Every year I hear the same debate, an old debate about whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas. Personally, I know what I do, and I don't mind what others do. I see it as something that each person should be able to approach to their own conscience. The issue is not a limiting issue to me. Those who celebrate Christmas in all it's religious and secular glory, those who stick to the religious only, and those who bypass it altogether as a 'pagan festival' may all be perfectly good Christians, and I don't have a problem with any of those choices. However, I would like to address a certain argument against Christmas (and Easter) and offer my take on it.
Though there are people who have decided calmly in their own mind and conscience to avoid Christmas and Easter, there are others who end up confused by one main argument: the pagan/secular additions. If someone decides to not celebrate Christmas because he does not feel comfortable about honoring Jesus's birthday on a day that likely isn't His birthday, so much the better for him. However, sometimes their zeal in spreading their opinions leave Christians in-between, unwilling to abandon their traditions, but now viewing them with an unnecessary measure of guilt. I do not believe that God intended us to feel terrible about treating each other with charity and love because some elements of Santa Claus's history included a conglomerate of pagan beliefs. For this reason, I would like to give you something to consider as you ask yourself whether it's sinful to put candy canes on your tree or exchange gifts.
Everything that God made is inherently good. Those of you who want to talk of original sin, please hold on for a moment and give me time here. Everything God made is inherently and originally good. Anything that Satan uses has to be twisted to be made evil. Food is not sinful, but gluttony is. Sex is not sinful, but it can be misused to terrible effect.
The key here is 'originally and inherently'. Satan poisoned everything just a little bit, even us. I like the way C.S. Lewis put it in the book Screwtape Letters, in which a demon argued that God claims ownership of all under the claim that He created it, while Satan seeks to claim all under the banner of conquest. We all know that there is a spiritual war between the forces of God and Satan, and we all know the eventual outcome.
Now consider what happens during a war. One side advances, and captures an enemy fort. What do they do? If the fort is rotted, if the food is utterly poisoned, if the place is booby-trapped, they will probably raze it to the ground. However, most of the time this is not the case. The food is just as good, the fort nearly as strong, and they run up their own flag and begin to repair the fortifications.
Jesus has made it clear that we are made of good things, once enemy fortifications, now with God's flag run up and the original usefulness turned once again to good. I would submit that the same is true for Christmas. Sure, there are many people who fall into materialism and spend the holiday buying things they can't afford for people they hate, but God's flag has been run up in Christmas Cantatas. Christmas and Easter are often the only times that the non-devout attend church. That's an opportunity to run up God's flag. There is a lot of love and generosity among good people that peaks around Christmastime. When I hear of over 500 people making a commitment for Christ at the Word of Life Florida Christmas show, I see God's flag fluttering over the fortification that once involved nature goddesses and ancient superstition. I could not call that an evil thing.
So what is my advice, in the end? If the 'pagan elements' trouble you such that you prefer to not partake with a clear conscience and without the burden of guilt, by all means, do as you see best! But if you have heard over and over about the evils of this holiday, but you still love to honor God through your traditions during this time, do so without guilt! You are flying God's flag on an enemy fortification that was originally built by God.
Jesus doesn't mind you giving presents to each other on His birthday, even if you get the date wrong. Candy canes aren't going to send you to hell if they remind you (and you tell your children) of the shepherds who came to see that extraordinary baby. And whether it be turkey, ham, or steak, it's an awfully good meal, isn't it?
We've had discussions on Christmas before, and now I have one of them there blog posts that is probably going to push off my Piracy post even farther boiling. But I thought I'd share a few thoughts from one of the 'less devout' for something to chew on.
ReplyDeleteThis world is full of combinations, compromises and the like. Some people are more willing to make these then others - but I find it telling that even before the Bible came to be as a document, and people were getting solidly into monthesisum as history depicts it - man was always worshipping *something* or *someone*.
Since multiple religions still exist, and are still trying to decide how to properly co-exisit. (Jews and Christians may be close, but on a technical level each believes the other to be misguided fools, and Islam may respect Christ as I understand, but for the most part there's a lot of hate coming from that corner, and not unsurprisingly a lot going back.) I'm not going to bother trying to fathom Buddah, various Indian religions and some of the more esoterric 'pagan' religions in this short text.
What it comes down to is that the vast majority of us is looking to a Creator. Why? Because, in the words of Jim Butcher (paraphrased) "The things science has promised us have not completely come to pass. Famine, Pestilence, War and the like are still problems in the modern era. And things still go bump in the night that we cannot explain."
We need something to explain the reasons things happen that defy explination. And while thats a completely LOGIC filled explination, it also comes down to the fact that its hard to believe, when standing and looking out at the world from a high point, or a low point and take a look at things for their utter being, that this all just *happened* by *accident*.
God and I may not always be on the best of terms - but I can't ignore that when I've done what I could to walk the path that feels *right* - things go better. Maybe not always for the best, but they do go better.
And that is enough for me. Most major religions have their major holidays at this time of the year - for whatever the reason, man made or not - that does not mean one should not enjoy the chance to celebrate with friends and family. However you chose - it is the one time of year when while the voices may be discordant in the lyrics, the world still sings out with a similar clear note.
Merry Christmas Joy - a little bit early :)
-Jon
Hey Jon..nice comment.
ReplyDeleteI happen to be a very devout Christian who has several friends (mostly super smart Dr's that have helped our family in the most dire health circumstances) that are Jews and I have NOTHING but utter respect and admiration for them and their religion. I could never think them fools. Nor could I think anyone a fool that truly believes and lives their religion. Ok, well aside from Islamic terrorists. And I don't really think they're fools so much as evil.
Thank you both for your comments!
ReplyDeleteRhonda, I suspect the Christians who avoid holiday traditions with partial pagan origins are more concerned with being sure that they celebrate their own faith properly and without hypocrisy than with calling those of other religions fools. :) Most of my guidelines are geared towards Christians trying to be Christians, and those who don't follow the same faith aren't expected to hold to the same tenets, in my opinion. :)
This probably shows just how sheltered I am, but it bears saying:
ReplyDeleteThere are Christians who refuse to celebrate Christmas? Why? One would think that if something is important enough to be found in 1/2 of the gospels and referenced throughout the Old Testament, especially in Isaiah, one of the most prolific prophets foretelling the coming of the Messiah. The pagan elements? The fact that we erect Christmas trees? Give each other presents? Celebrate it on the longest night of the year?
The gift God gave us in His only Son is a beautiful thing, and giving gifts is a subtle reminder of that. Christmas trees are almost exclusively evergreens (except in Florida and Hawaii where we decorate palm trees because we're weeeeirrddd). Evergreens never lose their needles (replace, but never lose entirely), a symbol of eternal life even in the dead of winter (in the Northern Hemisphere, it's Summertime south of the Equator!). Celebrating in the longest night of the year? Good gravy, the darkest time of the calendar year is the BEST time to celebrate the coming of Light into the world!
Thank you very much Joy for the sensible explanation! I sincerely hope that people get over the silliness that would cause them to miss out on great times of worship, togetherness, and communion with the Lord Almighty.
I'm halfway with you here. :)
ReplyDeleteRomans 14: 1 Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of arguing over differences of opinion. 2 One person believes that he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 The person who eats any kind of food must not ridicule the person who does not eat them, and the person who does not eat certain foods must not criticize the person who eats them, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to criticize someone else's servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord—and stand he will, because the Lord makes him stand.
5 One person decides in favor of one day over another, while another person decides that all days are the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind: 6 The one who observes a special day, observes it to honor the Lord. The one who eats, eats to honor the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. And the one who does not eat, refrains from eating to honor the Lord; yet he, too, gives thanks to God.
For this reason, my blog post was not aimed at those of us who celebrate Christmas with a clear conscience, nor at those who choose with a clear conscience to avoid it. To me, the real pity is for those who are caught in-between, who celebrate because they love the holiday, but with misgivings due to the influence of those who bring up all the worries about paganism.