Pagan Traditions: The Origins of Easter, Christmas and Halloween

by David Ingraham

Book by Ingraham, David

Genres: History, Nonfiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 3 out of 5]

A REJECTION OF ‘PAGAN TRADITIONS,’ WHILE STILL ALLOWING FOR SOME CUSTOMS

Radio host David Ingraham wrote in the Introduction to this 2000 book, “Many of our holiday celebrations have their origins in rituals and activities that lie well beyond the boundaries of biblical Christianity… In the pages that follow, we will show that much of our Halloween, Christmas, and Easter celebrations originate in paganism. Logic suggests that we offend God and compromise our walk with Him by participating in the profane aspects of these holidays.” (Pg. 7-8)

He observes, “modern Christians have no conscience about wearing jewelry celebrating somebody else’s religion, adorning their homes with figurines, amulets, and other decorative items, or celebrating pagan holidays with symbols and accouterments suitable for worshipping false deities and celebrating pagan festivals. Such items include Easter eggs… black cats, bats, jack o’lanterns, and evergreen trees and wreaths. None of these items has any connection to Christ or to Christianity, yet we display them annually with scarcely a thought about what they in reality represent. It’s not a sin to display a black cat; the sin lies in our failure to separate from pagan principles and practices.” (Pg. 22)

He says of Easter, “Originating in paganism, propagated by a faltering church, then traditionalized by a burgeoning American continent, Easter eventually became firmly entrenched in the culture of the United States. With it came its pagan embellishments… Perhaps the most common ornament of Easter is the brightly colored, hard-boiled egg. Given its … Babylonian origins, the Easter egg’s rise in significance and popularity over the millennia is not surprising… Eggs have been given as gifts, eaten for fertility purposes… hidden on church lawns and grounds… and worshipped as a source of life. No legitimate connection exists between any such practices and the resurrection of Christ from the dead.” (Pg. 37-38) He continues, “The wearing of Easter finery, new clothing and hats, and the so-called Easter parade originated in heathenism… Without exception, the ornaments of Easter are pagan in origin. Informed Christians who continue in these traditions and practices risk for themselves the consternation of God.” (Pg. 40)

He asserts, “If you think God neither cares about nor notices your annual veneration of evergreen trees, hiding Easter (Ishtar) eggs, fondness for figurines, trinkets, and other icons, or your celebration of a satanic witch’s holiday, etc., you might want to rethink your position. He found no favor with people centuries ago who should have known better. Our ‘enlightened’ generation is even more culpable than they.” (Pg. 68)

He states, “the celebration of Halloween by children makes them less sensitive to the dangers of experimenting with the occult. Witches lose their repulsiveness, communicating with them [less] horrifying, and demonic entities less threatening when they become familiar. Especially this is true when the person behind the mask turns out to be a friend or neighbor.” (Pg. 70) Later, he adds, “we feel it is best to warn you that Halloween is a point of contact with evil of every sort. Many of its roots lie in those evils specifically prohibited by the Bible. Its celebration is an affront to the faith once delivered to the saints. Halloween and Christmas are totally incompatible. To embrace the one is to frustrate the other.” (Pg. 82-83)

He contends, “In A.D. 375, the church announced that Christ’s date of birth had been discovered to be December 25. This date was without biblical or historical grounds, however, and became official only for the sake of convenience so that the celebration of the birth of Christ could be merged with pagan festivities of the season. The church decided on an “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach to the problem. It incorporated Yuletide rituals into Christmas. The candles came to symbolize Christ, the light of the world, and the holy offerings represented the gifts of the wise men. The church attempted to defeat pagan practices by attaching them to church functions and festivals. The church intended for its influence to rub off on such paganism and so eventually Christianize the world. Instead, the world began to paganize the church.” (Pg. 102)

He acknowledges, “The easiest items to [eliminate from your celebration] are the green decorations such as wreaths, holly, ivy, and mistletoe. Year by year, eliminate them one by one, and soon they will be history and not even missed. The lights you display on the lawn, along the eaves of the building, in windows, and elsewhere can begin to disappear in like gradual manner. However, of all the forms of Christmas fare, these ornaments seem the least objectionable. They have little precedent in historic forms of pagan worship or activity. So if you wish to make a clean sweep, the lights can be among the later things to go, provided, of course, that they are simple lights, and not lighted pagan symbols.” (Pg. 105)

Of Santa, he observes, “this righteous old bearded wonder demands righteousness of his followers, just like God does… consider the mind of a child who addresses old Saint Nick. The child often is filled with reverential fear---and sometimes with terror! Just visit the department store Santa and observe the smaller children. Many of them cower in his presence and shrink from him in absolute dread.” (Pg. 106)

He concludes, “Must we avoid the celebration of Christmas? Can’t we salvage SOMETHING of the season? Of course, but learn to discriminate between sacred and secular, pure and profane. First of all, give gifts. God did… Exchanging gifts symbolizes a godly kind of love… Christmas comes at a time of year when ministries and missionary agencies often ask for end-of-year gifts of support… since we claim to be celebrating Jesus’ birthday, how appropriate it is to give Him a gift by supporting His work! Do Christmas cards seem important to you?... This is an excellent opportunity to share a brief word of testimony… and remind your Christmas card list that Jesus is the reason for the season… limit them to biblical themes where possible. Jesus and His generation attended festivals and gatherings. Where appropriate, we can all do the same. Family and friends seem especially important during the holiday season… Your family and friends may comment on the absence of certain seasonal items if you host the occasion. Explain that you’ve begun to minimize some aspects of Christmas in order to maximize others that are more important to you.” (Pg. 108)

This book will interest Christians studying the possible ‘pagan influence’ on various holidays.

[Jennifer McMaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Traces the history from back to the Old Testament showing how pagan practices had become adopted by God's people in those times which led to idolatry, followed later by embracing the practices of false religions, and demonstrates how we must today be set apart as God's people in the way we partake in celebrations and holidays and not take lightly those things which have been used historically for idol worship. It's disappointing to see how many Christians participate in traditions which are not edifying and are rooted in paganism and how historically the results of God's people failing to discern what is right from what is connected to wickedness leads to the downfall of their culture and the judgement of God.