The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) has
reacted to the backlash that trailed its condemnatory statements about
celebrating Christmas.
Daniel Olukoya, MFM’s general overseer, had on Wednesday
explained why his church doesn’t celebrate Christmas, claiming the celebration
is idolatry as it was never captured in the Bible.
But what was supposed to be a message for its weekly ‘Manna
Water Service’ unexpectedly culminated in a verbal exchange with other
Christians — notably Chinenye Oluoma, a popular priest with the Catholic
church.
In a statement issued by the church to clarify its stance on
the controversy, MFM reiterated its previous statement that the foundation of
“Christmas is idolatry” but said the church would not dispose of it for that
reason.
“Though the foundation of Christmas is idolatry, we’ll not
throw away the baby and the bathwater. We don’t condemn those who celebrate.
We’ll bring out the positives from the negatives by the holidays for prayers,
conferences, and activities,” MFM wrote.
“We’ll hold conventions, camp meetings, or special teaching
services to pray, examine scriptures and draw positives from the wrong,
negative and idolatry practices of Easter and Christmas. We’ll re-teach the
significance of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection.
Aside from MFM’s idolatry claims about December 25, the
church challenged Biblical accounts that shepherds were keeping watch over
their flocks when the birth of Christ was announced.
According to them, no shepherd in his right mind would have
kept his flocks outside at night at that time of year when temperatures “often
dropped below freezing point” due to the “miserably cold, wet, and rainy”
weather.
“December weather around Bethlehem is often miserably cold,
wet and rainy. No shepherd in his right mind would have kept his flocks outside
at night at that time of year!” MFM added.
“Also, Luke 2:1-4 tells us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem
because his parents came to that town to register in a Roman census. It would
have made no sense to have conducted a census in the dead of winter
“The Bible nowhere tells us to observe a holiday celebrating
Jesus Christ’s birth —but it clearly does tell us to do ‘communion’ in
remembrance of him.”
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