Christmas is not celebrated by all churches, despite being one of the most popular holidays in the world. Although many people commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ at this time, certain churches and other religious organisations have chosen not to participate in the Christmas celebration due to historical reasons or a desire for strict biblical observance.
Here is a list of three churches that do not celebrate Christmas:
Seventh-Day Adventist Church
This church worships on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath, rather than Sundays, and, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, does not celebrate Christmas. A leaflet from the group clarifies their perspective, pointing out that Jesus was not born in December and that the Bible does not instruct Christians to mark His birth. Instead of viewing Christmas as a biblically sanctioned celebration, the organisation sees it as a commercialised occasion with pagan roots.
Some members of the religious community privately observe Christmas and Easter with friends and family. In essence, the church considers these events to be a matter of personal preference, encouraging believers to focus on their faith and connection with Christ rather than challenging generally observed practices.
God’s Kingdom Society (GKS)
The God’s Kingdom Society (GKS) commemorates Jesus Christ’s birth anniversary in October with an event known as Freedom Day, whilst other Christians celebrate Christmas in December. The church avoids the December celebration due to its pagan roots, believing that this date is more consistent with historical and biblical interpretation.
According to the GKS, Christmas is a Roman pagan ritual, similar to the Saturnalia feast, which honoured the sundeity. GKS was formed in 1934 by St. Gideon Meriodere Urhobo, a Nigerian who left the Jehovah’s Witnesses to restore what Urhobo believed to be real Christian customs. Urhobo, who lived from 1903 to 1952, hoped to lead his followers to a more Biblically true religion, and the GKS’s doctrines reflect this.
Deeper Life
Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, the acclaimed leader of Deeper Life Bible Church, publicly said a few years ago that his church does not celebrate Christmas with his congregation or the rest of the world. Kumuyi explained his reasoning during the church’s December retreat in 2013, saying, “We don’t celebrate Christmas.
In fact, it had an idolatrous origin. He emphasised that because Christmas music and other holiday traditions are not found in the Bible or early church practices, Deeper Life does not participate in them. They believed that Christmas originated in a pagan worship of the sun deity. Deeper Life hosts an event called Freedom Day in October to commemorate Jesus’ birth anniversary rather than Christmas.
