originally sent to all of my friends & family:

i wish to thank you for the warm gesture of giving, caring and most of all, thinking about me this, or any season. i do hope to better keep in touch with all of my friends and family on a more personal level than i have in the past, for i realize more now than ever how important you all really are to me.

besides thanking everyone for thinking of me, i wanted to try and explain to my friends and family why i do not observe the common holiday seasons anymore, nor certain other holidays that have been a tradition amongst practically everyone i know - including myself! due to many life changes over the past years, i now find myself feeling very differently about many things i was taught.

after my mom died in '92, i just about lost it! some of you who are reading this might also know that out of all the trauma i went through, i made a decision to put aside all i thought i knew about God and begin to study the Bible, to see what IT had to say about subjects such as life and death, why i'm here, what's happening, etc... well, i never would have imagined that i'd find so many differences between Biblical teachings, and the teachings of various church organizations which use the same book!

i must also say that it's not easy to even begin to really explain the feelings i now have regarding common "Christian" traditions such as Christmas, because i understand how most people feel about it because i used to feel the same exact way! but now, i have a totally different view of this, and other learned traditions.

i'm a sci-fi fan, so i'll use an example from some recent movies i've seen. if you have seen Dark City or Matrix, imagine how some of the characters would feel - waking up and finding out what they thought was real, wasn't real after all! this is kind of the way i've been feeling since i began to study and observe, the best i know how, the teachings of the Bible. i hope and pray that you will not take any offense in my asking that when you think of me yearly in this season, you will remember that this holiday now means something entirely different to me than in years past.

i have begun to write about various topics as i am moved, and hope to continue in doing so, as i believe it is my small part in the ministry of Christ. i have a tendency when i write about a subject to be very lengthy, but i'm going to try and keep this one short and sweet, and focus on a few facts i have discovered about this particular holiday season, not to try and change your mind about it, but to give you a better perspective on how i now view this tradition and why i would rather not be included in the entire occasion. in doing so, i also hope to encourage you to discover for yourself some Biblical truths i have discovered since i made the decision to become a follower of Christ.

having put aside all i had been taught, here are some questions i have posed that any newcomer to Biblical teachings might ask; my answers are based solely on my Biblical studies so far and recorded history, leaving out the opinion of church organizations:


Q. where in all of the Bible does it mention for the Christian to observe Christ's birthday as a Holy Day?

A. i cannot find ANY teaching in the OT or NT that even suggests Christians are to observe Christ's birthday. nowhere in the NT does it mention when Christ's birthday actually was, although i have seen some strong evidence for His birth actually being in the fall season. nevertheless, the entire Bible and Christ Himself does not teach Christ followers to observe Christ's birthday as a holy day. however, the Bible shows that Christ and His disciples did observe God's Holy Days [Matt 26:17-30; Mark 6:2; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 2:41-43; Luke 4:16; Luke 4:31; Luke 22:7-20; John 7:1-14; John 7:37; Acts 2:1-13; Acts 13:13-15; Acts 13:42-49; Acts 16:13; Acts 17:2-3; Acts 18:4; Acts 18:21; Acts 20:6; Acts 20:16; Acts 27:9; 1Cor 5:6-8; 1Cor 16:7-8].


Q. who instituted Christmas as a holy day and Christ's birthday, and when did this begin?

A. sometime during the mid 300's AD, the Roman Catholic Church instituted the observance of Christmas as a holy day, and marked it as Jesus Christ's birthday on Dec 25th; this can be found in various historical sources, including Catholic documents. therefore, Christ, His disciples, and all of the prophets of God in the Bible never even heard of "Christmas", nor taught about its observation.


Q. what does December 25th and all of its traditions mean to God? - do its pagan origins matter?

A. upon studying, i have also found out that Dec 25th is a date observed to this day in the pagan tradition of sun worship. it is called the Brumalia festival (also referred to as the Saturnalia festival), dedicated to their sun god and most all of the traditions and rituals that go along with this pagan celebration have been carried over to Christmas. i also found out that although the mainstream Christian organizations have accepted the renaming of this celebration, the Bible says that God does not want His people, or followers to learn pagan ways of god worship and do likewise [Jer 10:1-11; Deut 12:28-32; Deut 18:9-14; 2Kings 17:33-41; Deut 6:14-15; Deut 4:15-19; Deut 11:16-18; Eze 8:15-17; Gal 4:8-11].


Q. will Christians be observing Christmas after Christ returns, reveals Himself as King of Kings, and sets up His Kingdom at the onset of the millennial reign?

A. upon searching out teachings within the Bible regarding Christ's return to the physical realm and setting up His Kingdom known to many Christians as the "Millennium", i found that there is still no mention of the celebration of Christ's birth. however, the same Holy Days as described throughout the entire Bible will be observed during this time of Christ's rule [Isaiah 66:22-24; Zechariah 14:16-19].


Q. coming to these understandings, does it seem wise for any Christian to disregard what the Bible teaches, and follow the traditions of man?

A. through the Word of God - the Bible - i have proven for myself that would not be wise. having found these Biblical truths, i can only come to the conclusion that from God's point of view, the seasonal observance of Christmas is not for His followers to do. Christ, Himself, warned the priests of the day against forsaking the commandments of God, for the traditions of man [Mark 7:6-9]. the truth about this holiday, and other holidays, is that they have pagan origins and have been created by man, not God, however many people choose, to observe these traditional holidays of man instead of the given Holy Days of God.


i'm not trying to tell anyone else what to do, i'm just trying to make aware the reasons why i have chosen never to participate in the "Christmas" festival ever again.

i also understand that although many will read this letter, some might even take the time to look up the Biblical references i have mentioned, they will still not fully understand why i will not have anything to do with this holiday and will persist in sending Christmas cards, etc.

again, i do appreciate the thought and concern - it is nice to be thought of! but when you think of me each "Christmas season", please think about how i really feel now about this festival - how i feel deep down in my heart that it is against the will of God for His people to be annually observing a day set aside for a pagan god. remembering this might help you to understand how my heart sinks for each Christmas card i open, not because i don't wish to hear from you - i do - but because of the constant reminder of deception that has run its roots so deep into the conscientiousness of mankind.

i pray that God give everyone the inspiration to dig into His Word for truth and wisdom that will help them battle the deceptions they face within the world in which we live.

8-)

bernard baruch carman
www.SeedsOfTruth.org
1/2000; revised 7/05
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