Posted by
peripheral on Tuesday, December 02, 2008 5:48:54 AM
From My Perspective - - -
For many of us, Christmas has
always meant (1) a time for Santa Claus, decorated trees, gifts, family
gatherings, reading of “Twas The Night Before Christmas…”, or (2) A Designated
time for the Celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ – Choir Cantatas,
Candlelight Services, Pageants, Manger Scenes, Caroling, etc. There has always
been much tradition and ritual as December 25th approaches.
The past several years has
seen a movement away from the Traditional Observances to a more Commercial and
Secular one. Santa is still tolerated; gift giving is greatly encouraged;
popular seasonal songs have replaced the Christmas Carols, the Christmas Tree
is now called the Holiday Tree, Merchants wish you Happy Holidays rather than
Merry Christmas, etc. There has been a serious effort to change Christmas
observances from a religious orientation to a secular observance. On the
American Atheists Webpage, the following is stated: “Atheism is a doctrine
stating that nothing exists but natural phenomena (matter), that thought is a
property or function of matter, and that death irreversibly and totally
terminates individual organic units. This definition means that there are no
forces, phenomena, or entities which exist outside of or apart from physical
nature, or which transcend nature, or are “super” natural, nor can there be.
Humankind is on its own.” With that in mind, they totally disavow the
observance of any date (December 25th or other) that would celebrate
the Birth of a Supernatural Being called the Son of God.
The Traditional Date for
Celebrating the Birth of Christ – December 25th – is challenged as
being nothing more that the occasion of Winter Solstice. They deem it an
astronomical and/or cultural event. Their approach to a December Celebration is
debunked and their argument states: “There are two occasions each year when the
position of the sun
at a given time of day does not seem to change direction. In the Northern
Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs around June 21 and is the
longest day of the year. The sun stops getting higher in the sky, and the days
begin to grow shorter. The winter solstice, which occurs around December 21, is
the shortest day. The sun stops getting lower in the sky, and the days begin to
grow longer. The winter solstice
occurs at the instant when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance
on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observer. Depending on the shift of
the calendar, the event of the winter solstice
occurs some time between December 20 and December 23
each year in the northern hemisphere, and between June 20
and June 23
in the southern hemisphere, during either the shortest day or the longest night of the year.
The American Atheists in Olympia, Washington
are demanding their right to post a sign near to or opposite the public
Nativity Scene. KiroTv in Washington
is reporting
that an atheistic sign will be
included in the state Capitol’s holiday display that includes a holiday tree
and a Christian nativity scene. The sign, a new addition this year, is
sponsored by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and states: “There are no
gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven, no hell. There is only our natural
world. Religion is but a myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves
minds!”
Consider these things with me
- - At the time of the Birth of Jesus Christ, there was much political pressure
upon people. Everyone had to travel to the town of origin for a national
census. This occasioned Mary and Joseph having to travel to Bethlehem. King Herod feared a rival king
emerging. Matthew 2:13-15 records, “…an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.
Get up, he said, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay
there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he
stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said
through the prophet: Out of Egypt
I called my son.” Herod was unsuccessful in his efforts and the
American Atheists will be unsuccessful in there’s as well. The Celebration of
the Birth of Jesus Christ is not secular anyway. Let the Church do what it
should do – join with the Angels of old and Herald the Birth of Jesus Christ
and His Gospel message!