There are different schools of thought re: Christianity vs. Mithraism.

www.tektonics.org/copycat/mithra.html

You mean remembering their original meaning, without any monotheism?

What makes you think I don't already have one and invited everyone over for a potluck with hotdish and jello?

Epiphany (which you mentioned) is a pretty big deal in the church I grew up in. We actually put the creche out at the start of Advent with only the animals, and add the other figures in as they arrive. We may be horrible though, because we do presents again at Epiphany.

We also did Jesus' birthday cake. Each week in advent we add another ingredient and talk about the symbolism of it. Then we have cake after church on Christmas (which is after the Christmas Eve candlelight service so it is technically his birthday when we are done).

Palm Sunday is HUGE. We march around the outside of the church with our palm fronds in a procession. Pentecost is also big as we wear red, and is the time for confirmation.

My family always celebrates Christmas big-time, and we celebrate it as the Birth of Christ. We give gifts to represent God's Gift of His son.
Also, the entire calender and history is based on Christ (example, A.D. = In the year of our Lord).
I'm a big fan of Easter and Palm Sunday too.

Isn't Zorastrainism a monothesistic religion? So don't they have just one "God"?

Besides, allusions to Mithraism are great - but strcitly speaking the Christmas tradition draws more on Anglo-Saxan and Germanic tradtions more than anything... because afterall Christmas isn't the time to be bathed in the blood of a sacrificed bull suspended over the congregation ;)

Yeah xians took that idea too. Where do you think of the idea of praying before you eat comes from? Animal sacrifice was used as the feast. Human sacrifice on the other hand helped the crops grow. Which is why the prince kills the king .

Yes, but if you've picked up a history book lately, you'll notice that the terms B.C and A.D are longer used.

The terms now used are B.C.E - Before the common era

and

C.E - Common era

I picked up a history book this week. Sure didn't say that.

The commercialization of religious holidays and ritualized gift exchanges don't take away from personal spirituality, in my opinion.

While Christianity has absorbed many pagan religions and has developed different branches, all of those things happened 100s of years ago. I think it is safe to say Christianity has many true holy days, and that it isn't for unreligious people to make generalizations that just because Macy's popularized Santa Claus, that Christians (and other religious denominations) can't have a close, personal relationship with God or celebrate feast days and major religious celebrations.

Sure. People can have a close and personal relationship with whomever . . . I think people just see a certain . . . hypocrisy in an over focus on the commercial aspects of the event.

For example, if a girl gets engaged and its all about the Ring, and then subsequently all about the wedding . . there is a certain "missing the point" aspect to her thought process.

Great point, James. Just don't marry a girl like that ;)

Really? My art history book uses B.C.E and C.E. It's really for the sake of political correctness. A lot of newer books will use those terms.

That might be just about the best decription of the hypocrisy in many holidays that I've ever seen!

But you didn't hear me say that...

I dont see Christmas as much as a Holy time but rather a "fuck you- we want our religion to be in your face!!!" time for Christians.
Sad, really.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,141920,00.html

A Christian that uses "F- you, we want our religion in your face" isn't really practicing a "holy" day.


I really do think we've gotten off track on this thread. Does ANYONE really, really set any one day apart to solely worship Jesus Christ?

I admit that I don't. I go to Christmas Eve services, and we thank the Lord prior to opening any gifts or eating or whatever, but do I really spend the entire day in worship to Christ? No. And with the true definition of "holy" being "set apart", I don't think many others do, either.