Oneness of Religion - Baha'is Hypocrisy !!!

(On behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an 11-year-old Baha'i, 18 April 1988. Published in the British Baha'i Journal, August 1988)

You have asked if Baha'is are allowed to celebrate Christmas. The answer to this question requires careful thinking so that the meaning will become clear. Since Baha'is believe in all the religions sent by God, it seems reasonable that they should celebrate Christmas and the other holidays of Christianity and other religions. But would this be sensible? There are at least two points to consider.

One point is that Bahau'llah, the latest Prophet from God, has brought us new Teachings for a new Day. With His coming we have a new calendar with new Holy Days. For example, the Intercalary Days and Naw-Ruz offer us occasions for gift-giving and celebration.

Another point to consider is this. If the Baha'is celebrated Christmas among themselves, people who did not know of their belief in Baha'u'llah might think that they were Christians. It could become even more confusing to people if, in addition, the Baha'is also observed the holidays of other religions. To avoid such confusion the beloved Guardian advised the Baha'I friends not to continue celebrating holidays like Christmas and New Year among themselves.

However, as you know, not everyone is a Baha'i. Many Baha'is come from Christian families who celebrate Christmas, there is no harm in such a Baha'i sharing Christmas with Christian relatives. Sometimes Christian friends may invite a Baha'i to join their Christmas celebration, this is all right because the Baha'is are taught by Baha'u'llah to be friendly with the followers of all religions. The thing to remember is that Baha'i families or Baha'i communities do not hold Christmas celebrations among themselves.