Reply #40: What is denigrating about stating historical fact?

[kayell]

Most theologians recognize that the early Christian church chose to schedule their religious festivals at the same time as older pagan festivals as a practical way of switching peoples allegiance over to the new religion. People were fond of those celebrations- they were fun, and the church recognized that asking people to give that fun up would work against them. So they simply co-opted the holidays. No one really knew when Jesus was born (although spring seems likeliest) or when he was crucified, so popping those celebrations on top of pagan holidays with roughly similar meanings was completely a practical matter. Christians weren't even the first to do this, other religions throughout time have built on the backs of previous religions.

What is offensive and seriously hypocritical is for certain christians to whine and wimper because other religions and secular traditions have their winter celebrations at the same time as the early church chose for Christmas.