Posted on 12/18/2001 4:55:18 AM PST by truthandlife
All across America, Christmas is being expunged. In spite of the events of three months ago, there is little room for Christmas in America's public life. In fact, Christmas seems to be losing ground even faster than in the past.
School districts across the country are forbidding students from passing out personal Christmas cards. In Minnesota, two middle school students were disciplined for wearing red and green scarves. In Massachusetts, ninth grade students were warned to refrain from wishing friends "Merry Christmas." In Illinois, a teacher was instructed by her principal to not read a story about Christmas to her second graders. In Georgia, a school removed the word "Christmas" from its calendar after threats from the A.C.L.U.
Throughout the United States, nativity scenes and Christmas trees have been removed. In one South Florida veterans hospital, even a Christmas angel was taken down. In most public places today, all references to Christmas have been obliterated. Taking its place is the politically correct, "non-offensive," multicultural, full-of-diversity greeting, "Happy Holidays." What is with all this lunacy? It's as if "Scrooge" has been institutionalized. It is not hyperbole to observe that in many (if not most) American homes, Harry Potter is more popular than the Christ-child is.
America's Founding Fathers must be rolling over in their graves! In their wildest dreams, they could never have imagined such a display of religious intolerance happening in the land "founded by Christians on the Gospel of Jesus Christ" (Patrick Henry).
The longest-living Founding Father was John Quincy Adams. As such, he was a much sought after speaker for patriotic events. On July 4, 1837, he made a very astute observation. He said, "Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the Progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets 600 years before?"
Adams' sentiments seem quite out of fashion today, don't they? His penchant for Christian liberty is as popular these days as limited government is. Then again, I remember a time when children prayed and read the Bible in public schools. That day is gone for good, and it appears that the public celebration of Christmas is nearing its end, also. However, people should not fret. In the new socialist Amerika now under construction, Ramadan and Kwanzaa are perfectly acceptable.
the problem is that Christmas is under attack by everyone, primarily by Born Again Christians. They do not celebrate Christmas as they feel it is a Catholic holiday of paganism. Back to 1700, I guess.
The Fonz will be most disappointed. :)
Another question I have is "why do we put up with it?" Why, when we are told somebody might be offended do we not say, "tough?" And if we can't do that, then why are we continuing to call ourselves a free country?
Perhaps one way to defy the anti-Christmas mentality is to hit where it hurts. Since Christmas is politically incorrect then lets make buying Christmans presents politically incorrect as well and stay away from stores and businesses in droves.
As for the schools who forbid children to express Christmas, well, to me the answer is obvious: don't send the children to those schools. And be sure and let them know why. It will be very hard for the government schools to continue justifying their existence if there are few children in them.
Finally, be an activist locally. Are there schools or businesses in your area that are guilty of these outrageous offenses against Christmas? How many people are aware of it? Maybe they should be.
If we really want to do something about this trend, it is the responsibility of all of us to be a part of the solution. Its easy to wring our hands and bemoan the situation. Its a bit more challenging to be part of the solution, not because it isn't within our reach, but because we are often unwilling to make the sacrifices required.
I agree with you. I am not good with words, and get easily tongue tied. But even those who are not good speaking the word, can pass out church tracts, or create a web page to tell others (web pages on the topic helped me when I first started looking for Christ). And any sort of help you can give a church can go far... such as helping with a Church web page, helping with sunday school classes. Hey, even cleaning the church restroom can help. How? Because that makes one less thing your pastor has to worry about so he can get out and spread the word.
Essentially, there are many ways that we can help spread the word. Many of them may not on the surface appear as such, but you would be amazed.
Better to let Christmas return to the secular holiday it's always been. Save Christ's birth for a more pious, holier date like Easter.
“The Christmas Tree Debate”
by Ernest L. Martin, Ph.D.
The first inquiry that should be asked in regard to this subject of cutting out of the forest and decorating a tree is the following: Is there a command anywhere in the Holy Scriptures that a human should cut down a tree, set it up in one’s home (or public square) at the time of the Winter Solstice, deck it with trinkets and various decorations, and then place a star on its topmost part to show an association of the tree with certain signs of the heavens? There is, of course, no such command nor is there the slightest suggestion that such a thing should be done. There is also no hint that such a thing is even allowed by God.
In spite of this, there are millions of Christian believers who do this very thing at the time of the Winter Solstice. It is well recognized by all educated people today that the practice is purely and simply a retention of pagan doctrines in the Christian home and church and the custom has nothing to do with the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. It is a carry-over of heathen forms of nature worship that were widespread in the Roman Empire when the Christian faith had its origin. The central factors of primitive nature worship revolved around the motions of the celestial bodies (particularly the positions of the Sun and the Moon within certain aspects involving the fixed stars — notably at the Equinoxes and Solstices. Numerous festivities of the pagan world were invented and reckoned to be of paramount importance during these crucial times of the year when visible astronomical phenomena regularly awed the spectators with their majestic celestial displays.
The Gentile world that the apostle Paul was commissioned to teach the Gospel of Christ were was especially involved in their celebrations. Overt idolatry always attended their customary rituals. These things provoked a command of the apostle Paul in the New Testament that Christians ought to “flee idolatry” (I Corinthians 10:14). The apostle John was also dogmatic when he commanded Christians at the time to “keep yourselves from idols” (I John 5:21). These early condemnations by the prime apostles in the New Testament period persuaded the authorities in Post-Reformation England also to condemn the celebration of customs having their origin directly within the naturalistic rituals of the early pagan inhabitants of Europe and also in America. Christmas was recognized as a purely naturalistic celebration which the Roman Catholic Church had long ago accepted as a ceremony of the Church but it was altogether known to be a pagan institution (without the slightest warrant in the Bible).
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Living a quiet life, helping others and having a humble attitude is many times a tremendous witness. We don't have to open our mouths to witness....they may be won over without a word.
Many people today think that an act of kindness has to have the church stamp of approval on it to be any good. Defending what is right, speaking up for those who can't, simply loving people is the example that Christ set for us.
But, of course, we know that every Christian may lead a life of joy in the Lord which others will want to emulate.
The Jewish people have many religious holidays, we are told that Jesus also observed them (I am sure that ancient pagans had coincinding holdays with the Jews even then). It is pleasing to God that we remember and understand His plan of salvation for us. It begins witht the advent of our Lord.
Exactly. "By their fruits, you will know them."
Preaching by example and a life lived joyously with Christ is much more effective than getting in someone's face and asking them whether they're "saved" or not.
Sad but true. Is that a good excuse to violate a belief thus somehow justifying going to a politically correct store that refuses to display 'Merry Christmas'? If so, I'd say that the church lost and the state won. Not because the politically correct state got businesses to not to display a Merry Christmas sign, rather, because they got the person to violate their belief.
How many have you led to the Lord with your example alone?
I don't keep score.
Besides, I'm not leading them. He is.
The number is for Him to know, not me.
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