Everyone in America loves Christmas. The smells of Fraser firs, roast beast, and spiced cider, the sparkling lights, the crackling fire, the egg nog, the gifts, the human tenderness and family love, the music—in other words, the gemütlichkeit—such fantastic things, right? But can’t we keep those things and get rid of all the religious accoutrements that keep ruining our Christmas buzz? Let’s just say “Happy Holidays.” That way no one feels left out. Let’s call the year-ending educational hiatus “Winter Break.” In other words, let’s have Christmas, but without Christ and outside the church. Wouldn’t that be grand? A Festivus for the rest of us…
Every year, Christmas draws two very distinct feelings out of me. On one hand, I love it. I too love the smells and sights and sounds of Christmas. But the secular American celebration of Christmas really gets under my skin. It highlights yet again that Americans love the fruits of a Christian worldview, but they hate its root.
The ubiquitous controversy over Phil Robertson is another example of this same love-hate attitude. Duck Dynasty is the most popular reality show on cable television, so obviously everyone loves watching the shenanigans of these charming backwoods country folk. They’re just good people, you know? But not everyone wants to accept the whole picture. All of these critics of Robertson’s politically-incorrect views don’t seem to realize that he’s a package deal. That part of him they all like is not separable from the part of him they despise. In fact, that part of him they all like actually comes from the part of him they all despise. If he were a tolerant jellyfish, would they like him? Is it not his coarse, salt-of-the-earth quality that makes him charming to his fans?
And Christmas is no different. I read an interview that NPR conducted with the band Bad Religion to promote their new album, “Christmas Songs.” The interviewer remarked that it was odd for a band so critical of religion to do an album of religious Christmas hymns. What the band said in response was telling:
MARTIN [NPR Interviewer]: And these are not secular songs, we should point out though. You could’ve done, you know, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” These are religious Christmas hymns.
GUREWITZ [Bad Religion Front Man]: I would disagree. I think that all of these songs are secular. Even though they have their roots in the pulpit or in the church setting, virtually everyone who celebrates Christmas has heard these songs. And so, it’s not Bad Religion that has made them ironic. It’s kind of a secular society that’s made Christmas ironic.
They aren’t the only ones that love Christmas music (or at least the revenues Christmas music can make for them) but don’t want Christ. A recent elementary school “holiday” concert in New York excluded any mention of Christ from the song “Silent Night” in order to keep from offending non-Christians. Who cares about Christians though, right? Like Bad Religion said, it’s not like it’s a Christian song or anything. Christmas belongs to all of us and all of that.
Yes, it is somewhat ironic that American mainstream society hates Christians so much, but loves and reveres pretty much everything good only Christianity has ever produced. Whether it is the scientific revolution, the civil establishment of personal liberty, the Protestant work ethic, family values, safe neighborhoods, or Christmas, people love what Christianity produces in a society. They just don’t want to have to live like Christians to get it. And they’re not even willing to let you live like one while you’re in their country. They are the ones, after all, that made this country great… haven’t you read your government-issued history book?
On the contrary, as Steve Deace said in USA Today:
Irrefutable history documents that the Bible and its teachings were the biggest influence on those that founded the freest and most prosperous nation in human history. Yet nowadays if you believe that same Bible is true you will either silence your beliefs, or you will be silenced.
Ironically, the most hated people in the United States are the ideological heirs to the major reason why this country is worth living in. We wouldn’t be arguing about redistributing wealth if there weren’t wealth to redistribute. The reason why secularists want a secular America is because they want all the good things America has to offer. They just want to remove what produced those good things in the first place. They’re sure they can have one without the other. Never mind that’s never worked in any of the other countries in which they’ve tried it. Seriously, if secularism keeps the fruits even after the tree is dead, why don’t these people just move to secular societies? There are plenty of them all around the globe.
But no. The truth is ideologies that produce good things are more valuable than the good things themselves, for if you don’t know how to produce good things, you’ll be worse off than you were before when the good things you’ve borrowed or stolen run out. And they are running out. If much more of this country buys into the secular paradigm for much longer, this country will become bankrupt in every sense, just like all the countries secularists have left behind them in search of some Christmas cheer.
Excellent article! Most people know Christmas is a pagan celebration of the birth of Christ as a man, but who forget it is not the Lord’s birth that is important to celebrate; it is the reason or purpose for His birth. God gave His Son as a gift to the world, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. Through the years, this country’s celebration of the birth of Christ has
morphed into commercial business’s biggest revenue for the year. The holiday has been hijacked by secular people/organizations who want to make it their own by taking Christ out of Christmas. I feel sorry for anyone who has not yet come to know our Lord and Savior and the gift He gave us.
The American mainstream society hates Christians so much??? Almost 80% of Americans ARE Christians!
I’ll go you one better, Christianity , as it’s practiced today in most churches , would not be recognized by our Savior
Unfortunate but true. I keep getting big time backlash because I keep saying it is time for true Christians to stand up and fight for our beliefs. But, “that is not the way Jesus would do it..”. Jesus would do exactly what He did when He was here. He would clear the whole rotten mess out. Where does it say that Christians are supposed to be cowards and passive when it comes to their beliefs and our brothers and sisters in Christ being pushed back and even murdered every single day. If we don’t stand up and fight back now then we will be in the same position that fellow Christians are in other countries. DEAD
Amen! We are passive because we want the world to love us and anyone who reads their bible knows Jesus said they would hate us if we followed him! We can’t have it both ways!
phil62 ” ..and our brothers and sisters in Christ being pushed back and even murdered every single day ” You are so right, not until you Christians unite and demand justice for the persecuted Christians of the world Nothing is going to change. Jus see what muslims do to your Cristian bothers and sistes all ovet the world http://www.compasdirect.org and http://www.therligionofpeace.com
By the way I’m not a Christian, but I do sympatise with their suffering at the hands of Muslims.
Thank You — Very Much
Indeed. Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple. What do you suppose he would say about the Vatican Bank?
Not just the bank, but the Vatican has more wealth in art and literature than anyone or anywhere else in the world. Why do people think the Vatican will not let you into the vaults.
Matthew 10:32-33 (ESV)
Jesus:
(32) So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, (33) but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
I work in retail merchandising and every Christmas season I watch how the people shopping for gifts are more like starving animals or greedy insects. I wonder as I watch and ask God; how many of these people are actually Christians and how many even worship God the other 50 weeks of the year?
These silly shoppers have been brainwashed by advertising into buying masses of stuff they don’t need. There is no law that states you have to buy Christmas gifts, so don’t waste your money. Send your blessings and good will – and that’s all.
Exactly the way to tell the true Christian family and friends is to have someone in your family that has no money for all the goodies but is still number one with their family and friends.
The stewardship that the Lord expects of us includes the bad stuff too. I don’t see how you can be a good stewart and not exhibit righteous indignation when the world funds the killing of babies, when marriage is redefined , when our educational institutions continue to eliminate us and our Lord from their classrooms, when moral standard continue their precipitous decline. How could the Lord bless our silence.
Modern Christmas has become nothing more than a commercialized mess. I stopped buying Christmas gifts a long time ago because I did not want to be a pawn to the retailers who exploit this holiday. What do you suppose Jesus would say about the commercialization of His birthday?
The toxic fairy-tale of religion is dying. Fewer people then ever under 30 view Christmas as a religious holiday. You people just. Need to learn to deal with that fact. As far as history goes this nation is not, has never been & never will be a Christian nation
Probably true in the crowd you hang out with. Now I’m not a liberal know it all, so I can only speak about areas I’m familiar with. In my county you would find that a majority of people go to church.
Kid, you are all wet behind the ears. Go on your internet search button and find out how many Christians there are in this country and the world. Your age group still has the same percentage as it has always had. You hang in your circles where anything goes and none of your friends want to be burdened by the guilt of their sins so they, and you, decide to just say “Duh – there is no such thing as God and never has been.” I taught English and American History and believe me I can prove to you that this indeed was, and overall still is, a Christian nation. I love it when you children say, “you people just need to deal with that”. Well – when it comes time for you to face him he is probably going to send you to hell and tell you to just deal with it. Do some real research before you make you uneducated goofy statements.
America is a less Christian nation than it was 20 years ago, and Christianity is not losing out to other religions, but primarily to a rejection of religion all together.
Survey finds percentage of of Americans identifying themselves as Christian has fallen over two decades Seventy-five percent of Americans call themselves Christian, according to the American Religious Identification Survey from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1990, the figure was 86 percent.
Your ignorance of Christianity in America is only over shadow by your arrogance.
bob, you are only showing your ignorance by saying that this is not a CHRISTIAN Nation and that it has never been a CHRISTIAN Nation. Try doing a little reading, I know it will tax your brain cells and you will have a hard time comprehending what you read, but READ AMERICAN HISTORY over and over till you can understand OUR AMERICAN HISTORY that was written, that explains that THIS COUNTRY was FOUNDED on CHRISTIAN PRINCIPALS. And, if you can’t or won’t comprehend that try this, THIS IS MOST DEFINITELY A CHIRSTIAN NATION. I hope I have talked down to your level enough so that you can understand what I have said. And, YES I AM A CHRISTIAN, but no where in the KJV of my BIBLE does it tell me to knuckle under to those that are LYING about my GOD, or my SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. But, I will PRAY for your lost SOUL just the same.
If we take Christ out of Christmas the Liberals, the Atheist, and Obama would be some happy groups. Happy holidays, and Winter breaks
suck big time. I say merry Christmas to everyone, and I mean it. Most of the Dept. stores depend on Christmas time to finally make a profit, so I think that makes for a merry time at Christmas.
In order for the global elitists to instill this so-called new world order, there were/are events in our society that made our nation great and strong, which they think they must get rid of. They are: our Constitution, Christianity, our heroes and history, the unity of our citizens, free enterprise and freedom and liberty for all Americans. They are money hungry, power mad and insane. With this society that they are trying to create, there will be the very wealthy but the majority will be poor souls. The more powerful they become, they will be throwing all the suckers and useful idiots under the bus who helped to support their devious plan, some knowingly and others unaware of the true nature of their plan. Many who have supported the Left will become minced meat!
Sarah Palin Claims Jesus Celebrated Easter
Oct 23, 2013
061713_atss_640-e1372211127213-257×170 Sarah Palin claimed today that Jesus Christ celebrated Easter during his time on Earth.
In an interview with Fox and Friends this morning, the former Alaska governor promoted her new book about the left’s “war on Christmas” and argued that all Christian holidays should return to the traditional versions practiced by Jesus.
“It makes me so gosh darn angry,” Palin explained. “The liberal left in this country has targeted Christian holidays and is trying to secularize them right out of existence.
“When Jesus celebrated Easter with his disciples there were no Easter bunnies or egg hunts. There were no Easter sales at department stores or parades in the street. Easter was a special time of prayer and Christian activism.
“Jesus would gather all the townspeople around and would listen to their stories about the meaning of Easter in their lives. Then he would teach them how to love one another, how to protest Roman abortion clinics and how to properly convert homosexuals.
“You can’t even do things like that these days without getting called out by some wacko left-wing human rights group. Christians had more freedom under Roman rule than we do now in our own country! We need to return Easter back to the way it was when Jesus was alive.”
Gospel of Palin
Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after he was crucified by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. It is the most important holiday for Eastern and Orthodox Christians, and also has great significance in the West.
Because Easter is a celebration of Jesus’s resurrection from the dead, it is highly unlikely that he celebrated the holiday before his death. Its first recorded instance is sometime in the mid-2nd century. This seemingly obvious fact was not lost on the Fox and Friends team, who instantly challenged Palin’s assertions.
“Sarah, you know that we love you,” started co-host Brian Kilmeade. “I can understand if you think Christian holidays have become too secular and you want to return to the days of the early church. But you have to know that Jesus never celebrated Easter right? I mean you have to know that. What do you think Easter celebrates?”
“Well, Brian, Easter celebrates, you know, sticking it to all the liberal lefties out there who want to be taking our guns and our freedom,” Palin responded. “It celebrates the rights of the unborn and the right to religious freedom, to not have government come in and tell you who to believe in and who not to …”
“It celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus,” Kilmeade interrupted. “It celebrates his death and resurrection from the dead. Now Sarah, tell me how can Jesus celebrate his own death before he died?”
Palin stared blankly into the screen for about 15 seconds, before co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck cut to commercial.