Posted on 12/02/2012 3:18:49 AM PST by Kaslin
Why do some atheists embarrass themselves year after year trying to eradicate Christmas from American culture? Why do they make themselves societal hemorrhoids during this hallowed season? Is it because they are crusaders for equality, secularism’s saviors and humanism’s heroes? I’m sure that’s what they tell themselves when they’re pouting on their couches all alone on Christmas Eve after every single one of their friends has dumped them for being a rabid jackass.
I believe, however—and I could be wrong—that the reason some rage against the machine is that they hate God and love their sin, and bringing up Jesus in December is not the way they wanted to finish off the year. Indeed, Christ really rains on their parade … and they love their parade.
Christmas, if you really get down to the brass tacks of it, isn’t about reindeer, elves, iPhones or Lindsay Lohan punching a gypsy, but about mankind’s sin problem and what God did to remedy it by sending His Son.
I know the chief facet most people focus on regarding Christ’s birth has been the peace on earth and good will toward men stuff, but if you dig around in the gospels a tad you’ll quickly see that the “peace on earth” thing is an ancillary perk to the main reason the second person of the godhead donned an earth suit and decided to hang out with us dunderheads. The core cause that necessitated Jesus’ incarnation was our jacked up carnality. Yep, Hambone, it was our sin. There, I said it. Sin. Yours, mine and ours.
Transgression was the reason for the season.
This is why El Diablo didn’t pass out cigars at Jesus’ birth. Happy he was not that the Son was not only going to address our sins but He was going to eternally and temporally salvage those who believe from sin’s fetid effects. This is why slewfoot energized Herod to put a hit out on the Nazarene when He was a wee little baby and why Satan’s demon inspired ilk are anti-Christmas to this day. Jesus’ birth equated to Satan’s demise.
This is not good news to some, though. Indeed, many atheists are up front about it and don’t want to leave their wantonness. As Jesus Himself said, they prefer darkness to light and don’t like to be reminded of their personal accountability for their sin—and thus their need for salvation—and therefore we should not expect them to be stoked about Jesus’ birthday party.
This is easy math, folks: A person who has no remorse and thus no desire to repent from their sins is probably not going to be a big advocate for the celebration of the person who reminds them they’re wrong and calls them to repent and believe.
Call me goofy, but I’m forever grateful for Jesus’ birth, His attesting miracles, His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection. While most atheists this Christmas will be drinking to forget, I will, as Martin Luther said, drink to remember the One who was and is and is to come.
When you believe in nothing you hate those with strong beliefs. Liberals and atheists have much in common.
It would be good to keep this Scripturally factual. Herod sought to slay all male children under 2 years old, after he learned of His existence after the arrival of the wise men from Padan-Aram, about 2 years after His birth.
They pray at the alter of Gov’t. And rights granted by Gov’t can be rescinded (especially the 1st & 2nd Amendments).
That is why they hate religion and especially Christians, nothing more complicated than that.
If you remove religion, you remove the Bill of Rights and replace it with what the Gov’t deems appropriate.
A pastor of mine used to say, "A man's morality will dictate his theology".
The same is true for his politics.
I agree with your friend, and I like to think that I am the same sort of atheist.
I also think that in most churches and synagogues there are a number of silent atheists, people who go along to get along but in their heart of hearts just don't believe.
This guy truly believes that a man has a right to believe in whatever they want.
As indeed he does, and we all as well.
And you are welcome to believe as you choose. I'll never insult your faith and never have.
I don't have a problem with a nativity scene on the courthouse lawn, either. In Jefferson's great phrase, "It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg".
But when anyone says I can't be a conservative because I am not a Christian, that ticks me off big time and I will respond, sometimes (despite my best efforts) in anger.
He is. Those types are about as representative of us as Westboro is of you. Most of us you'd never know unless you bring it up first.
Same here.
You are absolutely correct. It all boils down to world-view.
It is shocking to the majority here but, yes, you can be a liberty loving atheist. Far too many atheists are statist turds, but far too many Christians are too.
I've had many, many occasions to observe that some Christian Freepers are far, far more upset by the small number of atheist conservatives who are out there than they are by the millions of Christians who voted for Obama.
I’ve seen that too. Huge swaths of Catholics and almost all black Christians are liberal. But conservative atheists bother them more (well, some of them.)
The root? Could it beee... SATAN?
Then call me goofy, too. I appreciate the Lord God coming into the world for us, to us. Thank you, God.
Because some atheists are jerks, just as some Christians are jerks, just as some Hindus...etc.
Christmas, if you really get down to the brass tacks of it, isn’t about reindeer, elves,
It is to some. It isn't to others. To each their own. While I'm an atheist myself, I've always enjoyed Christmas. Granted, I only celebrate the secular aspects of it (gift-giving, watching Rankin-Bass tv specials, lights, and so on).
I certainly see atheism as far more in tune ideologically with small-government libertarianism than Catholicism can claim to be.
I’m more dubious of Catholics who claim to be conservatives than atheists.
*cough* Michael Pfleger *cough*
I do too. I mean, in a sense, Christianity is like a spiritual socialism. Instead of the rich man’s taxes paying for the poor man’s social services, it’s the spiritually rich man’s death that pays for the spiritually poor man’s sins. A really “conservative” religion would posit that you’ll burn in hell until your sins are paid for, and then when you deserve to go to heaven, you do. Pay your own way, you know? But... whatever. Humans are inconsistent creatures, by and large.
I found this book:to be highly informative. It cites voluminous evidence in support of the proposition that John Locke, who anticipated the Declaration of Independence, in fact had much written Catholic thought to draw support from. Very interesting and impressive.
- The Theme is Freedom:
- Religion, Politics, and the American Tradition
by M. Stanton Evans
At the same time, the Catholic Church has plenty of history as an established religion used to a cozy relationship with the state.But in reality socialism is a self-centered religion which promotes conceit and is a direct attack on, of all things, charity. Socialism claims to be charity, but it is a strange sort of “love” which puffs itself up and has the effect of denigrating the efforts which it does not control.
Nice post, Nathan.
I wasn’t saying that. The Tea Party is working this out right now, trying to determine whether social conservatism should be part of their platform. That doesn’t mean everyone in the Tea Party has to be a social conservative or not, depending on what the Tea Party decides.
The Republican platform is pro-life yet we have many members of the party who are not.
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