This time of year, enter any Protestant Christian Church, and one will often hear how Christ has been taken out of Christmas. We look at the commercialism, and Santa, and how Christmas is abbreviated to Xmas. The problem is, we are looking at the situation all wrong. Christmas is, at it's roots, a pagan holiday. Cultures all around the world have celebrations for the winter solstice, where the days can now gradually become longer again.
In the days of the early Christian church, it wasn't exactly the coolest, or even safest thing to be a Christian. One had to be very careful and not be seen as dramatically different. This, of course, is where we get the fish symbol, an underground symbol of the time. We also, however, find the initial X or the Greek letter "chi" combined with the letter R (Greek "rho"), as a major symbol for Christians. These two Greek letters were the first two letters in Christos (Christ). As time went on, the symbol become just an X and was a specific abbreviation for Christ, Christian, Christmas, etc. Since this symbol became part of Constantine's official standard, we know that it was not a lazy or even obvious effort to remove Christ. Instead, like the fish, it was a symbol that Christians were proud to display.
I find it interesting that saying, "Merry Xmas" or "Happy Holidays" is a problem however, when we are not practicing what we preach. If we are celebrating Christ's first coming and all that He has done for us, then shouldn't we be reaching out through our churches on this special holiday? Why then, are so many churches deciding to close their doors this weekend?
American society claims to be predominantly Christian, but I so often think it is only a costumed secular heart. Whatever will make the biggest dollar or draw the biggest crowd or gain the most fame, is what makes the highest priority. If one thinks it will increase his standing, he will even steal a helpless baby penguin. (GIVE TOGA BACK!)
I, for one, am excited to celebrate Xmas. I love the beautiful lights, the fresh pine smell, and the crisp air. I'm glad for a loving family, a warm home, good health for the weekend, and yummy food to celebrate with. I'm excited to be able to share with others rather than just think of myself. And, mostly, I am thankful to praise God for sharing His Son with us.
Yes, Christmas is a pagan holiday, but that doesn't matter. I am proud to be a Xian, and I am happy to celebrate that every day of the year.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Merry Christmas, I Mean, Happy Holidays
I'm am so tired of hearing about Holiday Trees, arguments of how movies will do because they are supposedly Christian, and what Bush or Condi or a supreme court nominee will do because they are Christians as well. If you take any piece of American money out and look at it long enough, you will find the words, "In God We Trust." It doesn't say, "In Our Higher Power We Trust," or "In Ourselves We Trust," or even "In Whatever We Trust." It says, "In God We Trust," because that's the way our country was founded.
Let's begin with a little history lesson. In 1620, the Pilgrims took their voyage on the Mayflower to escape religious persecution by the Church of England. The Pilgrim's Puritan beliefs did not agree with Anglican beliefs, so they fled to a New World that would give them the religious freedom to worship God as they were convicted.
America's Declaration of Independance begins with, "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." And, it ends with, "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of the divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
America was founded by Christians who felt it was important to preserve the importance of God being at the very center of our morality, our law, and our lives. Yet, our founding fathers also realized that as humans, we do not interpret the Bible nor are we always convicted in the same way. The very first Right we have as Americans is, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Those who established this country saw the importance of preventing what those first Pilgrims went through.
America in its very design is welcoming: of culture, of thought, and of religious belief. As long as one agrees to live peaceably and pay his taxes, he can follow the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Torah, the Koran, or even the Book of Satan. He has the right to follow whatever cultural and religious practices he is convicted of, as long as they don't hurt others, but he must recognize that right in every other American as well.
As a Christian American, I have the right to have a Christmas tree. I don't have to call it a Holiday Tree, and why would I? As far as I know, neither Hanukkah nor Kwanza nor any other modern winter holiday celebrates with a tree, although it is derived from pagan Roman roots. Because of that, why should any store call it a holiday tree either. If one is going to use Christmas traditions, then one should call it what it is. Last week Jay Leno compared it like this on The Tonight Show, "We still celebrate Halloween. It's a very big American holiday. So, apparently it's okay to celebrate Satan and Dracula, but it's not okay to celebrate Jesus."
Speaking of the occult influence versus Christian influence, why is there so much argument about The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe? Just like The Passion of the Christ, there is a ton of excitement about it's Christian influence and it's place in the theater. Churches are gathering together witnessing packets and encouraging their Youth to go. Journalists are arguing about whether it will make much money and if it should even be in the theater at all. Well, why not? First, everywhere I go and talk to real people who are so excited that the books they loved as kids are now going to be in the theater. Second, no one is forcing anyone to see (or read for that manner) the story. Each person is free to chose what they allow in their minds. Third, unlike The Passion of the Christ, there is no obvious Christian reference. The story is a fantasy story first and foremost, it's theme is Christian, but not with the immediate purpose of a salvation experience. The December 2 edition of USA Today quotes Jacobs, author of The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis. "Lewis wrote a story about redemptive sacrifice, but he didn't set out to write that. He set out to write a children's book that would be exciting and adventurous. He was not trying to win anyone to Christianity with this story. And I think you can tell that by the way so many people can read it and love it without having any idea of the biblical connection." And finally, Fourth, both the Harry Potter movies (which hint at occultism) and The Lord of the Rings movies (which is also a Christian parable) grossed millions of dollars at the box office and won academy awards. (For that matter, so did The Passion of the Christ.) But, there wasn't near the excitement about either Harry Potter's or The Lord of the Rings religious influences. Why should The Chronicles of Narnia be any different?
As far as the decisions our administrative leaders might make, well, we voted for them. I totally agree in the importance of the separation of church and state, but how can a human make any decision not based on his moral convictions? And why would those moral convictions be bad on the whole when those same moral convictions were written into the U S Constitution? I don't think I could say it better than Marilyn vos Savant, columnist for Parade Magazine (December 4), "Americans prefer to elect Presidents whose value systems grow from their religious beliefs. (That's why an atheist--whose values are chosen, not established--has never been elected.) We expect the President to act on his values."
America is fundamentally a Christian nation. Its foundations, its laws, and its culture are deeply based in Christianity. While it does not prevent others from practicing or even sharing their religious beliefs, others should not be offended when Christian Americans share theirs. If the modern American philosophy is that everything and anything is okay, then Christianity should be included as well. Why should the Christian majority be repressed?
Let's begin with a little history lesson. In 1620, the Pilgrims took their voyage on the Mayflower to escape religious persecution by the Church of England. The Pilgrim's Puritan beliefs did not agree with Anglican beliefs, so they fled to a New World that would give them the religious freedom to worship God as they were convicted.
America's Declaration of Independance begins with, "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." And, it ends with, "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of the divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
America was founded by Christians who felt it was important to preserve the importance of God being at the very center of our morality, our law, and our lives. Yet, our founding fathers also realized that as humans, we do not interpret the Bible nor are we always convicted in the same way. The very first Right we have as Americans is, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Those who established this country saw the importance of preventing what those first Pilgrims went through.
America in its very design is welcoming: of culture, of thought, and of religious belief. As long as one agrees to live peaceably and pay his taxes, he can follow the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Torah, the Koran, or even the Book of Satan. He has the right to follow whatever cultural and religious practices he is convicted of, as long as they don't hurt others, but he must recognize that right in every other American as well.
As a Christian American, I have the right to have a Christmas tree. I don't have to call it a Holiday Tree, and why would I? As far as I know, neither Hanukkah nor Kwanza nor any other modern winter holiday celebrates with a tree, although it is derived from pagan Roman roots. Because of that, why should any store call it a holiday tree either. If one is going to use Christmas traditions, then one should call it what it is. Last week Jay Leno compared it like this on The Tonight Show, "We still celebrate Halloween. It's a very big American holiday. So, apparently it's okay to celebrate Satan and Dracula, but it's not okay to celebrate Jesus."
Speaking of the occult influence versus Christian influence, why is there so much argument about The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe? Just like The Passion of the Christ, there is a ton of excitement about it's Christian influence and it's place in the theater. Churches are gathering together witnessing packets and encouraging their Youth to go. Journalists are arguing about whether it will make much money and if it should even be in the theater at all. Well, why not? First, everywhere I go and talk to real people who are so excited that the books they loved as kids are now going to be in the theater. Second, no one is forcing anyone to see (or read for that manner) the story. Each person is free to chose what they allow in their minds. Third, unlike The Passion of the Christ, there is no obvious Christian reference. The story is a fantasy story first and foremost, it's theme is Christian, but not with the immediate purpose of a salvation experience. The December 2 edition of USA Today quotes Jacobs, author of The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis. "Lewis wrote a story about redemptive sacrifice, but he didn't set out to write that. He set out to write a children's book that would be exciting and adventurous. He was not trying to win anyone to Christianity with this story. And I think you can tell that by the way so many people can read it and love it without having any idea of the biblical connection." And finally, Fourth, both the Harry Potter movies (which hint at occultism) and The Lord of the Rings movies (which is also a Christian parable) grossed millions of dollars at the box office and won academy awards. (For that matter, so did The Passion of the Christ.) But, there wasn't near the excitement about either Harry Potter's or The Lord of the Rings religious influences. Why should The Chronicles of Narnia be any different?
As far as the decisions our administrative leaders might make, well, we voted for them. I totally agree in the importance of the separation of church and state, but how can a human make any decision not based on his moral convictions? And why would those moral convictions be bad on the whole when those same moral convictions were written into the U S Constitution? I don't think I could say it better than Marilyn vos Savant, columnist for Parade Magazine (December 4), "Americans prefer to elect Presidents whose value systems grow from their religious beliefs. (That's why an atheist--whose values are chosen, not established--has never been elected.) We expect the President to act on his values."
America is fundamentally a Christian nation. Its foundations, its laws, and its culture are deeply based in Christianity. While it does not prevent others from practicing or even sharing their religious beliefs, others should not be offended when Christian Americans share theirs. If the modern American philosophy is that everything and anything is okay, then Christianity should be included as well. Why should the Christian majority be repressed?
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