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Have you watched Avatar yet?

It's an amazing movie, I must say... Most importantly, one of my teammate, being tall, lean, and with that haircut of his, he looks just like Tsu'Tey.

Cheers, Herman.

Pagan Christmas

Now, many Christians celebrate Christmas blindly without knowing the truth. Little do they know, Jesus was not born in December.

From the biblical description, it is most likely that his birth occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. The bible also records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night, this would be ridiculous to have happened during a cold Judean winter.

So why do we celebrate Christmas on December 25th?

In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast.

The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking, this is also where the tradition of the Mummers was born. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. (Doesn't this sound like caroling?)

The pagans of northern Europe celebrated their own winter solstice, known as Yule, in honor of Mithras. It was customary to light a candle to encourage the sun to reappear next year.

Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” and the wheel is a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.

The tree is the one symbol that unites almost all the northern European winter solstices. Live evergreen trees were often brought into homes during the harsh winters as a reminder to inhabitants that soon their crops would grow again. The Druids used the tree as a religious symbol, holding their sacred ceremonies while surrounding and worshiping huge trees.

In 350, Pope Julius I declared that Christ’s birth would be celebrated on December 25. There is little doubt that he was trying to make it as painless as possible for pagan Romans (who remained a majority at that time) to convert to Christianity. The conversion went a bit easier, since their feasts were not be taken away.

But what does the bible say about Christmas?

Jeremiah 10:2-4: "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. 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. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."

I urge fellow Christians around the world to open their eyes and not follow blindly...

PS. I have nothing against the celebration of Christmas as a modern culture, but it is definitely NOT a religious festival.