Basic HTML Version
Decembec 1970
more correct.
"Good"
for 7 to 8 correct.
"Fair" for 5 to 6 correct, and "Utter
flunkout" for having only ONE correct.
Perbaps this simple and humorous
test about Christmas will serve to
underline the questions in the begin–
ning of this article. We really know
little about this time-honored custom.
And, in a world of war, strife and
hate, the term "Peace on Earth" is
almost obscene anyway.
Rather, our world has an utter LACK
of "peace."
Look
at the world for a moment.
Here we are, hurtling around the cornee
into another frightening year - the
early seventies -
with the Soviets
plunging ahead in armaments, the
world an armed camp, deepening socio–
logical problems the world over. Yet,
millions are using Christmas as a time
to forget about it al!.
Millions in thc Western World will
takc temporary
time
Olft
from their
usual activities to become submerged in
thc flood tide of annual Christmas shop–
ping, traffic jams, parties, and exchang–
ing of gifts.
Somehow - all the clamor, noise,
confusion and commercialism is sup–
posed to have something to do with
Christ's birthday.
But does it, really?
Sorne P lain Facts Abou t
Christmas
What, after all, does "wassailing"
have to do with wise men, mistletoe
with tbe merriness, martinis with Magi,
Santa with saints? Very little - if any–
thing - as we've seen.
Christmas, in its various forros in
many countries today, would hardly be
recognized by its earliest proponents.
But who
111ere
its earliest exponents?
What is the real MEANJNG of the bolly
wreath, the lighting of candles, mis–
tletoe, the yule log, the Christmas tree,
with its bulbs and orbs, and Santa Claus?
Did you ever
think
to check your
encyclopedia to find out?
You'll be absolutely astounded!
First -
let's admit sorne widely
known facts. Christmas is never men–
tioned in the Bible - the supposed
source of this custom. The Christmas
trce
is -
but in very uncomplimentary
language. The wise men arrived at
(hrist's place of birth LONG after He
The
PLAIN TRUTH
was born ( numerous scholars admit as
much as severa] wecks). Scholars freely
admit He was not born on or anywhere
near December
25.
(Read the proof in
our free reprint art icle "Whcn Was
Jesus Born
?")
The Magi gavc their
gifts directly to CHRTST - they didn't
cxchange them among thcmselves.
But in Ancient Egypt ancl
Babyion
Christmas, say all the authorities,
LONG antedates Christianity. lts origins
AmboJJodor
Colleti•
Pholo
The " lraditionol" Chrislmos Tree,
Rockefe lle r Cenler, New York.
Few people reolize such cusloms
go b ock
4,000
yeors lo a ncienl
Bobylon, NOT 2,0 00 yeors lo
Christ.
go back to pagan Babylon, Egypt,
Greece, Rome and Scandinavia.
There, in various guises,
the very
same customs
were obscrved by these
ancient pagans on the birthday of
theír
god - the god of the SIJN or SUN-god.
They observed his fanciful birthday at
the time of the "winter solstice," or
lowest ebbing of the sun toward the
south (for those living in the northern
hemispbere), and the beginning of its
journey back toward spring and summer.
They had various symbols.
Symbols stand for things. Tbese
stood for a wide variety of pagan super–
stitions involving the source of life -
of fertility. Thcy had a littk tree, which
was supposcd to have grown up over–
night out of an old dead log. The tree
is called a Christmas tree today; the log
is named "yule."
29
They used round orbs, eggs, on
which they painted snakes, and other
designs. This was long before the time
of tinsel and glass - of course. Back
then, everyonc knew the eggs
stood
for
something. They reminded the pagans
of the source of
t;je.
T hey had wreaths of holly, because it
was one of the rare plants still contain–
ing little round berries in mid-winter,
even in the snowy north. They used
mistletoe because it's a parasite, and
because of a pagan superstition involv–
ing its qualities of aphrodisia. (That's
why pcople still carry on the pagan
snperstition of kissing under the
mistletoe.)
That's not all.
They obscrved,
m
.short, just about
EVERYTHING a modern Christian-profes–
sing person observes - though with a
different label.
What Is the Difference?
Bul
so ll'hat?
Aren't these facts more or less
com–
mon knou-ledge?
Sure they are - cheerfully reported
by writers and editors each year.
Then
does it make any difference?
Not if there isn't any God. But what if
there is?
Then it would make a LOT of differ–
encc - ESPECIALLY
IF
THAT GOD SAYS
A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THESE VERY
SAME CUSTOMS IN HIS WORD!
You need to read our FREE booklet
The
P/ain
Tmth
Abo11t
Christmas!
You'll be positively amazcd,
shocked.
In this free booklet are facts you simply
can't afford to be without.
Hcrc, revealed directly from authentic
historical sources, and from
yom· oum
Bíble,
is the story of Christmas - and
whal YOU DON'T KNOW' about it! And
more important, the question is asked:
"Why should we observe Christmas at
all ?"
lt's the biggest holiday of the year -
but you've probably NEVER LOOKED
JNTO ITS MEANING! In this booklet
you'll read the incredible TRUTH about
all the accompanying paraphernalia of
this scason. You'll be challcnged, you'll
be shocked!
Also, send for our booklet,
Does God
Exíst?
Find out if it matlers whether
Christmas is pagan or not.
O