The Reason for the Season?
[thoughts on Christmas – by Sha’Tara]
It’s the “holiday” season – which means it’s spending time for money we don’t got as Stompin’ Tom Connors used to sing. That’s not all though. Some particularly vocal types out there are clamouring: “He’s the reason for the season!” meaning of course their God-man Jesus Christ. According to these people, and without a shred of evidence, Jesus of Nazareth, or the Nazarene, was born in Bethlehem of Judea on the 25th of December. While the New Testament gives no such date, it does provide a nice morality play by play of the events surrounding said birth – but those events are rather inconsequential: what matters to believers in Jesus is that this particular time, and these particular holidays, belong to their god, hence to them. If you don’t believe in Jesus, what business do you have celebrating “his” birth? And by association, if you don’t know Jesus, why aren’t you envious, grumpy, sad and angry?
All well and good, but a lot of Christians are also business people. Where would these business types be if only “believers” celebrated “Christmas” and no one else spent an extra dollar to try and make themselves feel good in the middle of winter? Nothing like trying to have your cake and eat it too. But about that feel good thing, isn’t that why those horrible pagan sinners invented the Yuletide season (traditionally from December 24 to January 6) to coincide with the solstice, when days grow longer and daylight begins to increase? It was but a small thing for the Christian church to twist this ancient time of “revelry” into their expanding set of special “holy” days and observances. Look here, they said, the pagans celebrate the re-awakening of the sun. Let’s replace their sun with our Son who is, after all, the light of the world. Confuse them by taking over their symbols, win them over, or force them over, it’s up to them.
The iron age or irony of “that good old time religion” is thankfully passing. No witch has been burned alive in North America for a few years now, though the same can’t be said for South America where a woman was recently beaten unconscious then burned to death after being declared a witch. Be that as it may, the “pagans” who have a much longer history than Christians, are quite naturally returning to their former kind of celebration which has nothing to do with any religion or religious performance. I’m not saying it’s any better, but it is certainly more honest, even if honesty is not a particularly outstanding Earthian trait.
They do it because the church no longer has the clout to force them to worship a man-made deity; they do it because they are a bit more educated and can sometimes, if it’s thick enough and choking enough, feel the wool being pulled over their entire faces regarding made-up stories, and they do it because the real “reason for the season” is commerce, they are consumers, and there is nothing they can do about it. They are programmed to spend and spend and spend, keeping the Wal-Mart and every other mart’s wheel of fortune turning until there is just no more energy left, at which point, well, anything goes. Global war? Global famine? Genocides for entertainment?
So what’s Christmas all about? What’s the real reason for the season? It’s about celebration. Now wouldn’t it be really nice if the celebrants celebrated in their own fashion and were just happy doing this without the need to shove their particular brand of celebrating down another’s throat? That’s what the pagans do, so why can’t the religious types take a hint from that? In this country they have a guaranteed freedom of religion. Why can’t they allow the same freedom for those of different persuasions, or different ways? As long as no one is being hurt or mistreated, what difference can it make if you believe in the sun god Apollo or the son of god Jesus (or Santa Claus, or Father Christmas)? After all, if history is probed, it becomes quite clear they are the same character – man-made and of necessity anthropomorphic.
In the end it matters not what anyone believes in – it only matters who they are and how they manifest that to the world around them. Singing “Joy to the World” while it may give a nice warm feeling doesn’t actually bring, or give, joy to people on this world – it doesn’t alleviate the misery.
Too negative an end? Well let me add this, the shape this world is in right now is a much more negative statement than any I could come up with – and everyone, like it or not, has to deal with that. No amount of power of positive thinking, wishful thinking or faith will make an iota of difference to reality.
Christmas quotes:
From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it. (Catherine Whitehorn, Roundabout)
Oh look, yet another Christmas TV special! How touching to have the meaning of Christmas brought to us by cola, fast food, and beer... Who'd have ever guessed that product consumption, popular entertainment, and spirituality would mix so harmoniously? (Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes)
now...... sheeit.
Nobody really knows if Jesus was born on Dec. 25th or july 16th for that matter.
So just enjoy your family and friends (and a day off work)
Walt
P.S. There were no turkeys at the first thanksgiving either....LOL
Read My Poem:
A Poem To Aunt Ida...
TRASK...
Love ya~
Jane
I doubt if Christians will read your article with clarity. They color everything with their dogmatic ideology and don't question stupid follower behavior at all.
Ron