My Sunday Thought for October 11, 2015: The Holiday Season

For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

--Isaiah 9:5-6

Those without faith have, by ignorance or design, managed to twist the intent of Christmas to one of selfish secular wants and desires centered on a decorative tree, food, drink, family, and voluminous amounts of gifts.  For those that have an issue with using a dictionary, let me be of assistance:

sec·u·larˈ
sekyələr/ adjective 

1. denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis.

It would seem those without Christian faith selfishly want all the material and emotional gifts that come with celebrating this annual season of Christianity, without investing themselves in the requisite faith the season celebrates; wanting everything without having to work for it. Sounds a lot like our current societal values, doesn't it?  It is called Christmas for reason.  Christ's Mass commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.

Lest we forget recent news, the continued murdering of Christians, at home and abroad, it would seem there is a secular attitude which fosters a lack of action to stem the tide of evil atrocities, crimes against humanity, which seem to be so pervasive in our world.  Does the term "secular," by definition, exclude those of faith?  Let us not forget another time, not so long ago, when we forgot the love of Christ.  It would seem the same attitudes which many Christians visited upon the European Jews of the 1930s has come back to haunt, as this same evil comes to claim our own flock.  Evil came for the Jews, it seems to be coming for the Christians, and, by their own hand, it seems to be decimating the faith of Islam, as well.  

The spiritual, religious message of peace and love falls on deaf ears.  The spiritual and religious would accuse those with no faith of not heeding the message, yet these accusers would seem, also, to be blind to the deafness in their own ranks.  Are we really this stupid?  Is deaf, dumb, and blind really the human recipe for survival?  It would seem so.

Some believe the answer would be to do away with God, religion and, by extension, faith.  By the Wikipedia definition, "the term faith has numerous connotations and is used in many different ways, often depending on context. Faith may be confidence or trust in a person or thing or a belief not based on proof."  But, why would we want to do away with faith?  Well, because it is "not based on proof," and we have become a society of naysayers requiring proof, of everything!

Prove to me the killing of Jews is not in the best interest of humanity.  Prove to me the killing of Christians is not in the best interest of humanity.  Prove to me the killing of Islam is not in the best interest of the world.  We stand idly by and wait for some immoral excuse to do nothing while sociopathic, murdering, lunatics run roughshod over our humanity.  I keep going back to the words from a prominent "man of the cloth," Protestant pastor Martin Niemöller, during his post-World War II lectures, and concerning his own inaction:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist. 

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist. 

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew. 

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Pastor Niemöller's antisemitism came back to haunt him during his seven years in a Nazi concentration camp.  Bad karma?  Bad faith?  Bad human?  I can guarantee he had an epiphany of faith during his years of confinement.  I have learned, mostly by living with my eyes wide opened, there is much truth to the Galatians 6:7-9 passage:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Life without faith, without hope, is nothing but a life in confinement.  It is part of being human that we have faith.  

Celebrating the coming of the Christ, the birth of Jesus, is celebrating faith.  It is a celebration of faith not only in religious terms, but in humanity as a whole.  It is a celebration of faith in something better than what we are.  It is a celebration of our desire for peace, love, and understanding throughout the world.  It is the celebration of daily proof that we exist, and our faith that we will continue to exist whether we have that proof, or not.

Perhaps, instead of denying Christianity, those wishing to change Christianity, into something it is not, should, rather, try to embrace the spirit behind the prophet.  Fine, don't accept a virgin birth.  Don't accept miracles and claims for which there is no proof.  Embrace the spirit behind a philosophy of love and understanding which virtually all of the world religions profess.  It is not an admission of religion; it is a tolerance of religion as another vehicle to forward the cause of peace, love, and understanding.  Even Islam accepts and praises Jesus as a prophet, and He is even rumored to be revered as "Saint Issa" by Tibetan Buddhist and Hindu holy men amongst whom he supposedly studied for many years.  If Jesus is not the "Son of God," he is certainly the Son of Man, born to save us from ourselves, and to give us hope, and faith of something better.  

Are those without spiritual faith right?  Are there no gods?  Are we simply here and then we're gone?  Is any afterlife simply a dimensional shift of our reality, not tied to an omnipotent being, and does any evil we do in this life simply reflect into which dimension we pass?  Is death simply a trip through Dante's "Inferno" without any religious connotations?  Perhaps, after all, there is no proof, either way.

I will continue to hold the "holiday season" as a season of goodwill toward mankind.  I will continue to remember why this season exists, and what the coming of the Christ is supposed to mean for all of mankind.  I will be thank God during Thanksgiving, and I will praise the gift of Christ at Christmas.  It is a gift which is easy to remember, "...on earth peace, goodwill toward men."

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

-- Luke 2:14

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Frank Anthony Villari (aka, Pastor Tony)

Pastor Tony is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path."