ANSWERS: 5
  • That one is really tough to answer ... we probably have more different varieties/denominations of Baptists than other protestant faiths combined! Having spent 50 years in the "American" Baptist convention churches, I am still amazed how many others there are cropping up that I can't even relate to their basic statements of faith.
  • I am an independant fundamental baptist and we celebrate Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, but not halloween. There are many different Baptist teachings though.
  • Baptists are extremely varied in their practices due to the fact that the number one tenet of Baptist doctrine is the "priesthood of the believer". This means that each individual discerns for himself how his realtionship with God is lived out. Historically, Baptists shunned the celebration of Christmas, as did many other Christian sects, including Prebyterians and Anglicans. At one time Christmas was outlawed in both England and some American colonies. Baptist churches even shunned plants and greenery in the church or "meeting house", as this was deemed to be pagan (remember the laurel leaf crowns worn by caesar?). Also, it was rejected as a Catholic holiday. Gradually things changed. For awhile, Baptists celebrated Christmas (mostly for the childrens' sake) in their homes, but no mention of it was heard in Baptist church services. This is much like the view the churches of Christ have today. As the holiday grew, most Baptists succumbed to the popularity of Christmas. It is still evolving. When I was a kid, there was no such thing as a Christmas Eve service, but now many Baptist churches have them. Most, if not all, Baptists still believe the holiday traditions are pagan in origin and reject some of the trappings--some do not have Christmas trees or wreaths, but still celebrate with gifts and honors the day with remembering that God sent a Savior, born of a virgin, who was laid in a manger. Some use all the decorations, including trees, but reject the Santa Claus part of the holiday, while others see it as innocent. No Baptist believes Jesus was actually born on this day, but since the day is not recorded in scripture, most honor this day as a remembrance that Christ was born, and that God uses the simple things like a manger and a young pure hearted virgin girl to accomplish the salvation of humanity. The only "Church holiday" Baptists celebrate is Easter, because we know the time of year the crucifixion and resurrection occured, becaue the scripture links it with the Jewish Passover. This day has always been celebrated, altho in olden times each Sunday was celebrated as a "resurrection day". Once again tho, some shun the eggs and bunnies, while some see no harm in them. Baptists also celebrate Thanksgiving, but this is done because of American history and heritage. Obviously Baptists in other countries do not celebarte this day, unless their country also has a designated day, such as Canada does. Halloween is generally not celebrated, because of its pagan origins and dark side. Most churches do however have a fall festival on the day but ban costumes either altogether, or limit them to positive things like biblical characters, cowboys, firmen, nurses etc. Trick or treating is up to the individual parent, so some allow it and some do not. Most Baptists honor all the national holidays such as Memorial Day and the 4th of July, but again its not so much seen as a religious observance as it is a time to celebrate and thank God for his blessings on our country, as well as a time to thank those who have served and defended our country. Hope this answers your question!
  • I guess people arent hip to answering a simple Freakin question. The answer is... Yes they do. All except for the weird ones
  • Some people love to see them selves type

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