Every year. I don't get it, but every single year we see the stores gear up for sales that people stand in line for, we see Christmas Trees for sale in mid-November. We see the holiday of Thanksgiving (certainly one of the more poignant holidays, in terms of meaning, that we have) totally skipped in our market places, minus the non-superstore groceries that still count on holidays like Thanksgiving for a little monetary boost during the year...
And somehow, some way, some of us are convinced there is a "war" on Christmas.
As a child, I remember receiving cards in the mail that said "Happy Holidays". No one was complaining then, and the fact that they are now tells me this one thing: We are easily led by the powers that be. We are easily divided, for the powers that be. And... this is not a good thing.
About four and a half years ago I joined a website called Cafemom, and inside that website, I joined a religious debate forum. I don't think I've ever had a better learning experience. From the get-go, I was seeing the world through the eyes of others, and understanding began to bloom. World religions was always a favorite subject of mine in school, so it was a natural draw, this forum, and I ended up making friends there that I may not have given a second thought to in real life. Actually, I may have avoided them in real life.
Avoiding people who are different because they're different isn't something that I would call a "Jesus" thing. Probably the opposite, actually.
And this brings me to what I've noticed more often than not- for non-Christians, the message they're receiving from the majority of Christians is this: You don't matter unless you conform. You aren't an American until you conform to our primary customs. You are, in fact, anti-American until you stop being a jew/muslim/hindu/buddhist/pagan/atheist and start telling us "Merry Christmas" when we want you to. Get over it or get out.
Further, the picture people are getting from the actual celebration of Christmas goes something like this:
Rather than this:
That isn't the fault of anyone but those who participate in it. This isn't the fault of Muslims who celebrate Ramadan- occasionally- around Christmas time. It isn't the fault of Jews who celebrate Chanukah. It isn't the fault of Pagans, who celebrate on or around the 21st of December every year. It isn't the fault of the atheists, who often celebrate Christmas along with *most* everyone else.
It's the fault of laziness in communication during the holiday season. Once upon a time, people chose to say "Happy Holidays" to each other rather than, "Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy Boxing Day, Good New Year" which is a mouthful. It is also the result of thoughtful communication in areas of this nation where there are larger pockets of Jewish people who don't always appreciate being told Merry Christmas for reasons that should, at this point in history, be obvious.
While we're on the subject of history, how about a little introspection on the history of modern Christmas celebration? What is the first sign that it's coming on Christmas? That's right- we're cutting down trees. Why trees? Because once upon a time- before Christianity enveloped Europe- people worshiped the sun, and on the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, they would decorate their homes with plants that stayed green during the winter as a reminder that spring would come again when the sun god grew strong again. Similar meanings are behind wreaths, candles, mistletoe, holly, and the colors red, gold, green and silver- all things that our culture has adopted and renamed to suit our preference- and we demand that no one else does the same.
Another thing that comes to my mind is the fact that so many Adventist friends and relatives have taken on this task, full bore- and with SDA eschatology? I find it ironic for SDAs in particular to suggest that people conform or get out. Think about this for a minute if you are an SDA. What happens when we force conformity in religious matters? What happens when we are forced to conform??
Basically, what it comes down to is this. Be nice. Take folks like Bill O'Reilly for what they are; angry, frightened people interested in dividing a nation that needs, more than ever, to stick together. We are a colorful, diverse nation, and thank goodness for that - you learn nothing when nothing is different and challenges never arise. And Jesus said there would be challenges- and he said to love your neighbor, and to hand your cares and burdens to him.
He didn't say to yell at people for saying the wrong greeting on his birthday (or the day that we chose to celebrate on in hopes that the pagans of a certain region would have an easier time conforming to the new religion). See? There's that conformity thing raising its ugly head again.
Stop demanding it. More flies with honey.
