Santa, Christmas Trees, and Reindeer: Pagan or Christian? | with Bill Federer

I Don't Have Enough FAITH to Be an ATHEIST

Dr. Frank Turek

Religion & Spirituality, Education, Christianity

4.8 • 5K Ratings

🗓️ 22 December 2023

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Have you ever wondered where Christmas traditions come from? Better yet, is there any CHRISTIAN truth to these traditions, or are they all rooted in paganism? And what's the deal with Santa Claus? Where did he come from and how did he become such a legend in the hearts and minds of both children and adults? The answers may surprise you!

Back by popular demand (and just in time for the holidays), nationally known speaker and best-selling author, Bill Federer, joins Frank to discuss the TRUE history of Christmas and debunk some of the popular myths circulating online about its origins. During this episode, Bill will unpack the story of St. Nicholas as detailed in his popular book 'There Really Is a Santa Claus', and explore the various Christmas traditions that have evolved across different cultures over time. Listen as Frank and Bill answer questions like:

Was Jesus really born on December 25th?
Is Christmas a copycat of Sol Invictus?
What role did St. Nicholas play at the Council of Nicaea?
Where did the Christmas tree come from?
How did Martin Luther change Germany’s Christmas traditions?
Is it ok for Christians to use the term X-mas and where did it come from?
Should Christians teach their kids that the mythical Santa Claus is real?
What is the true meaning of Christmas?

And so much more! As you'll hear in this fascinating conversation, Bill is an amazing historian, storyteller, and fan favorite of the CrossExamined community. His wealth of knowledge on this subject will not only encourage you to defend the Christmas holiday, but also help you to see how it ultimately points to the plan of redemption. For more fun facts about history, be sure to sign up for Bill's email list by visiting his website, AmericanMinute.com.

To view the entire VIDEO PODCAST be sure to join our CrossExamined private community. It’s the perfect place to jump into some great discussions with like-minded Christians while simultaneously providing financial support for our ministry.

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Bill's website: American Minute

You can purchase Bill's Christmas book on his website HERE.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Does truth exist?
0:03.0	Because you have faith, does that make this book true?
0:05.0	Does God exist?
0:07.0	So when someone says there is no truth, if you apply the claim to itself, what should you say?
0:13.7	Is that true?
0:15.5	They don't think Christianity's true.
0:18.6	They're talked out of it.
0:20.3	You know why they're talked out of it?
0:22.2	Because they've never been talked into it.
0:24.0	Cross-examining skeptical and apiistic view.
0:28.0	Welcome to Cross-examine with Dr. Frank Turrick.
0:32.0	Ladies and gentlemen, Merry Christmas, this is going to be a fun show.
0:38.0	We've done a program like this before.
0:41.0	It was many years ago and we got so many great comments on it. We're
0:45.1	doing it again and I'm going to introduce our guest in a minute, but what we're
0:50.6	going to talk about is when was Jesus born? What does the Bible say? What is the real meaning of Christmas?
0:56.8	And where do Christmas holiday traditions come from? How about Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, gift giving,
1:02.4	presents, stockings, Christmas, Santa Claus, gift-giving, presents,
1:03.0	stockings, you know, X-Men, you hear that.
1:05.9	Nativity scenes, the North Pole, reindeer, elves.
1:09.2	Where does it all come from?
1:10.4	Does it, is it all pagan?
	...

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