Keep Christ out of Christmas

The dis-oriented author is a Christian. More specifically a born-again evangelical/fudamentalist Christian. Having left the Catholic Church I am a Protestant in the truest sense of the word.

Therefore this year I see a trend that I find to be alarming. I read about it everyday in the newspaper. I hear about it on all the talkshows. It comes up in the national news and the bloggers are all abuzz. It is the topic of conversation in churches and schools and cities all across the country. We even discuss it in my family.

What is this trend that concerns me so? All over this country people are trying to put Christ into Christmas.

Let me start by saying that in some Christian traditions, Christmas is a holy day. For example in Catholocism, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (US) has recognized Christmas as a Holy Day of Obligation. That is a holy day where attendance at Mass is mandatory. So Jesus clearly belongs in Catholic (big C) Christmas. So my Catholic friends are excused from the following admonishments.

But for those of us who do not have the Majesterum to guide us and believe that the doctrines and practices of the Christian faith are directly and individually interpreted from scripture — shame on us. Where in Scripture are we taught that we should celebrate Christmas?

In the late 6th and early 7th centuries CE  [Just kidding: I mean A.D. — Anno Domini — In the year of our Lord] Pope Gregory I allowed missionaries to adopt and adapt many of the traditions that we today associate wth Christmas.  When Christian missionaries went into Norther Europe they were confronted with the deism and polytheism of the native people. Rather than completely repace their traditions and festivals they were co-opted and given a Chritian makeover. The Winter Solstice became Christmas in the same way that the Spring Equinox became Easter after Ishtar or Ashterah.

The evergreen tree has long been a pagan symbol of rebirth and it became the Christmas tree. Mistletoe, holly and  gift-giving are all pagan traditions. Christmas is a secular holiday. It is a great time to get together with family and friends, give presents, give to the needy, etc. It is also the peak of the retail season and makes or breaks a merchant's year.

It is pretty sneaky of my Christian brethren to sneak Jesus into Christmas and co-opt the holiday. But Jesus is bigger than this or any other holiday. By giving Him this day we fell like we can ignore Him the rest of the year.  So just as I celebrate Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, I am also looking forward to celebrating Christmas with my family.

Merry Christmas.