J. Edwards,

I think that the people in this forum would agree with much of what your atheist friend has observed. "Lanny" has more insight than many so-called Christians, and I admire him for his grasp of both Scripture and history.

But it comes down to this: am I dishonoring God by observing a holiday dedicted to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ simply because some of the trappings (tree, holly, etc.) have a pagan origin, there is no commandment in Scripture to celebrate Christmas and yes, it has become grossly commercialized? I think not. The word "adiaphora" has been used in another post to describe the celebration of Christmas and that's exactly what it is. It's like eating meat sacrificed to idols in Corinth. If my conscience doesn't allow me to celebrate Christmas for the reasons your friend has articulated, well then I'll never celebrate Christmas again. But my conscience does in fact allow me to celebrate the holiday and enjoy it. So I'm going to sing carols, eat, exchange gifts, visit friends and family and even partake in an adult beverage and do it all to the glory of God.