What does Christ have to do with Christmas

What’s the retrograde right up to now? They want to put Christ into Christmas. Parents and religious leaders have been trying to do that for as long as I can remember. It is a doomed effort. Originally there was a pagan celebration of the winter solstice. The popular possibilities beckoned the power structure, mainly the Church at that time, to compete with the pagan gods for the recognition and homage. Originally the Church was opposed to the celebration of birthdays. The desire to get and keep the adoration of the masses was reason enough to change and to establish a religious counter action.

Ask any child why he likes Christmas. I have never met one who said it was because he was eager to celebrate the birth of Christ unless of course the parents are there to overhear his answer and have done their best to brain wash him. Yes, there are a few sects that do not participate in the commercial aspects of Christmas. They have not been successful in convincing the general population. Even the non-Christians have a hard time keeping their children from wanting to participate in the popular celebration with gifts and songs.

Some of my fellow atheists want to ban any public reference to Christ in the Christmas Season. They think that their rights under the constitution are being abused by being greeted with a Merry Christmas rather than an amorphous Happy Holidays. I am as opposed to religion as any of them but I see no reason to try to abandon custom and offend many for such a minor offence. There are many more insidious practices that should be attacked. The preemptive war in Iraq is worthy of far more press attention than the public view of a crèche. The continued slaughter of innocent civilians as collateral damage should be continually in American pulpits and press.

Christmas is supposed to be the celebration of the birth of Christ, whose murder is somehow going to save us from our basic sinful nature. Christ died for us. Now our soldiers are to die for our leaders. Are they atoning for the sins of our leaders by dying in a Christ like emulation? I would much rather see a more direct approach to atoning their sins by trying them in an international court of justice. Let’s start with Chaney and Rumsfeld.