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COGwriter<\/a><\/p>\n A new report confirms that the Christmas-New Years holiday season perhaps should be renamed the season of death:<\/p>\n A new U.S. analysis of mortality rates during different times of year found that people are more likely to die during the holidays \u2014 notably on Christmas and New Year\u2019s Day \u2014 and researchers cannot explain the yearly spike.<\/span><\/p>\n After analyzing all official United States death certificates over the 25-year period between 1979 and 2004, a trio of sociologists identified an excess of 42,325 natural deaths \u2014 that is, above and beyond the normal seasonal winter increase \u2014 in the two weeks starting with Christmas…<\/span><\/p>\n Mr. Phillips and two other University of California at San Diego researchers found another correlation between the holidays and a spike in deaths…<\/span><\/p>\n The researchers concluded: \u201cThese comparison measures indicate that the largest spikes in alcohol consumption and in SIDS \u2026 occur on New Year; alcohol consumption and SIDS increase significantly on weekends; and children of alcohol-consuming mothers are much more likely to die from SIDS than are children of non-alcohol-consuming mothers.\u201d <\/span> <\/span>http:\/\/news.nationalpost.com\/2010\/12\/20\/christmas-the-deadliest-day-of-the-year-study\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n While most people equate the Christmas-New Year’s season with family gatherings, gifts, parties, and religious stories, apparently death is a major part of it.<\/p>\n But, believe it or not, there was a direct element of death associated with this season prior to the birth of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n Notice the following from Rod McNair of the Living Church of God<\/a>:<\/p>\n Saturnalia\u2019s Dark Echoes<\/strong><\/p>\n Author Hugo Slim reminds us that Christmas \u201cis perhaps the best example of the early Church Christianizing the traditional non-Christian festivals of a season\u2014in this case the festivals of returning light surrounding the winter solstice\u201d (A Feast of Festivals, pp. 36\u201337). The Romans celebrated the solstice season as the \u201cSaturnalia, honoring Saturn, the god of agriculture\u201d (Fillmore, p. 10).<\/p>\n This connection to the Saturnalia reveals an even darker side to Christmas traditions, and shows plainly why Christmas is not a child-friendly holiday! The Encyclopaedia Britannica <\/em>explains that at the feast of Saturnalia, \u201call classes exchanged gifts, the commonest being wax tapers and clay dolls. These dolls were especially given to children\u2026\u201d (article: \u201cSaturnalia,\u201d 11th edition). What was the purpose of those gifts? \u201cVarro thought these dolls represented original sacrifices of human beings to the infernal god. There was, as we have seen, a tradition that human sacrifices were once offered to Saturn, and the Greeks and Romans gave the name of Cronus and Saturn to a cruel Phoenician Baal, to whom, e.g. children were sacrificed at Carthage\u201d (ibid.).<\/p>\n Child Sacrifice and Cannibalism?<\/strong><\/p>\n Saturnalia\u2014the festival Christmas absorbed\u2014even carries echoes of ancient child sacrifice! It sounds horrific that dolls were given as gifts as symbols or proxies of children burnt to pagan gods. Yet this practice echoes the modern tradition of hanging cherubs or human figures on Christmas trees! The ancient Greeks placed small masks called oscilla on branches, where they could twirl freely in the wind. Encyclopaedia Britannica explains that oscilla were small figures, most commonly masks or faces, that were hung up \u201cas offerings to various deities.\u2026 The custom of hanging these oscilla represents an older practice of expiating human sacrifice\u201d (ibid.).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Not only did ancient Saturn-worship and fire-worship involve child sacrifice, it also included cannibalism. Author John Garnier noted: \u201cCannibalism appears to have been initiated by Cronus, i.e. Saturn\u2026 For we are told by Sanchoniathon that Cronus was the originator of human sacrifices\u2026 Saturn is represented as devouring his own children.\u201d (The Worship of the Dead, pp. 34\u201335).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n When \u201cChristian\u201d missionaries turned a blind eye to the symbols of ancient pagan festivals observed by their converts, they absorbed into their own worship and practice a number of ancient rites that echoed child sacrifice and cannibalism. Symbols of these abominable practices are still extant today as grim reminders of the \u201cdark side of Christmas!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Now, this is not to say that modern Christmas observers intentionally are carrying over remnants of a pagan death cult, but unintentionally is another matter.\u00a0 People rarely stop and ask themselves why they observe various traditions in their cultures.<\/p>\n Most people would be surprised to learn that Christmas was not observed by the early Christians, and that Catholic-associated writers like Tertullian condemned what is now the Christmas-New Years season as far back as approximately 200 A.D.<\/p>\n The fact that the Christmas-New Years season was associated with intentional death in ancient times and a rise in deaths in modern times is an interesting coincidence.\u00a0 Or is it more than a coincidence?<\/p>\n Some articles of possibly related interest may include:<\/em><\/p>\n What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Christmas and the Holy Days?<\/a> Do you know what the Catholic Church says were the original Christian holy days? Was Christmas among them?<\/p>\n Is January 1st a Date for Christians Celebrate? <\/a>Historical and biblical answers to this question about the world\u2019s New Year\u2019s day.<\/p>\n Did Early Christians Celebrate Birthdays?<\/a> Did biblical era Jews celebrate birthdays? Who originally celebrated birthdays? When did many that profess Christ begin birthday celebrations?<\/p>\n Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible?<\/a> This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" COGwriter A new report confirms that the Christmas-New Years holiday season perhaps should be renamed the season of death: Christmas the deadliest day of the year National Post – Dec 20, 2010 A new U.S. analysis of mortality rates during different times of year found that people are more likely to die during the holidays […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cog-news","category-religious-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n
Christmas the deadliest day of the year<\/strong><\/span> <\/span><\/div>\nNational Post<\/strong> – Dec 20, 2010<\/span><\/div>\n\n