Pagan Borrowing

FTA: Is Christmas in the Bible?

One of the best examples of what God thinks about humans borrowing and adapting false (pagan) customs (for holidays like Christmas) to use toward worshipping Him is in Exodus 32.

God calls Moses up the mount to receive the Ten Commandments. The children of Israel must wait at the foot of the mountain for him to return. As time passes, the Israelites grow restless. When Aaron, the High Priest, sees this he tells the people to bring him their jewelry so that he can melt it down and make them an idol (shaped like a calf) for them to worship.

God’s response to the people using pagan customs to worship him (as is done in Christmas) was swift. He did not accept Israel’s worship through the golden calf even though Aaron the High Priest was involved. His anger was kindled toward the people to the point where he was ready to destroy them all (Exodus 32:4 – 5, 7, 10)! It took the personal intervention of Moses to save the people from being completely destroyed (verses 11 – 14).

Customs used to worship false gods that are transferred to the true God, like is done with Christmas and other holiday, are unacceptable since the Bible never compromises with paganism. This is exactly the point the apostle Paul was making in 1Corinthians 10.

What then am I saying? That an idol is anything, or that which is sacrificed to an idol is anything? But that which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I do not wish you to have fellowship with demons.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and the table of demons. Now do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? (1Corinthians 10:19 – 22, HBFV).