Christmas is a Western civilization holiday, not just Christian. It has a lot of pagan elements in it, and of course a lot of secular elements from after Christianity. It's no different than an atheist westerner celebrating St. Patrick's, which is also officially a Christian holiday.
The Catholic Church actually moved the date of Christ's birth in order to have Christmas coincide with the pagan winter solstice festivals. That was one of the catalysts for the Great Schism.
I don't think that's accurate. The reason for the date discrepancy is because the Orthodox churches still follow the Julian calendar. It's not as if anyone had an idea of when Jesus was actually born.
Filioque and the primacy of Rome were the issues in the Great Schism, as well as more minor issues like the use of unleavened bread by Rome, which Orthodoxy considers Judaizing.
Christmas is a Western civilization holiday, not just Christian. It has a lot of pagan elements in it, and of course a lot of secular elements from after Christianity. It's no different than an atheist westerner celebrating St. Patrick's, which is also officially a Christian holiday.
The Catholic Church actually moved the date of Christ's birth in order to have Christmas coincide with the pagan winter solstice festivals. That was one of the catalysts for the Great Schism.
I don't think that's accurate. The reason for the date discrepancy is because the Orthodox churches still follow the Julian calendar. It's not as if anyone had an idea of when Jesus was actually born.
Filioque and the primacy of Rome were the issues in the Great Schism, as well as more minor issues like the use of unleavened bread by Rome, which Orthodoxy considers Judaizing.
Yeah you're right. Christmas was moved to coincide with the Yule in 352. My bad.
That’s true. It really can be celebrated by anyone. I’m a Christian so it’s a religious holiday but I know the pagan roots and see the secular aspect