Overdone with the “War on Christmas!”

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all-inclusive, christian, Christmas, COEXIST, Hanukkah, Jesus, non-inclusive, saturnalia, Secular humanism, Winter Solstice

Already overdone with the War on Christmas!

I just happened to read this article detailing the views of Penn Jillette (from Penn & Tiller comedy team.) Ya, know … it really gets my goat, as they say! He rambles on for several minutes about how Martin Luther King, Jr, talked to everyone beyond the “Christian” community to the world. According to Penn, MLK was all inclusive, and Penn sees “Merry Christmas” as a non-inclusive greeting, permitted but, he asks why? Well, let me explain why …

If not for Jesus, the birth of this baby foretold centuries before in detail, this season would be no different than any other. For some it is the Winter Solstice. For others, Hanukkah. I choose not to recognize the other newer excuse for a holiday because it’s a fraud, in my opinion. This is not the format to debate the validity of other belief systems. I am simply answering the question posed by Penn.

Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25. During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the weeklong celebration. The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.” Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week. At the festival’s conclusion, December 25th, Roman authorities believed they were destroying the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman.

What makes this season special is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Was Jesus born December 25? NO! Probably in September sometime, but that’s not the point. The ancients politicians and power mongers played the same game Penn is pushing, trying to be all-inclusive, they chose the date of the popular pagan celebration of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25 and adopted it for Jesus’ birthday, in the absence of Biblical evidence to the contrary.

Christmas is just another target of the Secular humanists, or Progressives, whose goal is to remove all semblance of “religion” from American culture, but in the process, they have themselves created a religion which is taught in our schools, colleges, and many TV programs & movies. In their attempt to sell the “all-inclusive” society, Secular Humanists remove all evidence of culture, in effect, sterilizing the American life experience. No longer is America the land of apple pie, baseball, and Mickey Mouse, for fear someone may be … offended. Except for the Muslims, that is, who are permitted to do as they please, even disobey American law.

“Is this what’s happening? John Dewey, remembered for his efforts in establishing America’s current educational systems, was one of the chief signers of the 1933 Humanist Manifesto. It seems the Humanists have been interested in America’s education system for nearly a century. They have been absolutely successful in teaching children that God is imaginary and contrary to “science.”

This depiction of America’s first Christmas was painted in 1975 by local artist Claribel Jett. Based on what was known at that time, she envisioned the event occurring near Lake Jackson. Painting courtesy Claribel Jett

Why is it, after hundreds of years … HUNDREDS of YEARS … that it is suddenly “offensive” to issue a blanket greeting of “Merry Christmas?” Jews, Pagans, Christians and Buddhists, have “coexisted” for centuries without assuming offense at our differences. Americans have become so juvenile, encouraged to be so by the sensation-hungry media, that they choose to be offended at the mere suggestion of other viewpoints while being encouraged to be “all-inclusive” or “tolerant?” In other words, the meaning of the terms: tolerance and inclusion, are being absolutely reversed for political purposes! That leaves an impossible situation since one cannot celebrate both non-existence of God and the Presence of God simultaneously. However, if logic was used, it becomes very simple: if there is no God, why is it offensive for some to believe in God?

This secular humanist viewpoint also raises the question … If we remove God and Godly morality, is it acceptable that the foundation of our Republic is also removed? Without “traditional American values,” based on Biblical morality, what remains as a national moral compass?

What fascinates me about this whole debate is how easily the ground is surrendered. The Constitution of the United States forbids CONGRESS, on a federal level, from establishing a specific religion as the National religion. Period! It also mandates that you and I must be permitted to worship in accordance with our beliefs, inside the boundaries of Law. Human sacrifice, for example, is not acceptable because it is federally unlawful. In fact, in the early Republic, several individual states did, in fact, have a State religion, but it was not a Federally established, by the CONGRESS religion. We have strayed so far from the essence of our Founders’ Constitution.

Contrary to popular mis-understanding, there is nothing un-Constitutional about a Nativity on State property. There is nothing un-Constitutional about a Christmas pageant in a public school singing “Silent Night” or Away in a Manger,” as long as no one is imprisoned for disagreeing. Cities and towns across America are under assault from secular humanists and atheists who demand their right to be offended. How silly! How can they be offended by a God they believe does not exist?

I’ve never understood that bumper sticker, “COEXIST.” This is what we’ve done for generations. We have peacefully coexisted with others of various and sundry beliefs, cultures, religions, and ethnicities. The secular humanist (Progressives) notion of COEXIST means strip away everything that enriches our culture with variety, and water it all down to what we have in common …. which is what?

Related reading:

How December 25 Became Christmas

Santa Gets the Boot…for a little while.

Secular Humanism – Excluding God from Schools & Society

Controversial Ellwood City Nativity Scene Moved To New Location

North America’s first Christmas?

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SHOULD CHRISTIANS PARTICIPATE IN POLITICS? (via Citizen Tom)

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"life lessons", American Conservative, American history, American Interests, character training, christian, church, citizenship, civic duty, Committment, Democrat, politics, religion, Republican, spiritual, Tea Party, Term limits, The BEST of America, Women's Issues

Can Christians involve themselves in politics without requiring Biblical conversion?

Should believers disqualify themselves from their civic duty to vote or run for public office because of their beliefs?

There are Christians who want nothing to do with politics. They consider it a worldly matter and much too underhanded. So they avoid having anything to do with politics. When there is nothing in the Bible to justify such an attitude that's a shame. Consider The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus told the parable to illustrate what it means to love our neighbors. He told of a Jew who had been beaten, robbed, and left to die. He told of the Samar … Read More

via Citizen Tom

Why Is It So Hard For Some Christian Leaders To Face Genuine Pain??

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"life lessons", accidents, christian, condemnation, empathy, fire, friends, leaders, loss, mourning, pain, pastors, sin

One of the reasons there are more believers outside the organized church than within it these days was evident today. A dear friend of mine lost her home to fire and nearly lost her life and those of two of her adult children. Nearly! One of the children, a 20 yr old, fell asleep smoking. He woke up and saw the flames, poured water on them and thought the fire was extinguished. It was not. He went upstairs to bed. Meanwhile the flame smoldered producing a gas which at some point spontaneously ignited. The power of the flame blew out the front window and flames spread quickly in the older frame home. My friend and her 18 yr old daughter were upstairs. They became trapped, but pushed out the window ac unit and climbed out onto their roof. Coaxed by helpful neighbors, the two jumped at least 5 ft to the neighbor’s roof. They survived with some burns, but they will recover. The house and its contents are a total loss.

The response by one of their leaders to questions from those wanting to help, was typical to my experience. “Yes, it’s terrible, but God is doing a GREAT thing in the midst of it.” I have no doubt God is in fact God – therefore He will redeem the situation. That, however, does not negate the fact that this family lost EVERY-THING, and they deserve a time to mourn their loss!!!!

Why is it so hard for some Christian leaders to admit and face genuine pain without condemnation? Bad things happen to wonderful people, sometimes. Sometimes sick people die. Sometimes marriages fall apart. Sometimes accidents happen. Some times there is not a platitude answer for the situations that arise in life. And That is OK!!!! Yes, for the believer, good will alway, always, always come from the every situation … eventually, but there is real pain that needs to be addressed. There is real mourning that needs to be experienced. Why is that so hard for many to deal with without pronouncing it as sin?

Pain is a part of life. It cannot be avoided. Accidents happen. When the church accepts this and learns how to love the victims through their pain, Jesus will become more real and more visible to those inside and outside.

Help us, Lord!