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Dec. 24, 2006 Is the Christmas tree the symbol of the Christian holiday? Sort of. Christians had adopted the tree in very recent times as an icon of the season, but it, like so many other Christmas traditions, has pagan origins. My daughter asked about why people celebrate Christmas. I gave her an honest answer, explaining that festivals and pagan gods such as Mithra were celebrated around the 25th of December, and that the Roman empire invented what would become the modern holiday to facilitate a smooth transition of its populace to the then relatively new religion of Christianity. It's no coincidence that the fabled birth of Jesus was also December 25th, in other words. Ages later, various ideas merged (the pagan pine-tree from Germany, the Saint Nicholas tale from Scandinavia, and so forth), and, bingo, we arrived at most of our modern American customs. I'm a bit taken aback when Christians blame atheists/humanists for attacking the holiday. Not all Christians engage in this kind of whining, of course, just those who watch FOX News and associate Jesus with Conservative political principles. Most of the “attack-on-Christmas” stories that I hear seem to come from those circles. Whose holiday is it, and, who owns the symbolism? We have a Christmas tree at our house, and tonight, December 23rd, we will honor our family tradition of touring a local community known for elaborate Christmas displays in order to raise money for various local charities. What I see happening is not an attack from atheists at all, but an affirmation that other forms of belief (usually other RELIGIOUS forms of belief) do actually exist, Hanukkah and solstice/pagan celebrations for example. Some scoff and call this a liberal attempt at multiculturalism, but, is it really? Haven't Jews been here for quite a while now? Haven't they celebrated their own way during this season long enough and always in the shadow of Christian-Christmas? Indeed, it's the opposite of multiculturalism: it's an admission of the reality of Americana. These other interpretations for the season are part of our culture. Most people still celebrate using those symbols attached to Christians in recent times like the tree. It's not under attack, despite the gloom and doom warnings from the CD [1] crowd (Bill O'Splotchy for example). My ethical philosophy (at least academically) derives from secular humanism and my world-view derives from skepticism without a God-exception (in other words, weak atheism). I feel that America should be what many conservatives wish other countries to be: secular. Yet, I have no problem with Christmas trees. Nor do I mind lights, or folks dressed up in Santa Clause outfits, or the candles and colors and foods associated with Hanukkah. I draw the line pretty much where the last Supreme Court did. If a display is deemed to be historical in nature, or has some other inclusive, instructional, role, it's acceptable. If the display is deemed to push, from a government point of view, one religious view over others, it should be removed. We have a lighted red and white star in our front window. I suppose it's mostly a Christian symbol, though it's a bit vague. I don't even recall where it came from – no doubt the mother of my children bought it at an after-Christmas sale at some point over the last few years. It could also look Jewish, I suppose, as the star is roughly in the shape of the Star of David. In any case, most of my immediate neighbors have no decorations, which is likely why they were skipped by a group of carolers that came knocking a few days ago. They sang a few songs to the extreme delight of my children and then gave us a plate of cookies, very GOOD cookies - a combination of classic home made varieties mixed with what seemed to be Girl Scout fare. They left saying, "Merry Christmas", and so did we. I realize that “Not!” is a bit dated, but having just seen Borat, I felt it could work in my title. I have no bones about sharing my often unpopular views with everyone I can, and to that end, if the day ever comes when I am officially summoned by an atheist or humanist group to “attack Christmas”, I'll let everyone know. Have a merry Christmas, regardless of which symbols and/or interpretation you prefer this season. --- [1] – O'Splotchy's new favorite phrase is “secular progressive”, SP for short. My new favorite phrase is “conservative dogmatic”, CD for short. ------------ About the author Frederick Smith: I enjoy writing about the positive virtues of humanism - humanists are the good guys. I now have a blog that I will start to increasingly maintain and update. Here is the link: fredsuberview.blogspot.com/ About my personal background and life: I was born, I got some education, worked, ate, and had some kids. It seems I like to write � something that was unknown to me until relatively recently...How's that for detail? ;) Hate mail is welcome unless you are from the Army Of God. Please! It's not that I mind seeing pictures of aborted fetuses in my inbox, but once you've seen one you've pretty much seen them all... Email: dahlek65@gmail.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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