It's the most wonderful time of the year and yet the Big Day on the calendar for Christians is yet again blanked by secular bible-bashers.
Who would know that in six days time, Jesus would be getting out the champers and toasting his birthday from his 2,000-year-old crib? Everyone knows it's Winter Festival time or get-out-your-purses-and-shop-til-you-drop time or my-present-is-bigger-than-yours/keep-up-with-the-Joneses-time.
Christmas isn't Christmas anymore. Our society has revamped and re-branded the festival. The name has been changed (Seasonmas), the leading lad Jesus has been swapped for a beardy old man and PC-checklist ticker, and the values of sharing, caring with your kin replaced with those far more acceptable to the ears of the members of modern society: greed, selfishness, materialism and ever-encouraged gluttony.
For the once-a-yearers like TTG, remembering Christ (y'know, the bloke who died for our sins), is all too important. But scouring the shops and charities you'd be hard pushed to realise that Christmas is all about Christ (the clue is in the name).
Stationers Paperchase, who boast a floor dedicated to cards, had a mere three religious card sets. And even one of the three dared to print the despicable and sacrilegious 'Season's Greetings'. It shouldn't be that difficult to find a simple religious token for this religious day.
Don't get me wrong, TTG isn't entirely opposed to Santa or the secular celebration of the December 25 but it should never be at the expense of Christ. Just this week we've heard of the Beeb broadcasting a nativity portraying Jesus's mum as a sex cheat, prossie and down-and-out teen mum-to-be. Then of course, the EU publishing of calendars packed with the dates of all the important dates in your Hare Krisna, Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist calendar but nothing is scrawled of note on the 25th of the 12th month.
No doubt, a godless, smug Dawkins will appear on the the telly with his Seasonmas message telling Christians how dumb they are for daring to believe in Jesus. No, channel 4, we don't want to see it.
In today's world there should be respect for the beliefs and practices of the faithless and those who want to take up a pew. But it's never there for Christianity. Shop chains always comment that there is never enough custom to justify filling their shops with nativity tat. But the customers aren't always right. Who cares if Christmas isn't profitable. There should be religious trinkets as well as your reindeers.
All I want for Christmas is ... a new appreciation for this RELIGIOUS day. Have your Scotch and be merry but please don't forget the true meaning of December the 25th - the day our Saviour was born.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
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2 comments:
It's highly unlikley Jesus was born on 25 dec. The festival is a cristianisation of Roman Saturnalia and the Celitc/Norse Festival of Yule, both of which actually celebrate the winter solctice (22nd December).
Yule was chosen for the birth of Christ because it celebrated rebirth as the early church co-opted existing festivals.
The church is politics, politics is the church. Neither have anything to do with religion, which has precious little to do with christ.
Christmas isn't Christmas anymore. Our society has revamped and re-branded the festival.
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