COG Myth 3,789: Christmas is Pagan

 

Naked Bible 195: Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?

There is much discussion online at this time of year as to the presumed pagan origins of Christmas. December 25, we are told, was a date stolen from pagan worship, specifically from the festival of the “Birth of the Unconquered Sun” (Sol Invictus)? Should Christians have Christmas trees? Aren’t trees pagan objects of worship? How should Christians think about, and respond to, such questions? Do these questions have any relationship to the content of Scripture? Listen to find out.

Links and sources:

William Tighe, “Calculating Christmas: The Story Behind Dec 25” Touchstone Magazine (December, 2003)

Thomas J. Talley, The Origins of the Liturgical Year (The Liturgical Press, 1991)

Aaron Gleason, “How Christmas Baptizes Norse Mythology into Powerful Christian Archetypes,” The Federalist (December 15, 2017)

Origin of the names of the Days

Jewish month names from Babylon

Mission Impossible: No really, Mission IMPOSSIBLE.

 

...as well as inarguable and cannot be questioned! Just try to argue with it. You can't!

This compilation leaves me personally asking

"What the hell is wrong with this man?"

A religious delusion is defined as a delusion, or fixed belief not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence, involving religious themes or subject matter. Religious faith, meanwhile, is defined as a belief in a religious doctrine or higher power in the absence of evidence.

Although many researchers have brought evidence for a positive role that religion plays in health, others have shown that religious practices and experiences may be linked to mental illnesses of various kinds (mood disorders, personality disorders, psychiatric disorders). In 2011, a team of psychiatrists, behavioral psychologists, neurologists and neuropsychiatrists from the Harvard Medical School published research that suggested the development of a new diagnostic category of psychiatric disorders related to religious delusion and hyper-religiosity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_delusion

"Decking the Halls" With God's Greatest COG Leader In The History of Humanity

 

This podcast episode discusses Bob Thiel's article challenging the traditional image of St. Nicholas. Thiel, an Armstrongist minister, argues that the popular Santa Claus figure significantly differs from the historical St. Nicholas, whom he portrays as a flawed and possibly unsaintly individual. His arguments draw on historical accounts and interpretations of scripture, contrasting with both common perceptions and mainstream Christian theology, especially regarding the Trinity and the veneration of saints. The podcast hosts challenge Thiel's research while emphasizing the need for critical analysis of his perspective, given his unique theological viewpoint and potentially biased source selection. Ultimately, the discussion prompts reflection on the evolution of Christian traditions and the importance of nuanced historical interpretation. Ai-COG