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1/5/06 See "Printable" button below for "easy to print" format. Preserving the True Meaning of Christmas by Terry James
Once again, Christmas in the United States has been under heavy assault. The Savior's birth has been marred by court challenges against everything from public nativity scenes to Christmas decorations and gift exchanges in public schools. Even though Christmas is under attack, it remains very popular with the public. Nearly 92 percent of the population approves of Christmas. Another 6 percent has no problem with a holiday that honors Jesus Christ. The people who would categorize themselves as enemies of Christmas only amount to 1 percent of the population. With such a small group of people in the opposition, it's a wonder Christmas is such a source of controversy. Unfortunately, Satan is the biggest Grinch of all. He hates everything associated with the coming of the Messiah, and he continuously works to degrade and distort the true meaning of Christmas. The devil's main strategy has been to strive for a series of small victories that add up over time. For over a century, a series of incremental series of steps has been aimed at neutralizing Christmas. One the earliest attacks on Christmas was the introduction of mythological figures that distract from the nativity story. When you really think about it, what on earth do Santa Claus, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, and Frosty the snowman have to do with the birth of a child in a desert environment? The modern image of Santa Claus came from a Harper's Weekly cartoon by Thomas Nast in 1863. The Coca-Cola Company is credited for popularizing Santa Claus by showing the jolly fellow in its 1930s Christmas ads. The tale of Rudolph was written in 1939 by Robert L. May for the Montgomery Ward chain of department stores. "Frosty the Snowman" was written by Steve Rollins and Steve Nelson in 1950. I wouldn't go as far as to suggest that Nast, Coca-Cola, May, Rollins and Nelson were part a satanic conspiracy. But I think when they came up with their ideas, they could have realized their creations were distractions from the traditional focus of Christmas. The commercialization of Christmas was the next step. The joyful miracle of Jesus' birth had nothing to do with material wealth, and yet it has become the greatest gimmick for corporations to make billions in profits. Each December, people spend themselves silly just to buy the newest gadgets to come down the pike. We're now at the point where all references to Jesus are being deleted for the sake of inclusivism. Under the guise of being fair to all religions, the word "Christmas" is often replaced with the neutral word "holiday." At one point, "Happy Holidays" covers Christmas and the New Year. It is now being made to apply to Hanukkah for Jews, Eid al-fitr for Muslims, Kwanzaa for African Americans, and the Winter Solstice for pagans. The spirit of inclusivism has caused most radio stations to only air Christmas songs that focus on every topic but the King of Kings. There seems to be an abundance parodies of Christmas songs. Every year, I hear "The Twelve Days of Christmas" by Bob and Doug McKenzie and "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Elmo and Patsy. Instead of those songs, I would love to hear something like "Angels and Shepherds": Hark all ye shepherds, come join in our song. The people who preach inclusivism do not follow the most basic rule of logic. If they wanted to be fair, they would base the recognition of religious holidays on the percentage of the population that is identified with said religions. An overwhelming minority cannot be allowed to rule the greater society. Christians are the ones to blame for allowing insignificant groups to set the rules. We have the ability and the numbers to demand that Christmas be represented as a holiday honoring our Lord and Savior. A little more than 2000 years ago, one group of angels had no trouble publicly proclaiming their Christmas joy: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:8-14).
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