Thoughts on Christmas

This blog post is in response to a story I read this morning (you can read it HERE). I would highly suggest reading it before going on in this blog...

*Note: I do not mean to offend or upset anyone in this post, but I will be writing with very strong opinions on my faith and the faith and practices of others, so if you disagree with my Christian faith, I forewarn you to probably not read this.

So, here we go...

In the story, Ben Stein is responding to the government (i.e. the President and the White House) renaming Christmas trees to "Holiday trees." Now I'm going to respond to both...

Here are a few of my favorite parts of the article:

"I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejewelled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, “Merry Christmas” to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crib, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to."

....

"

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace."

So here is my question... How is it that people who are atheist or agnostic think it's okay to celebrate Christmas? I know a lot of people who don't really have a solid faith in anything that celebrate Christmas.
How has it become a holiday that anyone can celebrate? Honestly, I think it'd be better if it wasn't a national holiday. Maybe the same goes for Easter. So many people celebrate, but what are they celebrating?

The entirety of Christmas and Easter revolves around Jesus Christ.
Christmas being His birth on Earth to a virgin by the power of God that we as humans may be saved knowing the sacrifices He would have to make to do so.

Easter being after His brutal crucifixion on a cross with two thieves when three days had passed and he rose from the dead and walked on Earth once more. 

If they don't have Christian faith, then what do they celebrate? They certainly aren't celebrating Jesus Christ... so then, really, they're celebrating nothing.

Maybe it would be better if they weren't national holidays because that just gives people the excuse to celebrate. They are Christian holidays- not whoever-feels-like-celebrating-whatever-they-want holidays. It's as simple as that. If you do not believe in God and that Jesus Christ walked the Earth as a sinless savior, you have no business celebrating Christmas or Easter. Sorry to be so harsh about it, but it's true.

At the same time, though, no matter what people say, I do believe that Christians are the majority in this country. So how can we remove a holiday that was created for the majority?

The problem is that, even though we are the majority, the minorities are continuing to grow and grow and grow as time goes on. This country was once an almost fully Christian country, and now according to a study, it is about 76%. In 1990 it was 86%. That's a scary reality. (Not to mention the fact that many people probably just labeled themselves as Christians even if they aren't actually living a Christian life).

So if 24% of Americans are not Christians, why do almost all Americans celebrate Christmas (obviously excluding Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. who have their own holidays). 

It's sad that Christmas has turned into such a flashy holiday. 

Think about this for a second... When I write the word "Christmas," what is the first image that comes to mind?

The icons that represent Christmas are typically a Christmas tree or Santa Claus. Don't get me wrong, I love my beautiful Christmas trees and I think the idea of Santa Claus is a precious childhood right-of-passage that explores the imagination and creativity of children (also, how gullible they are!). But these icons have become just that- icons; representations; idols, even. 

The same goes for Easter. Nowadays, Easter is associated with bunnies (particularly the Easter bunny), candy, eggs, and beautiful pastel colors.

If you ask me, this is just sad. Christmas should always be represented by the nativity scene- Jesus Christ in the manger with Mary and Joseph beside him, Gabriel the Angel watching from above, the donkey that brought them there and an ox, the 3 Magi bearing gifts and their camels, and the shepherds and their sheep. The most important part of this whole scene, though, is Jesus Christ in the manger. I think that should be the icon of Christmas- Jesus in a manger.

Easter should always be represented by the resurrection of Jesus. It's that simple. That is the entire meaning of the holiday.

So people can call Christians hypocrites, but aren't non-Christians who celebrate Christmas and Easter hypocrites?? 

Christians are called hypocrites because we (wow what a surprise!) make mistakes. As if we aren't human too. But these people aren't making a mistake in celebrating these holidays, they're just being hypocritical. 

I just don't understand how it makes sense to them to celebrate Christian holidays, especially Christmas and Easter which revolve solely around Jesus Christ, if they don't even believe in God and/or don't believe in Jesus? They are literally celebrating a fictional story of an imaginary fat man that sneaks into people's houses and leaves children presents and a fictional story of an imaginary bunny that lays eggs all over filled with candy. Yeah.. okay. 

Don't get me wrong, I respect the fact that people will believe what they want to believe (even if I wish every human being was a Christian and was going to be saved and go to Heaven, that is simply not a rational reality). I respect people of other religions who celebrate their holidays, even if I don't agree with them. But what I can't respect is downright hypocrisy when I, as a Christian, am accused of hypocrisy for simply being imperfect, human.

I'm a Christian and you don't see me celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc., I celebrate Christmas because I am a Christian and I believe that God sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to come to Earth and save my soul. 

So.... here's my question... Why do you?

LJM