Atheists and Christmas

What a ruckus!

Washington State has become the center of attention because of Christmas in Olympia. Reaction! Demonstrations! Public speaking! Anguish and wringing of hands! Does anyone really care? Obviously the atheists do.

When I first saw the report on TV, my initial reaction was that an atheistic display near the Nativity scene is going to be inevitable given the present age of political correctness, fairness, and a lethargic acceptance on the part of the general public, who just accept anything they are told by the media and politicians. After all, they ask, isn’t this a democracy? Doesn’t the constitution provide for free speech? If Christians are allowed a Nativity scene, why can’t anybody have their own display as well?

Let’s examine that approach. For me it seemed to start with the reaction of that “fair and balanced” TV personality: Bill O’Reilly. He seems to be outraged by the sign next to the Nativity scene in the Rotunda of the State Capital Building in Olympia. I’m glad. Despite his faults (see note), he has shown courage and has correctly led an impassioned reaction to a bigoted atheistic sign placed right next to the Nativity scene. Of course O’Reilly, yet again, takes the middle road by wining that this detracts from the dignity and decorum of the capitol building. This was followed by demonstrations and letters to Governor “Grinch” Gregoire, culminating in the theft of the unwelcome sign. That might not have been a wise thing to do, but I had a good laugh about it. The fuss actually took me by surprise, though, because of the present atmosphere of acceptance in the guise of tolerance.

Original meaning of Christmas

Most Christians readily inform us that Christmas is the season in which we remember the birth of Jesus, Son of God, who was born as a mortal human child. He lived the perfect life, resisted temptations, taught us how to live, and then died on our behalf with the blame for our sins placed upon Him. He rose again to conquer death and ascended into Heaven after revealing Himself to His disciples. We exchange gifts as a symbol of the great gift of salvation that He offers to those who repent and accept Him as their Lord.

Traditional American Christmas

We have to ask ourselves how such a profound holiday became such a trivial season of overindulgence and merriment. Everybody (well – we know that’s an exaggeration) loves to celebrate Christmas, but instead of carols on the media we hear about Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. We sing Jingle Bells, and dream of a white Christmas. Instead of decking the halls . . ., we deck the malls! Children remember the season as all about Santa Clause. They learn how an angel gets its wings, from watching “It’s a wonderful life”. We decorate a large tree (now called a “holiday tree”), and instead of going to church, we watch “Elf” on TV. We don’t wish people a “happy Christmas”, but “happy holidays”. (I never liked “merry” Christmas anyway, because that word implies inebriation). We experience traffic jams, get trampled in the rush for bargains, and we overeat, overspend and over-indulge. Then it’s all over, and we have to dismantle the tired decorations and get on with life.

Christmas has long been a heathen festival in which Christ has been kept very much in the background. Ask the average American what Christmas is about, and you will get something about good will and peace. It’s the kind of deception that Satan loves! I am really surprised that atheists don’t support this festival! It takes our minds off religion. It’s right up their alley!

The onslaught against religion

While we Christians have been lulled into lethargy, the world has not been idle. Based on what appears to be compassionate principles, we have been persuaded to exercise tolerance towards our neighbor (doesn’t the Bible say “love one another”?). So as not to rock the boat, we have succumbed to politically correct terminology, which sometimes means that we support a lie. Many words have come to mean something else; a euphemism for what originally would have been shunned or condemned. Standards slide because some might otherwise be offended.

So as not to offend others we have allowed “Christmas” to become “Holiday”. Christmas becomes confused with other festivals, religions and communities. This trend has not stopped at Christmas. It is reaching into other festivals, practices, ethical and moral standards, and fundamental western culture and religion. We rejoice because this is so “diverse”.

We have established a democracy so that the majority in any voting will carry the day. But we compromise the will of the people with an argument favoring the minority because “it isn’t fair”; thus the will of the people is overruled. Let’s see what happens to Prop. Eight in California. The Ten Commandments have been banned in public places despite the First Amendment, which stipulates: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”.

While Christians avoid conflict, the Church avoids its responsibility to teach and evangelize. Like the Church in Ephesus (Rev 2:4), the principle denominations have lost their first love. They have abandoned the very beliefs for which the martyrs died. In an attempt to reconcile differences, many have abandoned their message for the sake of union and ecumenism. Others have sought popularity with the congregants and seek large attendances. To do this, standards of worship and teaching must be compromised so as to attract numbers. Brief, topical sermons make everyone feel reassured or sanctimonious. Prayer, repentance and supplication are ignored or played down. Then there are the modernist and liberal theologians who regard the fundamental teachings of the Bible to be symbolic, inadequate and outdated. All mankind, to them, is basically good, and our lives should be meritorious. Heresies creep in. They always do. The warning is clear: "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place-unless you repent”. Rev 2:5

Read the history of the church – you’ll see what I mean. Study the Old Testament troubles of the Children of Israel who suffered whenever they drifted from God. To avoid disaster, Christians must make a stand. It’s not easy, and it will get harder.

The Message of Christmas today

Thank God that the decline in America is not total. There are more true believers here than there were in Sodom and Gomorrah when Abraham pleaded with God on their behalf. However, it is time to stand up for our beliefs. We as Christians must not be lulled by the humanistic rhetoric that appears so sensible and compassionate. That would not happen if we studied our Bibles thoroughly and prayed.

Here’s something to think about: It is true that we are taught to love one another. Does that include ignoring their wrongdoings and allowing them to face God’s retribution? Does loving one another allow us to tolerate their misdeeds, immorality and unbelief? Surely we must love the person; but not necessarily their actions or morals.

We must not stand idly by. Those atheists won’t stop at Christmas! I fear that living a Christian life in this world will become ever more difficult. We must either make a stand or we will fall by the wayside. Christians must be as persistent and true to God’s message as the detractors of Christian standards have been to theirs. “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven”. Matt 10:32

I gladly wish you all a very happy and blessed Christmas, and a prosperous new year.

Note

I have been disappointed by Bill O’Reilly. He had me hanging onto every word in his early days on Fox News, but slowly I realized that his urge to be “fair and balanced” left him largely without a message, in spite of his very convincing act as a force to be reckoned with. Somebody once wrote “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything”. In my opinion, that has proved to be very true in O’Reilly’s case. For that reason he seems to me to have annoyed many who initially relied on him as a leader in the fight for truth. My own support for him was finally lost on the night he displayed such a dismal lack of preparation for his interview with Michael Moore. During that interview, he let some ridiculous statements by Moore to go unchallenged, and led me to feel that he was out of his depth. Now he has sunk so far that, although he claims to be a Roman Catholic, was talking about “Karma” the other night, with respect to OJ. I wonder if he knows anything about the difference between Christianity and Buddhism.

He and Van Susteren should exchange time slots. I guess he’ll call me a pinhead! I deserve that!

Hanukkah and Christmas

The connection between the Jewish festival of lights (Hanukkah) and the message of the Christian Gospel – hence the connection with Christmas.

Return of the exiled Jews to Jerusalem
The Old Testament records how Judah was taken into exile by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar, and how they then fell under Persian rule after the conquest of Babylon.

After the return of the Jews by decree of the Persian king Cyrus the Great, the Jews started to return to the Promised Land. Although many of the exiled Jews stayed in Mesopotamia because they had known no other home for generations, those who returned to the land of Judah were free to manage their own affairs, and to worship their God in the temple which they had been permitted to rebuild in Jerusalem.

This freedom under Persian rule was enjoyed by the Jews until Darius III was defeated in 333 BC by Alexander the great, and the whole Middle East was absorbed into the Greek empire. It is interesting to note that before the rise of this great empire, Greek influence had steadily been spreading into the world around them. Included with middle-eastern sciences in astronomy and mathematics (many stars still have Arabic names), Greek philosophy, mathematics, science, and culture had long preceded the advancing army of Alexander.

Greek occupation
Since their return from Mesopotamia, the Jews had been true to their Faith, and remained separate from those cultures and religions that surrounded them. The premature death of Alexander led to civil war between Alexander’s Generals. This led to the split-up of the empire under separate rulers. Judah came under the dominion of the Hellenistic Egyptian ruler Ptolemy who had declared himself to be Pharaoh, and encouraged the continuation of Egyptian culture and political structure. A liberal approach to other cultures and religions prevailed throughout the Egyptian influence.

It was during this period that the city of Alexandria was developed while Hellenistic learning and culture flourished. Eratosthenes studied there, and was the first to calculate the circumference of the Earth (with remarkable accuracy). Ptolemy wrote the Almagest and established the first Prime Meridian. The Library at Alexandria gained such fame throughout the world that its reputation still remains, more than two millennia after the Romans destroyed it by fire (perhaps unintentionally) when they torched the Egyptian navy. The economy boomed, ships passed by the huge Pharos (light house) that Ptolemy II ordered built at the entrance to the harbor; and Alexandria became the seat of learning for the region.

Ptolemy II wanted books from everywhere. He requested a copy of the Hebrew writings of Moses and the Prophets. The High Priest in Jerusalem responded by sending the Talmud and seventy-two of his best scribes to Alexandria to translate all these writings into Greek for the library. This work (known as the ‘Septuagint’) has formed the basis of subsequent translations of the Old Testament.

Antiochus Epiphanes
It was in this setting that the Seleucids brought forces from Antioch and invaded the Egyptians now under Ptolemy V. Judah then came under the rule of Antiochus III.

Unfortunately the times of religious and cultural liberalism were weakening the religious fervor of many Jews. Hellenistic culture permeated every facet of life, clothing styles became universal throughout the Greek empire, and athletics (involving the adulation of the gods and Olympus, and the practice of public nudity) led to a decline in religious practices and the lowering of standards.

A great despot and hater of religion, Antiochus IV Epiphanes had desecrated many heathen temples, and now turned his attention on the Temple in Jerusalem. In an action that came to be known as the “Abomination of Desolation” he plundered the riches of that temple and established a shrine to the heathen god Zeus. He imposed Greek lifestyles, philosophy, religions and culture. In an atmosphere of appeasement, the already declining Jewish culture and religion fell away in general, and Judah descended into a state of apostasy and heathenism.

Maccabeean revolt
There were those who steadfastly remained faithful in spite of the pressures they faced. Groups began to organize that later led to the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, and others. It all came to a head when an old priest, Mattathias, became indignant one day and killed a fellow countryman who he saw offering a heathen sacrifice. He also killed the king’s Commissioner, and pulled down the altar. This incident lent courage to others who had been concerned about the decline in their religious observance. A general condition of unrest erupted into a full revolt that led to a great awakening both of the Jewish national identity and their faith in God. Led initially by the son of Mattathias, Judas Maccabeus, the revolt was formally organized and came to be known as the revolt of the Maccabees. They liberated Jerusalem in 164 BC.

Although the revolution did not initially achieve political independence for the Jews (they won that in 142 BC), Antiochus V Eupator did make changes that led once more to a freedom to worship, and the temple was once again consecrated. The leaders of the religious groups including the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Zealots earned high respect for their perseverance and faithfulness. The Pharisees, in particular, became the great authorities and theologians of the day.

The Miracle of Hanukkah
Reportedly, although the olive harvest is in November, it took eight days to press olives and process the olive oil needed to light the candles. When the priests returned to the temple to resume worship and consecrate the temple, they found only one container of olive oil that had not been desecrated, and was therefore suitable for service in the temple. They were anxious that the oil would not last long enough. (The Feast of Tabernacles lasts eight days). Nevertheless, in faith, they lit the menorah. The oil lasted for the required eight days. The Jews honored God for this and named it the “Miracle of Hanukkah”.

The festival of lights, Hanukkah, has been observed since that time in order to commemorate, not only the miracle of Hanukkah, but also the return of the Jews to their faith, and a resumption of their worship at the temple in Jerusalem.

Christianity and Hanukkah
Up till now, this paper has read more like a history review than anything to do with the holiday season. The reader might be asking at this stage: “What has this all got to do with Christmas?”

Here is the link: God provided a unique window in time for the Advent of Our Lord. It was not long after the Macabeean Revolt and the Miracle of Hanukkah that the Romans arrived in 63 BC to make Judea a province of Rome. This set the scene for what we might call: “New Testament” times. Think about it. Travel and trade had become international. The known world spoke a common language. Jews could be found all over the world – particularly in Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Egypt. Judea had a limited autonomy in affairs of religious observance and domestic concerns. The temple in Jerusalem (a new one, built by King Herod the Great) had once again become the focus of Jewry, and during Passover (Pesach), Jews traveled from all over the known world to worship at the temple. The Pharisees were the recognized theological leaders, although it appears that by the time of Jesus, they seem to have become somewhat arrogant and hypocritical. Fortunately, not all were like that.

One of these Pharisees, Nicodemus by name, came to Jesus during the hours of darkness. It was probably a secret meeting. This conversation is reported in John’s Gospel, Chapter three, and leaves us with the most quoted bible verse: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. John 3:16. The verse, taken out of context, permits misconception as though mankind can achieve his own salvation merely by believing - an act of works.

One really needs to read the whole passage to appreciate the general focus of what Nicodemus and Jesus were discussing.

Nicodemus asks “. . . How can these things be?” and Jesus asserts that with man it is impossible, and explains the helplessness of mankind, and that Salvation cannot be achieved unless God miraculously intervenes. The direction of attention is from God to mankind, and not the other way round.

This is the message of Christmas:
As predicted by Old Testament prophecy, Jesus was born of a virgin, of the line of David, in the City of David (Bethlehem). This Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. John chapter one informs us that He IS God, and without Him was not anything made that was made. This perfect Being made Himself mortal so that He could be a substitute for those that believe in Him, and accept the blame and banishment of a perfect and just God. He then conquered death when He rose again and ascended into Heaven.

God did everything. That is why Jesus was born. That is what we celebrate at Christmas. You might disparage Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and presents, but God’s Word is forever, and His gift is for eternity.

Hanukkah celebrates a renewed faith in God. Christmas celebrates the coming of the Messiah that had been promised to those Jews for centuries. The Miracle of Hanukkah marked the beginning of the era in which that messiah was to come.

About seventy years after the Death of Jesus, the Temple was destroyed, the Jews dispersed, the new Christian church suffered persecution but grew throughout the known world, and Jerusalem now awaits another advent of Christ.


An Observation
It has been claimed that History repeats itself. This is probably not true. What happens is that mankind keeps making the same mistakes. The liberal environment in which the Jews lost their freedom to worship can be compared with the times of the Judges. God had settled the Israelites into Canaan, but they disobeyed Him by allowing the Philistines to live among them. Soon they were beholden to the Philistines. Appeasement doesn’t work. The bloody Maccabeean revolt was the only way that they could regain their freedom from Antioch. That would not have been necessary had they never lost that freedom in the first place.

Will the decline of the meaning of Christmas in the twenty-first century become a similar sacrifice of religious freedom?

PS
The date for Hanukkah is frequently confused with Christmas. This is because the two festivals occur around the same time of year. However, the date for Hanukkah is not set by the Gregorian Calendar, and so moves around somewhat. In 2008 the eight day celebration begins at sundown on December 21st. Christmas itself is an arbitrary date (some say an old heathen festival) because the actual birthday of Jesus cannot be established with any confidence.