How still we see thee lie
The so-called "War on Christmas" controversy is just the latest example of how modern religion is more about commerce than about spirituality. There is no war, of course, only a new public recognition of cultural inclusion, sometimes clumsily applied.It's big business, as always, if you can manage to convince the ruling majority that their rights and liberties are under attack by a smaller population of shiftless conspirators, but a little history lesson, in this case, goes a long way. First, Jesus was not born on December 25th, as best the world can tell. That date was picked by early church leaders to coincide with pagan recognitions of the Winter Solstice in an attempt to marginalize them. The decoration of fir trees and the hanging of wreathes are co-opted pagan rituals, so by that standard, it's not even debatable that we might call decorated secular trees, such as those found in offices or department stores, Christmas trees. They are Christian symbols in neither origin nor current state of being.
The Puritans fought to keep Christmas off the new continent, having been unable to find mention of December 25th in their Bibles, and New York newspapers reported churches being closed on that date, under protest, up until the 1850s. It wasn't until the 20th Century that the retail industry hopped on board, and began to turn the holiday into the economic and cultural bonanza that it is today.
What drives some Christians to seek secular vindication for their beliefs, anyway? It's the commerce, and if you doubt that, turn on the TV, drive to the mall, or just look out your window. The preachers, who once fought to keep materialism out of the church, now perpetuate the bogus battle between good and evil so that the offering plate might get a little "Christmas goose" before the end of their tax-exempt fiscal year.
Don't buy into the madness. If there is a War on Christmas, it's being waged by Corporate America against the Tiny Tims dotted across their payroll sheets. Point your finger at the Grinches who slice their health and pension benefits at year's end to boost annual earnings statements. Have pity for the heartless beasts who kick their elves to the snow to open real-life sweatshops under the authority of repressive governments.
Follow my belief system instead-- keep as far away from the stores as your obligations allow, watch Charles Schultz's annual, year-end "Peanuts" parable, and tell your family and friends what they mean to you.
posted by CM @ 8:50 PM
2 Comments:
Symbolic evergreen trees and gift-giving as Christmas traditions come directly from a "pagan" solstice holiday of the Romans called Saturnalia.
The holiday started as a revered celebration of Saturn, the god of agriculture. But the Romans, being no more immune to moral bankruptcy and exploitation than we, turned the holiday into a day of silly and debaucherous activities. (Masters served their slaves, people drank, public nudity was ensued...)
Saturnalia's meaning changed so drastically over the years that the word "Saturnalia" became equated with "orgy."
We still celebrate Saturnalia in the U.S. It's called St. Patrick's Day.
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