Why don't Seventh-day Adventists celebrate Christmas?

I have been raised in the church, and am currently serving as an elder in my local SDA church in NYC and also serve as the head of the worship committee in my church. In my congregation we certainly do celebrate it.

As far as I know the Adventist church does celebrate Christmas. Having grown up in the church I can tell you that if you go into any Adventist church during the Christmas season you will find there are special programs at the church at christmas time usually with a lot of music, christmas sermons, and the children are usually involved in some kind of Christmas activity-- a nativity scene is a usual favorite. It is customary to go caroling in the community to give christian witness in an increasingly secularized holiday season, and the caroling is usually coupled with collecting money for the needy in the community. Most SDA congregations will also have a Christmas tree put up this time of year. It is customary to decorate it with love offerings during the Christmas season (as well as the usual garland, balls, and lights).

That having been said, SDA congregations are a fair mix of people and it is not unusual to run into a group of more conservative members who may feel that it is wrong to observe Christmas day. These brethren usually object to the holiday by saying that it is of pagan origin, that Jesus was not born on Dec. 25th (if anything he may have been born closer to springtime or summer), and that the Bible does not direct us to observe the Lord's nativity. Adventism did not originate in a spiritual vacuum, and it has within it a deep streak that can be traced back to American Puritanism. The Puritans, as you remember, thought that most of the holiday celebrations had become so degenerate that they refused to observe any holidays in their calendar except for specially called days of prayer and fasting.

In matters of this nature, I tend to think that the Pauline approach may work best. In the New Testament when the Apostle Paul was asked about the question of food that had been previously offered to idols he said that he who abstained did so to give glory to God and he who partook also acknowledged God' blessings. In much the same way I feel as a church leader that those who choose not to participate are honoring God by obeying their conscience while those who celebrate are also choosing to honor God by remembering Him and praising Him for His Son.

What any Adventist is opposed to is celebrating Christmas in a secular or worldly fashion--meaning giving yourself over to gluttony, self indulgence, wild and excessive partying, dancing, drinking and the like. Christmas is a day to honor God therefore one should not dishonor him with one's behavior, especially if one claims to be His follower. Christmas is also viewed as a day to honor God by giving special Christmas offerings that go to help the poor. So often as human beings, we spend a lot on gifts for ourselves and our loved ones, but ironically forget the Lord whom we profess to worship on this day. We should spend less on ourselves on and more on the work of the Lord. We believe in keeping Christ at the center of Christmas.

Regarding the pagan roots of Christmas: modern Christmas is a confluence of two different streams. There was indeed the pagan stream with roots in the European Yule the Roman Saturnalia, and winter solstice festivals in general-- but there is also the Christian stream that remembered the nativity and God's coming to earth. What is not generally known by many is that centuries before Europe was christianized and Dec. 25th (the old date of winter solstice celebrations) adopted as the date of Christmas Day to make it easier on the pagan converts, the observation of the nativity was already prevalent within the Church, some of the earliest traces of which can be tracked all the way to 200 AD and earlier. The date was different but what was remembered was the same. So the celebration itself can be said to have equally as valid and ancient christian roots.

To me , what is important is not so much the date as what we remember on that date. I don't think that God is dishonored by me giving glory to the Savior on that day. What is more important than the question of observing or not observing the holiday is simply this--have I accepted the reality of the Christ child in my own heart and am I living my life according to his will?

First answer by ID1202492021. Last edit by ID1202492021. Question popularity: 8 [recommend question]