My persuasive speech about Christmas: A Challenge to Christians

MODS: I was unsure of where to place this please move this to a more appropriate board if necessary.

Ok guys, this is a draft for a persuasive speech I have coming up in my oral communications class at college. I wanted to do something that would challenge my audiences way of thinking and so I decided to oppose Christmas (which 27 out of 29 of the students in my class said they celebrated religiously). Please keep in mind that this is not a formal essay, but rather a quick sketch of what I plan to say that was put together as a precursor to the outline i'll have in hand while presenting. Feel free to leave any comments/supportive criticism/suggests below. Thanks

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Introduction

Every year towards the end of December people everywhere hang wreaths and mistletoe, set up mangers, cut and decorate trees, watch classic cartoons about Santa and elves, share gifts, and are in a generally happy mood as a collective whole. This time of the year is commonly referred to by Christians as Christmas, but what exactly are you celebrating when you take part in this holiday? Many people would say that you're celebrating the birth of their savior, Jesus Christ, but is there anything to back up the claim that he was actually born on that day? I am a Christian myself, but after doing some research about this holiday, i've learned that nearly every aspect of Christmas can be attributed in some way, shape, or form to pre-Christian pagan beliefs. 19 out of the 21 of you who participated in the in-class-survey said that you celebrated Christmas as a Christian holiday, so I know in advance that i'm not likely to make any friends based on what I have to say today. Aside from that fact though, today I will give you some history about the time period in which Christmas originated, explain where some of our traditions come from, and provide some scripture to help support my claims in order to persuade you that Christmas as we know it couldn't be any further from the truth.

TRANSITION: First, i'd like to start with some history in order to explain why many pagan traditions that we hold onto today came to be Christianized in the first place.

Body

One of the main figures in Christianizing the pagan religion of the early first century was the Roman emeror Constantine. Constantine was born in the year 272 and was first exposed to Christianity by his mother, Helena. Constantine was not a Christian from birth, however, but rather follower of pagan sun worship (which was the norm during that time). After becoming emperor of Rome in the year 306, Constantine experienced a dramatic change in his life. In the year 312, during the Battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine was said to have looked up to the sun before battle (looking for guidance/support from the sun god) when he saw the sign of the cross above the sun. Upon the cross was inscribed the words "in hoc signo vinces", or "in this sign you will be victorious". That night he had a dream which apparently confirmed his vision in which God told him to use the sign that he had been given as a safeguard in his battles. After this dream, Constantine converted to Christianity and made the symbol of his savior's name the new insignia of his army, outfitting it on his soldiers and flags. Constantine was victorious in the Battle of Milvian Bridge and he continued to use the symbol of Christ from that day onward.

Until this point in history, Christians had been widely tormented. Now that Constantine had announced his Christianity, however, it meant that they would be safe from persecution. Constantine's dedication also ensured that all of his subjects, Christian or non, would be exposed to this relatively new religion. he even went as far as to make Sunday a Roman holiday so that more people would be able to attend church. He also made churches tax exempt.

Constantine was a firm believer that church and state should operate as closely together as possible. He was originally tolerant of paganism, given his roots in the religion, but as with any nation, it becomes easier to rule a unified people. It is for this reason that Constantine soon began to phase out paganism under the disguise of Christianity. One of the ways he did this was by allowing pagans to keep many of their traditions and beliefs, but under the guise of new Christian holidays, or Holy-days. As a result, the Roman church was now full of pagans masquerading as Christians in order to avoid persecution. In this way, Constantine used religion as a tool to unify his people, but lacked any form of true spirituality.

Before the date became Christianized, December 25th was originally the Natalis Solis Invicti, or the Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun. This holiday which took place after the winter solstice, was in honor of the sun god, Mithras, who was originally a persian diety. Also, from December 17th to 24th, it was common for Romans to celebrate the ancient feast of Saturnalia, which was commemorative of Saturn, the god of the harvest. To pagan religions at the time, December 25th was the birthday of the gods, the time of year when days begin to lengthen and when there is a regeneration of nature (known to us as the winter solstice).

In the year 375 A.D., Pope Julius I announced that the birth of Jesus had been "discovered" to be on December 25th and it became accepted as such by all those who proclaimed themselves "faithful" to the church. In order to make Christmas palatable to the pagans, the Roman Catholic Church simply took the feast of Saturnalia and Christianized many of its symbols, customs, and traditions and reinterpretted them into acceptable Christian forms. This allowed the celebrations of Mithras and Saturn to be conducted as a celebration of the birthday of Christ. It only mattered to the pagans that they were allowed to worship their gods, not what they called them, and as a result many flocked to the Roman Catholic Church in order to abvoid persecution.

TRANSITION: Many of these symbols and customs of Saturnalia and the Natalis Solis Invicti that became Christianized during this time are some of the very things that we still carry out today without even knowing their origins. The first tradition I will discuss is the displaying of nativity scenes.

Body Part II

Nearly all pagan worship descended from Babylonian religions, which focus primarily on the mother goddess and the birth of her child. This was late adapted into Mary-Jesus worship, which easily accomodated the many pagans who "converted" to the Catholic church. Anyone who erected statues of the mother and son by themselves would have been called idolaters, but now, under the disguise of Christmas, pagans were free to worship their gods.

Another tradition we have is the decorating of a Christmas tree. Evergreen trees have long symbolized immortality and fertility because of their ability to (as their name suggests) remain green throughout the winter season when all other forms of plant life lie dormant. Evergreen would be brought into the home during the winter as magic symbols of luck for a fruitful year to come. Also the star which tops these trees may not just be attributed to the star that guided the wisemen, but rather the stars to which ancient Chaldean astronomers looked to for guidance. Decorating of evergreens was first done in honor the the god Adonis who, after being killed, was brought back to life by the serpent Aesculapius (another sign of immortality).

This symbolic use of the evergreen doesn't stop at just Christmas trees, however. Christmas wreaths were also made from evergreens and symbolized eternal life. These wreaths were usually round and symbolized the sun (the same way as halos do in modern art). As such, the wreath stood for an eternal, or undying sun (just as the sun was renewed at the winter solstice). Christians were initially hostile towards the wreath because of its reference to sun worship, but soon Christianized it as well saying that it could also represent the crown of thorns of Christ and the berries represent his blood.

Another staple of the Christmas season, Santa Claus, was brought into being during this period as well. A twist on the Dutch Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus wore red because that was the color that Catholic bishops and cardinals wore in Italy. The concept of Santa likely came from the Egyptian god, Bes, who was a rotund, gnome-like character and was the patron of children. Bes was likewise said to have lived at the North Pole where he worked year-round to produce toys for children who had been obedient to their parents. Santa Claus was also given blasphemous god-like abilities such as being an all knowing, omnipresent being. Santa Claus also displaced Jesus as the supposed figure-head of Christmas to the children.

Even the Christmas ham can be attributed to earlier pagan beliefs. Hogs were slaughtered and served as one of the central festivities of the Saturnalia festival. Each man in attendance would offer a pig as a sacrifice due to the belief that a boar had killed the sun diety, Adonis

TRANSITION: Many people however ignore the truth about these traditions and say that its still okay to celebrate because they aren't taking part in it as a pagan holiday. Its okay as long as your focus is on Christ, right? Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible tells us to neither add to nor take away from what is instucted to us, and to add Christ into a pagan holiday (even if you aren't celebrating its pagan origins) as a form of worship directly opposses that command.

Body Part III

One part of scripture that supports this idea is Leviticus 10, where Nadab and Abihu offer strange fire before the Lord. The verses read as such: "Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, This is what the Lord has said, Among those who are near me I will be sanctified and before all the people I will be glorified." Strange fire, in this instance is usually interpretted literally, but it can also be a metaphor for anything that is presented to God as worship but is contrary to his commands. Is celebrating the birth of Christ with no justification or reason the same as offering strange fire? We're instructed to remember the death of Christ by which we are saved, but never are we instructed to celebrate His birth, and to do so is offering a "strange fire" before God.

Another supporting part of scripture is Deuteronomy 12:29-32 which reads: "When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you not be ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods saying, How did these nations serve their gods? - that I also may do the same. You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominablle thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take away from it." In this scripture, God told his people that when they invaded other nations, that they were to destroy all traces of pagan worship that they found. God wanted to prevent his people from being enticed by false worship, but he also did not want his people to worship him in the same way that the pagans worshipped their gods. In this respect, Christmas is nothing more than an adaptation of pagan religion and ceremony that has been Christianized to offer false service to God.

One final part of scripture that I would like to share today is 1 Kings 18:21 which reads: "And Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, then follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer." In this scripture Elijah opposes the prophets or Baal and warns them about mingling religions. As Christians we must be careful they we neither add or take away from scripture, but whenever we celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday or as a form of worship, we're injecting pagan traditions into what God has commanded. We must not limp between religions as the pagans under the rule of Constantine did.

Solution/Conclusion

As I have shown with these examples, Christmas is no more than a fabricated holiday that was used in the first century to unite all Romans under Christianity. There is no scriptural basis for its celebration, and as Christians we must not be or feel obligated to partake in it. So what do we do about this problem? I'm not here to say that we shouldn't celebrate Christ's birth, but to do so as a form of worship, there must be Biblical precedent. It is for this reason that I not only challenge you to remove the name of Christ from this holiday when observing it, but to also teach others the truth, to question what we're taught and to read the Bible on your own to find the truth rather than having someone else translate for you. Christmas is a holiday about love, sharing, and togetherness and as long as we only celebrate it as such then there can be no question about our correctness in worshipping God. There are 365 days in a year to remember Christ and to learn about his teachings, it would be a shame if we followed the vast majority of the world and only limited it to one.

So if we all today know that December 25th was picked to align Christianity with the paganism winter festival to make the conversion easier why does that lesson the purpose? We do not know the true date and so we pick a date to recognize the event of the birth of Christ, and in reality any date would work just as well.

We do know of other events like the Easter bunny is pagan fertility, and the Christmas tree along with everything you talk about with non Christian foundation, but I find your paper is missing what just about every counterpoint I have read is missing.

You being a Christian, when you go to Christmas mass what does any of this have to do with the focus of the mass? Presents, charismas trees, Santa Claus, 25th of December, all pagan relations etc is not talked about. What is actually spoken in the mass is what the religious Christian side of Christmas is all about. Everything else is associated to Christmas through other customs and traditions. So I suggest you and others view Christmas, Easter and other holidays as multifaucet events that have many different meaning, but the religious meaning is only found in the mass.

What is the challenge? That the Birth of Christ wasn't December 25th and that Christianity "sucked in" other cultural symbols?

I think we all know that..... Since nobody was nice enough to actually "time-stamp" the events in the Bible, you can only guess.

As for the cultural symbols... is anyone "worshiping" them?

I don't get it unless there is some attempt to find some dummy that will argue that "The Bible says Christmas is on that date" or some such debate?

Now if your want to link "Catholicism" to the "Mystery Babylon" religion, here is some internet babble about that subject that can be researched.

www.gospelcenterchurch.org...


[edit on 5-4-2010 by infolurker]

What is your proposition? That Christians should not celebrate the birth of Christ? To me the actual date is irrelevant.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31

Duplicate post deleted.

[edit on 6-4-2010 by saint4God]

[edit on 6-4-2010 by saint4God]

Originally posted by Xtrozero
So if we all today know that December 25th was picked to align Christianity with the paganism winter festival to make the conversion easier why does that lesson the purpose? We do not know the true date and so we pick a date to recognize the event of the birth of Christ, and in reality any date would work just as well.

We do know of other events like the Easter bunny is pagan fertility, and the Christmas tree along with everything you talk about with non Christian foundation, but I find your paper is missing what just about every counterpoint I have read is missing.

You being a Christian, when you go to Christmas mass what does any of this have to do with the focus of the mass? Presents, charismas trees, Santa Claus, 25th of December, all pagan relations etc is not talked about. What is actually spoken in the mass is what the religious Christian side of Christmas is all about. Everything else is associated to Christmas through other customs and traditions. So I suggest you and others view Christmas, Easter and other holidays as multifaucet events that have many different meaning, but the religious meaning is only found in the mass.

Why do you assume I participatein a Christmas mass? I said that I was a Christian, not that I was catholic. I've never participated in a mass.

Originally posted by infolurker
What is the challenge? That the Birth of Christ wasn't December 25th and that Christianity "sucked in" other cultural symbols?

I think we all know that..... Since nobody was nice enough to actually "time-stamp" the events in the Bible, you can only guess.

As for the cultural symbols... is anyone "worshiping" them?

I don't get it unless there is some attempt to find some dummy that will argue that "The Bible says Christmas is on that date" or some such debate?

Now if your want to link "Catholicism" to the "Mystery Babylon" religion, here is some internet babble about that subject that can be researched.

www.gospelcenterchurch.org...


[edit on 5-4-2010 by infolurker]

I only mentioned the traditions in order to further support the idea that what Christians celebrate is in fact pagan. I'm not suggesting that they worship these things, but that they celebrate Xmas religiosly and that these traditions are a part of the holiday.

Christians celebrate the birth of christ on december 25th. Well some of the traditions came from other religions and social groups they are still celebrating the birth of christ. The term pagan refers to a whole list of religions not one "pagan" religion. If christians were worshiping their tree every year then i would say yes but as it is today christians are just celebrating the birth of christ.
With the great number of pre-christian religions it would be hard for anyone to invent a holliday that could not in some way be tied to some pagan religion. Every month of the year could be tied to one or another god and any icon made to represent the holiday could also be tied to some pagan god.

[edit on 6-4-2010 by zaiger]

Originally posted by ravhen

Why do you assume I participatein a Christmas mass? I said that I was a Christian, not that I was catholic. I've never participated in a mass.

Well let me revise my question, do you go to a Christian church on Christmas? If not maybe you should just to see what Christmas is all about in the true religious sense. My assumption is based on you stating that you were a Christian, and I was using mass in a more general sense and not purposely implying Catholic.

My main point stands though in after everything is pushed aside it is the basic message in church is the only thing that represents the religious side of Christmas.

If I understand what your trying to do...you're trying to challenge and maybe shake up a little academic dust with this knowledge of pagan ties to Christmas. If that is the case, I salute you as a Christian.

There are many, even in my own church, that don't realize what all the symbolism means and what God said about it.

Look at Jeremiah 5 or is it 10?, I believe this is where God condemns an idol that sounds an awful lot like a Christmas Tree... this is also where the "groves on high places" comes from...evergreens planted in a grove for fertility(orgy) rites.

We discussed these things in our sunday school and are now looking at all the giants and Genesis 6.... all Biblically backed of course. Blowing some minds....
good luck

Originally posted by Xtrozero

Originally posted by ravhen

Why do you assume I participatein a Christmas mass? I said that I was a Christian, not that I was catholic. I've never participated in a mass.

Well let me revise my question, do you go to a Christian church on Christmas? If not maybe you should just to see what Christmas is all about in the true religious sense. My assumption is based on you stating that you were a Christian, and I was using mass in a more general sense and not purposely implying Catholic.

My main point stands though in after everything is pushed aside it is the basic message in church is the only thing that represents the religious side of Christmas.

I attend church on xmas (and every other sunday of the year), but its non-denominational and we just have a normal service on that day as we believe that Christ was not born on xmas. I'm not trying to troll or argue for the sake of arguing. Thats just the point of what i'm trying to present...that according to my information and the scriptures i've presented, that to mesh aspects of different religion together is unnacceptable before God. I believe that the so called "religious side" of xmas should be celebrated every other day of the year, not just pushed aside for xmas.

Originally posted by ravhen

I attend church on xmas (and every other sunday of the year), but its non-denominational and we just have a normal service on that day as we believe that Christ was not born on xmas. I'm not trying to troll or argue for the sake of arguing. Thats just the point of what i'm trying to present...that according to my information and the scriptures i've presented, that to mesh aspects of different religion together is unnacceptable before God. I believe that the so called "religious side" of xmas should be celebrated every other day of the year, not just pushed aside for xmas.

Why do you call it xmas, is the word Christmas painful to you? Well ok, I can see your point but I fail to see either side as right or wrong. May I ask you if you just have 52 generic Sundays, or if you have any speical events during the year? Also why do you attend Church on Sunday and not Saturday?

It really doesn't matter if we choose to set aside the 25th for Christ's birth. I do think we need to reexamine how we choose to celebrate.

reply to post by ravhen


Read the quote you made on your post earlier.

"Why do you assume I participatein a Christmas mass? I said that I was a Christian, not that I was catholic. I've never participated in a mass."

Huh ?? Are you serious ?? The only difference between Catholics and
other Christian churches is that they are Catholics and the rest are
"Protestant". They both happen to be Christian. Where do you get your
info and who raised you with this unbelievable knowledge?

reply to post by ravhen

I am a non-religious Christian...
...and I agree that December 25 could not have been the birthday of Jesus...
...for one simple fact...
...shephards would not be tending sheep out in the open at that time of the year near Bethlehem.

It is a Christianized non-Judeo/Christian holiday of mixed origin.

However, this is not so with Easter which is the Hebrew Passover in a Christian context...
...notwithstanding a few symbols of the spring festivals (bunnies, eggs)...
...that happen to coincide with post Barley Harvest reckoning of Nisan 14/15 each year.

Why do you call it xmas, is the word Christmas painful to you? Well ok, I can see your point but I fail to see either side as right or wrong. May I ask you if you just have 52 generic Sundays, or if you have any speical events during the year? Also why do you attend Church on Sunday and not Saturday?

Yes, we do typically have 25 generic sundays (no special processions). As for meeting on the first day of the week, that is done in reference to Acts 20:7 where it says that they met on the first day of the week to break bread.

Originally posted by endtimer
reply to post by ravhen

 

Read the quote you made on your post earlier.

"Why do you assume I participatein a Christmas mass? I said that I was a Christian, not that I was catholic. I've never participated in a mass."

Huh ?? Are you serious ?? The only difference between Catholics and
other Christian churches is that they are Catholics and the rest are
"Protestant". They both happen to be Christian. Where do you get your
info and who raised you with this unbelievable knowledge?

There is an enormous difference in Catholic Christian and "Protestant" (which you seem to lump into one big category). In my view Catholicism is more of a system of government created to establish power in the early centuries than any form of religious group. Catholicism is organized to where each church must report to someone, who reports to someone else, who reports to someone else all the way up to the Pope whom they put on par with God himself. They also choose to use intermediary priests in order to confess their sins when the entire reason for Christ's death was so that we could receive forgiveness of sins THROUGH HIM and our prayers could reach him without any priest to mediate. Its all about the money. Any church that has ever offered "pardons" for sins yet to be committed for a little cash on the side should not be taken seriously.

The church I attend, which you generically label as protestant, is self-governed by a group of elected elders who make the final decisions in the operation of our congregation. There is no higher authority (other than God himself, of course) or representative that our church reports to or receives instruction from (no central headquarters, etc.). There are no "priests", Jesus himself is our priest as we are commanded to pray in his name.

[edit on 6-4-2010 by ravhen]

ravhen....great speech and kudos to you for looking into the truth.

It is so hard to break away from the mainstream brainwashing that has been heaped upon us by the societies we were raise in.

we are told, "This is the way it is and you WILL believe or else"....that came from parents, school, clergy, etc. and that is what programmed your early mind.

It is very good that you have looked into and searched for the truth cause the truth will set you free..........free from the masses with their incorrect thinking....not good or bad or evil, just incorrect.

For all of those that say, "Well the actual date doesn't matter".... I plan to celebrate YOUR birthday tomorrow and what a celebration it will be........Come and join me. If you were born in May, who cares? Let's celebrate...It surely won't matter in 2000 years...........lol

Good work...

peas

reply to post by ravhen



I would like to say i enjoyed reading this and i have a few thoughts. I will star and flag this because i think you did alot of work on this and i also hope you do well on this in class.
As far as my thoughts go it seems like you are biased regarding this subject and your christian background and influence show through here. You show alot of personal opinion and christian ideals in your speech. You dont just state facts and argue them you give your own personal opinion alot in this paper.
First i would like to see some sources for your information. Not that i disagree with you because i, like many here agree that what you have stated is true. Christianity and Catholocism more specifically is rooted alot in pagan beliefs and practice but this doesnt just stop at christmas but pervades every aspect of the religion itself. The figure jesus is not even an original concept. Research ancient sumeria and religions from that era and you will find parallels with christianity. The ancient religion Zoroastrianism shares quite a few beliefs with christianity especially concerning eschatology and the idea of heaven/hell , the last judgement and reward in the afterlife. Many scholars today believe that Zoroastrianism had a profound influence on ancient judaism which would later affect christianity and set the basis for such beliefs. Scholars argue that during the jewish captivity in babylon that they were exposed to zoroastrianism as well as other pagan religions and beliefs and it had its influence in their own religion and practices. This has transcended down to christianity from judaism.
This also brings me to the point that christianity itself isnt a original religion, but sprang from judaism. The fact that jesus was a jew is not in doubt. He was raised in a jewish community and learned the ways of that community, along with the religious concepts and ideals of that time. Also it cannot be forgotten that political issues of that time also played a huge part in the birth of christianity itself.
Yes, there is no doubt what so ever of the influence of other cultures and other peoples on different cultures and religions. Whenever ANY culture is exposed to another for prolonged periods there is going to be a blending of the two and a mixing of ideals. If it were not so, then one of the two would erode or be destroyed out of necessity. Assimilation is the only way two cultures can survive together with such opposing idealogies. They have to learn to get along. Yes constantine was a smart ruler. It is argued that he chose chritianity because it would unite his people under one banner and that he wasnt truly christian. Just a smart ruler. He did accomplish that feat. He united a country and a people. The only way to unite people is to make things common among them. Make the people happy. Your not going to do this by taking everything a person believes in away from them.
I think one question you have to ask yourself is this. Why did god allow him to assimilate paganistic traditions and practices into christian worship and practice? If god gave him a symbol and told him to conquer with it then god must approve eh? It was from this that the catholic church sprang was it not? And do they not think they are the one true church? I mean i am with you on the whole idea. I wasnt a follower of catholic beliefs and practices even when i was christian, because they are very rooted in such practices. I am not christian anymore and thats because i lost my faith. Thats a whole other topic to be sure. However i can see your point, but there are alot of holes in it. Again i think your argument is based upon your belief and not purely academic. You sound like your trying to argue your viewpoint that you have from going to your church and thats fine but its not academic. Truly academic would be to look at the argument from all sides and argue solely from an unbiased standpoint based upon the facts alone.
The scripture you used for instance can have a dual argument. Leviticus being the one i am speaking of. You spoke of how god basically struck down 2 people who didnt do what was right before the lord. Well then how do you explain constantine? The fact that god isnt smiting down those who claim to be doing what they do in his name means what exactly? That god is ok with what they do? That god is absent and doesnt care? You will probobly argue that god is saving it up all for the judgement eh? So he leaves us to pnder and argue over the meaning of his words that can have very valid and different meanings for everyone who reads them. You yourself challenge people to read and interpret the scriptures on their own without being told what they mean and force fed meanings. I agree with this but this invites independent thinking and a chance that someone will "see" something you dont and it may even contradict what you know to be "truth"

The "truth" is this. Everyone has to follow their heart as to what measure of devotion they have given to their own faith. Personally i salute someone who follows their faith to the letter they ascribe to it and does not faulter while maintaining peace and love in their heart for their fellow man. Christians especially are challenge to love their fellow man while holding to the ideals of their saviour. Good luck eh? Because this is exactly one of the main reasons i am not chrtistian. I have found that they almost, i said almost all have so micromanaged their own religion to the point they find fault in everyone who doesnt ascribe to their specific and i do mean specific ideal of god and spirituality. This is even amongst their own kind, against their fellow christians. They find fault in everything and therefore are sinning in their own righteousness. They strive so hard to find purity in their practice of their faith they try to destroy any independent ideas or thoughts regarding god and his message. They have no tolreance anymore. Personally i think there is nothing wrong with christmas being practiced and that god himself isnt going to condemn anyone for "trying" to love his fellow man on a day that is inspired by a man who supposedly did just that, regardless if there are symbols from an age so long gone by that are still around today.
You wish to find the purest form of your faith and thats fine but it doesnt make others wrong either. GL on the paper.

reply to post by fizzy1


You're probably correct in saying that the paper is overly biased. As this is meant to be a persuasive speech, I felt more obligated to put more of my opinion into it than I would have with a formal essay.

I also agree with you when you mentioned how Christianity may have borrowed from other religions as well (such as the sumerians). I've noticed many of these parallels in some research i've done and it is for this reason that one day I hope to not only find my religion "in its purest form" (as you put it), but to also hopefully find the connection between these religions and just what religion itself is at its purest form.

Thanks for taking the time to read through what I have to say. Your input is greatly appreciated.