The Christmas Lie! The Shocking Pagan Conspiracy Revealed
Okay, not really. It's a fake conspiracy perpetrated by bad research.
This time of year, you see a lot of headlines on social media, like:
Heresy! The Pagan Origins of Christmas Exposed
Jesus Was Born in September (or April)! Why December 25th is a Pagan Plot
Christmas is Pagan and Christians Are Clueless - The Disturbing Truth
Santa Claus is a Pagan God - How Christmas Duped Christians
Shocking! Historical Proof that Christmas is Based on Lies
Christians Celebrate Pagan Holidays Unknowingly - The Christmas Deception
December 25th Exposed: How Pagans Infiltrated Christianity
The Christmas Delusion: How Pagans Tricked Christians into a Pagan Holiday
Jesus Wasn't Born on December 25th - Why Christians Are Totally Wrong About Christmas
And then there is the truth.
Can we please calm down?
Based on historical evidence, the claim that Christmas is founded on paganism is not supported.
The tradition of celebrating Christmas on December 25th is rooted in the early Christian church's observance of the birth of Jesus. This tradition is documented as early as 150 AD in North Africa, demonstrating its early establishment within the Christian community (Hutton 1996, 1-8). The association of December 25th with the birth of Jesus is linked to the Jewish-Christian practice of honoring the birth of significant figures exactly nine months prior to their death, regardless of their actual birth date. This practice indicates that the date of Jesus' crucifixion was March 25th in the Julian calendar, and adding 12 days brings it to the modern December 25th (Hutton 1996, 1-8). While it is acknowledged that the Catholic Church incorporated some pagan traditions after its establishment, these incorporations were recorded after 400 AD, which is much later than the early observance of Christmas on December 25th (Hutton 1996, 1-8). Therefore, the claim that Christmas is founded on paganism is not supported by historical evidence.
While there are differing views on the origins of these holidays, it is vital to approach the topic with a critical and scholarly mindset, relying on reputable sources and historical research (Philibín and Iomaire 2021, 141-160). The issue of misinformation and fake news has become a major concern in contemporary society, with scholars from various disciplines actively researching and discussing this phenomenon ("Latin Song and Refrain in the Medieval Year" 2022, 24-64). It is crucial to approach the topic of holiday origins with kindness, compassion, and love, as the "spirit" in which information is presented is as important as the factual accuracy of the claims (Philibín and Iomaire 2021, 141-160). The spread of misinformation, including the origins of holidays, has been a subject of scholarly inquiry, with researchers highlighting the impact of fake news on public perception and understanding of historical and cultural events (Mead 2010, 643-656). The use of reliable sources and scholarly publications is vital in understanding the historical and cultural significance of holidays, as well as differentiating between authentic information and misinformation (Eldridge and Pappalepore 2019, 183-203).
The claim that Christmas is secretly pagan and that Christians co-opted the pagan feast is often attributed to Paul Ernst Jablonski, an 18th-century Calvinist theologian, who made these assertions without citing any real evidence (Bantjes and Kagee 2013, 238-251).