Far right religious institutions claim incursions onto their faith by the government where none really do exist. They seem to forget, or rather ignore the fact, that our constitution is a secular document, creating a secular government, where no religion has priority over any other in the public sphere of influence. Despite this, Christianity has an outsized role of favoritism within US government led institutions and laws that has existed since the early days of our nation.

Churches aren’t taxed. Religious schools and affiliated businesses are exempted from health statutes to excuse their desire to provide specific women’s health care matters. Traditional religious holidays are legislatively recognized national holidays. Every single politician concludes major speeches with affirmations to the Christian deity and many legislative bodies open sessions with prayers. Religiously connotated euphemisms are liberally laced into our common vernacular as to be ubiquitous.

It’s almost as if the far right evangelical wing of Christianity isn’t really concerned with following the professed teachings of their founder so much as retaining control over the lives of their congregants through fear, and attempt to rein in the rest of the country by proxy. This doesn’t sound like the religion of love and forgiveness so much as the religion of do what I say or pay the price. We see the extreme revelations of these kinds of religious doctrines playing out today in other parts of the world, under different banners, but with the same chilling underpinnings.

I’m not a Christian, but I’ve been around it in all its forms my entire life. I recognize that many, many followers do not ascribe to the darkest elements of their ministers. But they are the silent followers, the ones more likely to realize that their faith is just that- theirs, and not one that needs to be force fed to all. They eschew the proselytizing doctrine in favor of living by example. They seek not to control those they disagree with but rather to live in harmony and, in their words, “let God sort it out.” They accept equality for all regardless of color, creed, sexuality. They may reject elements of secular society for themselves while allowing others to make their own choices. And yet these voices aren’t the ones being heard and expanded by a media too eager to create divisions and stoke the sparks of foment.

Hear me now, you on the far right fringes of Christian faith- your fervent attempts to continue public policies that force a distorted value system on a nation created to extend fairness and equality to all people shall be seen by history as another darkness upon the evolution of humanity. Your ever louder cacophony of demonization and efforts to prop up the tyrannical voices of oppression in the name of your misguided interpretation of religion shall not win over the hearts and minds of mankind. You may bathe yourselves in the righteousness that your way is the only way to an afterlife of glory, but the rest of us equate your actions to those of any other zealots and we reject your efforts.

Your leaders in your churches, your supposed champions in politics, they are all using you as pawns to retain their hold on your minds and your wallets. They seek power through your hard work and sacrifice and what do you gain? In this world they keep you under their thumb, they offer excuses for your continued financial suffering, even while they spend your tithings on fanciful excesses of their own, yet they promise you eternal redemption which is neither theirs to give or decide upon, at least not under the teachings of your faith. Yet look at the overarching pillars that your messiah has laid out for you to follow: love each other, judge not your neighbor, seek peace, turn away from violence and hatred, let God decide who is worthy of eternity. These ideals are supposed to be left out of their hands, out of your hands, and into the hands of your savior.

Were these separatist religious points of view held in abeyance from the greater society it might not be much to worry about. Sadly, this is not the case. Your extreme religious minority has somehow hijacked one of the two major political parties in this country and in the attempt to wrest and retain political power, an entire generation of politicians now seek to pander to get your vote, to find earthly power and to hold it tight, and to punish the majority through legal machinations. Trust me when I tell you that these politicians don’t care about your religious beliefs so much as being in charge. They, and your highest religious leaders, are antithetical to the ideals your religion professes. They are everything your bible says they should not be. And yet you follow them to the pit of social upheaval, gleefully it seems, as if your earthly task is to punish rather than to prosper peacefully.

Now we are again at a crossroads in public life- a place where your deeply held religious ideals are being used to demonize your neighbors, your friends, your relatives. You are being asked, once again, to legitimize hate and bigotry and war. You are being told it is your duty to God to turn away from policies that promote equality and love and peace. You are being played against the ideals which are the foundation of your faith. And for what? For earthly advantage, something which should be furthest from your spiritual plane of interest anyhow?

I implore you to examine what it is you truly believe and then vote accordingly. If you truly believe that your faith demands you to deny healthcare to the poor, to withhold aid from the old, the infirm, the needy, to demonize people of different faith or gender or sexuality, then I suggest that you aren’t really a Christian at all and that you should continue to reward those who bastardize your faith for power and personal gain.

But if you reject hate and divisiveness, if you feel that your place is not to judge and condemn but rather to love and help others, then choose another path in the election booth. No matter how you feel about the human faces attached to the ideas, look at the ideas themselves. While neither major candidate is someone to embrace, the values they represent are what matter most. For once, you on the right side of the aisle, look deep into your faith to determine who best represents your morality and the morality of your savior.

“The traditional teaching of the church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.”

Seems to me that perhaps the only better use for a condom (than protecting from AIDS) would be to put one over the Catholic Church to keep all that unseemly religious goo from destroying the hopes and futures of an entire continent.

Stupid. Religious. Insanity.

(cross posted at Bring It On!)

150 years ago, Charles Darwin put forth the theory of evolution based on natural selection. Layers and layers of scientific evidence have since proven many of his theories to have merit and evolution is mostly accepted as fact by the scientific community. But what about the general public?

The last major public survey I could find was a Gallup Poll from 2005. In this poll of 34 (mostly western) countries, the United States ranks second to last in public acceptance, right before Turkey ( a mostly Muslim nation.)

So in the U.S., only about 40% think that evolution is true, while nearly 60% say it is either false or they aren’t sure if it is true. Interesting…especially when we consider ourselves to be an educated, first world country.

For comparison, here are some Muslim opinions.

So…was Darwin right? Or is the Earth just a few thousand years old, with all species being independently created by a master planner?

In 2008, Gallup did a national poll to find out where the most religious areas of America are. The northwest corner of the country (where I hail from) is among the least religious part of the country. Can you guess which camp I sit in? Let’s just say I’m not waiting for the rapture….

(cross posted at Bring It On!)

(original video by Ken Grandlund- cross posted at Bring It On!)

Speaking to a group of 200,000 people gathered in Sydney for the Roman Catholic Church’s youth festival, the Pope told followers that the world’s natural resources are being squandered by “insatiable consumption.”

Some excerpts from his chat:

“The concerns for nonviolence, sustainable development, justice and peace, and care for our environment are of vital importance for humanity.”

“Perhaps reluctantly we come to acknowledge that there are also scars which mark the surface of our Earth: erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world’s mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption.”

True dat, Mr. Pope. But tell me please how your latest missive squares with Catholicism’s prohibition on contraception. After all, “insatiable consumption” can be blamed on a booming world population, something you seem to be all for.

Can anyone say cognitive dissonance?

If the Pope believes that people are using too many resources and leaving the world dangerously in peril, then perhaps he should quit telling his faithful to have more children.

Of course, in the good old U.S. of A.  we’re popping out babies like there’s no tomorrow. 4.3 million babies were born in the US in 2007, a number that hadn’t been seen since the 1950’s. Insatiable consumption? I guess we missed the memo.

The Pope should be proud…slightly conflicted perhaps, but proud nonetheless.

(cross posted at Bring It On!)

According to a survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, fully 70% of Americans who have some religious affiliation say that many religions-aside from their own particular faith- can lead to eternal life after death on Earth-including non-Christian faiths.

Here are some other interesting facts that the survey reveals about the attitudes of self-described religious Americans (and those who consider themselves “unaffiliated” with any particular religion):

POLITICS & SOCIETY

Political Party Affiliation: Nationally, 36% of religiously minded folks are Republican or lean Republican compared to 47% who are Democrats or lean towards the Democrats.

Political Ideology: Nationally, 37% of these folks consider themselves to be conservative, versus 36% who claim to be moderate and 20% who claim to be liberal. (Maybe not surprisingly, the more conservative folks are Christian evangelicals and Mormons while the most liberal denominations include Buddhists, Hindus, and Jews.)

Government Size: 43% want smaller government with fewer services; 46% want bigger government with more services.

Abortion: 51% believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases; 43% believe it should be illegal in most or all cases.

Homosexuality: 50% think it homosexuality should be accepted by society; 40% say it should not be accepted.

Environment: 30% think that environmental laws and regulations are harming the economy and costing jobs; 61% think stricter environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.

The survey of over 35,000 also revealed (among other things) that only about 59% believe in Hell while nearly 74% believe in heaven.

Clearly, America’s religious aren’t as dogmatic as we may be led to believe, or even as dogmatic as some anecdotal evidence may have us believe. Clearly, the media overhypes the religious differences anywhere and everywhere it can. And while some regions of the country are more religious than others, as a whole, Americans don’t seem to conform to the standard media view that there are but two sides of the religious equation-nutjob evangelical and raging athiest. In fact, most seem to be just regular folks who hold their own beliefs dear without having to force them on others or condemn others as heretics and blasphemers-or, more importantly, force them upon the nation as a whole via legislation.

This is good news, especially for those of us who live outside the religious tent and have no affinity for religion, other than for the entertainment value it offers us. But what it really shows is that by and large, Americans aren’t hell-bent to mold this nation into a theocracy, despite the overtly vocal rantings of televangelists, “family” groups, and some certain politicians. Let’s hope they get the message.

(cross posted at Bring It on!)

The Rapture is coming, you know. Just ask an Evangelical Christian. They’ll tell you it’s true. Even though predictions for hundreds of “imminent raptures” have thus far failed to materialize (or is it dematerialize?), these folks are as sure as fresh snow is white that the REAL Rapture is definitely on the way. But they also know that their message is not whole-heartedly embraced by everyone. But for the Rapture Disciples this only means that they still have work to do, and they know that once the Rapture really does happen, all those who have missed the train to Heaven will cast aside their disbelief and fervently work to join their righteous loved ones in Heaven, who had warned them all along.

To that end, welcome to the world wide web youvebeenleftbehind.com. This handy-dandy website allows subscribers the opportunity to remind special friends and family members who missed the Rapture that they still have hope, and a chance, to gain the Kingdom of Heaven.

From their website:

“You’ve Been Left Behind gives you one last opportunity to reach your lost family and friends For Christ. Imagine being in the presence of the Lord and hearing all of heaven rejoice over the salvation of your loved ones. It is our prayer that this site makes it happen.”

That’s right friends…for a mere $40 per year subscription fee, youvebeenleftbehind.com will let you store up to 250Mb of documents that can be automatically e-mailed to up to 62 different sinners when the Rapture happens. But wait…there’s more! That 250Mb is partitioned so that you can have document encryption for 150Mb worth of information. What better way to pass along sensitive password information to that sinful Aunt Tessa who never took Jesus into her heart? No reason to deny her your money (which you no longer need, right?) just because she denied the Lord now is there?

But wait, you might be asking, how does this service work? I mean, the Rapture takes all the good Christians away, and these folks who run this site are obviously good Christians. How does the system send out all these e-mails to the black-hearted non-believers if they’ve (the site hosts) been taken back to Jesus?

Just as Noah got instructions from God on how to build a really big boat, the fine folks at youvebeenleftbehind.com have an ingenious trigger that can only be divinely inspired.

“We have set up a system to send documents by the email, to the addresses you provide, 6 days after the “Rapture” of the Church. This occurs when 3 of our 5 team members scattered around the U.S fail to log in over a 3 day period. Another 3 days are given to fail safe any false triggering of the system.”

Got it? If three of the five team members fail to log in to the system for three days in a row, the trigger is set. Another three days pass, and it’s sure the Rapture took place. (Odd though that only 3 need to log in. I wonder if that means that two of the five are really closet sinners?) Talk about fail-proof!

 The site is the brainchild of Mark Heard, who came up with the idea while buying stocks online one day. He worried about how his wife would gain access to his account and password if he were to be Raptured at that moment.

“In the encrypted portion of your account you can give them access to your banking, brokerage, hidden valuables and powers of attorneys. There won’t be any bodies, so probate court will take seven years to clear your assets to your next of kin. Seven years, of course, is all the time that will be left (during the Tribulation) so, basically the Government of the Antichrist gets your stuff, unless you make it available in another way.”

I guess Mr. Heard’s wife isn’t as devout as he wishes she were. But you know what they say….behind every great man….

So better join today. Why? Because the Rapture is coming! And because when you’re gone, you’ll never get another chance to save your loved ones from a fiery eternity. Oh wait….with this service, I guess you will get one more chance.

(cross posted at Bring It On!)

From our first footsteps as modern humans, our species has moved forward, stretching our potential as we improved our mortal condition, each new step taking thousands of years before its imprint could be seen. It took humanity about 190,000 years to move from the Stone Age to the first human civilizations. The modern era begans about 12,000 years ago and includes the present time. In those 12,000 years though, it is in the last few hundred, and especially in the last half century, that human kind has shown that it might be ready to make the next step forward. At least, I hope we are.

Consider for a minute the advances of humanity during the Stone Age, so called because of the technological breakthrough and refinement of making tools out of stone. These early folks also had crude language and social skills, but were largely hunter-gatherer, subsistance types. But their mastery of fire, and eventual knowledge about natural pharmacology and animal behavior, in addition to their other skills, proved that they had mastered most of what any creature needs to endure: they knew the “how” of living. By the end of the Stone Age, the advent of agriculture was the icing on the cake, and the launchpad from which human beings leaped towards the next big move forward, they “why” of living.

Enter the rise of civilization, both ancient and modern, for aside from the technology, the mechanics haven’t changed all that much. For about the last 12,000 years, population centers in Asia and India, today’s Middle East and Egypt, the Mediterranean, and the lower Americas spawned people of thought and enterprise. Some formed the political structures, other the religious teachings, while still others turned towards the arts or the natural sciences.
For the first six or seven thousand years, civilization was tribal in nature, for lack of a better term. But about six thousand years ago the first “states” arose in Egypt, the Middle East and Indus Valley. These early pre-nations developed complex religions and infused them into the political structure and general culture of their societies, and eventually gave rise to the geopolitical map we know today. Through religious teachings and political-social mandates, humanity had provided himself with an answer to the “why” of living, and has spent the last 2000 years fervently fighting about which version is the truth. But to our credit, we have also managed to increase our knowledge about the world and the universe and the subatomic universe that makes up all matter. We have gained insights into the depths of our world and the folds in our brains. On the whole however, humanity has not been able to reconcile the faith of religion with the precision of science. Especially when the tenets of the religion can’t stand up to the empirical evidence or the modern times. Still, our technological prowess continues to expand at exponential rates, outstripping the mores of traditional religion with it’s sheer speed and marvel and engendering an expectation of self-satisfaction or greed that drives change. That, and religion continue to be the prime drive for billions of people, but that very individual drive, or rather the manipulation of it, may be the thing keeping humanity from taking the next step in our species’ evolution- the “what” of living.

Some will say we already have the “what” of living, that our religious faiths tell us what we should do. From an individual perspective, I may say, “Great. Glad that works for you.” But that’s not really the “what” I mean. Consider the change that took place when homo sapiens transitioned from Stone Age to The Age of Civilization. If ever there was an apt use of the night and day metaphore this would be it. And the leap from a human species dominated by religion and greed to one committed to bettering the entire species as a whole would be as dramatic.

Mankind has some serious challenges in the not-so-distant future and how (or whether) we work together to solve these issues will define the future of our species- the “what” if you will. It took our species 190,000 years to move out of the caves and into the light. It was a slow move, but we had the time and we had a common goal- to move forward. We’ve spent the last 12,000 years moving away from each other and our natural world. We’ve still moved forward, but hardly in concert. And increasingly, it seems that our only common goal is to destroy each other while asserting a particular religious philosophy or exploiting a particular resource. It would be a shame to spend another 188,000 years doing that. And quite frankly, I doubt we have that much time left on the clock if we keep going like this.

It is time to put religious differences down. It is time to put cultural differences down. It is time to put national greed aside. It is time to end provocations of war and acts of terror, both physical and economic. It is time to take the next step. And the funny thing is, you don’t have to give up your beliefs or selfish desires. After all, we didn’t stop using fire did we? You only have to be willing to refuse to allow those things to stop human progress, whether that comes from spacial colonization or ecological rejuvenation.

I think humanity can take the next step. I think there is a minority out there who are ready to put that foot forward. I just wonder when the rest of the pack is going to jump on board.

Lying Republicans And Their Lying Lies

The debate is over in the House. The resolution opposing the president’s ‘New & Improved Surge Plan’ has passed, with several Republican lawmakers crossing the aisle to join with Democrats in voicing the opinion of their constituents, a majority of whom oppose the Iraq War and the Bush Surge Plan.

In practical terms, this changes very little. It was a non-binding resolution. But it did force each member of congress to state their position vis-a-vis the surge and the war in general. I listened to Republican after Republican take the floor and proclaim that passage of the resolution would send a message of defeat to our enemies and a show of no confidence to our troops. Both of those statements are false, but they are opinions and as such can’t be classified as lies. (Call them delusions, sure, but lies requires a little more proof.)

But one statement repeated in various forms by various congress critters, clearly exposes a lie that republicans have been pushing on the American public since this war began, namely, that if American soldiers leave Iraq, the enemy will follow us home.

Really? They will? And just how in the hell can they do that, since the Republican President, his Republican administration, and 6 years of a Republican controlled congress have done everything possible to make America safe from repeated attacks? We’re told time and again by the president that keeping the homeland safe is job number one, that he’s doing everything possible to protect us at home. If that is true, there really is no threat from terrorists who would “follow us home.”

So the claims coming from the congress idiots are lies. Or the statements from the president et. al. have been lies. Either way, the republicans are lying. But they can’t have it both ways.
If the terrorists can simply pack up and ‘follow us home’ then the president’s (and the Republican party’s) efforts to ‘keep America safe’ over the last 6 years have either been non-existant (port security), just for show (airport shoe screening) or completely incompetant (border security). But if all those things are actually in place and effectively working, then the terrorists simply can’t get into the country.

So which is it republicans? Have you done your job and tightened up our home security or have you just practiced your rhetorical fearmongering skills these last few years?

Racist Rove Reveals Republican Reality

From The National Review, a decidedly conservative magazine:

According to a congressman’s wife who attended a Republican women’s luncheon yesterday, Karl Rove explained the rationale behind the president’s amnesty/open-borders proposal this way: “I don’t want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas.” (emphasis added)

Gee Karl, that’s real good of you to finally expose the truth behind compassionate conservatism.It seems like the party of Lincoln has really devolved quite a bit. I doubt that if Lincoln were running for office today he would even get past the vetting teams, because by golly, he actually had to work as a youth.

Excuse me for being offended, but I thought that in America we were an egalitarian society, where all honest work was similarly valued, if not in monetary compensation then at least in principal. I thought that the ‘new conservative agenda’ valued hard work and character building. I thought they stood for ‘the common man.” Guess what Herr Karl? The common man’s kids do make beds, and wash dishes, and clean up after others. Yet somehow, all that isn’t good enough for your kid? Guess we better get some more brown people to clean up after your lily-white ass, eh Karl?

When I was a teenager, getting a part time job in a restaurant or on a farm or in a grocery store or a hotel or mowing lawns was looked upon as good experience, character building experience, as a valuable part of moving towards adulthood. My family wasn’t rich by any means, but even my friends who were fairly well off had part time jobs of the kind that the Bush Administration now claims “American’s aren’t willing to do.”

But now we hear from the asses mouth himself the driving force behind the Bush Administration’s desire for more and less regulated immigration.

Again, from the article:
“This is why the president’s “willing worker/willing employer” immigration extravaganza is morally wrong — it’s not just that it will cost taxpayers untold billions, or that it will beggar our own blue-collar workers, or that it will compromise security, or that it will further dissolve our sovereignty. It would do all that, of course, but most importantly it would change the very nature of our society for the worse, creating whole occupations deemed to be unfit for respectable Americans, for which little brown people have to be imported from abroad. In other words, mass immigration, even now, is moving us toward an unequal, master-servant society.”

I don’t think I could have said it any better myself. If this country really needs immigrant labor, then fine. Develop and stick to laws to make it happen. But if the whole push for more immigration is so that Karl’s kid (and presumably the kids of all the neo-conservative/conservative/Republican jackholes) doesn’t have to wait a table or pick a strawberry, then it’s time to shut the borders up until we have 100% employment of Americans, including (especially) the young people who will one day lead this country. As we have tragically seen, kids who never have to work don’t really make good leaders. And they make incredibly poor presidents and presidential advisors.

More Republican Racism

In the second time in as many weeks, a major Republican policy maker has exposed the racist underpinnings of the Bush Administration regarding immigrants who come to America.
On Feb. 8th, Karl Rove addressed a group of Republican women at a luncheon wherein he described the rationale behind the president’s open-borders proposal by saying, “I don’t want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas.”

Follow that with a statement made by Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff speaking to reporters while visiting in Mexico last Friday where he tries to explain the goals of US immigration policy:
“Every time a Border Patrol officer is transporting a load of future housekeepers and landscapers to someplace to be returned, he’s not looking
for drug dealers or drug loads,” Chertoff said.

So, according to Rove and now Chertoff, and by extension presumably the president, vice-president, their republican allies in Congress and their supporters across the nation, immigrants, and especially those whose skin is brown, are needed to create a servile caste of new citizens. Apparently, according to the Republican party, immigrants, and especially non-white immigrants, are only capable of menial labor oriented tasks like picking crops, washing dishes, changing diapers and cleaning rooms. And further, those who are not coming for low skill labor jobs are either drug dealers or drug lords.

Another classic example of ‘compassionate conservatism’ at work here folks. What year is it again?

Welcome To Tal-Abama!

A law that seems to have come straight from the Taliban is one step closer to becoming a reality in Alabama, this time thanks to a Democrat.

A federal Court of Appeals recently upheld a 1998 Alabama law that was the underpinning of an anti-obscenity law pushed on the people by state Senator Tom Butler, a Democrat. Butler’s law would ban the sale of any device whose main purpose is to stimulate human genitalia- in other words, Butler wants to ban dildos, vibrators, or any other mechanical sexual aid. (the law also includes provisions banning nude dancing and regulation of where adult businesses can operate.)

Since when did personal pleasure seeking become ‘a legitimate state interest’? Is there a state of vibrator injuries in Alabama that are bankrupting the public health system? Are dildo-brandishing burglar’s unleashing havoc in the streats? Or does this guy just have some serious control issues to contend with? Did mommy not treat him right? Does his wife get more stimulation from her battery operated boyfriend than he can provide?

By the way…the anti-obscenity law does exempt condom sales and virility drugs and other sexual devices that have a ‘legitimate medical, scientific, or educational value.’

I bet Alabama doctors are going to be writing a lot of vibrator prescriptions if this law is acted upon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Despite all your Sunday school lessons, popular mythology, and even your secular Santa’s, the fact about Christmas is this-the holiday now celebrated as Christmas in much of the western world began life centuries before the purported birth of Jesus as a pagan celebration of life, rebirth, and rejoicing.

With a little help from my friends at The History Channel (yes- I know they are an entertainment medium, but they are also quite factual in many of their presentations, and at least as un-Hollywood as one can be and still get sponsors), here are some things you may never have known about the origins of Christmas.

IN THE BEGINNING

-The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.

-In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days.

-The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.

-In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia—a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture—was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down.

-Around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra’s birthday was the most sacred day of the year.

IN COME THE CHRISTIANS

-In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday.Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth. Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival.

-By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated.

– By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion. As a result of ceding celebratory control on Christmas, believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today’s Mardi Gras.

CHRISTMAS GETS OUTLAWED

-When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas.

-The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings.

-After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Congress was in session on December 25, 1789, the first Christmas under America’s new constitution. Christmas wasn’t declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.

THE CHRISTMAS REFORMATION

-The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America.

-It wasn’t until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia.

-Also around this time, English author Charles Dickens created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. The story’s message-the importance of charity and good will towards all humankind-struck a powerful chord in the United States and England and showed members of Victorian society the benefits of celebrating the holiday.

-In the next 100 years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that included pieces of many other customs, including decorating trees, sending holiday cards, and gift-giving.

OTHER CHRISTMAS BITS

-Santa Clause is most likely based on the Turkish monk St. Nicholas.

-Christmas trees predate Chsirtianity by thousands of years. Ancient peoples would celebrate the evergreen trees during the winter to remind them of life and rebirth.

(The previous information was taken from the History Channel. Link provided above.)

SO- there you have it. Not only is Christmas just a big jumble of ancient traditions co-opted by a particular religion, there is no one defining Christian identity regarding the holiday at all. So the next time you encounter a someone babbling like a fool about the demise of Christmas or bemoaning the notion that the ‘spirit’ of Christmas is fading, remember that their idealized notion of December 25th is neither that pure or that old.

In my house, we begin celebrating at the beginning of December, and since we aren’t religious or Christian, it’s more of winter celebration. But, taking our cues from the Christians of yesteryear, we’ve co-opted our own favorite parts of the holiday, the ones we grew up with and the ones we make anew, and that’s Christmas for us. And we don’t care if you are Jewish or Muslim or Martian in my house. We’ll wish you a Merry Christmas if we feel like it. No offense intended, for to us, it’s a pretty generic seasonal exchange. Besides, Christmas is what it is, and it won’t be the same for me as it is for you. It can’t be. It shouldn’t be.

So while I understand that the commonly accepted name is Christmas, and while I myself say Christmas and wish a good Christmas to others, and sing Christmas songs with religious undertones, I don’t buy the whole “War on Christmas” bullshit. And quite frankly you shouldn’t either. After all, if you’re spending all your time bemoaning the demise of ‘your’ holiday, you surely aren’t enjoying or observing it in any meaningful way. Give it a rest…and Merry Christmas.

(cross posted at Bring It On! )