THE NEWS NIGERIA
As Nigerians mark Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ today, 25 December, Christian groups in Nigeria can be categorised as those that celebrate it, (though they admit it has pagan origin) and those that, for that reason, do not.
Among the groups that do not mark Christmas are Deeper Life Bible Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, God’s Kingdom Society with headquarters in Warri, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mountain of Fire. They have their reasons.
Redeemed Christian Church of God, Winners Chappel, Orthodox Churches and others celebrate it though they stick to the theme of the occasion-the significance of the birth of Christ.
Pastor Williams Folorunso Kumuyi, General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church said in 2013 at its December retreat: “We don’t celebrate Christmas. It actually came from idolatrous background. That is why you don’t hear us sing what they call Christmas carol. Never! When you find anybody coming in, or any leader, trying to introduce the idolatry of mystery Babylon, that they call Christmas and you want to bring all the Christmas carol saying that is the day that Jesus was born, and you don’t find that in the Acts of the Apostles or in the early church, then you don’t find that in my church either. If you don’t know that before, now you know. We are not trying to make the church turn like the world. We want it to be like Jesus Christ, and more like the Apostles. If you don’t have that mind with us, then you have permission to go to other places.”
The other group that does not celebrate Christmas is the Jehovah’s Witnesses. As we published earlier today on this platform, they believe it has pagan origin. The group has five reasons for its position, according to its website, jw.org.
“1. There is no proof that Jesus was born on December 25; his birth date is not recorded in the Bible.
2. We believe that Christmas is not approved by God because it is rooted in pagan customs and rites.—2 Corinthians 6:17.
3. Jesus commanded that we commemorate his death, not his birth.—Luke 22:19, 20.
4. Jesus’ apostles and early disciples did not celebrate Christmas. The New Catholic Encyclopedia says that “the Nativity feast was instituted not earlier than 243 [C.E.],” more than a century after the last of the apostles died.
5. The Bible does not give the date of Jesus’ birth, nor does it say that Christians should celebrate his birthday. As McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia states: “The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of NT [New Testament] origin.”
God’s Kingdom Society does not celebrate Christmas on 25 December but the members mark theirs in October. For this year, a press statement by the publicity secretary of the Church, Brother Benedict Hart, stated that activities of the Freedom Day “would be holding at various centres in Nigeria, United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America on designated dates, in line with a calendar that had been drawn up for the event this year. The centres for this Sunday (October 6, 2019) are Asaba, Accra, Sogho, Orogun, Abeokuta, Omoku, Umuakpara, Sabongida-Ora, Arunton, Kaduna, Orerokpe. The divine service would feature sermons, choral group performances and Special Thanksgiving to God. The main sermons for the service are the message of the GKS President, Brother Godwin Ifeacho entitled ‘The Grace of God’ and ‘Was Christ born on Christmas Day?”’
