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The Celebration of Christmas: Difference between revisions
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As a result of the above, it is clear that Jeremiah 10 is not referring to a Christmas tree. | As a result of the above, it is clear that Jeremiah 10 is not referring to a Christmas tree. | ||
=William Branham and Christmas= | |||
==How William Branham celebrated Christmas== | |||
From conversations with members of the Branham family, we understand that William Branham had a Christmas tree in his home every year, right up to his death. In fact, they were mildly embarassed with the last Christmas tree that he purchased in Tucson, as it was apparently a small artificial wind-up metallic tree that played a popular Christmas song as it turned on its base. | |||
So based on his actions, one would think that William Branham was in favour of celebrating Christmas. | |||
==What William Branham said about Christmas== | |||
Unfortunately, like with so many things, William Branham was confused on this issue. While celebrating Christmas with his family and giving presents to the kids, he sometimes railed against it over the pulpit. | |||
My, how I can't understand where a rabbit has anything to do with the resurrection (See? No, sir.), or how a Christmas tree has anything to do with the birth of Christ. It's pagan, friends. We've got off the path somewhere. That's right. But now a real born again man or woman realizes, because there's life within you, tells you that that's wrong. Is that right? <ref>THE.CRUELTY.OF.SIN.AND.THE.PENALTY.THAT.IT.COST.TO.RID.SIN.FROM.OUR.LIVES_ JEFF.IN V-25 N-4 FRIDAY_ 53-0403</ref> | |||
:'''''Christmas is no more a worship; it's a celebration: drinking, gambling, carousing, just pagan to the limit.''' And it's not... And I wanted to... Maybe after Christmas I'll speak again on Christmas (You see?), so that it won't deprive the little... But you can't tell that to little children like that. They see little fellows on Christmas night getting Christmas presents and things like that; they don't understand it. See? They just--they're too little. And we've got to remember them, that they are--that they have things in common. We've got to bring ourself down to remember them little fellows, that they themselves...<ref>CHRISTIANITY.VERSUS.IDOLATRY_ JEFF.IN V-8 N-2 SUNDAY_ 61-1217</ref> | |||
:''God bless each one of you. '''I want to say again for the nice Christmas presents that each one give me.''' The church give me a new suit, oh, how I appreciate it. And I got two new suits for Christmas. My brother, the little church down in Macon, Georgia, down there, Brother Palmer, sent me a new suit. And the Tabernacle give me a new suit, and there's so many nice things give in, and--and Christmas gifts in the line of money. Which, the division of income tax tells me that if it's a Christmas present and wrote "Christmas present" or a "Birthday present," anything, you can accept it; otherwise that I have to... It--it goes into the work, which is all right. And I sure thank each and every one of you, wife and I, and the children, and all of us express our gratitude to each, every one of you, so nice. We wish we could go back and give each one of you a present back, but you just can't do that, you know, you just... My, I--I couldn't do that. I wish I could, but I--I just couldn't.<ref>YOU.MUST.BE.BORN.AGAIN_ JEFF.IN V-11 N-5 SUNDAY_ 61-1231M</ref> | |||
:''Why, they started buying Christmas present months ago, and what is it but a '''heathen trait'''. There's nothing about it godly. Oh, they try to say, "Give gifts, to the wise men." That's just a--a oasis for a devil's excuse. You want to give something, it's your life to Christ. Don't give to one another; give it to Him. That's what He died for. That's His purpose of coming. See?<ref>THE.FALLING.APART.OF.THE.WORLD_ JEFF.IN 62-1216</ref> | |||
:''But I think '''the church has got a little present here for the little kiddies after while'''. I was just looking it over back there. Oh, you'll want to stay after Sunday school; just hold on (See?), 'cause I think they've got some presents back there for the little fellows, to give out this morning. And well, now, you little fellows remember, while we're doing this... I want to make this clear. It's not Santa Claus, 'cause that's a story that someday you'll learn that's nothing to it. But it's from Jesus Christ, the Truth of all Truth this is, the Son of God. And we're giving you this little present this morning because it's letting you know that one time God gave the greatest present could ever be give to the human race: His Son. And we have a poor way of expressing it. And there's nothing we can give to compare with that, but just as mortals, one to another, we do that.<ref>THE.REPROACH.FOR.THE.CAUSE.OF.THE.WORD_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-16 SUNDAY_ 62-1223</ref> | |||
:'' It couldn't have been Christ's birthday. It just absolutely could not have been. He'd have had to been born in March or April, 'cause He was the Lamb. And He was a male sheep and borned in under the ram, Aries. It had to be, you see. And sheep are not born in December anyhow. Sheep are born in the Spring. And then another thing, the hills of Judea now, there's twenty feet of snow on it. How could the shepherds have been out there? | |||
:''So it really comes from Roman mythology, which was the sun-god's birthday. The solar sun as it passes, the days lengthen and lengthen, and the nights grow shorter. And between the 20th and the 25th of December is the sun-god's birthday, under the Roman--Roman mythology. And then their gods... And then they celebrated the sun-god's birthday. And Constantine, and--and drawing up the constitution of the church and state and so forth. He said, "We will change it" (not knowing what the day was) "and put it over on the sun-god's birthday, and make it: Son of God's birthday." See? Which... But we don't know what day it was. | |||
:''But now, theirs, taken so much of Christ out, till it's everything... some again brought back the mythology of some creature that lived, supposingly, by the name of Saint Nicholas or--or Kriss Kringle, some German mythology. And it's all just a myth, and Christ is not in it at all. | |||
:''And the people has turned into buying whiskey, and--and gambling, and fashions. And a--a man that... a merchant that can sell his goods through Christmas time can live the rest of the year, almost. See? It's such a great holiday, commercial. And poor little kids on the street; their parents are not able to--to visit them with a--a present, like from Santa Claus, and they walk down the street, and their little dirty hands and their little red eyes. I--I just hate to see it come along. It ought to be a solemn day of worship to God, instead of a heartache and a headache and the things that's done. There's nothing to Christ about that. But we're right in the midst of all this now.<ref>WHO.DO.YOU.SAY.THIS.IS_ PHOENIX.AZ V-6 N-9 SUNDAY_ 64-1227</ref> | |||
:''And now, you say, "Well, the rest of them's all Santa Claus and going on like they do; why, we just might as well do it." No, sir! No, '''this is not a pagan celebration to us''', this is a sacred hour. If there had been no Christmas, there would been no resurrection. If there been no Christmas: there'd been no love, there'd been no peace, there'd been no hereafter for the believer; if there'd been no Christmas.<ref>GOD'S.GIFTS.ALWAYS.FIND.THEIR.PLACES_ JEFF.IN V-6 N-13 SUNDAY_ 63-1222</ref> | |||
=References= | =References= | ||