Nigerian Compass
As Christians brace up across the world for celebration of Christmas next Friday, December 25, some Christian denominations are not going to join in the mood of the occasion.
Those who are not likely to join are the adherents of Jehovah Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists churches. They will not celebrate the festival not because they are sick or that they lack what is required to do so, but because of belief bordering on doctrine and disagreement on the particular birthday of Jesus Christ, the central subject of the celebration.
Though the Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in the birth of Jesus Christ and recognizes Christmas as the celebration of that birth, some Adventists choose a different day of the year to celebrate it (trying to avoid following a pagan holiday) but many celebrate it on December 25 because it is convenient to celebrate it then. Many also consider that it is as good a day as any, and as long as they are not celebrating it as a pagan holiday, it is acceptable to do so on the traditional day, despite the original reasons the Christian church chose that day.
However, not all Adventists celebrate Christmas. Most of them recognize the pagan origin of Christmas, but a portion celebrate it anyway believing that it is a great time of year to witness.
Officially the Seventh-day Adventist church does not observe Christmas as a religious event. This is mostly because of the Pagan and commercial influences on the holiday. Individual churches however may have Christmas themed sermons around this time. After all, they believe, it does celebrate the birth of Christ which Adventists are fine with. Certainly most will offer presents and wish people happy Christmas like most other protestant churches do. Adventists,as a practice, will put more effort into the family and community fellowship aspect over of the drunken partying that usually goes on at this time of the year.
Seventh-day Adventists also do not participate in what they regard as the pagan inspired rituals that make up Christmas day. Things like Christmas trees (a symbol of fertility) and the fact that Christmas day celebrates the equinox of the Sun (that is, sun worship) go completely against their beliefs in there being only one God. This doesn’t mean the good things about Christmas (fellowship, family and goodwill to all) are thrown out too. Adventist churches will often have a sermon devoted to these things (and the birth of Christ) the Sabbath (Saturday) before Christmas day. The day itself is usually full of family fellowship and the opening of presents. A Christmas lunch (usually vegetarian) might be held for family and friends. But the Pagan roots would be avoided altogether. Some Adventists do refuse to even acknowledge Christmas at all for that reason, but they are not the majority.
If Seventh Day Adventists are liberal in their opposition to Christmas, it is not so with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jehovah’s Witnesses are controlled by a “Governing Body” which they claim is the “faithful and discreet slave” spoken of at Mathew 24:45. This group consists of 10 to 15 mature men that, Jehovah’s Witnesses are told, have direct guidance from God. The Governing Body in turn instructs followers with this guidance through the pages of the Watchtower and other publications. Jehovah’s Witnesses are told by this “Governing Body” that Scripture alone is insufficient to understand the things of God. One needs the Watchtower Society and the literature it publishes to properly understand the Bible.
The Watchtower Society makes a lot of rules, based on their interpretations of various scriptures, that all Jehovah’s Witnesses must follow. Members are taught that that they must turn each other in for any rule violations.
Members who are found to be unrepentant of violations of Watchtower rules by these elders, are disfellowshipped. Jehovah’s Witnesses can be disfellowshipped for a number of rule violations: premarital or extramarital sex, using alcohol excessively, using tobacco products, celebrating Christmas, reciting the pledge of allegiance, lying, stealing, joining the military, speaking to a disfellowshipped Witness, reading religious material not published by the governing body, or running for political office just to name a few.
By Segun Otokiti
Those who are not likely to join are the adherents of Jehovah Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists churches. They will not celebrate the festival not because they are sick or that they lack what is required to do so, but because of belief bordering on doctrine and disagreement on the particular birthday of Jesus Christ, the central subject of the celebration.
Though the Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in the birth of Jesus Christ and recognizes Christmas as the celebration of that birth, some Adventists choose a different day of the year to celebrate it (trying to avoid following a pagan holiday) but many celebrate it on December 25 because it is convenient to celebrate it then. Many also consider that it is as good a day as any, and as long as they are not celebrating it as a pagan holiday, it is acceptable to do so on the traditional day, despite the original reasons the Christian church chose that day.
However, not all Adventists celebrate Christmas. Most of them recognize the pagan origin of Christmas, but a portion celebrate it anyway believing that it is a great time of year to witness.
Officially the Seventh-day Adventist church does not observe Christmas as a religious event. This is mostly because of the Pagan and commercial influences on the holiday. Individual churches however may have Christmas themed sermons around this time. After all, they believe, it does celebrate the birth of Christ which Adventists are fine with. Certainly most will offer presents and wish people happy Christmas like most other protestant churches do. Adventists,as a practice, will put more effort into the family and community fellowship aspect over of the drunken partying that usually goes on at this time of the year.
Seventh-day Adventists also do not participate in what they regard as the pagan inspired rituals that make up Christmas day. Things like Christmas trees (a symbol of fertility) and the fact that Christmas day celebrates the equinox of the Sun (that is, sun worship) go completely against their beliefs in there being only one God. This doesn’t mean the good things about Christmas (fellowship, family and goodwill to all) are thrown out too. Adventist churches will often have a sermon devoted to these things (and the birth of Christ) the Sabbath (Saturday) before Christmas day. The day itself is usually full of family fellowship and the opening of presents. A Christmas lunch (usually vegetarian) might be held for family and friends. But the Pagan roots would be avoided altogether. Some Adventists do refuse to even acknowledge Christmas at all for that reason, but they are not the majority.
If Seventh Day Adventists are liberal in their opposition to Christmas, it is not so with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jehovah’s Witnesses are controlled by a “Governing Body” which they claim is the “faithful and discreet slave” spoken of at Mathew 24:45. This group consists of 10 to 15 mature men that, Jehovah’s Witnesses are told, have direct guidance from God. The Governing Body in turn instructs followers with this guidance through the pages of the Watchtower and other publications. Jehovah’s Witnesses are told by this “Governing Body” that Scripture alone is insufficient to understand the things of God. One needs the Watchtower Society and the literature it publishes to properly understand the Bible.
The Watchtower Society makes a lot of rules, based on their interpretations of various scriptures, that all Jehovah’s Witnesses must follow. Members are taught that that they must turn each other in for any rule violations.
Members who are found to be unrepentant of violations of Watchtower rules by these elders, are disfellowshipped. Jehovah’s Witnesses can be disfellowshipped for a number of rule violations: premarital or extramarital sex, using alcohol excessively, using tobacco products, celebrating Christmas, reciting the pledge of allegiance, lying, stealing, joining the military, speaking to a disfellowshipped Witness, reading religious material not published by the governing body, or running for political office just to name a few.
By Segun Otokiti
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