Christmas: The Impact on Christianity
by Christmas is one of the main Christian festivals and celebrations, which has been afforded varying degrees of importance by Christians throughout the centuries since Jesus Christ’s birth. Different Christian denominations have had different ideas as to the importance and the significance of Christmas; these ideas will be discussed and evaluated below. The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant churches have similarities and differences in their theology and rites concerning the celebration of Christmas.
The way that Christmas is celebrated now can be traced back to the nineteenth century, when the sending of cards, Christmas trees and decorations became popular. Such features as these were intended to make Christmas a special event for families and all Christian communities as a whole. All these ways of celebrating still maintain the religious significance of Christmas, that Jesus Christ was born to save humanity from its sinful nature and lead people towards salvation and peace upon earth. Although Christmas traditions have been maintained, for far too many people the true religious meaning of Christmas has been lost through increasing levels of commercialization and secularization. Whilst Christmas is seen as a time for families to get together it is about how much is spent on presents rather than the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth that is the most important thing for people to consider.
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