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Author Topic: celebrations  (Read 4361 times)

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DerekSSands

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celebrations
« on: July 10, 2014, 02:17:37 PM »

Hello all  :)
I know someone must have asked this question before at some point and i tried to find it here in the forums but maybe I've overlooked  it? I was wondering is it acceptable for a christian to participate in holiday and birthday celebrations?? particularly if your spouse or other family members don't believe as you. Should you be with them on these events but refrain from participating in holiday activities?? any help or advice would be welcomed
God Bless
Derek Sands  ;)
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jojoross

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Re: celebrations
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2014, 03:24:15 PM »

Hey Derek,

Here are 3 great verses that helped me out with your concern:

Col 2:16(CV)-Let no one, then, be judging you in food or in drink or in the particulars of a festival, or of a new moon, or of sabbaths,

1John 4:4(CV)- You are of God, little children, and you have conquered them, for greater is He Who is in you than he who is in the world.

Col 3:17(CV)-17 And everything, whatsoever you may be doing, in word or in act, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God, the Father, through Him.


Gods Peace,
Jordan
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Rhys 🕊

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Re: celebrations
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2014, 05:39:57 PM »

Here is a earlier post on this subject that may help:

http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,14315.msg126706.html#msg126706

Rhys
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DerekSSands

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Re: celebrations
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2014, 07:06:13 PM »

Thank you Rhys and Jojoross those answers help :-) my wife's birthday is in a week and I was in a dilemma am I glorifying God by celebrating this? or am I slapping him in the face (by using customs originally intended for honor of false gods)on the other hand am I insulting my wife and family by not celebrating, what they celebrate?? (christmas, easter, birthdays etc, etc)
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Extol

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Re: celebrations
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2014, 09:35:18 PM »

Thank you Rhys and Jojoross those answers help :-) my wife's birthday is in a week and I was in a dilemma am I glorifying God by celebrating this? or am I slapping him in the face (by using customs originally intended for honor of false gods)on the other hand am I insulting my wife and family by not celebrating, what they celebrate?? (christmas, easter, birthdays etc, etc)

It is good to honor your wife, whether it's her birthday or not. Don't let fear of a custom's origins stop you from honoring your wife. If you do too much research into this kind of thing, you can take it too far to the point where it just becomes silly. I couldn't find it, but Ray said in an e-mail once: "If you find out that pagans were the first to wear shoes, are you going to STOP WEARING SHOES?" I did find an e-mail where he mentioned the shoes, and another about birthdays:

http://www.forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,2759.0.html

Yes, Christimas and all of its accoutrements and paraphania (evergreen tree, orbs, eggs, mistletoe, presents, winter solstice, yule logs, fires, drinking, etc.) are also pagan. But then again virtually all who shun this day with great horror think nothing of having a traditional wedding with the same pagan acoutrements (vale, something old, something new; something borrowed, something blue, rings, rice, honeymoon, bells, wedding cake, etc.).  Then of course at least some of them have their boys in the Boy Scouts with all their pagan accoutrements (left-handed locking little finger hand shake, spirit of scouting, the insignia--fleur-de-lis, etc).  Did I mention that it was the pagans who whore shoes before the Christians.  The Scriptures tell us that we should "Be ye not righteous over much" (Ecc. 7:16). And Paul said: "To the pure all things are pure."  I just don't get all bent out of shape over these things. I personally do not get caught up in the "spirit" of any of these things, but neither do I condemn those who do. These are things that each of us must decide in their own way. However, for what it is worth: Dumping Christmas for Hannukah seems to me like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

God be with you,

Ray

http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,7914.0.html

Ray, I have found only two occasions where the celebration of birthdays are listed in the bible.  The Old Testament talks about not following the traditions of the pagans and so also does the New Testament. Since my research shows that the history of birthday celebrations is definitely a pagan tradition, how do you view it.
DA
 

Dear DA:  Keeping account of one's age and year of birth is mentioned dozens and dozens of times in Scriptures. No, it does not use such terms as "birthday parties," but it may well been a day of recognition and celebration.
God be with you,
Ray
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Farlsborough

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Re: celebrations
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2014, 09:56:48 AM »

I think Extol's reply is excellent. How much are you spiritually invested in these things? My answer would be: not very.

There is a big debate on a professional forum I use about certain exercise classes of eastern origin; whether or not a Christian can do them. And again, my answer would be, "it depends". If it is a class that focuses on a spiritual element, and requires that you take its spiritual elements on board, probably not. But if it is simply a class that uses certain body positions and stretches for health and relaxation, why not? Do certain body positions secretly make you vulnerable to being possessed by snake demons? Come on.

As Extol says, you can read into the "pagan origins" of almost everything. Is the cake I eat on my birthday somehow sub-consciously an act of pagan worship? Of course not! Do you want to celebrate the birth of your wife, entirely devoid of any weird pagan deities? Of course you do. So go ahead.

In the same way that we mark the passage of time with days, seasons, harvests and so on, we mark time with festivals. "The Christmas before last..." "Remember that Easter when..." - these are times you are going to want to remember because you will have been with friends and family. How ridiculous to say "remember that... er... 25th of December when Alfie ate too much... er... "fruit" pudding, and the dog got scared when we pulled those... er... "celebration" crackers. Yup, nothing else to distinguish that day from the next..."

When Christianity came to pagan people, the saints deliberately built their chapels in fields that had previously contained druidic standing stones. And they deliberately placed their festivals on the days of the pagan festivals. People will hold festivals, no doubt about that - but you can choose what to celebrate on these events.
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Kat

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Re: celebrations
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2014, 11:32:18 AM »


Hi Derek,

Good advice already. Let me just say that we should always be aware of that "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:12) that does speak to us. With the Spirit indwelling we are guided by our conscience in knowing right from wrong.

Heb 13:18  Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.

We should not ignore those little nudges to do a certain thing or to not do something. This is the process of change that helps us learn and understand what we should do, our conscience will let us know. We cannot judge what to do by the world... maybe one way is to look beyond all this and thinking of how Christ will rule in the next age. If we are to be raised to rule with Christ then we need to already be living according to His godliness.

2Co 1:12  For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.

We should always have a clean conscience before God.

Heb 10:22  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
v. 23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

mercy, peace and love
Kat
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DerekSSands

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Re: celebrations
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2014, 04:01:56 PM »

 :) Thank you all for the replies, they have been very helpful  :D
God Bless
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