Christmas at Bethel

Here is a transcribed audio recording of Fred Franz given to me by everyone's favorite orange dot: Abernathy the Dull. It is quite cute and interesting, and shows the honesty with which the brothers at Bethel approached the subject of Christmas.

"Well this is brother Fred W. Franz talking. And I was privileged to come to the Brooklyn Bethel home in nineteen hundred and twenty, June 2nd. And, we celebrated Christmas. There were great preparations made for it by members of the Bethel family, weeks in advance. And this continued on down to the year nineteen hundred and twenty six. Well, it was in that year that the Christmas myth was exploded.

This occurred because of a member of the Bethel family by the name of Norman Woodworth who was also a member of the Brooklyn congregation and an elder thereof. This Norman Woodworth was assigned to give the public talk on Sunday, December the 19th, nineteen hundred and twenty six. And, in the course of his talk he exposed Christmas as being a pagan holiday not based upon the Bible at all.

This, of course, shocked all of us who were in the audience. So, there was great discussion that followed his exposure of Christmas as being maybe unchristian. When brother Rutherford returned the following day - or Tuesday - this matter was brought to his attention at the dining room table. And a great discussion followed. There were many remarks of indignation upon the part of various members of the Bethel family. I know I myself was quite perturbed, and I spoke in favor of the celebrating of Christmas. So brother Rutherford also finally gave his remarks, and these remarked in favor of the cancellation of the Christmas day celebration that was to take place the following Saturday, December the 25th.

Well, during that heated debate there in the Bethel dining room of 124 Columbia Heights , why, Norman Woodworth remarked that he did not want any member of the Bethel family to give him a Christmas gift. So, on Christmas Eve, why, his chair at the table was removed from its location and placed up against the north wall of the dining room, all by itself.

So, we had a great celebration that Christmas day. We would have the whole day off, regardless of what day of the week it was. This time it was Saturday, December the 25th. We would have the special dinner, and after breakfast, why, members of the family would get together in groups and they would go from one room to the other just to see how many gifts this brother or sister, or that brother or sister, had received. And it was a jolly good time that we experienced.

However, this exposure of Norman Woodworth concerning Christmas as being Babylonish and pagan was not in vain. Because during the succeeding year, our heads began to think about the matter. And an investigation was undertaken with regard to this highly disputed subject. And it developed that toward the end of the year nineteen hundred and twenty seven, why, an article was published. And the writer thereof was Richard Barber. And he had been assigned by brother Rutherford to write an article about Christmas. He did so, and he also exposed Christmas as having no foundation in the Bible but being purely pagan and derived from the rights of ancient Babylon the Great.

So, in view of that article, why, the holding of Christmas by the Brooklyn Bethel family was called off. And all the brothers and sisters around the earth who read that special article on Christmas were notified that it was improper for this celebration to be observed any longer by the International Bible Students.

Sorry to say, however, that this Norman Woodworth began to veer away from the truth after that. And began to show some sympathies for the religious organization of Christendom. And it was found that he had gone so far astray that he had to be dismissed from the Brooklyn Bethel family. That was an unexpected thing to happen in the case of one who had been used to expose one feature of Babylon the Great. Namely, the celebration of Christmas."

How similar the situation seems to an ancient Biblical example:

"Now while they were bringing out the money that was being brought to the house of Jehovah, Hil·ki′ah the priest found the book of Jehovah’s law by the hand of Moses...And Sha′phan the secretary went on to report to the king, saying: “There is a book that Hil·ki′ah the priest gave me.” And Sha′phan began to read out of it before the king.

And it came about that as soon as the king heard the words of the law, he immediately ripped his garments apart. 20 Then the king commanded Hil·ki′ah and A·hi′kam the son of Sha′phan and Ab′don the son of Mi′cah and Sha′phan the secretary and A·sai′ah the king’s servant, saying: 21 “Go, inquire of Jehovah in my own behalf and in behalf of what is left in Israel and in Judah concerning the words of the book that has been found, for great is Jehovah’s rage that must be poured out against us because of the fact that our forefathers did not keep the word of Jehovah by doing according to all that is written in this book.”

 ...

And to the king of Judah, who is sending YOU to inquire of Jehovah, this is what YOU should say to him: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘As regards the words that you have heard, 27 for the reason that your heart was soft so that you humbled yourself because of God at your hearing his words concerning this place and its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before me and ripped your garments apart and wept before me, I, even I, have heard, is the utterance of Jehovah." (2 Chronicles 34: 14, 18, 19-21, 26, 27)