Religion's Crime Against God

This post will tell the history, the good, the not so good, of the most popular holiday in America. First the history. The main quote is from the Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia. Christmas: “Scholars believe that it is derived in part from rites held by pre-Christian Germanic and Celtic tribesmen to celebrate the winter solstice. Christian festivals, generally observed by Christians since the 4th century, incorporate pagan customs, such as the use of holly, mistletoe, Yule logs, and wassail bowls [used for much drinking]. The Christmas tree, an evergreen trimmed with lights and other decorations, derived from the so-called Paradise tree, symbolizing Eden of German mystery plays. The use of a Christmas tree began early in the 17th century in Strasbourg, France, spreading from there to Germany and then into northern Europe. In 1841 Albert, Prince Consort of Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, [?] introduced the Christmas-tree custom to Great Britain; from there it accompanied emigrants to the United States. Meanwhile, Dutch settlers had brought to the new world the custom of celebrating St. Nicholas’ Day on December 6, and especially St. Nicholas’ Eve, when gifts were given to children, of whom the saint was patron. British settlers took over the tradition as part of their Christmas Eve celebration. Santa Claus, the name of the legendary jolly, red-garbed old man who in the United States is said to make and distribute gifts and greeting cards, is a corruption of the Dutch “Sint Nikolaas”’.

The lack of one person in the origin of Christmas was Jesus Christ. He was not mentioned once in all the early history of Christmas. I am not certain when the official name ‘Christmas’ was given to that holiday, but I do know somewhere along the line, Christ, the nativity scene, and December 25th as being the day of the baby Jesus’ birth, was later incorporated into the holiday. Going to the Roman Catholic church on that festive day became a tradition, thus the name ‘Christ’ Mass was shortened to Christmas–the word “Mass” indicated/s the ‘Roman Catholic Holy Eucharist’ will be served. (bread in the form of a round thin wafer, and at times, wine.) Also, many Bible Scholars seem to agree the birth of Jesus was sometime in later September in the year 3 or 4 A.D.

The good: What would life be without Christmas for most children in America? They get several weeks off from school--that is looked forward to, all year long--and then all the presents under the Christmas tree along with the other amenities: travel, special privileges, etc. that comes with that holiday. If anyone attempted to take Christmas away from children because of its pagan origin, there would be the most gigantic revolt this country has never seen, and all by the little folks. And I am certain, parents would also put up a big stink. Without Christmas, adults wouldn’t have a paid holiday, no excuse to drink and get a little tipsy, rewarded by a big head in the morning, no rich food to gain a few unwanted pounds, and then have to diet for the next few months, no good excuse to have a merry time and be your uninhibited-self, no maxed-out credit cards or debts; just the thought of no Christmas with all the hustle and bustle, with no Christmas music or cheer, no stupid presents from friends and relatives; that could give most adults a good reason to start the mother of all demonstrations. What about the merchants? They are the ones who benefit the most from Christmas. In fact many commercial establishments earn more money--as we go deeper in debt--during the Christmas holiday season, then they do the rest of the year. Therefore, regardless the origin, or who in the early festive era was left out of Christmas, I will unequivocally say, it is here to stay.

The not so good: Although Christmas is supposedly a Christian holiday, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in the USA, most non-religious people also engage in its personal benefits. First, atheists, they don’t believe in Christ or God , still they buy their children presents, and may even have a Christmas tree, eat a big meal, go on vacation to see relatives and the such. Most get paid for the holiday without working. As it seems, Christmas could be a big event even for nonbelievers. Second, people who do not categorize themselves as atheist, still they wouldn’t step foot in a church; they might call themselves Christian, since they think they live in a “Christian country.” At Christmas time, they engage in most of the same activities as church-going Christians do, and reap its benefits and joys. Third, the Jewish community, although they don’t believe Jesus Christ as their promised Messiah, they are the biggest benefactors of Christmas in a financial way. Jews own more corporations in America, and maybe the world, than any other religion or race, I believe Mormons come in second, at least as being the richest “Christian” church in America. Therefore, Christmas is a holiday when many in the Jewish community just can’t wait to celebrate, by going to the bank the day after Christmas with big bucks in their satchels. Fourth, non-Christians religions, people such as Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. which live in America, celebrate Christmas by taking advantages of the amenities it offers to Americans; and still they don’t believe in Jesus Christ other than possibly as a prophet or some historical figure. So, what is wrong with that? I am certain they still look forward to Christmas as having the day off, and maybe even a big meal, and of course like others, enjoy the discount on merchandise the day after Christmas. As one can see, Christmas, though sacrilegious in the eyes of devout Christians, is not that bad for the secular folks.Here is a little known fact about birthday celebrations in the Bible. Did you know only two times in the whole of the Old and New Testament were birthdays celebrated. Both were the occasion for executions. In the New Testament it was when King Herod was celebrating his birthday, he had John the Baptist beheaded at the request of his step daughter. Matthew 14:6-12. And Mark 6:21-25. In the Old Testament, as Pharaoh was celebrating his birthday he had the chief baker hanged, just as Joseph had predicted. Genesis 40:20-22. This is a ghastly history of Biblical birthdays. It seems to indicate, when it comes to birthdays in the Bible, birthdays should not be a time of joy but of gruesome murders. So I ask, is the celebrating of birthdays a good/holy event, let alone the birth of our Lord and Savior?

There is a large class of people in America, that if asked, would classify themselves as Christians. For example: if people are not atheists since they believe there is a God, they are not secular or orthodox Jews, or are not Muslims, or are not Buddhist, nor Hindus, etc.; in that case they believe they must be Christians since Christianity is the prevalent religion in America. I am certain those type of Christians-by-name-only, won’t be affected by the disturbing information of Christmas being of pagan origin. But, the question I ask is how should genuine Christians respond to the fact that their favorite Christian holiday was not originally based on the birth of their Savior? This is an extremely difficult question. Who has the correct answer/s?

First and foremost, I don’t think little children should be told, out-right, there is no Santa Claus. Let them learn on their own as they get older, because for kids, Christmas time is the most exciting time of the year, to say the least. Older children as they start to understand the importance of Jesus Christ in their parents lives, should be told how Christmas originated, and go easy on their reaction. Remember they still are kids. Christmas, as a holiday for kids is okay. But with the commercialism of Christmas along with all the money spent on that holiday, could/should be classified as a secular holiday by leaving Jesus out of the holiday. That may sound sacrilegious to some, but I am certain Jesus would approve of have His image remove from that materialistic and gluttonous holiday, without doing away with the holiday all together. This is a difficult question to grapple with, and there is no absolute answer. There is a religious group (Jehovah’s Witnesses) that did not celebrate Christmas years ago. I am not sure if they still refrain from celebrating it. I am certain it is/was tough on their kids, especially in school, when all the other kids are talking about Christmas and presents. I ask you the readers to give me your input as to what is right for kids and adults. I think I know what is best for adults; it is a personal decision for every true believer.

For people who understand what pleases Jesus Christ, and only for that group, here is my thinking on Christmas: Most, if not all, of the money spent on gifts, food, travel, drinks and whatever else is spent on Christmas, should be given to those, who are without the basic necessities at Christmas, regardless of race, creed, color, or religion. Better yet, that giving would be more memorable, of greater value, and more meaningful, if it was done on a personal basis (one on one) thus, circumventing organized charities. Then a day or two before Christmas, and especially their children, could go to preselected homes to give toys, money, food, clothing or whatever is in need. This giving experience by children will leave an indelible mark on their memory. Will they do the same as they grow older? There are several ways you can find out who are those in need; contact the Welfare Department, the Salvation Army, the Good Will, or you can get in touch with the local news paper and ask if they can put a small article in their paper to see if anyone knows of families in need. If the family needs groceries, go with them to a super market and buy what they need. If you smell alcohol or tobacco, in their home or on their breath, it is best not to give money. If they need their rent to be paid, make a check out to the landlord; if clothing, toys or grown-up presents, go to several department stores etc. This could be expensive. To help one or two families may be all one can afford. The following year, you may be better organized and can do much more. If you are doing this with the right motive, God will bless you more than one can ever imagine, although not necessarily in a monetary way. His blessings are spiritual. When doing this good work, don’t let your left hand know what you right hand is doing (don’t tell anyone what you have done, not even the IRS), or it may lose some of its value in the sight of God. Then on Christmas, stay home and treat it as any ordinary, though a very special day spiritually, by praising and thanking God for giving you and yours an active desire to help the needy. Only with one stipulation: the recipients of these gifts must be told the gifts are from Jesus Christ Himself and we are only His helpers just doing the delivering. If Christmas was celebrated in that manner by even a few of God’s people, for them, I would call it a Christmas which God would be pleased to glory in; although He would still be unhappy with the remainder who celebrate Christmas in the ordinary, secular, and self-centered way. Actually, I am certain there are holy people who are already doing that kind of giving, but only for those in need in their own church. But it could easily be expanded to all the poor in the United States and then to the world. To make it truly Christ giving, there must be no administrative cost, only Christian volunteers.

To have genuine compassion and empathy for the poor, I believe it would be beneficial–-though undesired–-to have/make an opportunity to live in God inspired poverty oneself. This Bible verse comes to mind in Luke 6:20, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God/Heaven.” Now I am sure some are saying that I must be off-my-rocker.

As a child, I was raised in the poorest of poor conditions. Let me elaborate: My mom and dad were from the Old Country. They came to this country without a cent to their name. My mom who was not allowed to go to school; was too valuable on the farm, therefore, could not learn how to speak or read a word of English. My father could speak only a few words of English. He was a cripple, and therefore, was limited as to what type of work he could do. My sister and I were born in that type of environment. The sad part is, it wasn’t bad enough to be poor, not being able to speak English, but also ignorance of what life in America was about, made it even worse. Therefore, now that I am an adult, I know first hand the pain and suffering of being poor and ignorant. Possibly adults can understand why they are poor, but try to explain poverty to a child.

Let me tell you of two incidents which are vivid in my mind, of when I was a child. My mother sat me on an old trunk to put some winter clothes on me. As she was dressing me, I ask her, as best I could; of course, I was not speaking English, “Mama, whata Santie Clausie givea me for Christmis.” She didn’t know how to respond. She reached for a small ceramic container, which was sitting near the trunk. It was made up of a black girl and boy; they looked like they were drawing water from a well. Again, not knowing what to say, she gave that ceramic piece to me and said, “This is all I have to give you; we have no money.” I must have thought to myself, how could I play with that? I didn’t want that ceramic figurine because it has been in our house for a long time, and it didn’t seem like a Christmas present to me. I am certain the pain she had for the little boy she loved more than the world, was much greater than my broken heart.

Here is another heart-breaking story about Christmas: I am not certain if it was the same year as the above incident. My sister and I were going to bed in an uninsulated, drafty attic–that was the only place we had to sleep. It was Christmas Eve; I was two years younger than my sister. In order to prepare for Santa, my sister got one of my mother's old stockings and neatly draped it over the back of an old chair and put it near her bed. I told her there was no Santa Claus. She argued with me, saying there was. When morning came, you’ll never guess what happen? Her Christmas stocking was still empty. If I remember rightly, she cried and cried. I am not sure if I cried along with her, but I am sure making-up for it now. They say men aren’t supposed to shed tears; crying is reserved only for sissies. Well then, I guess I must be a sissy. Case in point: These stories are not mine only, but belong to every poor child that doesn’t get at least one nice present at Christmas time. Therefore, one can understand why only poor children truly know the inexpressible sorrow of being without at Christmas time, with no happy endings in sight. As you can possibly tell, when Christmas is combined with poverty stricken families, especially with young children, I become a bit effusive.

In conclusion, as we examined Christmas from many angles, it is good, in one way or another, for all except those in desperate financial need. We, as Christians can change that, if even a little this year, and hopefully more in years to come. With Jesus Christ doing the giving through our efforts, that generosity may/will bring some of the unloved poor into the reality that Christianity may be for them also. Remember, God loves the poor. We should also, by allowing Jesus Christ to do His giving through us.

# posted by JC @ 11:06 AM