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 25^th 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 25^th 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 25^th – 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!

From My Perspective - - -

There is growing evidence that our nation is becoming more litigious-oriented in recent times. The number of “Judge…Shows” on television is just a small indicator that serves as a commentary on the times in which we live and the things for which one has the sense and desire to “sue” (litigate against) someone else. Sometimes there is legitimacy in such actions, but many times it is frivolous and a form of retaliation against another individual or organization. The following are two diverse thoughts to illustrate our times - - -

First: It is interesting that in the midst of the political and economic issues in our nation, a headline on the webpage of Fox News indicates a lawsuit that is religious in nature against the President of the United States. The Headline reads (Madison, Wisconsin: Friday, October 3^rd): “Atheists Sue President Over National Prayer Day”… The article states the following: “The nation's largest group of atheists and agnostics is suing President Bush, the governor of Wisconsin and other officials over the federal law designating a National Day of Prayer. The Freedom From Religion Foundation based in Madison sued Friday in U.S. District Court, arguing that the President's mandated proclamations calling on Americans to pray violates a constitutional ban on government officials endorsing religion.” This group allows that: “The day of prayer, held each year on the first Thursday of May, creates a hostile environment for nonbelievers, who are made to feel as if they are political outsiders…” The Presidential Proclamation issued in 2007 is mild and innocuous. It “…asked God's blessings on our country and called for Americans to observe the day with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities.” It would be interesting to see this group of Atheists and Agnostics focus – in a non-litigious way - on other issues.

Second: An area of unconcern and neglect pertains to the number of prisoners in our jails and penitentiaries, along with the ancillary needs of the families of those incarcerated. A recent report indicates, “The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population. But it has almost 25 percent of the world's prisoners…Criminologists and legal scholars in other industrialized nations say they are mystified and appalled by the number and length of American prison sentences. The United States has…2.3 million criminals behind bars, more than any other nation…China, which is four times more populous than the United States, is a distant second, with 1.6 million people in prison. (That number excludes hundreds of thousands of people held in administrative detention, most of them in China's extrajudicial system of re-education through labor)…The United States comes in first, too, on a more meaningful list from the prison studies center… It has 751 people in prison or jail for every 100,000 in population. (If you count only adults, one in 100 Americans is locked up.) The only other major industrialized nation that even comes close is Russia, with 627 prisoners for every 100,000 people. The others have much lower rates. England's rate is 151; Germany's is 88; and Japan's is 63. The median among all nations is about 125, roughly a sixth of the American rate.”

Summation: Many Atheists and Agnostics are among the more intelligent and brilliant people in our nation. It is surprising that they would subject themselves to being placed under a Biblical observation and the indicting words, namely: (Psalm 14:1) “The fool says in his heart, There is no God…” And then, there is the other consideration of those incarcerated for various crimes. The Biblical recommendation/mandate is, Hebrews 13:3 where we read: “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated...” The context would suggest these are the persecuted, etc. but a principle for care and outreach toward all is also there.

Consider these things with me - - - Be a person who prays always!  Be a person of compassion for those who have erred along the way. Perhaps your Prayer, Care and Compassion would be the turning point for some wandering or searching soul. God will honor such concern – rewarding you with blessing, and His own Great Name with Glory.