Members of the Christian community perform prayers during a ceremony to celebrate Christmas at a church in Peshawar. PHOTO: EPA
Christians started their celebrations at midnight by singing hymns and offering prayers. They also prayed for peace and harmony in the country.
Peshawar
Christmas was not celebrated with the same fervour as past years with worshippers remembering the victims of the devastating double suicide attack at All Saints Church which had killed eighty-two people three months ago. The attack is believed to be the deadliest ever against the Christian community in the country.
The church service started at the Saddar Bazaar Church and was attended by Christians from around the city.
Karachi
Prayers were held in various churches of the city including St Peter’s Church which is the largest Catholic church in Pakistan. The Christian community celebrated this joyous occasion by singing Christmas carols.
Police mobiles were stationed outside the churches to avoid any untoward situation. No one was allowed to enter the church without proper checking.
Lahore
Hundreds of Christians attended the prayer ceremony held at the Lahore Cathedral.
Tough security measures were taken to avoid any unpleasant situation.
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Bible teaches : Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Do to others as you would have them do to you. 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Again the bible says Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends. And in John 3 : 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Christianity teaches us to turn to God, form a personal relationship, turn away from our sins, and follow Him. We must trust in Jesus with everything we have and everything we do.
Bible teaches : Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Do to others as you would have them do to you. 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Again the bible says Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love (Charity) never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends. And in John 3 : 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Christianity teaches us to turn to God, form a personal relationship, turn away from our sins, and follow Him. We must trust in Jesus with everything we have and everything we do.
Noo amount of conciliation will do.Everyone knows what Muhammedans are supposed to do with Kaffirs. The poor indigines who are either Christian or Hindu, got stuck with the scyths.If you want Muhajirs, we can export more in return for these people.For one Hindu - 30 Muhajirs, for One Christian-20 Muhajirs,for one Sikh - 20 Muhajirs, for one Shia(sorry rejected).
Where in the Koran does it say that Paks should kill other Paks only because those others are not Muslims, or that one branch (majority) of Muslims should kill another (minority) branch of Muslims. Worst of all this killing message is disseminated by the so-called pious clerics, ignored by law enforcement and openly supported by elected officials.
Shame on us on this joyous occasion of Christmas.
Mary Christmas and happy holidays to all our Christian brothers and sisters. All religious holidays should be celebrated like Christmas. Indoors, without disturbing traffic and business activities. If someone wants to laugh, cry, mourn, sing, shout, beat himself or go crazy, should do it indoors.
What a nation we have become! No, not nation but country because as a nation everybody acts like one person, which certainly we are not. For us, christmas, eid, muharram everything has become a chore. There was a time when these occasions meant happy days. Now they are synonym to terror n anxiety + security problems. Welcome to Masailistan! BTW, Happy Christmas to our Christian brothers n sisters.
What a country, no one can celebrate any religious event with comfort.
First of all my sincere greetings to all who are factually celebrating the festival today. It is strange and very strange. People follow their shepherd like flock of sheeps. We are told it is Christmas because it the day Jesus was born. But the Truth is that people are indeed celebrating Odinmas. People are celebrating the Pagan festival of their Pagan god Odin. The sad fact is that it is all there to see. Reindeer, fir tree a bulky Nordic man driving the sledge. We should all try to search the Truth. Many historinas tell us that Jesus was most likely born in warm weather. We are also told that to incorporate the Pagans into what the Europeans version of Christianity they allowed the Pagans to celebrate Odinmas and call it Christmas. Not only that but allthe Europeans joined the Pagans in celebrating this festival. Is it not an affront to Jesus? Once again Christianity is not the same everywhere. Is it? The fact is that the most ancient and the ones most likely to be nearest to Christianity are the Ethiopian churchmen. When the Portugese came to colonise the Ethiopians and convert them to their version of Christianity the Ethiopians resented it and then led acampaign to throw the Portugese colonists from Ethiopia. The Christian Ethiopians were helped in this campaign by the Muslim Etiophians and thus they managed to liberate Ethiopia. Al the Ethiopinas have always lived in peace true to Christian and Muslim traditions. The Ethiopians should not be confused by the corrupt Ethiopian politicians living in Addis Ababa. Even the peace loving Ethiopians are wary of them as are people throughout the world.
May the true meaning of Christmas, which is love, brotherhood and mercy taught by Jesus to his disciples and the whole world, fill the hearts of Pakistanis of all creeds. Merry Christmas!
Wish a SAFE and Merry Christmas for Pakistani Christians and all others !
However, any festival under Security gun-protection or at gun-point can not be so Merry. I had seen Eid in the Genocide year of 1971 in Dacca, East Pakistan. Christmas should not be a Christians-only festival. Pakistani sane people must stand up to those who want to destroy the religious freedoms and religious minorities.
"Wadda din mubarik" to my christian friends ...