Another meaningless ramble written late at night.
Today is Christmas.
Such a meaningless holiday. Meaningless, at least, to an atheist. Criticized as I may be, I don't believe that Christianity has it quite right. I don't remember santa clause being included in the story of jesus. And wasn't the tradition supposed to be only children receiving gifts? After all, nobody was giving Mary gifts. They made her pop out a kid in a barn, for crying out loud.
The story of the birth of christ and his life is magical and awe-inspiring. The only missing ingredient is believability.
Sure. Brainwash the children from the time they are born by taking them to church. If you taught a kid that the earth was flat, they'd believe you until they were managed to be convinced otherwise (no doubt this revelation would occur later in the child's life). With this established, it isn't so hard to imagine children sort of falling into their religion because of what they've been taught all of their misled lives from that huge white or brick building with stained glass windows. On the other hand, a child who doesn't go to church may grow up questioning these weird beliefs that the kids at school profess.
My story is as follows: my parents are not strict religious-types. I began going to church when I was 11, because the kids at school told me all about the dangers of not believing in the omnipotent guy floating over us. Teachers in several grades paused for prayer, and since such well-respected figures did it I came to the conclusion that I should too (it fills me with shame to know that I was so easily tricked). I followed the law of the thing I had never seen. I sang the songs I was supposed to, I memorized the things I was supposed to, and I tried to influence others to be the way that I, at that time, believed they (and everyone) should be. As I aged, I experienced unmanageable sadness. I couldn't explain it. Why should a girl, 13, feel so down? More importantly, why should a thirteen year old girl who believed in god and followed his rules feel so down? This certainly set the gears into motion. I silently suffered from this affliction and felt the belief I had in him slowly drift away. Quite honestly, it was a relief. Logical justification for my non-belief came several years later and has brought me to my current position.
Back to an original question which, incidentally, was not stated. Is it anti-Christian to believe in Santa clause? How does santa fit into the model of the celebration of the birth of christ? Is he supposed to represent a European adaptation of the three wise men? Also, is it wrong for adult Christians to give other adult christians christmas gifts, since the celebration is for the baby christ? Like I said, nobody was giving ol' joe any second glances.
What I can assert, however, is that the sprawl of commerce into christmas should definitely be questioned by any serious christian. If christians should be concerned about anything it should be the exploitation of their savior's birth and the sacrilege of it all. I heard on the news that a pack of anal christians are planning to sue stores for saying "happy holidays" as opposed to "merry christmas." Their argument is that if stores are going to capitalize on their holiday, it should be made THEIR holiday and no one else's. What these crazy christians are missing, however, is that they're allowing the capitalization in the first place. They're laying down on one major issue and standing up for a minor matter of a kind of political/social correctness. It makes me giggle.
This is not a cry for debate. Please understand that statement; it is potentially the most important. I just felt like muttering my anti-Christmas sentiments and asking a few questions that I don't have answers to.
Such a meaningless holiday. Meaningless, at least, to an atheist. Criticized as I may be, I don't believe that Christianity has it quite right. I don't remember santa clause being included in the story of jesus. And wasn't the tradition supposed to be only children receiving gifts? After all, nobody was giving Mary gifts. They made her pop out a kid in a barn, for crying out loud.
The story of the birth of christ and his life is magical and awe-inspiring. The only missing ingredient is believability.
Sure. Brainwash the children from the time they are born by taking them to church. If you taught a kid that the earth was flat, they'd believe you until they were managed to be convinced otherwise (no doubt this revelation would occur later in the child's life). With this established, it isn't so hard to imagine children sort of falling into their religion because of what they've been taught all of their misled lives from that huge white or brick building with stained glass windows. On the other hand, a child who doesn't go to church may grow up questioning these weird beliefs that the kids at school profess.
My story is as follows: my parents are not strict religious-types. I began going to church when I was 11, because the kids at school told me all about the dangers of not believing in the omnipotent guy floating over us. Teachers in several grades paused for prayer, and since such well-respected figures did it I came to the conclusion that I should too (it fills me with shame to know that I was so easily tricked). I followed the law of the thing I had never seen. I sang the songs I was supposed to, I memorized the things I was supposed to, and I tried to influence others to be the way that I, at that time, believed they (and everyone) should be. As I aged, I experienced unmanageable sadness. I couldn't explain it. Why should a girl, 13, feel so down? More importantly, why should a thirteen year old girl who believed in god and followed his rules feel so down? This certainly set the gears into motion. I silently suffered from this affliction and felt the belief I had in him slowly drift away. Quite honestly, it was a relief. Logical justification for my non-belief came several years later and has brought me to my current position.
Back to an original question which, incidentally, was not stated. Is it anti-Christian to believe in Santa clause? How does santa fit into the model of the celebration of the birth of christ? Is he supposed to represent a European adaptation of the three wise men? Also, is it wrong for adult Christians to give other adult christians christmas gifts, since the celebration is for the baby christ? Like I said, nobody was giving ol' joe any second glances.
What I can assert, however, is that the sprawl of commerce into christmas should definitely be questioned by any serious christian. If christians should be concerned about anything it should be the exploitation of their savior's birth and the sacrilege of it all. I heard on the news that a pack of anal christians are planning to sue stores for saying "happy holidays" as opposed to "merry christmas." Their argument is that if stores are going to capitalize on their holiday, it should be made THEIR holiday and no one else's. What these crazy christians are missing, however, is that they're allowing the capitalization in the first place. They're laying down on one major issue and standing up for a minor matter of a kind of political/social correctness. It makes me giggle.
This is not a cry for debate. Please understand that statement; it is potentially the most important. I just felt like muttering my anti-Christmas sentiments and asking a few questions that I don't have answers to.