THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
Time to be
Counted Among Those Keeping Christmas
I feel a holy indignation toward
those who
are trying to take Christ out of Christmas. A subtle movement is under
way in
It is not the possible loss of
our
wonderful traditions that angers me most. It is the apathetic way we
Christians
stand aside and allow the season to be just that, “A Season of Happy
Holidays.”
And when a minority dictates what will offend and what is acceptable,
we
generally keep quiet. I, for one, want my voice to be heard.
Do we have the fortitude to
boycott stores
that refuse to put “Christmas” in any of their advertisements or in
their
decorations? Those who refuse any reference to the birth of Christ as
the
reason for the season? Those that have prohibited the Salvation Army
personnel
to stand outside stores with the familiar kettle and bell asking for
donations
for people in need? Are we willing to be counted among those who care
about
Christmas and send letters of protest to stores that make huge profits
from the
season but are unwilling to admit what the season means and why we
celebrate
it? Why we buy gifts in the first place?
If you detect a sense of being
“fed up”
flowing through these lines, that’s exactly what I am—fed up with those
who are
in the minority yet are getting their way about our important age-old
customs
that speak of our faith. I’ve been active in sending messages of
protest.
According to Agape Press and the American Family Association, our
voices are
being heard. Big merchandisers are taking another view of Christmas and
promise
that, even though it is too late this year, next year will be different
in
their advertisements and approach to Christmas.
Many “pro” and “con” arguments
are being
aired about Christmas. To list a few let us look first at the date,
December
25.
It is true that we don’t know
the exact
date of the birth of Jesus. December 25 is an “assigned” date, taken at
the
time of the Roman saturnalia which already existed and was pagan in
nature. In
my thinking, the date is not a matter of argument. The Bible tells us
that “in
the fullness of time” God became flesh and dwelt among men.
Another argument is that there
wasn’t even
an inn in
Agnostics argue that the
information in
Luke about a census is wrong and does not match Roman history of the
period.
Herod the Great died in AD 4 and Cyrenius was Governor of Syria in AD
6-9. How
can there be truth in such a disparity in time?
Scholars place the birth of
Jesus at 6 B.
C., not AD 1 as we so often assume. Considered in this light, Jesus was
born
during the time when Herod ruled. Records show that Cyrenius functioned
as
military governor in
It takes faith to overlook the
arguments of
the naysayers against Christmas.
As we walk through the malls and
drive
through our towns during days leading up to Christmas, 2006, we will
find
changes from the familiar. In many places nativity scenes are banned
because
such a display might “offend.” The Christmas tree is called a “holiday”
tree.
The word Christmas is absent from advertising. Christmas carols are
muted or
the words have been changed so as not to mention the Holy Family.
Imagine
singing these words to the melody of “Silent Night,” that beloved carol
made
famous by Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr. The new words go: “Cold in the
night,
no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I wish I were happy
and warm,
safe with my family out of the storm.” The pessimism of these new words
holds
no candle to the promise of the original words of “Silent Night.”
I have a very strong conviction
that the
majority of Americans still want Christmas in its truest sense as the
apex of
this “holiday season”. Why then do we stand idly by and let the
minority water
down, steal, and seek to hide the very meaning of Christmas?
I, for one, am ready to stand up
and be
counted for Christmas which I love and cherish. Keeping Christmas holy
and full
of its intended meaning is both a heart-acceptance and a
mind-acceptance,
something to hold in deep faith. I hope readers will seriously consider
and
join me in a “holy” Christmas, the time when God came to earth,
Emmanuel, God
with us. This news is transcendent and to persons among whom there is
good
will, it is held in highest reverence.
c2005 by
Ethelene Dyer
Jones; published Dec. 15, 2005 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville,
GA.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
[Ethelene Dyer
Jones is a retired educator,
freelance writer, poet, and historian. She may be reached at
e-mail edj0513@windstream.net;
phone 478-453-8751; or mail 1708 Cedarwood Road, Milledgeville, GA
31061-2411.]
Updated August 6,
2009
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