Christmas

Christmas Links

Christmas - No Room for Jesus?

Pagan myths, classroom censorship, and growing intolerance toward Jesus

2009

The Magi's Search for Truth: "The familiar 'wise men' or 'magi' who followed the star from the East were probably astrologers from Persia. They may have been Zoroastrian magicians, and the gifts they brought the prophesied King suggest that they held positions of wealth and influence. But why would astrologers or magicians travel so far to worship Jesus? And why would God use pagan leaders to honor His Son? ...

     "These 'wise men' had apparently learned about God through the Scriptures brought to Babylon and Persia during the exile that had followed Israel's slide into paganism and idolatry centuries earlier. The goodness of God had been demonstrated among His exiled people through Daniel, Esther, Nehemiah and others, and historical records had preserved their memory. So the Biblical God was not unknown to Persian scholars at this momentous time." See Our God Reigns

Christmas in a German Labor Camp during WWII: "While many are concerned over the economy, the growing immorality in our culture, and an increasing amount of deception in the Christian church, Anita’s Christmas story helps put things in perspective. In spite of all the struggles and sufferings that happen in this world, the one who belongs to Jesus Christ through faith by His grace can indeed say: The Lord is always faithful, just, and good." See Victory in Christ

We Wish You A Merry Multicultural, Inoffensive, Inclusive, Secular Seasonal Holiday: "Howard County [Indiana] has decided to replace the traditional manger scene on the lawn of the county courthouse with a lighted display of the Loch Ness monster and other beasts.... County Commissioner Tyler Moore pleaded, 'If we put religious or Christmas decorations up, we’d be offending a whole other group of citizens and taxpayers.' ...if someone – anyone – is outraged by a crèche, that’s reason enough to nix it.'

     "Amelia [Oregon] cancelled its 29th annual Christmas parade. Chelmsford [Massachussets] has prohibited donations of candy canes, stockings and Santas to its annual gift sale." See Why "Hate crime" laws would ban Biblical Christianity

Outcome Will Impact Students’ Speech Rights in Texas Schools: "The case began in 2003, when students were... banned from writing 'Merry Christmas' on cards to be sent to military members overseas, stopped from giving invitations to church events to classmates, and not allowed to wear red and green to a school-sponsored 'holiday' party. In 2005, the court issued an injunction declaring PISD’s 'Christmas bans' unconstitutional. 'In oral arguments today, the district concedes and is now changing their policy,' said Kelly Shackelford... chief counsel of Liberty Legal Institute." See Ban Truth - Reap Tyranny

2007

Come to Bethlehem and See Who Persecutes the Christians: "Incidents of Muslims stealing land from Christians, defacing their property and physically harassing them are well documented and have driven many Christians from the city."

The Plight of Bethlehem: "A mere nine kilometers separates Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, from Jerusalem.... Pilgrims can easily visit both the Church of the Nativity and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in half a day -- as long as they are not Palestinian Christians. Israel's security wall, its restrictive exit permit system, roadblocks and military checkpoints now make it impossible for most Holy Land Christians to visit the shrines that, for all Christians, make the Holy Land holy.

    "Like East Jerusalem, Bethlehem is part of the West Bank, not the State of Israel. Temporary exit visas to go from one to the other to worship... are hard to come by.... The squeeze is economic as well as religious. Few producers in Bethlehem can get their goods to markets in Jerusalem. Fewer buyers can get to Bethlehem to sustain its markets....

      "...in 2000, an average of more than 91,000 tourists visited the city monthly. This year, the average is half that number. When buses do arrive, tourists are routinely whisked in and out without time to shop. As a consequence, nearly 100 hotels and restaurants have closed since my last visit. More than 250 workshops that made olive wood crèches, mother-of-pearl crosses and other religious souvenirs have disappeared too.... In sum, where Bethlehem once enjoyed one of the lowest urban unemployment rates in the Holy Land, it now has one of the highest....

    "Israel cannot afford to lose the Palestinian Christians: They have long represented a moderating force. A century ago, they accounted for 25% or more of the Holy Land population. Today, they represent less than 1.5%. ... Palestinian Christians regard their ancestors as the first Christians....They call themselves the 'living stones' of Biblical Christianity, preserving ancient communities and traditions in the midst of repeated armed conflicts."

A Brief History of Christmas: "The Christmas of the Nativity, the manger and Christ child, the wise men and the star of Bethlehem... and .Hark the Herald Angels Sing. is one holiday. The Christmas of parties, Santa Claus, evergreens, presents... and .Jingle Bells. is quite another.... But because both celebrations fall on Dec. 25, the two are constantly confused.

      "Religious Christians condemn taking 'the Christ out of Christmas,' while First Amendment absolutists see a threat to the separation of church and state in every poinsettia on public property....

      "A little history can clear things up. The Christmas of parties and presents is far older than the Nativity. Most ancient cultures celebrated the winter solstice, when the sun reaches its lowest point and begins to climb once more in the sky. In ancient Rome, this festival was called the Saturnalia and ran from Dec. 17 to Dec. 24. During that week, no work was done, and the time was spent in parties, games, gift giving and decorating the houses with evergreens. (Sound familiar?) It was, needless to say, a very popular holiday. In its earliest days, Christianity did not celebrate the Nativity at all.... Instead, the Church calendar was centered on Easter, still by far the most important day in the Christian year." See Mocking Truth

Free Christmas! "Before we were married, my wife and I discussed the old-fashioned Christmases we'd one day celebrate. We planned to carol, make cookies with our children and teach them the true spirit of the season by serving the poor. But somehow the holidays became, for us, a season when we have neither the time nor the inclination to celebrate. We turned, like many friends, into variants of Scrooge: Instead of ignoring the holiday, we were bah-humbugging our way through parties and meals and endless rounds of shopping. One can almost empathize with the Puritans, whose ban on Christmas had nothing to do with insipid greeting cards and everything to do with the holiday's pagan roots.... Will we succeed in making this season mean something to our children besides gifts and harried schedules?" See Conforming to the culture, not to truth

Is Jesus Christ God? "The story of Jesus is either the greatest event in history or the cruelest hoax. If it is a hoax, then the whole of the Christian message crumbles together with the hopes of those multitudes of lives built on his name. The apostle Paul said: 'And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ.... And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!'”... But if the story is true, then this world has been hit with extraordinary news of earth-shaking consequences. Have you taken the trouble to decide which it is?" See The birth of our King

Washington's Gift: "The story begins with Gen. Washington's arrival in Annapolis, Md., on Dec. 19, 1783. The country was finally at peace -- just a few weeks earlier the last British army on American soil had sailed out of New York harbor. But the previous eight months had been a time of terrible turmoil and anguish for Gen. Washington, outwardly always so composed. His army had been discharged and sent home, unpaid, by a bankrupt Congress -- without a victory parade or even a statement of thanks for their years of sacrifices and sufferings. ... Washington had done his utmost to persuade Congress to pay them, yet failed.... Congressman Alexander Hamilton, once Washington's most gifted aide, had told him in a morose letter that there was a "principle of hostility to an army" loose in the country and too many congressmen shared it....

      "The president of Congress, Thomas Mifflin of Pennsylvania.... had been one of the generals who attempted to humiliate Washington into resigning during the grim winter at Valley Forge. He had smeared Washington as a puffed-up egotist, denigrated his military ability, and used his wealth to persuade not a few congressmen to agree with him. A few months later, Mifflin was forced to quit the army after being accused of stealing millions as quartermaster general.

      "Addressing this scandal-tarred enemy, Washington drew a speech from his coat pocket and unfolded it with trembling hands. "Mr. President," he began in a low, strained voice. "The great events on which my resignation depended having at length taken place.'... He continued: 'I consider it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my official life by commending the interests of our dearest country to the protection of Almighty God and those who have the superintendence of them [Congress] to his holy keeping.' For a long moment, Washington could not say another word. Tears streamed down his cheeks. The words touched a vein of religious faith in his inmost soul, born of battlefield experiences that had convinced him of the existence of a caring God who had protected him and his country again and again during the war. Without this faith he might never have been able to endure the frustrations and rage he had experienced in the previous eight months.

     "Washington then drew from his coat a parchment copy of his appointment as commander in chief. "Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theater of action and bidding farewell to this august body under whom I have long acted, I here offer my commission and take leave of all the employments of public life."' (12-24-07)

The Ministry of Jesus Christ: After seventy years of captivity, the Lord allowed His people to come back to the land of Israel. Only a small group chose to return, but they as well as Jews elsewhere, still lived under the rule of other nations....

     "Five hundred years later, when Rome ruled Israel, two young Jews named Joseph and Mary, both descendants of the royal line of David, planned to marry. But before they came together, Mary became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, Don't worry about taking Mary as your wife: for the child in her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The child is the Son of God. And when she gives birth to this son, you must name Him 'Jesus', which means Savior, for He will save His people from their sins." See Come worship our King

Christmas could lead to more persecution for Christians: "In 2007, nearly 200,000 Christians were killed for their faith in Jesus Christ. Around the world, 200-million Christians face some kind of persecution. '... As Christians celebrate Christmas, it's a natural evangelistic opportunity in Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist areas of the world. Pray that God will protect His church and that He'll use this Christmas season to draw many to Himself." See Victory in Christ

The Star of Bethlehem: "Contrary to what is commonly believed, the magi did not arrive at the manger on the night of Christ’s birth; rather, they found the young Jesus and His parents living in a house (Matthew 2:11). This could have been nearly two years after Christ’s birth....

     "For a normal star, it would be impossible to determine which house is directly beneath it. The star over Christ may have been relatively near the surface of earth (an “atmospheric” manifestation of God’s power) so that the magi could discern the precise location of the Child. Whatever the exact mechanism, the fact that the star led the magi to Christ is evidence that the star was uniquely designed, made by God for a very special purpose. God can use extraordinary means for extraordinary purposes. Certainly the birth of our Lord was deserving of honor in the heavens. It is fitting that God used a celestial object to announce the birth of Christ since 'the heavens declare the glory of God…'” (Psalm 19:1). See Come worship our King

2006

Bethlehem Christians fear neighbors: "Thieves have targeted the homes of many Christian families and a 'land mafia' has succeeded in laying its hands on vast areas of land belonging to Christians...."A lawyer and an official with the Palestinian Authority just came and took our land,' said 69-year-old Georgette Lama. The couple was later approached by senior PA security officers who offered to help them kick out the intruders from the land. 'We paid them $1,000 so they could help us regain our land,' she said, almost in tears. 'Instead of giving us back our land, they simply decided to keep it for themselves.... When her 72-year-old husband, Fuad, went to the land to ask the intruders to leave, he was severely beaten and threatened with guns." See Persecution

Christmas 2006: Peace and unity through Jesus Christ: "The Christian theologian, pastor and eventually martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer spent the Christmas of 1943 in the military section of Tegel Prison in Berlin as a prisoner of the Nazis. On 22 December he wrote that fear could only be overcome, and pain and suffering could only be borne, through faith. 'I must be able to know for certain that I am in the hands of God, and not in men's.'

     "That Christmas morning Bonhoeffer, aware that Christmas could heighten prisoners' feelings of loneliness and despair, wrote a series of 'prayers for fellow prisoners' (prayers for prisoners to pray). They are prayers purposefully designed to help the fearful, lonely and despairing find faith, comfort and peace in the midst of terrible uncertainty and suffering.... 'O God, early in the morning do I cry unto thee. Help me to pray, and to think only of thee. I cannot pray alone. In me there is darkness, but with thee there is light. I am lonely, but thou leavest me not. I am feeble in heart, but thou leavest me not. I am restless, but with thee there is peace. In me there is bitterness, but with thee there is patience; thy ways are past understanding, but thou knowest the way for me.'" See Persecution

A Christmas Prayer 2006: "A strange Christmas Prayer 2006 from National Council of Churches If the birth of each new baby is a renewal of God's contract with humanity, we stand in awe to renew our covenant with the Christ child. God, it is so easy to be discouraged in a world of darkness, war, poverty, and death. Thank you for the hope of the Incarnation. We confess that our earthly wisdom makes it difficult to believe this season will bring forth love of God, love of neighbors, and love of peace. God, help thou our unbelief. See Re-Inventing the Church - Part 1

No Room for Jesus? Christmas' history more raucous than refined: "Once upon a time the holiday season was a quiet time spent with family and friends -- simpler, less commercial, more spiritual, nothing like today's frenzied orgy of consumption. ....Nissenbaum.... puts that myth to rest....The holiday has its origins in the Roman festival of Saturnalia, a weeklong winter solstice celebration that featured feasting, drinking, gambling and sex. Men dressed like women, women dressed like men, and masters waited on their slaves in a raucous reversal of the social hierarchy.... Such behavior was almost inevitable during the weeks surrounding the winter solstice in the preindustrial societies of northern Europe, thanks to what Nissenbaum refers to as a '`combustible mix' of leisure time, abundance and alcohol."[12-23-06]

Peace on Earth - True or False? "Would we have recognized Jesus as the long-awaited King? Two thousand years ago, the masses neither believed nor accepted Him. Seeking an earthly kingdom ruled by a human king, some stretched His words to fit their vision. Others sought to kill Him. The reason? He made 'good' people feel bad, for His message exposed their sin."

     "...the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light...." John 3:19 See ARTICLE

Several links below are now obsolete, yet we left some summaries with interesting information.

2005

Why Jesus came into the world: "Once again the truth of Jesus’ coming is remembered at this time of year. But, how do we remember His coming into the world? Decorations inside and outside our homes? Fancy foods, special meals, family and friends gathering together? Parties? Gifts of all shapes and sizes? The coming of Jesus had none of these effects and encumbrances."

Yule be sorry: "One might think that a holiday dedicated to marking the birth of the Baby Jesus -- an event which took place in a humble animal shelter.... would be an occasion of unbridled joy.... In fact, Christmas has long been a battleground. Even before the church officially chose Dec. 25 as the date of the Nativity, Christian critics were protesting that it was unseemly to celebrate the birth of Christ in the way that pagans did for their emperors and kings. Early bishops complained that gift-giving was making children greedy; councils of bishops decried the dancing and cross-dressing that broke out at the midwinter festival....

     "During the 16th and 17th centuries, Calvinist hardliners in a number of European countries and North American colonies succeeded in abolishing Christmas altogether.... Where it survived in the English-speaking world, Christmas was a raucous, alcohol-fuelled community celebration deplored by social elites for its noise, violence and vulgarity.... " [The Globe and Mail, 12-10-05]

Will your heart be closed for Christmas? "Willow Creek Community Church, along with several other megachurches around the country, proudly announced that they were indeed closing their doors on the fourth Sunday in December this year because it fell on Christmas; and adamantly defended their pragmatic decision to do so in spite of the growing outrage, citing among other things, a need for more time off and family.'...

      "And [Jesus] said unto another, 'Follow me.' But he said, 'Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.' Jesus said unto him, 'Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 9:59-62) Loving God First

Who Started Christmas? "A woman was Christmas shopping with her two children.... She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of the year, getting that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, making sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card." See Where is your heart?

A Christmas quiz: "The 'winter program' at Ridgeway Elementary School In Dodgeville, Wisconsin, changed the lyrics of the Christmas carol 'Silent Night' to the more inclusive 'Cold in the Night.' ('Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite.') After this success, the program’s next step will obviously be: (a) Changing 'O Holy Night' to 'Uh-oh! Wholly night!' a song about a lunar eclipse."

2004

Has America forgotten the origin of Christmas? "I teach 1st graders in Sunday School. The past couple of years I have given each child a small nativity set for a Christmas present. The kids like having their own nativity set. Parents have told me how much their children have enjoyed setting it up and telling the Christmas story. So, I want to keep giving these as gifts.

     "In the past I found inexpensive sets in discount or craft stores. Not this year. I have been to several stores and have had no luck. There are plenty of snowmen, santas, reindeer, etc. Here is the amazing thing. Not once, not twice, but three times in recent days, I have encountered a strange response to my question: 'Do you have any small nativity sets?'

     "The response, 'A what?' prompts me to repeat my request. The confused clerk looks puzzled: ' I don't know what that is, ma'am.'..."

Why the world wants to get rid of Christianity: "In a century old battle between atheists, polytheists, and humanists against Christians in the most Godly nation in the world, the secularists have finally won. Today, not only has a mythical old man in a red suit replaced the Messiah as the symbol of the season, but the Messiah (who is viewed by civil rights activists as the God of hate and division) has actually been banned from participating in the holiday....

     "The street hawkers and merchants who profit from the gift-giving season have argued for years that Santa Claus represented the secular side of Christmas and the infant Jesus was merely the theological reason for the season. In recent years that changed—both drastically and tragically."

The Deluded Christian Church: "...Try as I might, I can't get past the fact that, to me anyway, Christmas is more than a 'holiday Season'. It is the prelude to the central event of my Christian Faith. Without Easter, Christmas is meaningless. The Christmas story is not about the birth, it is about the death. It is not about the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, it is about an empty tomb. In all of the hustle and bustle of Christmas the central question that must be asked is, 'Why was the Christ child born?'...

   "...I don't think Almighty God sent his son to die so that the main event in Christendom could be a 6 week birthday party for Him every 12 months....
    "Consider the following... One high school principal has forbidden the viewing of Dickens's A Christmas Carol because it mentions God. The singing of Silent Night is banned. Nativity scenes are a no-no; Students are suspended from school for sharing the meaning of Christmas with their classmates. School boards have banned the colors green and red from 'winter break' parties. A school district is attempting to ban the teaching of the Declaration of Independence because it mentions the G-word. In Philadelphia, using the Bible while preaching to the lost is considered being in possession of a 'criminal tool'." Phil 1:20-21

Christians in the crossfire: "Yes, it's maddening when politically correct bureaucrats ban nativity scenes and Christmas carols in the name of 'diversity' and 'tolerance.'... But the war on Christmas in America is a mere skirmish. Around the world, a bloody, repressive war on Christians rages on. In Iraq, Islamist rebel troops have declared open season on Christian churches, priests and missionaries. ...At the Elliotts' funeral... [pastor Stephen Rummage] said the couple 'loved the gospel and the souls of lost men and women more than themselves.'...

     "In Saudi Arabia, an Indian Christian man was abducted and held captive by the kingdom's religious police (the 'Muttawa') for seven months earlier this year. Brian Savio O'Connor was singled out by the Wahhabist thug cops for 'possession of Bibles and preaching Christianity.'...

    "Christian pastor Zhang Rongliang disappeared from his village apartment in Zhengzhou, China....In Vietnam and North Korea, followers of Christ have been arrested, beaten, tortured and forced to renounce their faith. In Nigeria, an Islamist terrorist group named after the Taliban conducted religious pogroms....

    "If America's mainstream media would give the global War on Christianity just a fraction of the attention it pays to the War on Christmas, lives might be saved. And light would be shed on the true heroes of the original religion of peace." Instead media leaders, who seems to despise Biblical Christianity as much as Communist leaders in China and Vietnam do, fuels the hostility. See The Mainstream Media

Where Did We Lose Christ? "A decade ago, the New Jersey Supreme Court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals declared that holiday exhibits are allowed, in that state, if a 'reasonable observer' would not mistake them for a 'religious endorsement.' ....

     "Spring Grove Elementary School, in Chicago, 'recently staged a holiday program that celebrated Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, but excluded references to Christ and the Christmas Story. School officials claim the multicultural concert, which also included references to Santa, was designed to be more inclusive of all holiday traditions and cultures.' And so to be more inclusive, the founder of Christianity, the Reason for the Season, had His birthday excluded." John 15:20-21

Goodbye Christmas? "The attempts to de-Christianize Christmas are as absurd as they are relentless. The United States today is the most tolerant and diverse society in history. It celebrates all faiths with an open heart and open-mindedness that, compared to even the most advanced countries in Europe, are unique. Yet more than 80 percent of Americans are Christian and probably 95 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas....

      "To insist that the overwhelming majority of this country stifle its religious impulses in public so that minorities can feel 'comfortable' not only understandably enrages the majority, but commits two sins. The first is profound ungenerosity toward a majority of fellow citizens who have shown such generosity of spirit toward minority religions."

Orders for 'White Christmas' in Plano Schools Produce Lawsuit: "A public school district in Texas has informed its students and parents of a ban on candy canes with religious messages, pencils with the name of Jesus inscribed on them, and -- of all things -- red- and green-colored decorations at holiday parties. That action has resulted in a pair of surprise gifts under the district's tree: a federal lawsuit... and an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

     "According to a press statement from the Plano, Texas-based Liberty Legal Institute, an 'unconstitutional censorship policy' is being enforced by the Plano Independent School District. The legal group says its lawsuit addresses a 'large amount of evidence that demonstrates the pervasive religious hostility' in the school district." See The lowly path of our heavenly King

Christmastime event is no-Christian zone: In the latest skirmish over Christmas in America, a Christian group is not allowed to participate in Denver's annual Parade of Lights, because church members sought to sing yuletide hymns and proclaim a 'Merry Christmas' message on their float....

      "Among those allowed to participate is the Two Spirit Society of Denver, a support group for American Indians who are homosexual, bisexual, or transgendered, honoring them as 'holy people.' Also included are performers of the Lion Dance, a Chinese New Year tradition 'meant to chase away evil spirits and welcome good luck and good fortune for the year'....

      "Despite the inclusion of these groups with spiritual connotations...the event does not allow 'direct religious themes.' Included in the ban are signs that read 'Merry Christmas' and the singing or playing of Christmas hymns. 'We want to avoid that specific religious message out of respect for other religions in the region.... It could be construed as disrespectful...." "Christmastime event is no-Christian zone"

Church anger over 'devil' Santa (UK): "Instead of the usual Father Christmas, visitors to Satan's Grotto at York Dungeon are greeted by a man dressed as the Devil with a red face and horns....

    "...visitors to the grotto are handed 'gifts' such as severed fingers, and can write on a scroll to sign their souls away. Mr Simpson, from St Michael-le-Belfrey... said concerns were raised at a regular meeting with colleagues from across York....'There are real evil forces and we in our work come across people who are damaged seriously through their involvement with occult forces." See Toying with Death & Loving evil more than good

December 2003

Christmas in good books at some public schools: "... the second-largest public system in Greater Toronto and one of the most diverse — has told its principals that Yuletide festivities are in order once again.... That doesn't mean schools should only recognize Christmas but that the Christian holiday should take the same prominence as other celebrations, such as Hanukkah, Ramadan and Kwanza....

     "People shied away from using terms that are known to children," he said in a recent interview. "What I was hoping to do was breathe a breath of fresh air and celebrate all of our faiths and say it's okay to talk about faith. In fact, it's important to talk about faith."

     That's true -- especially for those who use the dialectic (consensus) process to show that all religions lead to the same destination. The more you dialogue on these topics, the more "normal" and nice pluralism and paganism will seem to the participants. In this new context, Christian traditions may be acceptable, but Biblical truth will seem out-of-place. This mind-changing process illustrates the UN pathway to global solidarity. See Establishing a Global Spirituality and Bush, Shultz and Gorbachev

Christmas CD banned for mentioning Jesus (UK): "Many see the measure as the latest attempt to 'de-Christianize' Christmas.... Just last month, the Scottish Parliament banned traditional Christmas cards due to similar fears of offending other religions. Officials said 'Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year' could not appear on government cards, as the wording was not deemed to be 'socially inclusive.'" The international goal for every community is Solidarity, which is incompatible with Christianity.

Christmas, Syncretism and Presumption: "Christmas is a worldwide phenomenon.... We see vestiges of its presence in every corner of the world, no matter how far removed from Christian influence. When we take an honest look at its global appeal, we find that the real interest in it is commercial rather than religious. The latter factor is often dismissed or ignored." Though we don't agree with everything in this article, it makes some interesting points. See Where is Christ in Christmas?

Did you have a happy Kwanzaa? "There are few holidays we can actually attribute to one man's n. Ksentenced five years after inventing Kwanzaa for torturing two black women by whipping them with electrical cords and beating them with a karate baton.... But that wasn't the beginning of the bizarre and violent behavior of Karenga, the patron saint of Kwanzaa....

     "It's being taught to your kids in your government schools. It's become a commercial bonanza in black communities through the United States. And, now, even the president of the United States is praising it as a legitimate holiday."

Christmas CD banned for mentioning Jesus (UK): "... a charity Christmas CD has been banned from distribution because it mentions the baby Jesus.... Many see the measure as the latest attempt to 'de-Christianize' Christmas.... Just last month, the Scottish Parliament banned traditional Christmas cards due to similar fears of offending other religions. Officials said 'Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year' could not appear on government cards, as the wording was not deemed to be 'socially inclusive.'" The Mind-Changing [Consensus] Process

Christmas in America becomes battleground: "...news items from across the country this week indicate that the U.S. has become the new battleground for Christmas. Cases in point: A first-grade teacher in Sacramento Co., Calif., says her principal has prohibited instructors from uttering the word 'Christmas' in class or in written materials; A school superintendent in Yonkers, N.Y., banned, then unbanned, holiday decorations that contained religious themes more than the generic 'season's greetings'...."

December 2002

Fury as Red Cross bans nativity scene: "The British Red Cross is facing a sharp drop in donations from an angry public after it banned nativity scenes from its shop windows." Matthew 24:9

Telling the world about the Christ of Christmas: "While rumors of war, political turmoil and terrorism make it harder than ever for some U.S. missionaries overseas, tens of thousands of Americans still carry on the work. Missionary zeal has sent American Christians overseas since before the Civil War, when they would pack their belongings in wooden coffins. Today, an estimated 35,000 to 60,000 U.S. citizens each year follow in their footsteps...

    "'I will keep going back as long as the Lord wants me to,' said Miss Zaayenga, who has a graduate degree in English and attended Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham. "I wanted to make my life valuable to God.'...

    "Missionary groups today divide the world into three parts, beginning with the 'nominal' Christian West. Next, there are nations such as Japan that have heard the Gospel for centuries. The final third are an estimated 10,000 'people groups,' or 2.1 billion humans, who for reasons of language or geography have never heard about the Christ of Christmas." Philippians 1:20-21

Was Mary a teenage mum? (UK) "Before the [BBC] show was broadcast, the Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth, Crispian Hollis, expressed his displeasure in a statement. He said: 'To include, within a historical examination of her life, confused and unfounded guesswork, which carries with it crude and offensive speculation, is not only unscholarly but runs the risk of undermining the very integrity of the project itself.'" Galatians 6:7-8 and The Mainstream Media

Santa may have begun as woman: "According to folklorists and neo-pagan enthusiasts, the Santa Claus character of popular American Christmastide actually is predated several thousand years by Holda, the pagan Teutonic goddess of good fortune.....Frau Holda, as she is more popularly known, has been sliding down chimneys, delivering gifts to children, and traveling via an airborne cart, according to German mythology and folklore, since at least several hundred years before the birth of Christ. ...

     "She is said to roam the winter skies during the Twelve Days of Christmas, bestowing gifts on well behaved children (and adults), and causing havoc for those who have been naughty or lazy. ...

     "'Santa is a composite folk character,' said Selena Fox, a frequent lecturer in paganism and folklore and high priestess of the Circle Sanctuary, a Wiccan church in southwestern Wisconsin. 'He is multicultural and multireligious. Many people don't know that.'" Such blends of pagan myth and multicultural revisionism speed the cultural shift to a pagan world view.

Policy Discriminating Against Christians During Christmas Season: "At issue is a school policy... that prohibits the display of Nativity scenes in the City’s schools during the Christmas season, but expressly permits and encourages these schools to display during certain religious holidays and seasonal observances the Jewish Menorah and the Islamic Star and Crescent.

      "City officials claim that the goal of this policy is 'to promote understanding and respect for the diverse beliefs and customs relating to our community’s observance of the winter holiday.''"

School bans saying 'Christmas': "...a first-grade teacher in Sacramento Co., CA, says she's been ordered by her principal not to utter the word 'Christmas' at school.... [Director of communications, Deidra Powell] says the policy is designed to protect all students and make them feel safe in their environment, adding 'not everybody is a Christian. We're using public funds, [so] we can't endorse [Christmas].'" See The UN Plan for Your Mental Health

Superintendent pulls plug on holiday decorations: "All ornamentation with a message stronger than a generic 'happy holidays' or 'season's greetings' has been banned from the city's public schools. Yonkers interim Superintendent Angelo Petrone directed officials last week to remove all Hanukkah menorahs, Christmas trees and specific holiday decorations from the schools....

        "'...these actions are overreactions that come out of confusion about what the First Amendment requires and the refusal by schools to address religion properly throughout the school year," [Charles] Haynes said....

        "Steve Frey, president of the Yonkers Federation of Teachers, said it has been a long-standing tradition for teachers to use religious holidays to teach respect for all cultures and to emphasize the uniqueness as well as similarities among different religions and cultures...." See Twisting Truth and Establishing a Global Spirituality

'For us, there is no peace': "Michael Zoughbi is perplexed that he and other Christians cannot freely celebrate Christmas where the Bible says Jesus was born. 'We are under curfew and are not allowed out of our houses. Christians cannot attend church in Bethlehem,' said Zoughbi. 'The happiness of Christmas is to have peace in our country. Peace was born in Bethlehem, but, for us, there is no peace.''

    But Jesus didn't promise us a peaceful world. He promised something far better: peace with Him and peace within -- no matter how fierce the storms all around us. See John 16:33

Ho-ho-ho! Austrians say 'no': "Strauss believes Austrians should celebrate their own symbol of Christmas, the Christkind, or Christ-child, who, like Santa, also comes noiselessly to leave gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve....

    Members of the group said the Santa Claus phenomenon had exploded in the last three years. They attribute it to globalization, which brings Christmas television shows and movies to Austria, as well as to worldwide holiday marketing campaigns by American corporations. The same trends turned Halloween, once observed here only as a day to remember the dead, into a major commercial holiday."

December 2001

Christmas and Praise to God. The greatest gift for all: "Whether or not we are individually believers in Christ, [as Americans] we are beneficiaries of the moral doctrine that has curbed power and protected the weak. Power is the horse ridden by evil.... Power that is secularized and cut free of civilizing traditions is not limited by moral and religious scruples. V.I. Lenin made this clear when he defined the meaning of his dictatorship as 'unlimited power, resting directly on force, not limited by anything.'
      "Christianity's emphasis on the worth of the individual makes such power as Lenin claimed unthinkable. Be we religious or be we not, our celebration of Christ's birthday celebrates a religion that made us masters of our souls and of our political life on Earth. Such a religion as this is worth holding on to even by atheists." Yes, everyone benefits from a world where human nature is tempered by the love and teachings of Jesus. How much more blessed are those who know, love, worship and follow the King of kings who came to give His life for us. Psalm 18:1-3 and John 14:6

For God so loved the world

Where is Christ in Christmas?

Christmas.

O battered town of Bethlehem: "Just a few weeks ago, the town where Jesus was born over 2,000 years ago was the scene of heavy fighting between Israeli and Palestinian forces. Cratered roads and bullet-ridden walls still testify to the fierceness of the battles. Pictures of dead and wounded residents are plastered everywhere. The traditional cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian officials to create a safe and pleasant atmosphere for holiday tourists is nowhere to be seen. ...

       "Despite the violence and gloom engulfing the biblical Promised Land this Christmas, a few rays of hope can be spotted in the darkness. Christmas celebrations are planned to go on as usual in at least one place in Bethlehem – the First Baptist Church led by Palestinian pastor Naim Khoury. Having boldly told Arab militiamen affiliated with Arafat's PLO Fatah movement that they could not use his premises to shoot at nearby Israeli positions, Pastor Khoury says he is determined to make this Christmas as joyful as possible for the 120 or so families in his growing congregation. This decision is "despite the fact that nearly 90 percent of my people are suffering from unemployment." ...

       "Chris and Craig Keitz of Oklahoma City are among the small band of American pilgrims who have ignored State Department travel warnings and come to the land to celebrate Christmas. They had a special reason for traveling at this troubled time – a desire to bless stressed-out Jewish, Arab and expatriate believers by distributing some of the money that their late father left them in his will. Without knowing about their secret mission, Pastor Khoury mentioned his nearly empty Christmas sacks. The brothers smiled at each other...." John 3:19

Jesus came into a troubled world. A vast pagan empire controlled His beloved nation, and His own people refused to acknowledge Him. Many wanted to crown Him king, but He explained that His kingdom was not of this world. He longed to focus their hearts on eternity, but He taught them how to spread His light in a hostile world that would hate His truth. They would live "in the world but not of the world."

Now as then, He reminds His people to "be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." It is not enough to "discern the face of the sky," we must learn to "discern the signs of the times" -- all the worldly indications that His warnings are coming true. None are more significant than the transformation of our education system -- from traditional academics to training for conformity to an anti-Christian global community:

If religion offends you, stop reading: "The birth of Jesus of Nazareth could not have been more inauspicious. Forced by the Roman governor to participate in a census so that officials in Rome could levy taxes, His parents traveled to Bethlehem, a town far from their home, for His birth. There being no room at the inn, He was born in a hovel used to shelter animals and placed in a manger to keep warm. When He was still an infant, He fled with His parents to Egypt....

       "He spent only three years in public life, preaching, tending to the sick, caring for the poor, gathering round Him an odd assortment of men -- and women -- fishermen, prostitutes, housewives. He spoke well of Samaritans, a group much reviled by the Jews of His time....

       "Jesus' message was one of forgiveness and redemption: 'Go thy way, and from now on sin no more.' He made redemption possible -- by His words and His deeds, giving His life to expiate the sins of all men." John 1:11

Christmas reveals trivial pursuits: "Cultures, civilizations, leaders and threats change, but the message of Christmas doesn't.... It's about a miracle baby and eternal things. As the Christmas card says, 'Wise Men Still Seek Him.' Post 9/11, more apparently are seeking and that is a valuable gift to all who do." Other statistics tell us that the 9/11 rise in church attendance was temporary [see The Changing Church], but it's true: "Wise men still seek Him" and His faithful ones set their hearts on eternity with their King. See Magi

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