The Best of Intentions

• I have recently been criticized, chastised, ridiculed, and slandered for not celebrating Christmas, Halloween, Easter, etc. My critic feels that celebrating Christmas in a "positive way" is a good thing.
  
  All I can say to him is, "Thank you for helping me understand how compromise works. Thank you for showing me how to couple human reasoning with idolatry to create a new doctrine that is both positive and good. Thank you for explaining how we can disobey God, enjoy it and be blessed in knowing that God is pleased with our manipulation and polluting of His Word.
  
  While the Scriptures show us that God views idolatry as an abomination, by utilizing this man’s reasoning idolatry can become a positive event in our lives. How blessed we are to know that we can commit an abomination to God in a positive way and win souls through lies and false doctrine.
  
  Folks, this really opens the door to a new wave of positive compromise. I suppose we could steal from the rich and give to the poor and this would be considered a "positive theft." Wow! Just imagine the possibilities. If we can change evil to good just by shining a rose colored light on it we can do anything. The sky is the limit!
  
  Little white lies, because they are told to "help" someone or some situation, must be okay as well. With this brand of humanism, "positive idolatry" can take the pressure off lying. Jesus’ command to, "Go and sin no more," can be now be understood as "go and sin no more, except thou do it with good intent."  Source link

• Because Christmas uses the name of Jesus Christ and His birth in conjunction with the celebration of the Christmas season, many Christians believe that this justifies its observance and its idolatrous association with a "pagan origin". I know and understand that many things today come from pagan origin; the days of the week, months, etc. Many things that are of pagan origin, we can not eliminate. It is part of living in this world. God clearly says we are in the world, but not of the world. "And be not conformed to this world" Romans 12:2. In comparison, many in the church today live very similar to those in the world. Where is our light? We are called to be different. Luke 16:15 "Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God". Source link
  

• If we can see that there is even a chance, of which there is much more than that, of Christmas being pagan, should we still seek or find justification in participating? We would only succeed in being ensnared to follow pagan gods in the same way that the pagans did. The rites performed during Christmas today are those that were done to glorify their false gods in the past. Do we want to give those gods any glory whatsoever? If those things are detestable to Yahweh, should we not stay far, far away to avoid even the appearance of evil?  Source link
  

• If you have a "reasonable doubt" that your participation in X-mas, to whatever extent, displeases God, then leave it alone. "Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin" (Rom. 14:23).  Source link


• To be sure, there is nothing wrong with a human tradition - if it does not clash with a command of the Almighty God. But if a tradition conflicts with a divine commandment, as most of the popular Christian festivals do, then once they are recognised for what they are, their continued acceptance will neutralise one's worship, making it vain, pointless and futile. Their continued use can even jeopardise one's salvation. This frightening fact is clearly taught by the Master himself:
  

  Mark 7:6	He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7: Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
  Matt.15:8	This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9: But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

  The Christian church is guilty of placing the traditions of men above the commandments of God. The celebrating of Christmas, Easter, Ash-Wednesday, the Nativity of St John, the Feast of the Assumption, Hallowe'en and Sunday etc. are all human traditions. Not one of these festivals was authorised by the LORD God. They are all spiritual weeds in the Garden of Salvation. Celebrating them in preference to Yahweh's Sabbaths is no more than self-deluding idolatry. These facts may stun or even anger some who read them. But they must be told. Because replacing a divine commandment with a human tradition is a very serious sin. At the coming Judgement would you forgive me for not telling you the Truth?
  Then came his disciples, and said unto him,
  Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
  But he answered and said,
  Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.(Matt.15:12-14)  Source link