What War on Christmas?
Sunday is Christmas day. A big deal for a lot of people, for me (the Islamic agnostic) it’s just another day. But while you spend time opening presents and hanging out with family and friends, I want you to think about the origin of that day.
Although Christmas is supposed to be about the birth of Christ, what people forget is that many of the customs and traditions associated with Christmas have nothing to do with Jesus. And I find I particularly interesting that someone individuals who are trying to hock books and free publicity are alleging there’s a war taking place.
Let’s look at some of the facts courtesy historychannel.com …
The Date – December 25.
Jesus was not born on December 25th. The date of December 25th comes from Rome and was a celebration of the Italic god, Saturn, and the rebirth of the sun god. Also December 21 marks the winter solstice and many European pagan cultures thought this was a big deal.
The Tree
Early pagan cultures believed the evergreen tree would keep away witches, spirits and other evil items.
Santa Claus
He is actually closer to the religious meaning of Christmas than the tree and the date. St. Nick is based on the monk St. Nicholas who was born near Turkey in the 4th century.
Church Attendance
A number of large churches across the country will be closed on Christmas Sunday due to a lack of attendance.
Blatant Commercialization
Go to the mall in mid-October and look at the Christmas decorations for sale. Nuff said!
Conclusion
A war on Christmas? If there was one, I think that was lost a long time ago.
Merry Christmas and Happy Winter Solstice!
