Christmas Is Idolatrous And Unscriptural - Pastor Kumuyi

The General Overseer of the Deeper
Christian Life Ministry, Pastor W.F
Kumuyi, has again warned
members of the church against
celebrating Christmas, saying the
annual celebration of Christmas is
idolatrous and unscriptural.
Kumuyi warned that partaking in
the celebration made Christians to
go back from the commandment of
Jesus Christ.
The cleric said this on Saturday at
the annual national December
convention of the church, which
held at the church’s camp ground
in Ogun State.
He said, “We don’t celebrate
Christmas. It actually came from
idolatrous background. That is why
you don’t hear us sing what they
call Christmas carol. Never! We
always say it is the December
retreat. We are only gathering
together because it is the holiday
period and love the Lord more, and
rededicate ourselves more.
“When you find anybody coming in,
or any leader, trying to introduce
the idolatry of mystery Babylon,
that they call Christmas and you
want to bring all the Christmas
carol saying that is the day that
Jesus was born, and you don’t find
that in the Acts of the Apostles or in
the early church, then you don’t
find that in the church either. If you
don’t know that before, now you
know.”
He warned that any of the church’s
leaders that tried to introduce the
“idolatry of Christmas” into any
section of the church would be
sanctioned, while also encouraging
other believers in Christ to jettison
the celebration as part of their
sacrifice to perfection.
Kumuyi said the duty of the church
was to make people more like
Jesus Christ and not join in worldly
celebrations.
“We are not trying to make the
church turn like the world. We want
it to be like Jesus Christ, and more
like the Apostles. If you don’t have
that mind with us, then you have
permission to go to other places,”
he added.
But the Director of Social
Communications, Catholic
Archdiocese of Lagos, Monsignor
Gabriel Osu, in his reaction to
Kumuyi’s proclamation, said, “I
don’t know what he means by
saying the practice of celebrating
Christmas is wrong.
“Is he saying that Christ wasn’t
born? That he didn’t come to die for
us? Does he not celebrate his own
birthday? Do Kumuyi’s pastors not
celebrate him? It is not everything I
react to; some people just seek
attention. If Kumuyi is a Christian,
then he must believe in Christ.
“The celebration of Christmas
didn’t just start today; it is too
public an event for anyone to say
that they don’t know what it is
about.
“If Kumuyi is condemning the
commercialisation of Christmas, I
can understand that. Christ came to
redeem us from our lost state; this
was actualised through his coming,
his birth; that is why we celebrate
Christmas. It is the fulfilment of
God’s promise.”
“I saw him on the television a few
days ago. He was in Akwa Ibom
State and was the chief preacher
during their Christmas celebration
event. Kumuyi is just saying what
he feels; he is not making any
doctrinal statement.”
The spokesperson for the Christian
Association of Nigeria, Oshodi
chapter, Lagos State, Pastor
Barnabas Otoibhi, said that
Christmas was worth celebrating.
Otoibhi told one our
correspondents in a telephone
interview that the origin of
Christmas was not as important as
its essence.
He said, “The origin of Christmas,
as we know it, could be traced to
Roman Emperor, Constantine.
Christmas was a day for
celebrating the Sun God. However,
because Constantine was a
Christian, the day was changed to
commemorate the birth of Jesus
Christ.
“The tradition has continued to date
and since the aim of Christmas is
to celebrate Jesus since there is
nothing bad in honouring Jesus.
Also, the worship of the Sun God
was done in Rome and not
everywhere in the world, so it is not
part of our history.
“We mark Christmas with the
singing of songs as a day, which
has now been consecrated.”
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