I must admit to experiencing a great deal of mirth when reading an article the other day (`Merry Holiday' to all and to some a Christmas fight). This article discussed how some conservative Christian groups were considering suing cities and organizations that had "holiday trees" instead of "Christmas trees".
Now I have to be certain you understand the source of that mirth. It is not that someone is using lawyers to sue over what they perceive to be a religious issue, although that is pretty funny to my way of thinking.
It is not that I want to see Christmas increasingly secularized (I don't) and find it funny to watch a futile effort by a bunch of religious fanatics to stop it. (BTW, I don't know these people so I don't know if they're fanatics, die hard believers, people of faith, or whatever.)
I find it funny that conservative Christian groups are considering spending a lot of time, effort, and money to save a great pagan symbol.
If that statement surprises you, don't be surprised. Especially if you're from North America or Europe. The cultures in these areas don't really encourage people to look to deeply into their religious thoughts. Look to deep and you might question. Search for answers to those questions and you might discover that most of the existing religious institutions pretty actively resist change. Bureaucracy and change is a bad mix. Change potentially undermines the foundation of the authority of the bureaucracy.
But it's the nature of life to change. The only things in life that don't change are dead or inanimate. Growth is change, and growth often leads to newer better understanding.
So let's ask a few questions about Christmas.
Why December the 25th?
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus was born on the xth day of the month of ______.
In fact, only 2 of the gospels, Matthew and Luke, contain birth stories. I use the plural because they are in fact 2 different stories. Maybe it's a simple case of which facts the authors chose to include, or maybe it's a case of the storytellers having different points to make. Still the stories are different. Go ahead and read them again if you doubt me. But first, forget everything you've been taught about the story so you can read them as if for the very first time.
If you take the Bible literally (I do not), you run into a problem with the December 25th date. There are simply images generated in there that are not consistent with a December time frame in Bethlehem. Add in the traditional pictures of baby animals running around and it gets even worse, although I'm more than willing to write off those pictures as detail added by later storytellers.
So where did the date come from?
Most of us today are so far removed from our agrarian roots that we have no concept of just how important the sun is to farmers. To grow crops you need good soil, you need rain (just the right amount), and you need sun. When your whole economy is based on food production, the whole society pays attention. Look at the pantheons of the old agrarian societies and you will find a powerful sun god, a powerful storm god, and a powerful earth goddess. You want to know what's important to a society, look carefully at their gods.
What does this have to do with December 25th?
In the northern hemisphere the shortest day of the year occurs on December 20th or 21st. December 25th is the day when people can first start to perceive that the days are actually getting longer. If the Sun is important to you, this is an important day, and important days are great excuses for parties.
Our forefathers in the Christian tradition (Sorry, but by this time the patriarchy had definitely take over) were not stupid people. It can be hard to attract and keep new members when there's a great party going on across the street. Also, at least until the time of Constantine, Christian's never knew if they'd be greeted warmly or persecuted. It didn't hurt to blend in. In their great wisdom they decided December 25th would be a great time to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
So what does this have to do with the Christmas tree?
Our forefathers certainly didn't get stupid over time. Even after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, it still had to work hard to overcome centuries of tradition when assimilating a new group into the Christian world. Many of the variations in how Christmas is celebrated around the world are in fact the result of various customs and symbols that were incorporated from the old ways to ease people into Christianity.
The decoration of trees is one of those customs.
It's that simple. The decoration of trees comes from a pagan background and was incorporated into Christmas as a conversion methodology.
If knowing these stories harms your enjoyment of Christmas, I apologize. Personally, I find knowing the story and details behind the symbols and traditions of my life makes me appreciate them more.
You may see these stories as examples of survival methodology or bureaucratic desire for growth, but let me present a different angle. These stories also present a picture of Christianity's ability to embrace the other and welcome anyone in.
Have a Merry Christmas,
a Happy Hanukkah,
a Happy Kwanzaa,
a Joy Filled Eid,
and a Merry secular mercantile holiday.
- Havatar
- One does not build tolerance by hiding differences. You build tolerance by celebrating them.
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2 comments:
I followed your daughter's link to the site. (I'm a friend.) I like it. I was a bit surprised to learn about the origin of the Christmas tree (this was years ago), but I suppose it makes sense. I'm wondering if it's a bad thing that I'm a Grinch. I mean, Dec 25th has nothing to do with it. Why should I celebrate on that day? I like to rebel against the norm, but stay with the pack. So I guess I begrudgingly buy presents, but I'm not getting anything out of it. I mean, the real reason. Maybe being so far from home has something to do with it. I just can't see holidays as being special. I should probably start going back to church, but that involves waking up. Not that I can't wake up, but I don't think I want to put effort into it. I don't like how the early Christians altered everything just to get numbers. Thus, I would think it fair to not go to church just to "stick it to the man." But technically, it's not the present-day church's fault. It was the old guys. Plus I don't think God really cares.
And I'm wondering, if I were to raise a child, should I let them believe in Santa? Should I put up a Christmas tree? I mean, do they detract from the purpose? What if I didn't let them believe? Would they go to school and get insulted? Would they insult the believers? I guess I can't blame a kid for believing in Santa, but I think he's too commercial. Maybe Jesus drops down the chimney and leaves presents under the tv? I think I'd be happier if they believed Jesus loves them than Santa. Eh, I don't know about religion.
"Rebel against the norm, but stay with the pack"
I like that. "Rebel" is probably a stronger word then I'd use personally, but I like the attitude.
I like to understand why. If I understand why then I can choose.
I can choose what has meaning for me.
I can choose what to ignore.
I can choose what to fight.
So often people "rebel" for purely selfish reasons. Your statement certainly implies a willingness to consider impact on others as you rebel.
Religion is a very hard thing to define and a topic I'll return to frequently in here.
So here come a few statements that'll probably need to be developed into their own posts in the future....
"Church" and "Religion" are not the same thing. Going to church doesn't make your religious any more than going to a garage makes you a car.
That said, you can't really develope an understanding of religion and your own religious feelings in a vacuum. You need to be able to talk to people, share ideas, etc. We live in a society that tends to discourage religious discussion out of fear that it will cause conflict. It only causes conflict when it ceases to be a discussion and instead becomes proselytization. I love discussion. I hate trying to ram your position down other people's throats.
There are many good churches out there. I probably wouldn't be comfortable in many of them. Finding the right church is difficult and takes a lot of time. Even within the same denomination there can be very different environments. A church reflects its' members. You're talking about joining a community of people. They're not all the same.
I'm about to get myself branded as a heretic but.... Christianity is not the only way. It's a very good way and fits western culture very well. But..... you can be a person of faith and be Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan, etc. I think it's very egotistical to think that the way you experience the divine is the only way it can be experienced. We all have much in common, but we all are unique. Our experience of the divine will reflect that.
As far as December 25th... why not celebrate on that day? Heck, why not celebrate every day? Isn't that what everyone says they wished could be?
But in the end our emotions don't run on a calendar and that's why so many people feel let down around and right after Christmas. They're bombarded by images that tell them this is a time of great joy. It's time to party. There's a problem though. The party has become separated from the reason. It serves itself. A party for the sake of a party is fun, but ultimately unfulfilling.
It's up to each of us to put the reason back in or the party is meaningless. That reason can be the traditional Christian reason, the celebration of the coming promise. (Fill in your own details on what that promise is.) That reason can be the value of the secular community pulling itself together periodically to remind itself of what is possible. That reason could be the renewing of family ties. There are many many good reasons, but Christmas is meaningless until we put the meaning in.
As far as Santa and the Christmas tree.... As a parent I can tell you that the joy and wonderment that young children experience at Christmas is immensely rewarding. It's such a short time that you get to experience that, and then, they know that Santa doesn't really exist. They might not say it for fear of not getting an extra present or 2, but they know.
As long as you stay engaged with your children there's no harm in this. As long as you stay honest with your children there's no harm in this. If you can treat your children with respect, then they'll know something even better and more powerful than that Jesus loves them. They'll know that you love them.
And Santa.... well he's a lot like your love. You can't touch him, he's not "real", but that doesn't mean he's not "True".
That's not rational, but then again, neither are young children.
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