Why, Why Oh Why?

From the outset it is clear I am a Christian and it is quite true I folloqw the teachings of Jesus and some of his diciples, but what isn't obvious is that I also approach my faith from a historical and scientific background.

This usually become obvious around Christmas time when competeing belief systems set out to bring down the whole idea of Christmas, which the term suggests is a Christ Mass. The time of year is historically important though and not just because Christiansd also started celebrating this time in 330AD. There are the traditions of the Solstice, The Harvest, even Isis in Rome was celebrated around this time.

Historically Christians made the celebration more prominent through time and through countries around the world, where variations of paganism and even wicca was being followed. The early Christians, like St Patrick, who was first driven off for being against Celtic traditions eventually set aside his rigid Roman Catholic Church teaching to develop faith along the lines of inclusivity of culture and tradition; this is why through Europe we see the Christmas tradition well developed with many traditional nature elements.

There came a time of inquisition that swept through the world, or reformations that unravelled the nature of the church while it was trying to enforce power over the very people it said it was protecting. Good Christians still kept on developing strong relationships with their neighbours and accepted traditions and incorporated many of them. Sadly history only records much of the bad that was done and in circles where it is easier to quote something out of context it is hard to deliver and type of understanding about those nightmarish times. The inquisition failed, more people came to the side of Jesus, but not to stand alongside the Catholic Church, but to stand up against the wrongs that were being done on the name of Jesus the Christ.

In many ways the exploitation of people does continue and it comes not from Christians endeavouring to help others but from the new versions of the inquisitipon that call themselves Christians and Churches. Penticostal Churches (At times rabit religious fundamentalists) are infiltarting poor countries and spreading a belief system that, on the surface is a salvation from hatred, develops a kind of deeper hatred of self and those who are not like you. Where this can lead has already been played out in the USA bible belt where you see religious types (I have difficulty even calling them Christian) deliver rant after rant of nonsense and misdirection as if it were some for of God spoken truth. Watch a TV evangelist to see what I mean. These types of Christians do not make up the majority of Christaians in the world today, but like the inquisitions of older times, it is hard to fight against this type of persecution when minorities are not taking the time to understand the differeneces between people and what they believe.

Sometimes, at Christmas, I like to incorporate as the systems that made the early Christian world so vibrant, caring and adventurous - not the TV version people do like to recite in argument, but the guy changing lighbulbs for the old couplwe down the road, the woman mending clothes for ex-cons, or the small church on the corner that sends care packages to soldiers in war torn parts of the world regardless of what the soldier has as a faith.

Today, in the times we try to share there are new voices crying out to be heard, but not crying out in a manner that is of any benefit to others in a tangible sense, but more the individual sound of someone thinking they have more rights than everyone else. Something, if a Christian is of the Jesus following kind, doesn't really consider. That is not to say self is not important, but that self is not something pushed above all others. I think communism tried to be like a atheist model of Christian ideals, and we know how well that worked out. It is at Christmas time that the minority groups scream the loudest, scamper for their piece of dirt so they can hoist their flag higher than anyone elses. Why? What difference does it make if the majority of the country follows a Christian styled Christmas - what harm does this do?

Consider the red suited father Christmas being promoted. This varriant which people seem sometimes to feel more comfortable with is actually the worst kind of Christmas iconism. The red suit and product promotion is only 90 years old, it is a Coca Cola advertisemnt from the 20s, the most effective product ADVERTISING CAMPAIN IN THE HISTORY OF THE PLANET. While [people balk at the idea of celebrating the birth of a baby who brought hope into the world when the world needed it, they scamper with self righteous pride to an incidious ad campain that commercialised a form of Christmas for profit.

Even Pagan and Wicca belief systems, which would have moree familiarity with the new hope (harvest, birth) ideal would find the red suited fat man too much to accept - yet people do argue this is the true meaning of Christmas when much, much older celebrations created this time of year.

The term Christmas didn't even appear until 330AD, well after much of the old Rome had fallen.

So, why does all this matter to me? It matters because minorities who are not happy with just celebrating their own understanding of the time of year, set out to bring down any other varriant of this celebration. Even I, knowing the history behind the red suit, do not try and bring it down, or stop people from believing in the icon. What is important, and is always important, is that hope is the key to this time of year. Be it solstice, harvest or new birth, all bring the idea of hope into the mind and allow us to astep forward a little more confidently into the future.

I know the history of Christmas (the Christian version that created the name) but that knowing allows me to see the value to all people no matter what they want to believe. If you find negativity in Christmas, than this negativity exiasts in your own heart and mind - true you may find others to join you in some bitterness, there are always plenty of mean spirited people in the world, but on the whole Christmas is a good thing.

With such a long blog for Christmas, my last for the year, it is hard to know what the future will be for people I know and the ones I have yet to meet. Some will naturally of pre conceptions of me as Christian, which will make friendship difficult, and some will find it even appropriate to simply tell me I believe in make beleive. That is the sadness of the modern ages I suppose.

Within myself I know I mean no harm and only wish all people a reasonable life with steady moments of peace, safety and good health.

I could say a lot more, but to be honest, I feel I would then be infringing on othhers opinions and beliefs. I do not want to do that, so please know even as I write this I am cautious not to offend anyone too deliberately.