Why are Christian holidays different from biblical holidays?

Questions from a Christian friend #3

This week, a Christian friend of mine wrote me questioning why her religion observed certain holidays. Below is a peek into my inbox to see how I responded.

“I have knowledge of the paganistic beliefs that were infused into the Christian religion that are false and coincide with the pagan gods and goddesses and I reject them. For instance Easter.,it coincides with Ishtar the Sun Goddess and Bunnies represent fertility and eggs represent fertility and I also know that before Roman Catholic Church came I to exsistanace when the Romans were pagan and the only way they could get the Romans to practice Catholicism was to have them still celebrate their pagan holidays. So they blended Catholicism with paganism and called it Christianity. Because I am aware of all these things I reject all the so called Christian holidays and because I’m a bible believing Christian I feel more comfortable with celebrating the same holidays of Christ’s time. but here in lyes the problem.

I’m not a Jew. Many of the holidays celebrate the struggle or overcoming of the Jewish people. I feel connected to the Jewish people because Christ was a Jew and I feel that maybe those holidays should be sacred for only the Jews. I also feel kindship with the Jews because they are my brothers and sisters through Christ. As a Bible believing Christian i would be more comfortable being wrong in celebrating Jewish holidays as Christ did than celebrate Christian holidays where I know those are absolutely wrong.” — Friend

I think this person is asking why her religion has certain holidays even though the message around said holiday is different than the historical meaning. Let’s dive into this…

My Response:

Concerning your third question, I sing in harmony with you in rejecting pagan beliefs and lifestyles. Besides tradition and a feeling of emotional comfort, I can’t say I understand why the West and Christianity engage in holidays such as Easter, Christmas, and the like.

From my experience as a proud American, I feel July 4th and Thanksgiving are much more aligned with the values America expresses. These days focus on freedom from tyranny and…