On dear god! I just completed my mornings reading. I've read quite a bit about the "War on Christmas" which is a phrase I'm gonna steal from Bill O'Reily. The man is a class A moron. This morning's ramblings are going to be about that holiday and the many things that people seem to have a problem with.
So the all around war seems to be centered around the so called politically correct term of "Happy Holidays" and "Holiday Tree" instead of say Christmas. First off Christians need to remember where most of their Christmas Traditions and the holiday itself comes from....Pagan holidays and traditions. The history of the origin of the holiday are shaky at best. Most historians believe the holiday was created in the 4th Century as a Christmas substitute for the festivals of Saturn and winter solstice celebrations. Pope Gregory I actually approved the induction of innocuous pagan traditions into the Catholic faith, through this the Catholic church did not completely alienate it's pagan citizens and made them feel more welcome in the church.
Among the traditions carried over are the usage of Yule log, holly and misletoe, the Christmas Tree and Santa Claus. The Yule log, which takes it's name from the Germanic winter solstice festival. At this time the pagans would take a long and burn it over a period of days to represent the rebirth of the sun. Mistletoe and Holly also figured prominently in pagan religions that predate Christianity. The Christmas Tree is also in part from the pagan usage of a tree during the Yule celebration. The pagans would actually decorate the tree's by hanging sacrificed animals and slaves from the branches. There are some in Christianity who actually believe the usage of a Christmas tree to be against God's word and they use the Book of Jeremiah 10:1-5 to support their views.
Santa Claus deserves an entirely new paragraph. Santa is actually believed to be a combination of many things. One aspect of him is St. Nicholas of Myra. A bishop in what is now modern day Turkey (Hi fives to my beautiful Turkish wife!!). St. Nicholas was known for his extreme generosity to the poor, especially young girls so that they wouldn't have to turn to prostitution. The Germanic people, prior to Christianity, had a custom each year during the Yule celebration of placing a boot filled with straw, carrots or sugar by a chimney for Sleipner, the god Odin's flying horse. It should also be noted that Sleipner had 8 legs which corresponds with Santa's sleigh being drawn by eight reindeer. Odin would reward the children's kindness by replacing the food for Sleipner with gifts or candy. This tradition survived in the Netherlands and was brought to America by the Dutch in New Amsterdam. The practice of using a boot filled with something for the horse evolved into the hanging of a stocking.
The time period that Christmas falls in is a time for celebration for many faiths, not just Christianity. It has many names and many forms. None of these holidays have anything to do with merchandising and advertising, so there should be no insult in having someone at a counter in Walmart wish you "Happy Holidays" instead of saying "Merry Christmas." As far as the conflict over Christmas Holidays in schools go ask yourself if you are ok with your children celebrating a holiday outside of your religion. Then think about those children in school who aren't Christian. We are a nation of many faiths and it is high time we respect those faiths outside the mainstream.
So the all around war seems to be centered around the so called politically correct term of "Happy Holidays" and "Holiday Tree" instead of say Christmas. First off Christians need to remember where most of their Christmas Traditions and the holiday itself comes from....Pagan holidays and traditions. The history of the origin of the holiday are shaky at best. Most historians believe the holiday was created in the 4th Century as a Christmas substitute for the festivals of Saturn and winter solstice celebrations. Pope Gregory I actually approved the induction of innocuous pagan traditions into the Catholic faith, through this the Catholic church did not completely alienate it's pagan citizens and made them feel more welcome in the church.
Among the traditions carried over are the usage of Yule log, holly and misletoe, the Christmas Tree and Santa Claus. The Yule log, which takes it's name from the Germanic winter solstice festival. At this time the pagans would take a long and burn it over a period of days to represent the rebirth of the sun. Mistletoe and Holly also figured prominently in pagan religions that predate Christianity. The Christmas Tree is also in part from the pagan usage of a tree during the Yule celebration. The pagans would actually decorate the tree's by hanging sacrificed animals and slaves from the branches. There are some in Christianity who actually believe the usage of a Christmas tree to be against God's word and they use the Book of Jeremiah 10:1-5 to support their views.
Santa Claus deserves an entirely new paragraph. Santa is actually believed to be a combination of many things. One aspect of him is St. Nicholas of Myra. A bishop in what is now modern day Turkey (Hi fives to my beautiful Turkish wife!!). St. Nicholas was known for his extreme generosity to the poor, especially young girls so that they wouldn't have to turn to prostitution. The Germanic people, prior to Christianity, had a custom each year during the Yule celebration of placing a boot filled with straw, carrots or sugar by a chimney for Sleipner, the god Odin's flying horse. It should also be noted that Sleipner had 8 legs which corresponds with Santa's sleigh being drawn by eight reindeer. Odin would reward the children's kindness by replacing the food for Sleipner with gifts or candy. This tradition survived in the Netherlands and was brought to America by the Dutch in New Amsterdam. The practice of using a boot filled with something for the horse evolved into the hanging of a stocking.
The time period that Christmas falls in is a time for celebration for many faiths, not just Christianity. It has many names and many forms. None of these holidays have anything to do with merchandising and advertising, so there should be no insult in having someone at a counter in Walmart wish you "Happy Holidays" instead of saying "Merry Christmas." As far as the conflict over Christmas Holidays in schools go ask yourself if you are ok with your children celebrating a holiday outside of your religion. Then think about those children in school who aren't Christian. We are a nation of many faiths and it is high time we respect those faiths outside the mainstream.
posted by L.J. Abershawe at 07:18
1 Comments:
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays there Jerry..
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