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5 Churches That Don’t Celebrate Christmas And Why

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Despite Christmas being one of the most popular holidays worldwide, not all churches celebrate it.

Although many people celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ during this time, some churches and other religious institutions have chosen not to take part of the Christmas celebration due to its historical roots, or a desire for rigorous biblical observance.

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Here is a list of 5 churches that don’t celebrate Christmas:

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1. Jehovah’s Witness

Historically, Jehovah’s Witnesses were among the largest organisations to refrain from celebrating Christmas. Like many other Christian groups, the organization observed the festival until 1928. The 1993 book Jehovah’s Witnesses “Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom”, revealed that Christmas had its origins in “false religious beliefs or activities this discovery caused the Witnesses to eventually stop celebrating. At first, the change wasn’t consistent because many members needed some time to fully adopt the new position, particularly because other holidays, including Christmas, hadn’t been carefully examined yet.

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They argued that the Bible would have specifically addressed it if its observance were significant.

2. Seventh Day Adventist Church

This church practices worship on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath, rather than Sundays, and, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, does not celebrate Christmas. A brochure from the group explains their position, pointing out that Jesus wasn’t born in December and that Christians aren’t told to commemorate His birth in the Bible. Instead of seeing Christmas as a festival that is approved by the Bible, the organization sees it as a commercialized event with pagan roots.

Some members of the religious group quietly celebrate Christmas and Easter with friends or family. In the end, the church views these festivities as a matter of personal preference, urging followers to concentrate on their faith and connection with Christ without questioning commonly observed customs.

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3. Deeper Life

The esteemed leader of Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, openly announced a few years ago that his church does not celebrate Christmas with both his congregation and the general world. Kumuyi gave a detailed explanation of his motivations during the church’s December retreat in 2013, saying, “We don’t celebrate Christmas. In actuality, it had an idolatrous origin. He underlined that since Christmas songs and other holiday customs are not included in the Bible or the early church’s practices, Deeper Life does not participate in them.

They believed that Christmas had its roots in a pagan celebration of the sun god. Deeper Life holds an event called Freedom Day in October to honor Jesus’ birth anniversary rather than Christmas.

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4. The God’s Kingdom Society (GKS)

The God’s Kingdom Society (GKS) commemorates the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ in October with an event called Freedom Day, whereas other Christians celebrate Christmas in December. The church avoids the December celebration because of its pagan roots and feels that this date is better consistent with historical and biblical interpretation. According to the GKS, Christmas is a custom that has its roots in Roman pagan customs like the celebration of Saturnalia, which paid homage to the sun deity.

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GKS was founded in 1934 by St. Gideon Meriodere Urhobo, a Nigerian who broke with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, to restore what Urhobo considered to be authentic Christian practices. Urhobo, who lived from 1903 to 1952, aimed to lead his followers toward a more Biblically accurate faith, and the GKS’s teachings reflect this goal.

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5. Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM)

At Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), founded by Dr. Daniel Olukoya, Christmas is not celebrated because it is believed to have pagan origins and lack a biblical basis. In 2019, Dr. Olukoya made it public that the church rejects Christmas since it is not grounded in Christian theology but rather in pagan customs and the Roman celebration of Saturnalia.

The “Power Must Change Hands” ceremony, which MFM organizes every year in place of Christmas, welcomes the New Year with a focus on deliverance, prayer, and spiritual combat. For the church, holiness, biblical purity, and spiritual preparedness are more significant than the observance of cultural celebrations.

This position aligns with the church’s broader focus on spiritual warfare and separating oneself from behaviors that are thought to go against biblical principles.

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Sanwo-Olu makes U-turn, Unblocks Lawyer Who Sued Him Over Blocking On X

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Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unblocked human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, on X after a meeting with him at Lagos House, Marina, on Friday.

The lawyer, who had accused the governor of rights violations, announced the development in a post on his X account on Saturday.

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According to him, Sanwo-Olu personally invited him for a brief meeting to address his complaints.

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unblocked me on X (Twitter). I met briefly with him yesterday at Lagos House Marina, on his invitation, to amicably resolve my complaint of human rights violations. We will continue to hold authorities accountable, regardless. Aluta continua!” Ogun wrote.

READ ALSO:Lawyer Sues Sanwo-Olu For Blocking Him On X

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Tribune Online reports that Ogun had earlier filed a suit against Sanwo-Olu at a Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing him of violating his fundamental rights by blocking him on his verified X account.

In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1739/25, which he shared on Facebook, the lawyer claimed the governor blocked him over his 2021 “constructive criticisms” and “demand for accountability” on the October 2020 #EndSARS killings.

In 2021, I noticed that the Governor blocked me on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu owing to my constructive criticisms of his policies and demand for accountability in respect of the October 2020 #EndSARS Massacre.”

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Ogun said the action has prevented him from accessing vital government updates and information.

“Blocking me on X has prevented me from accessing public updates and receiving information about policies and governance in Lagos, which constitutes a violation of my right to receive information without interference,” he said.

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In his originating summons, he asked the court to declare the move unconstitutional, arbitrary, and discriminatory.

 

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Tragedy Deepens As Prime Suspect in Taraba Student’s Death Found Dead

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The investigation into the death of Comfort Jimtop, a 100-level Mass Communication student at Taraba State University, has taken a dramatic turn following the discovery of the lifeless body of Emmanuel Kefas, the prime suspect in the case.

Kefas’s body was discovered on Friday in the Tudiri community, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area, under unclear circumstances, intensifying public concern and adding a tragic dimension to a case that has already gripped the university community and residents across Taraba State.

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Confirming the development on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Taraba State Police Command, James Lashen, said the police received a report from the village head of Tudiri about the discovery.

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A lifeless body was found in Tudiri, and a Tecno Android phone was recovered beside it,” Lashen stated.

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Upon charging the phone, investigators found a photograph showing the deceased with the late Comfort Jimtop, suggesting they were in a romantic relationship.”

Lashen added that the body has been taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jalingo for autopsy. At the same time, efforts are ongoing to officially identify the remains through the suspect’s family.

READ ALSO:Four Feared Killed As Gunmen Attack Burial Ceremony In Anambra

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Police have yet to determine whether Kefas’s death was the result of suicide, homicide, or an accident. Investigations into both deaths are continuing.

Comfort Jimtop’s mysterious death had earlier sparked outrage on campus and across the state, with students and rights groups demanding justice. Kefas was named a prime suspect in the case, which remains open.

This latest development has left many unanswered questions and deepened the grief surrounding the case.

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Students, residents, and civil society groups are closely monitoring the situation, calling on authorities to ensure a thorough investigation and bring clarity to the tragic chain of events.

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Ossiomo, Chinese Impasse: This Is Our Story — Management

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The management of Ossiomo Power Plant has cleared the air on the dispute between its Chinese partners and the circumstances surrounding the shutting down of the power plant early this month.

Representative of Ossiomo management, Engineer Festus Evbuomwan, during an interactive session with customers on the impasse between the two partners, said contrary to the rumour making the rounds, the management of Ossiomo Power Plant had paid over ₦2bn to its Chinese partner — Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology (CCETC) — since the power plant started operation.

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Recall that representative of CCETC who identified himself as Mr. ‘W’ had, during a telephone phone interview two weeks ago, claimed that “instruction to shutdown was because we lost lots of money and did not get any return on investment,” adding that “all the $20m investment was done by us including the distribution lines.”

But Evbuomwan during the interactive session, said the management was not aware of the $20m investment the Chinese partner claimed, just as he disclosed that “when they generate power, we sell and pay them.”

READ ALSO:Edo Govt Denies Shares As Ownership Tussle Rocks Ossiomo Power

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He disclosed that after shutting down the power plant, the Chinese partners came up with a request of ₦185m to be paid to two Chinese not known to the management, stressing that this was declined.

According to him, the Chinese partner, having seen how lucrative the business is, “went to some quarters and raised some issues probably thinking they can manoeuvre us with the help of some big persons, so that they can use their machines to generate power and sideline us but this is not possible.”

The Chinese partners also claimed that they borrowed $20m from their native land to invest, we are not aware of such investment, and we do not know where the money was invested up till now.

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“They have been also saying they have not been receiving anything, but I want to tell you unequivocally that first, the partners run a joint account where their investment is going into. More so, The Chinese partners have received over ₦2bn so far for the power they generate with their machines. When they generate the power, we sell and pay them.”

READ ALSO: Five Years After, Edo Govt Reconnects To BEDC As Ossiomo Shut Down

Engr. Evbuomwan, while apologising to customers for the power outage caused by the dispute between the two partners, said Ossiomo had started power generation though not in full capacity, assuring that power generation would be fully restored soon.

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“We have purchased turbines, and one have started working. They are working on the second one, so, by the time our five turbines start working we will be in full capacity. Even with that, those connected to the government may not be reached immediately. This is because the government bought the poles and contracted the wiring, and we cannot force the government to do our bid. Also, we are making efforts to site 33kva transformer along Airport Road and Lagos Road as soon as possible, so that our customers there will get power.”

He said the Edo State government does not have a stake in the company, just as he appealed to the “government to let us supply power to customers in through their Lines. I want to emphasise that Ossiomo is not completely shut down.”

He further urged the “government to encourage the Nigerian citizens to invest and not to work against local investors.”

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