Answers to a "Pagan Christmas"

(posted previously at Ignitum Today)

Charlie gave Linus the pop quiz: what is Christmas all about? Of course, Linus proclaims the birth of Christ (was Linus named after the second Pope?)

Today it would have looked more like this:

The modern Catholic, and most Christians for that matter, has many fronts to defend, one of them being the so-called “pagan roots.” This accusation is made on many facades of the faith. For example, an objector might tell you that Christians adopted the Holy Day of Easter from the pagan celebration of the fertility goddess, Ishtar (sounds a little like Easter, right?). This time of year though, you are likely to hear the objection that Christmas is a christo-pagan holiday, a mash-up of pagan belief and Christian celebration. Here are some of the objections or accusations you might meet, and a helpful way to respond.

1. Christians invented Christmas from the winter solstice celebration of Sol Invictus.

Yes, there were mid-winter celebrations in religions outside Christianity during the time of the Early Church. In fact, like Easter, the East and the West were observing Christmas differently, while until recently, the Armenians didn’t celebrate it at all. The West led the way with a distinctive nativity-based celebration, concluding with Holy Mass. That’s the same as how you see it today. The development of Christmas was not an assimilated celebration until the 4th century. Does that mean that the Apostle John, and Sts. Polycarp and Irenaeus, three men who were apostolically connected, did not celebrate Christmas? Probably so, but there is nothing wrong with this. Merely because a Christian celebration is similar to that of a pagan one proves nothing. There is either coincidence of the celebrations in the same time period or there is influence on one another.

The objector has to ask himself the following: 1) after centuries of persecution for not observing pagan holidays, where is the proof of influence? Or/and, 2) who influenced whom? Did Christianity have the influence on pagans to begin adopting a more public and concrete celebration or did we “Christianize” a pagan event? We can observe that the two were present at the time but neither scenario is a problem with the Christian because the Church has the ability to Christianize people and celebrations alike. Light was overcoming darkness at the celebration of Sol Invictus and in Christ, darkness was defeated by the real luminousness of Christ. Paganism had a hint, but Christianity had the answer.

2. The Christmas tree comes from pagan origins and is condemned in the Bible.
The objector can have a field day with this one. Evergreens are a near-universal symbol of hope in the winter season. They represent resurrection (triumph of live over death) for the Egyptians, everlasting life for the Scandinavians and Druids, and still, agricultural anticipation (to the god Saturnalia) for the Greeks/Romans. But the tree is not recognized as a use of Christmas celebration until the time of Luther. More closely connected to the ancient church is the use of evergreen wreaths. Your objector might say that it came around the same time as the popularity of the pagan celebration Saturnalia. Let him know that Tertullian wrote as early as A.D. 190-220, that Christians hang more “wreaths and laurels” than the pagans (who hang it for the “gate gods”) at their doors. He was condemning the wreath as something worth putting hope in like the pagans did with their temples, over that of Jesus who is the true Light in which we are the actual temples of the Spirit. He wasn’t condemning the décor! He ends with, “You are a light of the world, and a tree ever green.” READ TERTULLIAN “ON IDOLATRY“ HERE (see Chapter XV)
The passage in the Bible your objector is referring to comes from Jeremiah 10:3-4.

Thus says the LORD: Learn not the customs of the nations, and have no fear of the signs of the heavens, though the nations fear them. For the cult idols of the nations are nothing, wood cut from the forest, Wrought by craftsmen with the adze, adorned with silver and gold. With nails and hammers they are fastened, that they may not totter (NAB).

Let’s get one thing straight up front: Jeremiah was not talking about Christmas trees because he was writing hundreds of years before Christmas became a celebration. He was pointing out the idolatry of the people of that day, and much like Tertullian, was warning against the idolatry of those who put there hope in earthly gods and things.

Near to this, the objector must understand that Christians are not intent on worshiping their trees and are certainly not putting them in their living rooms and entryways to deter spirits. Perhaps for some carolers and eggnog, but not for protection.

Conclusion

There is nothing wrong with the Church “baptizing” certain practices of other religions. The objector is confusing the Church of deriving its beliefs from these celebrations, with the assimilation of seasonal celebrations and symbols. Like St. Patrick did with the clover to illuminate and demonstrate the reality of the Trinity. Akin to St. Paul explaining the “unknown god” at the Areopagus. Paul did not derive the idea from the Greeks that day, and Patrick did not derive the Trinity from a leaf.

We don’t believe that Christians hold the patent on Truth. Instead, we believe that God has riddled himself to other religions. In other words, just because a specific religion does not contain the whole truth, does not mean it contains no truth. If you witness to a pagan who believes a wreath will save him, maybe you can show him how Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise of everlasting life. Then, just as with the cross that hangs from our necks, we can display a wreath to remind us what is true. In this way, Christianity has the distinct ability to assimilate the “hints” of other religions.

Fr. Dwight Longenecker writes, “If a religion is not only true but more true than all the other religions, then it should connect with all those other religions at the points where they are true.” Read “Paganism, Prophecies, and Propaganda” HERE.

- See more at: http://www.ignitumtoday.com/2013/12/05/answers-to-a-pagan-christmas/#sthash.L3VDBdeW.dpuf

Ignitum Today, My New Home

Readers,

I want to give you a personal and sincere "thank you" for keeping up with this blog over the recent months or further in the past.

Blogger.com provides very little in the way of statistics to see how my content is and with robot search engines, blogger.com gets overwhelmed in faux views which seriously distort an accurate portrayal of viewership. Therefore, I cannot be remotely sure what and where my viewership is coming from. But your views are a great encouragement to me anyways.

That aside, this blog has been my little side project but I am moving on to bigger things along with it. I was grateful to learn early last week that Ignitum Today accepted me to fill one of their slots as a Columnist. There I will contribute regularly on matters of life, marriage, and religion and theology that targets an audience of ages 19-39, I think. This transition provides me the change to have a real editorial staff review my content and a robust team to help me generate better writing and more attractive columns.

I have already began writing there. You can view my first two articles:

"If The Church is Boring and "Redundant", Is Marriage Too?"
http://www.ignitumtoday.com/2013/11/20/if-the-church-is-boring-or-redundant-is-marriage-too/

and

"Call of Duty: Modern Christian"
http://www.ignitumtoday.com/2013/11/22/call-of-duty-modern-christian/

Ignitum Today (IT) is a wonderful site to gain commentary on all things Catholic and "mere" Christianity. There are over 50 columnist of men and women, married and consecrated that you will surely find your taste in authorship from. Topics from marriage, pregnancy, pro-life, religious, prayer, and much, much more are among the content you will find. Please consider including IT in your daily and weekly reading.

I will continue to post content here, but IT will be my primary place for now. Also in the works are a website, a shaunmcafee.com and a writing community I hope to build called "The Narthex". Much more to come on those in the future.

Thank you all,

Shaun McAfee

Door-to-Door Evangelism (from an unlikely bunch)

 

Its an early Saturday morning in the month of November in Omaha Nebraska. Families are more likely doing one of two things: 1) they are ramping up to get to Lincoln to watch the Cornhuskers plan some football, or 2) they are at the grocery store stockpiling for their at home view of the game, planning to watch from the living room, their man-cave, or even their party garage. Either way, the state of Nebraska is getting ready for some football.

On that Saturday morning though, there happens to be some Churchy folk going down specific streets, Bibles in hand, offering the doors they visit a warm "hello" from their Pastor and an invitation to join in prayer or any number of activities available to gain a closer relationship with "the Lord."

Spoiler alert: these aren't Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons. They aren't dressed in white shirt and tie, or 19th century recreations of Amish clothes. They are dressed in husker jackets, jeans, and are armed with bulletins and directories. They aren't offering conversions, or, perhaps they are offering reverisons though. They are Catholics.

(queue record stop sound effect)

Catholics going door to door? Catholic don't do that!

But some do. It's the recently created group at St. Robert Bellarmine Parish of Omaha, NE. Inspired by the recent book by Sherry Weddell, "Forming Intentional Disciples". The group, clever as could be, aptly named themselves "Forming Intentional Disciples". Novel, eh?

The group, at the direction and support of their Pastor, Fr. Steven Stillmunks, and under the leadership of Associate Pastor, Fr. Michael Voithofer, is set on going out on one Saturday per month to seek the existing members of their Parish. The intention is to go to their door and simply see how they are doing, invite them to a study group or other activity that fits their style, and ask them for prayers or any concern at all that we can bring back to the pastoral team.

Oops, I used the word "we" and totally blew my cover. The group wasn't my idea. I happened to call my great friend Sean Stevens one mid-summer night and he told me I should show up to their first meeting. That was summer 2013. Its now November. These Catholics take some time to get the old engine oiled up, eh?

Its a fabulous bunch.There are a number of people in the group but on our first day it was 6 going out. Sean Stevens is a self-employed shrink (I don't know how he feels about that title) who is married to a wonderful woman; they are parents to a college-age boy, Michael. Sean has said much on his blog about the formation of this group, read that here.  Beth Jareske is a mother of three, wife of one, and grandparent of several. She stays at home and helps build up her domestic Church day-by day. She is of the essence of life and happiness to me; indeed a special friend. Bill Beckman is the Archdiocese Director of Evangelism and Catechesis. This man, if you believe it, is the real Paul Bunyan. Though his hair flows with grace and some minor puff (he's going to kill me) and he doesn't have a beard, he appears to any as a 10 foot mammoth of a man, with a voice that ought to be used to preview movie trailers. He is a very merry man who knows his stuff. I hope to gain a lot of knowledge out of him in the coming future. Peter Matt, I know from the Parish golf league. A handy man with a passion for energizing others and bringing the gospel of life and forgiveness to all. He is a magnetic man with tough hands and a beautiful smile. Paul is the last. I know least about Paul. He is always urging others to attend the very popular "That Man is You" men's group at the Parish. He is a true champion for Christ in each way I can view him.

(Left to right: Peter, Fr. Michael, Bill, Sean, and Beth)

That's the group and what we do. More to come. More to learn.

Does your parish have a group like this? Are you interested in starting a group like this of your own? First, pick up the book. Second, pray about your mission and passion. Let God ignite your heard and the discern what it is you can do and make a plan. Then, execute. Contact me via this blog for any question, find me on Facebook or Google+. I am no expert on this, but I can find you the people who are. God Bless my friend.

Tradition and the Bible

When you tell your Protestant friends or relatives about the "Traditions" of the Catholic Church you're likely to receive some attention. The antithesis to a church that relies on the "Bible only" is not a church that relies on "Tradition only." That is what most objectors to Catholicism would like others to think - that we believe that Tradition somehow trumps the Scriptures. But that couldn't be further from the truth.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Bible is an authority, but not the authority. Just as the Church also teaches Tradition as an authority, but not the authority. And the Protestant must understand this and in order to make that happen effectively, the Catholic must be able to effectively communicate this.

One thing to bring up is that Protestants actually believe in Tradition more than they think. In fact, using the Bible at all is a step of faith in the Traditions of the Church. Why? Because there is no way of determining what books belong there in the first place, that is, which writings of the early Church are inspired or not. The Bible existed long before the Reformation and was trusted as "inspired" long before Luther removed certain books. Aside from that issue, the very fact that Protestants have the Bible at all is virtue of Tradition and the Authority of the Church. How else did they receive it? There is no place in the Bible itself that names which books belong there. And in addition, to assert the notion that, "we know in our hearts which books belong" as Calvin, the Geneva Reformer wrote, is the same sort of self edifying gobbledygook the Mormons use to justify their "inspired" texts.

That point has to stick in the minds of any honest reader. The celebration of Church services on Sunday is also a product of Church decisions, not Bible only teachings. If the Bible were the only source that we need to be guided to salvation, where is the unity among Protestants? The Holy Spirit is not a spirit of division! If one disagrees with a particular interpretation there is often one more division. If someone disagrees with that branch from there, another division starts. Sooner or later the religion and system is unrecognizable. One only needs to look at Lutheranism next to a modern Reformed Baptist to see the fruits of Bible only teachings. One was supposed to be the real deal, but then came along another dissident believer who saw things differently.

And here is the point: if the Catholic Church is so wrong in its authoritative structure, how come we still teach the same doctrine for close to 2000 years? That must count for something to any discerning heart.

Summa Blogologica - Questions 9 & 10: The Immutable and Eternal God

Today I decided that I would be running together two Questions from the Summa Theologica in one post.

The first is Question 9, God's Immutability. Immutable means changeless. Not changeless by ordination or by virtue of testimony, but changeless by nature. Below I will explain better.

The other is Question 10, God's Eternity. God exists forever. Always has, always will.

In this post I will introduce a term all philosophers or theology students need to understand, and that is "a posteriori" which simply means "by effect" or "when something is derived from observation". Second, remember what "potential" things are. It is anything which can undergo a change in order to become perfected.

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Question 9

God and God alone is a changeless being. Things which change are prone to potentiality; they are seeking perfection; things that are imperfect are finite. But God is infinite, everywhere, perfect, and has no potential. God is therefore unchangeable, or immutable.

Question 10

God’s eternal nature is due a posteriori (by effect) to His essence as existence. If He is existence itself then He has always existed. Further, His other qualities as immutable and infinite make Him the only eternal being, as eternity belongs to Him alone. What must be understood is that eternity does not share and is not the same thing as time, for God created and began time and is what our finite minds can conceive as “time” but not as a thing is created or born or began – God is outside all of these.

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I tell you truthfully, even though I wrote this and it all makes sense to me, it is difficult to decipher. Spend time on these Summa posts. Your understanding of God and His "awesome" qualities will provide you with such a humility and reverence for Him. Seek the truth!

Halloween and All Saints Day

In the Catholic Church we have obligations. We are to go to Mass each Sunday and also on certain Holy Days. Halloween itself is not a Holy Day, but it is the eve of All Saints Day in which we remember and celebrate the lives of all Saints who have left this world in faith. But Protestants are removed from that. I'll be completely honest with you, as a Protestant I grew more and more disgusted with the idea of Halloween. Ask my wife. It was to the point were I was ready to stop the celebration all together!

Of course, to a Protestant it is more than just a day of dress-up and candy. We have to give them credit, its also a day for family fun. But because Protestants do not celebrate the Holy Days as the Church has for so long its not even an issue to them. The time between now and the Reformation, circa 1530-ish has diminished almost all memory that Halloween is a serious day. For them, All Saints Day is a Catholic thing. It is interesting that they still celebrate Easter and Christmas - those aren't even "in the Bible" and few are even aware that the decision to celebrate Easter on a Sunday each year was the authoritative decision of the 11th Bishop of Rome, Pope St. Anicetus (155-165). The celebration is completely Catholic through and through. But that's just Easter. You don't want to get me started on the Catholicity of Christmas so I will digress.

Halloween is a special day now as a Catholic. It's more than candy and dress-up and the occasional scare-prank which are harmless. It's a day were we prepare to celebrate, which is just as important as the celebration itself. Why else have Advent if not to prepare our hearts for Christmas? Why else have Lent if not to prepare our hearts for Easter? The eve of All Saints Day might be only one day worth, but it gives the necessary time to prepare to say a "thank you" to those who have gone before us. It doesn't just include St. Gregory, or Thomas, or the "greats" but also our grandparents, our children who might have perished, or those whom our wives have miscarried.

This Holy Day is for all Christians, not just Catholics because the Catholic Church doesn't have a patent on making Saints. Adding to that, for the Protestant or "non-denominational" (which is still Protestant) reader, please understand that the Church sees you as our family as well. We don't share all the same beliefs but Protestants can't afford to lose out on All Saints Day. So if you don't celebrate it, give it a look. I hope that sheds a little light on this special Holy Day. Think of this as less of a day of obligation and more of a day of opportunity. A day particularly set aside for thanksgiving for our brothers and sisters who died faithfully, or even less than faithfully but still with the hope of the Savior Jesus.

Book Review: Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor

I was visiting my local Catholic bookstore here in Omaha, Nebraska to look for some reading on a subject for one of my papers this semester. As I was checking out I found Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor by Allen Hunt and immediately recognized the Dynamic Catholic logo. It was reasonably priced so I added it to my purchase and went home.

What interested me about this book immediately is that I am a convert from the mega church scene as well. It is a topic I have written and blogged about before as well. In my conversion the problems in the mega church scene permeated my convictions and added to the need to find something different. I might have discovered reasons against baseline Protestantism, but the rising mega church scene added to my level of discomfort and disconnect in my faith at the time. You can ask my wife, I swore to the idea of finding a small church, even going so far as to provoke the thought of starting my own house-church. Well, it’s funny how things happen when you say “I will never” to God; I ended up joining the biggest Church there is – the Catholic Church.

That’s a story from another day but it fits well with this review. Adam Hunt is the former pastor of one of the largest Methodist congregations in the U.S. His story is inviting and personal, but also one of teaching and examination of the real treasures and genius found in the Catholic Church. Allen opens the book in an interesting way – he builds a picture, chapter by chapter, of a house. Each with different rooms and scenes, from the kitchen to the front porch, Allen takes the reader on a narrative journey through his conversion process. Throughout this house the narrative pastorally browses the challenges he faced personally and doctrinally while providing lively ways he was convinced of the Catholic faith. He tells of personal trial in details that only friends give to each other. In detail, he tells of his struggle with colitis while at the same time takes on a study for his PhD. with Yale University. Incidentally to that, Allen befriends a Catholic priest who aids him in prayer and the friendship blossoms.

He confesses his main fears and ignorance about the Catholic Church as well. Meeting a group of nuns for the first time, he was assigned to teach them but ended up learning about the tougher teachings of the Real Presence in the Holy Communion and how our devotion to Mary or other Saints is not cultic and idolatrous. Of seemingly most important to his conversion story was the moral ground the Catholic Church stands on. In his “Family Cemetery” chapter he drives by an abortion cemetery and begins to question the moral relativity that his Methodist faith stands in. He might personally stand against abortion but his denomination could say otherwise. He discusses the inner workings of the democratic system his church uses to determine its position, relative to the stalwart and steadfast moral philosophy of the Catholic Church, whose position on life and social issues is immutable and unchanged.

The read is easy and can be finished quite quickly for the avid reader. At about 150 pages, the chapters are a breeze and I finished it going one chapter a day for a week. At the end he provides an appendix with challenges and choices for the lay Catholic and the non-Catholic as well. Overall, I really suggest this book to all. I do not easily give that sort of recommendation for a book, but this one makes the cut. It is thoughtful and engaging with an added dose of apologetics. I would compare it with Hahn’s Rome Sweet Home but slightly less rigorous apologetic explanations. It truly captures the pastoral love of Allen’s previous experience, and his thoughtful conversion to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.