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Christians of Mesopotamia accused their Western brethren of idolatry and sun worship for adopt-
ing as Christian this pagan festival."

Remember, the Roman world had been pagan. Prior to the fourth century, Christians were
few in number, though increasing, and were persecuted by the government and by pagans. But, with
the advent of Constantine as emperor, who made his profession of Christianity in the fourth cen-
tury, placing Christianity on an equal footing with paganism, people of the Roman world began to
accept this now-popular Christianity by the hundreds of thousands.

But remember, these people had grown up in pagan customs, chief of which was this idola-
trous festival of December 25th. It was a festival of merrymaking, with its special spirit. They en-
joyed it! They didn't want to give it up! Now this same article in the New Schaff-Herzog
Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge explains how the recognition by Constantine of Sunday,
which had been the day of pagan sun worship, and how the influence of the pagan Manichaeism,
which identified the SON of God with the physical SUN, gave these pagans of the fourth century,
now turning over wholesale to "Christianity," their excuse for calling their pagan-festival date of
December 25th (birthday of the SUN-god), the birthday of the SON of God.

And that is how "Christmas" became fastened on our Western world! We may call it by an-
other name, but it's the same old pagan sun-worshipping festival still! The only change is in what
we call it! You can call a rabbit a "lion," but it's still a rabbit, just the same.

Again from the Encyclopaedia Britannica: "Certain Latins, as early as 354, may have
transferred the birthday from January 6th to December 25, which was then a Mithraic feast ... or
birthday of the unconquered SUN ... The Syrians and Armenians, who clung to January 6th, ac-
cused the Romans of sun worship and idolatry, contending ... that the feast of December 25th, had
been invented by disciples of Cerinthus ...."

The Real Origin of Christmas

But if we got Christmas from the Roman Catholics, and they got it from paganism, where
did the pagans get it? Where, when, and what was its real origin?

It is a chief custom of the corrupt system denounced all through Bible prophecies and
teachings under the name of Babylon. And it started and originated in the original Babylon of an-
cient Nimrod! Yes, it stems from roots whose beginning was shortly this side of the Flood!

Nimrod, grandson of Ham, son of Noah, was the real founder of the Babylonish system that
has gripped the world ever since -- the system of organized competition -- of man -- ruled govern-
ments and empires, based upon the competitive and profit-making economic system. Nimrod built
the tower of Babel, the original Babylon, ancient Nineveh, and many other cities. He organized this
world's first kingdom. The name Nimrod, in Hebrew, is derived from "Marad," meaning "he
rebelled."

From many ancient writings, considerable is learned of this man, who started the great or-
ganized worldly apostasy from God that has dominated this world until now. Nimrod was so evil,

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