Should Christmas be celebrated or rejected according to the word of God?

[Sower]

On 12/10/2023 at 5:12 PM, Bro.Tan said:

It’s easy for people to say how much they love the Lord, they may be able to deceive man, but God knows the mind.

Exactamundo! We should all remember that when evaluating/judging others.
I tell people often that I'm not sure I can say that I really love the Lord. His word to me/us says if I want to show my love for him to keep his commandments, and not some other fallen man's understanding of them.

It also says that for me to judge another will allow God to judge me the same way I judge those others. (food/holy day etc)   I do not want that, I prefer mercy. Something to think on.

By the way, are you aware what it means to actually "keep the sabbath"?
Good luck with that. (No internet sundown to sundown  ) I understand why most sabbath keepers I know follow only a few of  the parts they want to follow concerning the sabbath worship, and not the rest of the true sabbath worship.
(Just for the Jews)

WHAT IS THE SABBATH?

The SABBATH is the Jewish holy day. Jews set aside this day each week for rest and prayer.

• The Sabbath is called SHABBAT in Hebrew
• Shabbat begins at Sunset on Friday and ends at Sunset on Saturday.
• Jews celebrate this holy time with religious services in both the home and the synagogue.

The origin of the Sabbath is found in the bible. In the story of the CREATION:

• God created the world in 6 days and rested in the 7th day.

The Jews obeyed God. They kept the Sabbath day holy for thousands of years.

• On the Sabbath Jews celebrate their special relationship with God.
• They praise God for this goodness.
• They thank God for caring for the chosen people throughout the ages.
• Today Jewish people spend most of the day relaxing at home with their families.
• The Talmud lists 39 types of work that must not be done on the Sabbath.

 

PREPARING FOR THE SABBATH

There are different rituals associated with the celebration of the Sabbath. This means that there are certain things that the Jews always say and do at this sacred time:

• School finishes early on a Friday in Jewish countries
• Jewish children return home and help their parents prepare for the Sabbath
• The house is cleaned and tidied.
• The shopping is done
• A meal is prepared and the table set carefully. It is covered with a white table cloth, Two candlesticks and a wine glass are put on the table.
• Two loaves of plaited bread are placed on the table and covered with a napkin. A salt dish is also put on the table.
• When everything is done the family go to their rooms to get ready. They shower and put on good clothes.
• Television and phones are switched off. Everything becomes quiet as sunset approaches

Welcoming the Sabbath

At sunset the family gather around the table The mother lights the two candles to welcome Sabbath. She says a prayer as she does this. She then puts her hands over her eyes and asks God to bless the home. Everyone now wishes each other 'SHABBAT SHALOM' which in Hebrew means 'Have a peaceful Sabbath'

A SERVICE is held at the Synagogue on Friday Evening. When the men and boys return from the Synagogue the family gather together for the family meal.

 

After the Kiddush ritual the family sit down together at the table to enjoy the Sabbath meal. There is time to talk and relax. Adults and children might even sing traditional Sabbath songs between the different courses. The meal always ends with a prayer of thanksgiving.

THE SABBATH DAY

On Saturday morning Jewish families attend a service in the synagogue. Afterwards they return home to relax and enjoy the day together.

 

The word KOSHER just means SUITABLE or PURE. It is a very important part of Judaism and categorises which products and foods are allowed and forbidden according to Jewish law.

The food laws concerning things being Kosher are found in LEVITICUS in the TALMUD. This sets out what is and is not unclean.

Certain foods found in supermarkets are forbidden for Jews to eat. These include: Pork and other products from a pig such as bacon Some types of Cheese Shellfish like prawns, crab and lobster Animals that can be eaten must be slaughtered in a certain way. No pain is permitted to the animal so it has to be done as quickly and humanely as possible.

 

In a Jewish household Dairy and Meat products must not be cooked together as this is forbidden in the Torah.

This separation is very important and Jewish households even have separate utensils and pots and pans for use with dairy and meat separately.

 

Hope this above is a true representation of sabbath worship lest I offend someone.   .

Thanks, Bro Tan

[Starise]

1 hour ago, Bro.Tan said:

In the scriptures it's written Jeremiah 10: 1 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel: 2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. 8 But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. 

So we see how the lord warned us about this in Jeremiah days, not to do this. Paul says in Romans 15:  4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. 

 

But I'm not heathen.

I'm a Christian guy with an artificial tree.

[The_Patriot21]

On 12/9/2023 at 4:04 PM, AFlameOfFire said:

It's like this

Santa=

(use some word scrabble skills)

=Satan

= Red Ho Ho dragon in the flesh with a white beard and a bell

"All these things I will give to you" if you just sit on my lap and tell me what it is you want 

 

I've seen that argument...I'm not sure if your serious or joking but I have seen it used seriously so I'm going to answer it seriously...

In that, it's imagination. If one plays scrabble one can make many words spell different variations of Satan. Just because the word uses the same letters doesn't mean it was intended to be Satan. 

I mean if you add an A to ants then rearrange you can get Satan to. So therefore ants are Satan to. The possibilities here go on forever.

Or instead we can take the word for what it actually means, which is the Spanish word for saint. Which fits because well, Santa Claus was originally based upon a real person -saint Nicolas.

Now Santa Claus has been twisted to the point that there's no real correlation between the two, and if one genuinely wanted to argue about the evils of Santa they should start with that-rather then intentionally misspelling words. One would gain more traction that way.

 

[Guest AFlameOfFire]

On 12/9/2023 at 11:09 PM, AFlameOfFire said:

So I made a little joke about the fictional Santa on a  Christmas thread to lighten things up and you seem to miss the joke, and moved in to defend the fiction for whatever reason and end it by asking me who the accuser is?

That's odd

 

 

 

 

Just for the record

I blew it up so all can see its a JOKE 

If you take scrabble seriously, that's on you. I dont.

 

[Guest AFlameOfFire]

6 minutes ago, The_Patriot21 said:

I've seen that argument...I'm not sure if your serious or joking but I have seen it used seriously so I'm going to answer it seriously...

In that, it's imagination. If one plays scrabble one can make many words spell different variations of Satan. Just because the word uses the same letters doesn't mean it was intended to be Satan. 

I mean if you add an A to ants then rearrange you can get Satan to. So therefore ants are Satan to. The possibilities here go on forever.

Or instead we can take the word for what it actually means, which is the Spanish word for saint. Which fits because well, Santa Claus was originally based upon a real person -saint Nicolas.

Now Santa Claus has been twisted to the point that there's no real correlation between the two, and if one genuinely wanted to argue about the evils of Santa they should start with that-rather then intentionally misspelling words. One would gain more traction that way.

 

See above, I stated it was a joke, you appeared to miss it too.

[The_Patriot21]

Just now, AFlameOfFire said:

See above, I stated it was a joke, you appeared to miss it too.

I did say I wasn't sure and the only reason I answered seriously, was because to some people it's not a joke. My reply wasn't necessarily aimed at you

[Marathoner]

12 minutes ago, AFlameOfFire said:

See above, I stated it was a joke, you appeared to miss it too.

My apologies for missing the boat on that one, my friend. Unfortunately, that has come up before and it wasn't lighthearted. My fault for assuming otherwise. 

[Guest AFlameOfFire]

1 minute ago, The_Patriot21 said:

I did say I wasn't sure and the only reason I answered seriously, was because to some people it's not a joke. My reply wasn't necessarily aimed at you

I know, had you just went down a couple of replies you would have seen it but you didn't, that is fine.

Although I will admit that I think it would have been a genius move had some atheist invented it as a spoof. To create a fiction/lie spun off the name "Satan" (in the unholy sense) scrambling that name into "Santa" ( in a holy sense). Then just promote the day according to covetousness (which is idolatry) and he would probably be getting a big laugh at it

So I think it would have been a decent fraud, if it was pulled off by one that way.

[Marathoner]

5 minutes ago, AFlameOfFire said:

I know, had you just went down a couple of replies you would have seen it but you didn't, that is fine.

Although I will admit that I think it would have been a genius move had some atheist invented it as a spoof. To create a fiction/lie spun off the name "Satan" (in the unholy sense) scrambling that name into "Santa" ( in a holy sense). Then just promote the day according to covetousness (which is idolatry) and he would probably be getting a big laugh at it

So I think it would have been a decent fraud, if it was pulled off by one that way.

Without regard for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in this flesh, there are indeed unbelievers who keep the holiday. That has to do with cultural norms and one's upbringing.

We differentiate celebrating the good news of His birth from the malodorous machinations of malevolent merchants. 

There's nothing amiss with gift-giving... but the pressure exerted by manipulative marketing concerns me greatly. 

Lots of "M"s there, yes? Many. 

[Guest AFlameOfFire]

6 minutes ago, Marathoner said:

Without regard for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in this flesh, there are indeed unbelievers who keep the holiday. That has to do with cultural norms and one's upbringing.

We differentiate celebrating the good news of His birth from the malodorous machinations of malevolent merchants. 

There's nothing amiss with gift-giving... but the pressure exerted by manipulative marketing concerns me greatly. 

Lots of "M"s there, yes? Many. 

Yes, there are a lot of M's

And yeah, did you ever see those videos where Walmart opens their doors on black Friday and they run over each other in the hundreds and kill each other for presents? That is not the Spirit of God at all.

Me, personally, I do not celebrate the day itself, I used to though, I just do not any longer so it's really not an issue concerning me.