Friday, January 16, 2009

FAITH UNDER FIRE

Christmas in America becomes battleground
As holiday traditions draw national controversy, believers, pagans grapple over Jesus
inclusion
!osted" #ecember 1$, 2002
1"00 am %astern
&y Joe 'ovacs
(orld)et#aily*com
%very #ecember, a call goes out +rom the nations pulpits to ,put Christ bac- into Christmas,,
but growing numbers o+ Americans . including +undamentalist Christians . are claiming Jesus
Christ had nothing to do with the holiday, and news items +rom across the country this wee-
indicate that the /*0* has become the new battleground +or Christmas*
Cases in point"
A +irst1grade teacher in 0acramento Co*, Cali+*, says her principal has prohibited
instructors +rom uttering the word ,Christmas, in class or in written materials2
A school superintendent in 3on-ers, )*3*, banned, then unbanned, holiday decorations
that contained religious themes more than the generic ,seasons greetings,2
)ew 3or- City schools are being sued +or alleged discrimination against Christians2
and atheists reposted their vandali4ed winter solstice sign in the (isconsin Capitol, as
they declare ,Christians stole Christmas, +rom ancient pagans*
All this comes on the heels o+ a national survey indicating 5ust over a tenth o+ Americans today
believe Jesus Christ o+ )a4areth is the +ocus o+ Christmas, with almost nine out o+ ten people
saying the holiday has become less religious*
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Are atheists correct that the very day set aside by hundreds o+ millions across the world to honor
the birth o+ their 0avior is merely a relic o+ sun worship6 And i+ it is, why would some schools
ban it6 And even i+ todays holiday traditions have their roots in heathen practices, should
Christians who wish to be true to their +aith ta-e part6
Sign of the times
,7he real reason +or the season is winter solstice,, proclaims Annie 8aurie 9aylor, co1+ounder o+
the :adison, (is*1based Freedom From ;eligion Foundation which re1erected its atheistic
message :onday in the rotunda o+ the state seat o+ government*
A+ter si< years on display, her placard had been damaged last #ecember by an un-nown
assailant, and has since been repaired*
7he +ront o+ the sign states" ,At this season o+ the winter solstice may reason prevail* 7here are
no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell* 7here is only our natural world* ;eligion is but
myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds*,
7he bac- reads" ,0tate=Church" 'eep them separate,, and carries a little caveat, advising ,7hou
shalt not steal*,
7he 2>1by1>01inch billboard was ?'d as part o+ (isconsins seasonal display which also
+eatures menorahs, angels, and what appears to be a giant Christmas tree more than two stories
tall*
,(e call it a holiday tree,, said &rian @ayes, deputy secretary +or (isconsins department o+
administration* ,(ere trying to be sensitive to Athe publicB*,
7hat politically correct terminology comes despite the dismissal o+ a lawsuit last year where the
Atheists' winter solstice sign at Wisconsin
Capitol
message content o+ items adorning the state tree had been challenged, yet its indicative o+ the
thought1conscious age o+ the 21st century*
Banned in the USA
7he +act that atheists view Christmas with disdain is not astonishing, since theyve attempted to
remove the phrase ,under 9od, +rom the !ledge o+ Allegiance and ,Cn 9od we trust, +rom /*0*
currency, as well as 7en Commandments displays +rom numerous publicly owned places*
(hat may be surprising, though, is that some devout Christians, many dating all the way bac- to
the days o+ Jesus, never celebrated the birth o+ Christ, nor sought to* Americas early colonists
banned observance o+ Christmas, and still today, there are many Christians abstaining +rom what
millions more o+ their brethren 5oy+ully celebrate as 9ods coming in human +orm*
7he Catholic %ncyclopedia states, ,the word +or Christmas in late ?ld %nglish is Cristes :aesse,
the :ass o+ Christ, +irst +ound in 10>D, and Cristes1messe, in 11>1*,
Ct e<plains ,Christmas was not among the earliest +estivals o+ the Church,, pointing out ,+irst
evidence o+ the +east is +rom %gypt, around A*#* 200 with attempts by theologians to assign not
only the year o+ Christs birth, but also the precise date*
@istorians agree that through the subseEuent centuries, traditions +rom ancient pagan Fnon1
ChristianG religions became intertwined with those o+ Christianity, and depending upon ones
point o+ view, either paganism became Christiani4ed, or Christianity became pagani4ed*
Cn 16$$, the %nglish !arliament outlawed the holiday, compelling shops to be open that day, and
condemning plum puddings and mince pies as ,heathen*,
Cn his !ulit4er !ri4e +inalist, ,7he &attle +or Christmas,, historian 0tephen )issenbaum at the
/niversity o+ :assachusetts documents the American development o+ the holiday now
ensconced in popular culture*
,Cn )ew %ngland, +or the +irst two centuries o+ white settlement,, writes )issenbaum, ,most
people did not celebrate Christmas* Cn +act, the holiday was systematically suppressed by
!uritans during the colonial period and largely ignored by their descendants* Ct was actually
illegal to celebrate Christmas in :assachusetts between 16H9 and 16D1 Fthe +ine was +ive
shillingsG* ?nly in the middle o+ the nineteenth century did Christmas gain legal recognition as
an o++icial public holiday in )ew %ngland*,
)issenbaum agrees with other historians that the +irst recorded observance since the )ew
7estament recounted Christs birth too- place hundreds o+ years a+ter Jesus resurrection*
,Ct was only in the +ourth century that the Church o++icially decided to observe Christmas on
#ec* 2H* And this date was not chosen +or religious reasons but simply because it happened to
mar- the appro<imate arrival o+ the winter solstice, an event that was celebrated long be+ore the
advent o+ Christianity* 7he !uritans were correct when they pointed out . and they pointed it out
o+ten . that Christmas was nothing but a pagan +estival covered with a Christian veneer*,
Christmas in America saw huge growth during the 19th century, starting with (ashington
Crvings 1D20 boo- ,7he 'eeping o+ Christmas at &racebridge @all*, A wee- be+ore Christmas in
1D>$, Charles #ic-ens published ,A Christmas Carol,, and in 1D60, American illustrator
7homas )ast created Father Christmas, also -nown as 0anta Claus, based on %uropean stories o+
0t* )icholas, the patron saint o+ children*
Spirit of the rising sun
7oday, +ollowers o+ ancient paganism strive to remind the public about the heathen origins o+
traditions that many may never have Euestioned* 7heyve published boo-s, given speeches, and
created websites pro++ering a heathen history o+ modern customs*
Circle0anctuary*org is among the Cnternet addresses run by nature1
worshipping pagans* (iccan high priestess 0elena Fo< discusses the state
o+ being pagan and celebrating the lengthening o+ days during the
)orthern @emispheres dar-est time o+ year*
,3ule, the winter solstice, is a +estival o+ peace and a celebration o+ wa<ing solar light* C honor
the new sun child by burning aAnB oa-en yule log in a sacred +ire* C honor the great goddess in her
many great mother aspects, and the +ather god as 0anta in his old s-y god, +ather time, and holly
-ing +orms* C decorate my home with lights and with holly, ivy, mistletoe, evergreens and other
herbs sacred to this season* C ring in the new solar year with bells*,
Fo< even provides a list o+ suggestions on how 21st century citi4ens can ta-e part in the ancient
rituals, to ,re1pagani4e, Christmastime"
@ave gi+t e<changes and +easts over the course o+ several days and nights as was done o+
old
Adorn the home with sacred herbs and colors2 decorate in druidic holiday colors o+ red,
green and white
@ang a sprig o+ mistletoe above a ma5or threshold and leave it there until ne<t yule as a
charm +or good luc- throughout the year
@ave +amily=household members 5oin together to ma-e or purchase an evergreen wreath
C+ you choose to have a living or a harvested evergreen tree as part o+ your holiday
decorations, call it a solstice tree and decorate it with pagan symbols
;eclaim 0anta Claus as a pagan god+orm by decorating him with images that re+lect his
various heritages ranging +rom the 9ree- god Cronos F+ather timeG to ?din, the
0candinavian all1+ather riding the s-y on an eight1legged horse
!lace pagan mother1goddess images around your home, possibly including one with a
sun child, such as Csis with @orus
@onor the new solar year with light . light candles, burn a yule log and save a portion +or
the +ollowing year, put colored lights outside your home, and with the popularity o+ +ive1
pointed stars, consider displaying a blue or white pentagram*
The greatest story never told?
7he pagan connections to Christmas are not news to the li-es o+ 9arner 7ed Armstrong, a
Christian evangelist and political commentator based in 7yler, 7e<as* Armstrong has been
proclaiming such in+ormation +or the past $6 years on a pea- o+ 1>H television and >60 radio
stations, stating ,it is impossible to put Christ bac- in Christmas, since @e was never in
Christmas in the +irst placeI,
,)one o+ the apostles o+ Christ ever heard o+ the term2 not one o+ them ever celebrated Christs
birthday,, writes Armstrong in his boo-let ,Christmas *** 7he /ntold
0tory*, ,7he words Christmas, holly wreath, mistletoe, ;udolph, 0anta
Claus and Christmas tree do not appear anywhere in the &ible*,
Armstrong is among Christians who believe 9ods plan o+ salvation +or man-ind is more
accurately depicted through holidays which are +reEuently mentioned in 0cripture, such as
!assover and the #ay o+ Atonement* C+ anything, he thin-s #ec* 2H would most li-ely be Jesus
conception day, thus placing his birth in the autumn, possibly during the Feast o+ 7abernacles,
symboli4ing 9ods ,tabernacling, . that is to say, dwelling . with man-ind*
8i-e1minded preachers say the &ible warns e<tensively about adopting pagan customs, pointing
to the 10th chapter o+ Jeremiah to speci+ically cite the practice o+ tree decoration, which some
historians date bac- to ancient %gypt and &abylon"
"Thus saith the %ord, %earn not the &ay of the heathen, and be not dis'ayed at the signs
of hea"en( for the heathen are dis'ayed at the') For the custo's of the people are "ain:
for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the &ork of the hands of the &ork'an, &ith the
a*e) They deck it &ith sil"er and &ith gold( they fasten it &ith nails and &ith ha''ers,
that it 'o"e not)" FJeremiah 10"21$G
Armstrong says the pagan celebrations, including winters 0aturnalia, or +east o+ 0aturn in
ancient ;ome, crept into ostensible Christianity over many years, and some writers began urging
a celebration at the same time as the secular events ,+or the simple reason that so many pagans
were already accustomed to 5oyous, sometimes riotous orgies o+ +easting at the time o+ the
winter solstice*,
,Ct would be a sin +or me Ato celebrate ChristmasB, but it doesnt mean its the unpardonable sin,,
Armstrong told (orld)et#aily, stressing he doesnt +eel at all threatened by the holiday*
,C have no more di++iculty wal-ing through &ei5ing at the Chinese )ew 3ear and seeing the
dragons and +irewor-s* Ct doesnt a++ect me* *** Athe ApostleB !aul says the idol is nothing*,
(hile Armstrong teaches against the observance o+ Christmas, he adds that most people who
celebrate it are doing so with good intentions, simply unaware o+ the +acts regarding its origins,
and they should neither be 5udged nor condemned by +ellow believers in Jesus* @e encourages
people to type words li-e ,origins o+ Christmas, into Cnternet search engines to +ind out +or
themselves the bac-ground on the customs*
Angels in the outfield
For millions o+ Christians, the story o+ Christmas in the &ible is among the most beloved, and is
one o+ their +oundations o+ +aith . that 9od came to dwell as a man and o++er eternal li+e to
man-ind* Ct is both simple enough to be understood by young children, and has ma5estic meaning
to provide adults with inspiration and awe*
7he events surrounding the birth o+ Christ are recorded in the 9ospels o+ :atthew and 8u-e,
which give an almost play1by1play description"
And there &ere in the sa'e country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping &atch o"er their
flock by night) And, lo, the angel of the %ord ca'e upon the', and the glory of the %ord shone
round about the': and they &ere sore afraid) And the angel said unto the', Fear not: for,
behold, + bring you good tidings of great ,oy, &hich shall be to all people) For unto you is born
this day in the city of -a"id a Sa"iour, &hich is .hrist the %ord) And this shall be a sign unto
you( e shall find the babe &rapped in s&addling clothes, lying in a 'anger) And suddenly there
&as &ith the angel a 'ultitude of the hea"enly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in
the highest, and on earth peace, good &ill to&ard 'en) F8u-e 2"D11$G
7he shepherds subseEuently +ound the child in the manger, but unli-e depictions on many
modern holiday cards and )ativity scenes, there were no wise men present at the birth* 7he
9ospel o+ :atthew says the :agi arrived at a house, not the manger* And as +or the tradition o+
three wise men, the &ible never mentions their number . only the three gi+ts o+ gold,
+ran-incense and myrrh* 7hose gi+ts were presented to Jesus, not e<changed with other people*
7he accounts dont mention a tree . evergreen or otherwise . nor do they speci+y the time o+
year* 0ome analysts theori4e that since the shepherds were still out in the +ields by night
watching their +loc-s, the event could not have been in winter, due to plunging temperatures*
0till others thin- #ec* 2H has a valid claim on the actual event*
Spirit of the rising Son
,C believe the celebration o+ Christmas is a wonder+ul opportunity to honor Christ and share the
gospel,, says ;ev* Jerry Falwell, chancellor o+ 8iberty /niversity in Jirginia and one o+
Americas best -nown ministers* Falwell is a staunch de+ender o+ the holiday hes celebrated +or
every one o+ the 69 years hes been alive*
,And C plan to celebrate it on the other side,, he tells (orld)et#aily*
Falwell ac-nowledges that many o+ the customs associated with the observance are not +ound in
the &ible, but he doesnt have a problem with that*
,7he Christmas tree and 0anta Claus dont bother me,, he said* ,C+ we can use anything to get
people under the sound o+ the gospel, without violating 0cripture, its a good thing*,
(hile there are some un-nowns such as the e<act date o+ birth, Falwell stresses ,we do -now @e
&as born . virgin1born as the 0on o+ 9od*,
3et over 2,000 years a+ter that history1changing event, most Americans thin- Christ is +ading
+rom the Christmas picture, at least according to a recent poll*
(hen the 0cripps 0urvey ;esearch Center at ?hio /niversity as-ed i+ ,most people +ocus on the
birth o+ Jesus at Christmas time, or has the holiday become less religious than it used to be6,
only 11 percent said they believed Christmas was still about Jesus, with DK percent responding
,less religious*,
Close to hal+ o+ adults . $H percent . say they personally -now someone who doesnt believe in
9od, but still will celebrate the holiday this year2 62 percent say theyll attend a religious service
on Christmas %ve or #ay2 and D1 percent plan to put a decorated tree in their home this year*
,#o C put up a tree6 C have in the past2 this year C wont,, says Jose )egron, a >$1year1old
Christian minister at the 0tonehouse Church to the )ations in 7oano, Ja* %ven without the tree,
he still plans to celebrate Christmas*
,C grew up in America* Cts an historical constant,, )egron said*
Cndeed, trees and their decoration have played a role in American history, even in the nations
dar-est hours* Cn 19$2, 5ust a year a+ter the Japanese attac- on !earl
@arbor, &ritish !rime :inister (inston Churchill came to (ashington
to 5oin !resident Fran-lin ;oosevelt in lighting the )ational Christmas 7ree, a tradition started
by Calvin Coolidge in 192>*
,Against enemies who preach the principles o+ hate and practice them, we set our +aith in human
love and in 9ods care +or us all men everywhere,, said ;oosevelt*
7housands o+ citi4ens turned out +or the event, which was broadcast nationwide on radio in the
grips o+ (orld (ar CC*
,8et the children have their night o+ +un and laughter,, proclaimed Churchill* ,8et the gi+ts o+
Father Christmas delight their play* 8et us grown1ups share to the +ull in their unstinted pleasures
be+ore we turn again to the stern tas- and +ormidable years that lie be+ore us, resolved that, by
our sacri+ice and daring, these same children shall not be robbed o+ their inheritance or denied
the right to live in a +ree and decent world*,
7he tree1lighting ceremonies continue to this day, with !resident 9eorge (* &ush having two
dedications under his belt*
7he history o+ man-inds +ascination with trees long antedates (orld (ar CC, the +ounding o+
America, and even the :iddle Ages* @istorians have +ound evidence o+ tree decoration and tree
worship in places such as ancient ;ome and %gypt* 7he ?ld 7estament also records 9ods
displeasure with his own people +or +ollowing pagan practices involving trees"
"And the children of +srael did e"il in the sight of the %ord, and forgat the %ord their God, and
ser"ed Baali' and the gro"es)" FJudges >"KG
"For the %ord shall s'ite +srael ))) because they ha"e 'ade their gro"es, pro"oking the %ord to
anger)" F1 'ings 1$"1HG
"For they also built the' high places, and i'ages, and gro"es, on e"ery high hill, and under
e"ery green tree)" F1 'ings 1$"2>G
Cn the 1D00s, Ale<ander @islop, a noted historian o+ antiEuity, e<amined the origins o+ customs
such as the Christmas tree and date o+ celebration* (riting in ,7he 7wo &abylons,, @islop
maintains the practice derives +rom the worship o+ pagan deities*
7he Christmas tree, now so common among us, was eEually common in pagan ;ome and pagan
%gypt* Cn %gypt that tree was the palm tree2 in ;ome it was the +ir2 the palm tree denoting the
pagan :essiah* *** 7he mother o+ Adonis, the sun god and great mediatorial divinity, was
mystically said to have been changed into a tree, and when in that state to have brought +orth her
divine son* C+ the mother was a tree, the son must have been Arecogni4edB as the ,:an the
branch*, And this entirely accounts +or the putting o+ the yule log into the +ire on Christmas %ve,
and the appearance o+ the Christmas tree the ne<t morning* ***
7here+ore, the 2Hth o+ #ecember, the day that was observed at ;ome as the day when the
victorious god reappeared on earth, was held at the )atalis invicti solis, ,7he birthday o+ the
unconEuered sun*, )ow the yule log is the dead stoc- o+ )imrod, dei+ied as the sun god, but cut
down by his enemies2 the Christmas tree is )imrod redivivus 6 the slain god come to li+e again*
,C can count about a hundred trees, wreaths, poinsettia displays, lights, everywhere C loo- Ain my
o++iceB comple<,, says &ob 0ips-y, o+ 0tuart, Fla* ,Christmas gorge1as1much1+ood1as1you1can
eat1a1ramas every day +or two wee-s* %nough already*,
0ips-y is a &ible believer not a++iliated with any organi4ed church* @e celebrated Christmas +or
>H years be+ore abandoning it, now thin-ing it an insult to 9od*
,7here are clearly e<plained +estivals that 9od tells us to observe, which teach how to have
peace on earth, and what the true 0avior reEuires o+ us,, 0ips-y says, ,yet man-ind ignores these,
and pre+ers to ma-e up his own +estivals and traditions* Christmas is based in deception" its
origins2 lying to small children about 0anta Claus2 tal-ing about having peace on earth while
ignoring 9ods instructions on how to achieve it2 saying it is biblical, while 99 percent o+ it is all
about commerce and other sel+ish ob5ectives* :yths and traditions do not please the 9od o+ the
&ible, a right way o+ living does* #eception is at the top o+ the list o+ what @e hates*,
7hat anti1Christmas view is echoed by 7om :oni4 o+ @obe 0ound, Fla* ,&eing a 9od1+earing
man, C cannot honor a lie, nor do C thin- adopting a pagan holiday and calling it his birthday does
any honor to him*,
,:ost o+ these people are -ill5oys,, says ;ev* Falwell regarding those who attac- the celebration
o+ Christmas* ,:ost o+ these tightwads 5ust dont want to AspendB cash* *** C dont ta-e my
children or grandchildren near them*,
7o many Christians, Christmastime is among the most sacred times o+ the year, and they loo- to
-eep it that way*
,Cts the reason +or being a Christian, because we believe Jesus is 9od,, says 8ouis 9iovino,
director o+ communications +or the )ew 3or-1based Catholic 8eague, the nations largest
Catholic civil1rights organi4ation*
(ith recent controversies surrounding Christmas in the public arena, the league has issued a list
o+ guidelines to help people understand what -ind o+ religious e<pression is permissible at this
time o+ year*
9iovino admits the observance has pic-ed up some pagan customs over the years, but says
theyve been ,bapti4ed, by the Church* @e notes by the time o+ #ic-ens in %ngland, the holiday
too- on a more raucous tone, with drin-ing parties and violence, and says the !rotestant
legislation to outlaw Christmas was in direct response to the riotous revelry*
,7he !uritans werent into celebrating anything,, he said*
9iovino stresses the important part o+ Christmas is the larger picture o+ the Christian message,
the belie+ that ,the (ord became +lesh*,
,Cts not li-e saying @appy birthday, JesusI, he e<claimed* ,C thin- personally Christmas is
ridiculous without Christ* ?therwise, we might as well celebrate the winter solstice as pagans*,
The baby with the bathwater?
(ith the e<tremes on Christmas observance ranging +rom total holiday indulgence to complete
abstention, there are plenty o+ people who see- middle ground* !astor ;ichard &ucher o+ the
7rinity 8utheran Church in Clinton, :ass*, is one o+ them, asserting celebrating Christmas is not
pagan*
,Cts laudable that certain Christians care so much about pleasing 9od to as- the Euestion i+ its
right,, &ucher told (orld)et#aily, ,but a lot o+ arguments theyre ma-ing are 5ust not sound*
7hey end up placing guilt on Christians celebrating Christmas and do a real disservice*,
?n his church website, &ucher addresses e<amples such as the tree decorated with silver and
gold in Jeremiahs 10th chapter, and e<plains upon close e<amination, it does not re+er to
anything li-e a Christmas tree*
,7he very ne<t verse, 10"H, goes on to say, !%ike a scarecro& in a 'elon patch, their idols cannot
speak( they 'ust be carried because they cannot &alk) -o not fear the'( they can do no har'
nor can they do any good)! 7his passage and the passages that +ollow ma-e it crystal clear that
the decorated tree that Jeremiah was tal-ing about in 10">1$, was a tree that was cut down and
made into an idol, a very common custom in the ancient world*,
,Just because heathens too- something 9od has created +or good,, he as-s, ,does that mean such
things are o++ limits Ato ChristiansB permanently6,
@e says many have invented sin where 9od has not said that something is sin+ul, and adds the
issue boils down to what e<actly is meant by ,Christmas*,
,Cs it than-ing 9od +or the birth o+ the 0avior, or e"erything that people do associated with it6
!eople 5ust lump everything together*,
#espite all the con+lict, some believers have little problem with the controversies over
Christmas2 in +act, they re5oice in them*
,7hose who would attempt to ta-e Christ out o+ Christmas are +ighting a losing battle,, says Joan
#riscoll o+ Ft* 8auderdale, Fla* ,7he harder they try, the stronger the holy message and meaning
o+ Jesus birth becomes* 7he heavenly voices o+ the angels singing Alleluia will easily drown
out the guttural tones o+ the dissenters*,