to explain the Birth Narratives, how they were inserted in Luke and Matthew, why the need to aggrandize the birth of Jesus, are two different irreconcilable tales and made up from Old Testament scriptures since no one had any clue about Jesus birth circumstance, when, where and how. But I am growing and overcoming!"
And to think for decades we were all filled with "grow and overcome" sermons given to us by hirelings, who essentially were saying: "Be like ME! Follow ME and my example of growing and overcoming in my personal life and that of my family!"
And those same hirelings, like sheep, are scattered all over the worldwide xcog landscape...and still preaching the same thing.
Time will tell...
John
You could spend a week looking up all the history of the pagan origins of Christmas on Google, but for the most part people have little concern what is true.
When I was dating outside the church, I lost a number of attractive women as soon as I told them I didn't celebrate it. It was the price I paid but I wasn't going to ignore what was true. I proudly tell anyone who asks about my Christmas plans that I haven't celebrated it for 50 years. It doesn't make me a holy man but I have no problem not following the crowd and group think.
pretty much any bible commentary will say the same thing, Jesus was not born in winter.
and Dennis, what on earth are you talking about????
even way back when I was growing up in the Baptist Church we were taught that one was Joseph's line and the other was Mary's line...
https://pursiful.com/2006/12/18/when-was-jesus-born-zechariahs-priestly-service/
The WCG date for the birth is bases on the high priest courses being 2 weeks long.
Since the details of the priest's courses were not recorded - you could have His birth happening summer, fall, or mid-winter.
None of the Gospel writers recorded the date.
I grew up in a non COG environment, and we celebrated Christmas as a non-religious holiday. We did not go to church - we just gave and received presents. This is how most people observe Christmas today.
The Jews keep Hanukkah which is a time of gift giving too.
I have not read any COG articles blasting Hanukkah for being Satan worship.
The COGs like their winter get togethers - maybe they could go OT and call them Hanukkah get togethers? Just don't call it Christmas!
...but one would be kidding themselves if they thought either contradictory birth narrative was literally or historically true
... and one wouldn't care when Christ was born anyways, if they belive we evolved from apes.
Likewise Dennis, you're kidding yourself if you believe that God won't hold you accountable for all your posts. Presumably, you have some secret mental defence squirreled away somewhere.
711 you are referring to the now discredited apologetic for the geneologies of Jesus. This is about the Birth Narratives I.E. the Christmas stories in Matthew and Luke. Two different things
I had a chance to work on a farm with those sheep from Iceland. As the first winter approached, I helped the owner get the barn prepped for the sheep. With a big snow storm coming, we put the sheep in a corral with access to the barn for the night. When I arrived the next morning after a foot of snow overnight, I looked down at the barnyard and all the sheep were laying down outside the barn with a foot of snow on their backs. There was no heat loss through their wool to melt the snow off their backs.
With that said, there are so many different breeds of sheep with all of them having different length and density of wool, that there is no way to use those pictures to justify Mediterranean sheep not needing winter shelter. Most of the Mediterranean sheep are light wool or hair like and one thing a light wool sheep doesn't like is a cold windy rain.
If I am not mistaken, I think HWA got his information about Christ's season of birth from one of his commentaries. A non winter birth was another "proof" for HWA to build his case that the Christmas celebration is a pagan practice through and through.
as the apostle Saul noted: the jews have the Sayings of God, and it stands to reason that they would know more about when Jesus waz born than some pagan based roman religious authorities would...
c f ben yochanan
You all are so irrational, and want to blame someone for your own insecurities, and sins. Do you not read history, clear history...not just Biblical history? Jesus was not born in the winter. Do some research on your own, instead of trying to justify reasons why you are all now celebrating one of the most pagan holiday that is worshiping the Sun god for winter solstice. You all bought into hook,line and sinker. Boy, satan knows how to get to you all...as the majority of the world.
Anon 2:36 PM, I celebrate Christmas BECAUSE it is pagan! I also celebrate Christmas BECAUSE it annoys people like you!
You do know the solstice was today, right?
But did the shepherds leave Nimrod's Testicles out in the cold? Because you know testicles shrink in those conditions...
How do you purify paganism? Only one way: Jesus Christ!. Is something pagan? Sublimate it! Worship Jesus instead. Turn it! This is why nobody thinks of Saturnalia on Christmas. Christians turned it centuries ago so that on Dec. 25, everyone is thinking about Jesus, not Nimrod or paganism. HWA made his followers think about paganism on Christmas centuries after it had been transformed. Shame on him!
BB
what one gets when they google the word scoffing..
verb
gerund or present participle: scoffing
speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way.
"department officials scoffed at the allegations"
synonyms:mock, deride, ridicule, sneer at, jeer at, jibe at, taunt, make fun of, poke fun at, laugh at, scorn, laugh to scorn, dismiss, make light of, belittle;
informal pooh-pooh
"they scoffed at her article"
c f ben yochanan
7:53 BB
That could be an "out of the box" comment I would make. Since the comment goes deeper than an average off the cuff, it exposes a wcg fetish with "time" (as well as doing things right).
I do not believe HWA (or us) felt that "pagan ways or hanging testicles" held any power still. Focus was on "time" instead of "most wonderful".
Also somehow if the entire christian world spent all their artistical resources in drawing attention to jesus it somehow supposedly distracted us from jesus.
Perhaps wcg's application of israelite customs in pleasing god amounts to the same effort and results as when my sri lankan hotel staff tried to please us with christmassy songs and dress in the middle of a monsoon surrounded by budhist culture and arruveyan manners.
I felt extremely grateful for the friendly gesture but somehow it felt unnatural and short of mariah carey.
God should have been much clearer in whether he favors george michael or other music in this time of the year, now he made us feel like sri lankan hotel staff, trying their utmost to please while feeling incompetent or unequipped to do so fully.
Nck
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