The Anabaptist perception towards U.S. Holidays!

[barnhart]

Mardi Gras is actually a good example of how I prefer to deal with pagan holidays. If I lived in New Orleans I might take advantage of the day off by holding a meeting of prayer, praise and scripture.

[Soloist]

Yet most of the practice of "Sunday" around me consists of a day off from work when people go out to eat and watch football games.

Your point being? You think it’s fine to go watch football on Sunday? I disagree, but I would object to watching football on any day.

Your objecting to Easter eggs and Easter bunnies is equivalent to objecting to going out to eat on Sunday or watching football games on Sunday (the latter being something I don't do). Whilst I don't practice it, I think children going on easter-egg hunts is harmless.

No, there is a difference but I don’t see a point in arguing with you. I don’t think Easter egg hunts are harmless and I’ve done them as a child.
Football is not expressly pagan, although the practice around football is pagan.]

I have indeed heard these arguments and am quite unconvinced. I am also disturbed by the fact that most people I have known who went down this path eventually dispensed with believing in Jesus altogether.

I haven’t ran in to any of those people and the majority of Anabaptists in Oregon I associated with would share my convictions.
This is basically the same flawed guilty by association argument that Eastern uses against the veil. Ultimately you should know there are deeper problems that are being ignored that caused these people to leave, not their stance against pagan practices.

Ultimately, celebrating Jesus' resurrection and Jesus' birth cannot possibly be described as "pagan", and it seems quixotic to do battle with some of the few holidays we have left that get people's minds on Jesus at all. It is quite similar to the war I have seen some people wage on having church on Sundays, arguing that Saturdays are somehow better.

Again you are distorting what I’m saying. I never said that the resurrection or birth was pagan. Can you at least disagree with what I’m actually saying rather then what you are claiming I’m saying?

[Soloist]

Mardi Gras is actually a good example of how I prefer to deal with pagan holidays. If I lived in New Orleans I might take advantage of the day off by holding a meeting of prayer, praise and scripture.

Mardi Gras is technically 1 day… although anyone who has experienced it knows it’s many days of celebration. I don’t know how it is now, I knew it pre-Katrina.

[Josh]

Perhaps you can clarify what you are saying. What, exactly, is the “pagan” practice you object to?

I don’t see a major problem with some gift giving at Christmas, nor of referring to the current season as Easter. I would also note I’m in the Anabaptist denomination that takes the strongest stance against religious observances of Christmas or Easter (in particular no special services). However, nobody runs around claiming Christmas is a “pagan holiday”.

[Soloist]

Perhaps you can clarify what you are saying. What, exactly, is the “pagan” practice you object to?

I don’t see a major problem with some gift giving at Christmas, nor of referring to the current season as Easter. I would also note I’m in the Anabaptist denomination that takes the strongest stance against religious observances of Christmas or Easter (in particular no special services). However, nobody runs around claiming Christmas is a “pagan holiday”.

I’ve said it more then once, Easter eggs, Easter bunny and the connection to pagan fertility rites.
Christmas, Santa Claus is pagan at this point regardless of the original source, Yule tide logs, mistletoe, Christmas trees, christmas lights, Christmas presents…
I know you don’t agree but there are several notable speakers who would agree with me and as I said, most people in Oregon I associated with would.
I disagree that your group has the strongest stance, in my experience, they were fairly soft on them.

I am not objecting to Christmas services, a meal as a family, celebrating the birth of Jesus or the resurrection of Jesus.

The only practice I’ve seen among the plain Mennonites is a single gift exchange for Christmas. None of them put up Christmas trees, lights, mistletoe, talk about Santa…

[Josh]

We do not have explicit Easter or Christmas church services (although oddly enough do have a Thanksgiving service).

Nobody in the present era (well, almost nobody, and certainly not the average person) is practicing “pagan fertility rites”.

Likewise as I said earlier, decorating a house for Christmas emerged in the 1400s in Germany and had no connection to paganism at all, but did have origins in the equivalent of a passion play which is explicitly Christian, not pagan.

Of course, as plain Mennonites we don’t do a lot of things like stringing up lights, decorating trees and so forth. But it is a real stretch to claim that is “pagan”. As far as I can tell, this is something that was invented out of whole cloth in the 1800s by people who simply didn’t like holidays.

And, again, the fruit is quite poor.

[Soloist]

We do not have explicit Easter or Christmas church services (although oddly enough do have a Thanksgiving service).

Nobody in the present era (well, almost nobody, and certainly not the average person) is practicing “pagan fertility rites”.

Likewise as I said earlier, decorating a house for Christmas emerged in the 1400s in Germany and had no connection to paganism at all, but did have origins in the equivalent of a passion play which is explicitly Christian, not pagan.

Of course, as plain Mennonites we don’t do a lot of things like stringing up lights, decorating trees and so forth. But it is a real stretch to claim that is “pagan”. As far as I can tell, this is something that was invented out of whole cloth in the 1800s by people who simply didn’t like holidays.

And, again, the fruit is quite poor.

I will agree to disagree with you. The fruit of arguing with you speaks for itself.

[steve-in-kville]

This thread right about now....

derail.jpg

[Sudsy]

If a holiday is 'a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done', then some on this list are not holidays. That is my perception.

Romans 14:4-5 - Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

At my age treating every day alike is quite easy. I often ask my wife what day it is, meaning day of the week, as I have one day in the week where I have a special obligation. Sometimes I wonder why a store or restaurant is closed and she reminds me that day is a holiday. We don't make a big deal over our birthdays either. Most special days for me are doctor and dentist appointments.

[Josh]

Ascension Day is a really funny one to see in the list.. virtually nobody in America knows what it is. Basically some devout Catholics (and Orthodox), Amish, and people who live around them.