While Christmas is not part of the Messianic Jewish calendar we affirm the Church's celebration of this tradition as a wonderful way to celebrate the birth and incarnation of the Messiah. There are many Hebrew Roots channels that argue Christmas is steeped in paganism and that the Church should not celebrate the holiday. For this episode, we are joined by Michael Jones of Inspiring Philosophy--a channel that has had a lot of influence on us--and he shares with us his research that Christmas does not have pagan roots and even if it did, it wouldn't matter. Enjoy!
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0:00 – Introduction
1:41 – What was your position before doing this research?
3:14 – What primary and secondary sources are most relevant to this discussion?
6:09 – How does the anti-Christmas crowd use the term “pagan”?
6:52 – Does Jeremiah 10.2-4 condemn Christmas trees?
9:52 – Does Isaiah 44.14-15 condemn Christmas trees?
10:42 – Does Jeremiah 3.13 condemn gifts under the tree?
12:10 – If the anti-Christmas logic holds, what other things should we give up because they are apparently pagan?
14:35 – What if Christmas does have pagan roots? Is abandoning it the right response?
15:50 – What do you think causes the anti-Christmas crowd to take such a dramatic leap in logic?
16:53 – What is the origin of the myth that Christmas is pagan?
18:10 – When did Protestants come to accept Christmas as their own and why was it deemed ok?
19:26 – What are your thoughts on Protestant leader, Charles Spurgeon’s view of Christmas? 22:45 – Was Saturnalia celebrated on December 25?
23:58 – Was Sol Invictus celebrated on December 25?
25:44 – Did Jewish festivals take place on pagan holidays?
27:26 – Were any pagan holidays celebrated on December 25?
28:23 – Why was December 25 chosen by the Church?
29:38 – Do you think Jesus was born on December 25?
32:15 – When did the Christmas tree become part of Christmas celebrations?
34:35 – Is kneeling before a Christmas tree like pagan worship?
38:15 – Is singing the carol, “O Christmas Tree” tantamount to pagan worship?
39:11 – Do you have issues with the Santa Clause practice?
40:36 – Is Santa Clause derived from pagan gods?
45:40 – What do you think of Monte Judah’s view that Christmas is idolatry?
48:03 – Do wreaths come from paganism?
49:47 – What are your thoughts on 119 Ministries' documentary, “The Christmas Question”?

52:41 – What is your advice for people easily susceptible to conspiracy theories to think more rationally and critically about something like "if you celebrate Christmas you are participating in paganism"?
55:09 – Closing
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