secular pagan Christmas?

[LRsentimental]

I've never joined a forum or posted anything online anywhere before, but last night as I paged through channels, I came to Hallmark and was expecting the usual outstanding programming. I was so surprised to see a show about a witch relating to Christmas! Christmas is a Christian holiday. This is a very well know fact. It saddens me to find the Hallmark channel putting a show about things like witches onto a show about Christmas. Witches are a pagan belief, and even as I normally would enjoy imaginative shows ( I watched Bewitched as a kid all the time), I found this to be a very tasteless decision on your part. I do acknowledge and celebrate the Christmas themes including Santa Claus for fun, and I suppose that your intent was to entertain-but a witch in a Christmas movie? To be honest, I changed the channel, got up from my cozy spot watching TV and paced the house for awhile upset at this issue. This is wrong and you know it. This nation's children are growing up in a world where the media increasingly makes it hard for Christians to live. One thing I've always felt confident about was that channels like Hallmark take these things into account and stay true to good programming choices. Are you going to become just one more channel that puts on tasteless shows not worth anyone's time? Please think about it.
Thank you
I'd love to hear anyone else's thoughts. I know it was meant to be fun, and not too deep. That's the problem- no one is supposed to think anymore!

[Ma Kettle]

I'm a Christian.
There is no cussing, nudity, violence or anything satanic in The Good Witch movies.
I just see this movie for what it is, entertainment.

Do you know what the Dove awards are?
Christian families refer to Dove to see if a movie is suitable for family viewing.

I got this from Dove.
Good Witch, The
Quality Rating: 4 out of Five Doves

Dove Family-Approved
Recommended for
ages 12 and over

This is what Dove says about the movie, The Good Witch.
Dove Worldview:
Hallmark scores again with this wonderful presentation of “The Good Witch.” Cassie moves into the “haunted” house of the neighborhood and this story keeps you guessing if she is a witch, as some people assume, or just the mysterious new girl in town. The assumption that Cassie is a witch comes because of the good things that happen when numerous people follow her advice. The movie keeps you wondering until the end if she is magical or simply a student of human behavior. In the end, the latter is proven…or is it?

[vernc99]

I recall the Jeannie, Bewitched, etc. series. They were good clean fun, immensely popular, and did not denigrate Christianity or any other religion for that matter. How about Touched by an Angel? Does it offend non-Christians?

I think the Good Witch series is good clean fun and anxiously await the DVD's.

On the same vein, Hallmark seens quite slow to publish new movies on DVD. Please speed it up.

[patchouli]

Being a real, live Wiccan, let me throw in my two cents. I pretty much thought it was common knowledge that many of the aspects of Christmas came from paganism. The Yule log, the Christmas tree, mistletoe was a sacred plant to the ancient pagans, and it was thought that kissing under it would aid in fertility. The ancient pagans celebrated Yule at the winter solstice, and when Christianity came along, the Christians, in an effort to encourage pagans to adopt their religion, moved Yule to December 25th and declared it to be the day of Christ's birth. There is wide speculation that Christ was not actually born in December, some say September. There have been a couple of good programs on the History Channel detailing the pagan origins of Christmas.

The Good Witch series, like most series or movies made about witches is pure Hollywood. A movie about the actual magic performed by witches would be extremely boring. It's more fun for Samantha to wiggle her nose and make everyone freeze in place! The Good Witch has that little music to signify something "magical" happening.

The Good Witch series is cute, harmless, and entertaining enough. At least it breaks up the endless showings of Ebbie!.

I enjoy the December Christmas movies on Hallmark. I don't enjoy the plethora of commercials, but I'm sure Hallmark Channel appreciates the revenue from them!

[williebobd]

I have really enjoyed the Good Witch series. I've watched every one of them and think they are outstanding. Besides that, she is a good witch not a bad one.

[agoodwitch]

Well said, Patchouli and Williebobd. Being wicca myself, (a fact i do not advertise freely for obvious reasons!) there is so much misinformation and downright persecution (still!) toward those who do not believe as all the rest believe...point in case the character of Martha Tinsdale who cannot accept that this beautiful woman is only doing good and wishes noone harm. There are "good" witches and "bad" witches, just as there are "good" christians and "bad" christians. What do I mean by a "bad" christian? I refer to those to who go to church on Sunday and shout hallelujah and praise the lord, and on Monday turn a blind eye to their dishonest actions, whether it be dipping into company funds or cheating on one's spouse. There are people of every persuasion who will use their power, however you want to define that word, for their own gain regardless of the consequences to others. For them, eventually these actions will come back to them, times three. This is the Threefold Law that most wiccans abide by, or at least pay attention to. What ever you do, good or bad, comes back to you threefold. Sound familiar? Do unto others etc. etc. The character of Cassandra Nightengale never, ever passes judgement on other people's beliefs. She accepts them as they are and sees "the beauty beneath the surface". We can all take a lesson from that example. She sees the good in everyone and does not pass judgement on them because of who they have been in the past nor for their actions toward her, however uncharitable they may be. Do her kind words and loving assistance to everyone not remind you of Jesus? He never judged anyone, and would lovingly aid anyone who was in need. My apologies for going on at length.

[Syrinx]

Christmas is Christian, yes... but it is not the only celebration on or about the 25th of December. AND... it has only been since the late 300's that Christians have been celebrating Christ's Birth on that day. According to Edward Fudge Ministries, and many others:

This was the age of Constantine. He is often called "the first Christian Emperor." Historians say he was not as interested in Christ, however, as he was in unifying the elements of his empire. If he could encourage the pagans and the Christians to observe common celebrations, this would help bind together the empire under his rule. He had already declared the first day of the week an official holiday for this very reason. The pagans kept that day in honor of the Sun, and called it "Sun-Day." Christians had observed the first day of the week from the beginning as the Lord's Day. Constantine made the day a legal holiday in hopes of bring the two together.

So it was when the Roman Christians began to look for a day to keep in honor of Christ's birth, Bishop Liberius (who was a friend of the government) was quick to help. It just happened that the pagan Romans had for years celebrated December 25 as a special annual holiday in honor of the Sun god, Sol Invictus. Some Christians decided that it would be fitting for Christ to replace the sun as honoree on this day. And so, almost 400 years after Christ, December 25 began to be observed as a special day in honor of the birth of Christ. Again, the people did not really think that Christ was born on that day. They merely observed it in honor of the fact of His birth.

So, it was the Roman Catholics that decided the 25th of December was Christ's birthday, but in fact the "pagans" had been celebrating it since way before Christ was born. Yule, Sol Invictus, Saturnalia, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi, Soyal, Yalda, Malkh, and many more celebrations happen on or around the 25th of December, and none of them celebrate the birth of Jesus. SO... to say that the 25th of December is a Christian Holiday is a sign of ignorance of the world around you. Brightest Blessings to you and may you find the knowledge you seek!