Caesar, Jesus Christ and Christmas?

CFP ^ | December 16, 2004 | Nathan Tabor

[MikeEdwards]

It used to be that many Americans would deplore the commercialization of the Christmas holidays (or, originally, "holy days"). Not today. Many stores are starting to display "Merry Krissmas" signs.

With so many people focusing most of their attention on buying and selling, and the giving and receiving of gifts, materialism seemed destined to displace the original Christian "reason for the season."

But in recent years, those misfits among us who are most hostile to the things of God have moved from merely ignoring the Biblical basis for our mid-winter holiday celebration to actively opposing its spiritual roots.

We now confront, therefore, not only the aforementioned commercialization of Christmas, but also the secularization and politicization of the sacred holiday as well.

Every winter, all across America, we have another big fight right around Christmas time. That’s when the liberal, atheistic ACLU types always launch their annual campaign to expel God from the public schools and banish Jesus Christ from the public square.

Santa Claus and his flying reindeer may be OK, but the God-sent, Virgin-born Babe in the Manger is clearly unacceptable to these self-proclaimed, "free-thinking" guardians of humanistic heathenism.

It never ceases to amaze me how some of these folks manage to twist the Constitution continually to mean something it plainly doesn’t say. They grossly misinterpret the First Amendment into a pagan prohibition of any public display of religious faith--rather than a blessed guarantee of the right to freely exercise that faith, both in public and in private.

The very idea of an alleged right to "freedom from religion" is antithetical to everything the Founding Fathers fought for and believed in. Even an unregenerate old Deist like the worldly Benjamin Franklin supported the public exercise of Christianity as being beneficial to the general morality . . . . .

[geopyg]

I've heard that Jesus was probably born in 4 B.C. Springtime was a probable time as the shepards were "out in their fields" and some other indicators as well.

A few weeks ago a visiting preacher said that Constantine (in the 300's AD?) declared that the Roman Solstice parties should celebrate Jesus' birth instead of the Roman Gods. Christianity was the official religion of the Romans by that time. His sermon was on how Christians can and should influence the world around him (Constantine, Martin Luther, Mother Theresa) - including government.

Its interesting to hear all the different ideas on the date of Christmas. I may not know the true date of Christmas, but I DO know the true meaning of Christmas!

[donmeaker]

Cyrus who permitted the Jews to return from babylon is different from the guy who Alexander conquered. Just off the top of my head, there was a guy named Darius and Xerxes who fought the Greeks at Marathon and Salamis. Of course names repeat in dynasties, don't they.

[Flying Circus]

Buzz. Wrong answer. The feast of the Immaculate Conception (the conception of Mary, the mother of God)is on December 8. The Feast of the Annunciation (the conception of Jesus Christ) is on March 25.

[AppyPappy]

The Wise Men appeared when Jesus was about 3.

[dangus]

Whoops! Hehehe. Silly me! I do know better.

[dangus]

Right. It was Persia which Alexander conquered, not Cyrus himself. I do believe in fact there was a Cyrus II.

[dangus]

>>The Wise Men appeared when Jesus was about 3.<<

Yes, it took them some time to find Jesus. They saw his star only once he was born. Confronted with this sign, they needed to deduce its meaning. It's not like they said, "O look there's a star! That means that a King is born of the Lion of Judah in the House of David in Israel!"

[AppyPappy]

The "Star" may have been "stars". In short, it was astrology. They may not have been speaking of a literal star but a message. The Greek word "As-tare" could be literal or figurative.

[Preachin']

"Other than that they are on the same day of the same month, and celebrate the same thing?"

Nice try, but that is still not factual. It's your opinion, that's all.

[ConservativeStLouisGuy]

Jim Robinson's Master List Of Articles To Be Excerpted....


Caesar, Jesus Christ and Christmas? - Nathan Tabor

It used to be that many Americans would deplore the commercialization of the Christmas holidays (or, originally, "holy days"). Not today. Many stores are starting to display "Merry Krissmas" signs.

With so many people focusing most of their attention on buying and selling, and the giving and receiving of gifts, materialism seemed destined to displace the original Christian "reason for the season."

But in recent years, those misfits among us who are most hostile to the things of God have moved from merely ignoring the Biblical basis for our mid-winter holiday celebration to actively opposing its spiritual roots.

We now confront, therefore, not only the aforementioned commercialization of Christmas, but also the secularization and politicization of the sacred holiday as well.

Every winter, all across America, we have another big fight right around Christmas time. That’s when the liberal, atheistic ACLU types always launch their annual campaign to expel God from the public schools and banish Jesus Christ from the public square.

Santa Claus and his flying reindeer may be OK, but the God-sent, Virgin-born Babe in the Manger is clearly unacceptable to these self-proclaimed, "free-thinking" guardians of humanistic heathenism.

It never ceases to amaze me how some of these folks manage to twist the Constitution continually to mean something it plainly doesn’t say. They grossly misinterpret the First Amendment into a pagan prohibition of any public display of religious faith -- rather than a blessed guarantee of the right to freely exercise that faith, both in public and in private.

The very idea of an alleged right to "freedom from religion" is antithetical to everything the Founding Fathers fought for and believed in. Even an unregenerate old Deist like the worldly Benjamin Franklin supported the public exercise of Christianity as being beneficial to the general morality and common good of the populace.

These seeming contradictions in modern life served to set me thinking -- improbable as this may sound -- about the inherent interrelationship between Christmas and...politics, of all things.

That is a very odd combination. There is absolutely no way the two have anything to do with each other. One is about the birth of Jesus Christ, and the other is about human government and public policy.

When you look at the facts, though, you will see something different.

Why were Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem when Jesus was born? They had to pay taxes to Caesar. There were no rooms in the inn because so many people came to pay taxes. This meant that the Lamb of God came into the world in a lowly manger, among the farm animals that were used as sacrificial offerings in the Jewish religion.

Government is about human institutions taking care of the people who live in this world. The legitimate goal of government is to set up an ordered society that is free and safe, where one and all can live and prosper in peace.

God established human government through the Noahic Covenant that protected the sanctity of all human life created in the image of God. God then established through the 10 Commandments the basic moral parameters that have bounded Western Civilization for more than three millennia.

The birth of Jesus Christ, which is what Christmas (or Christ’s Mass) really commemorates, is about our Christ coming from Heaven to Earth to die on the Cross of Calvary. Why? So that redeemed men can live for all eternity with Him.

Isaiah the prophet describes Jesus as our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace..."and the government shall be upon his shoulders."

Human government is about providing physical services for mankind’s temporal needs.

Jesus Christ is about providing spiritual blessings for mankind’s eternal needs.

Christmas today is STILL about remembering God’s unspeakable gift to us through the birth of Jesus. It is also about being generous to others -- a time to give clothing to the poor, a time to share food with a needy neighbor, a time to help out a friend who has fallen on hard times and is struggling to get by.

Most importantly, Christmas should be a time of blessed family fellowship and worship toward God, with prayerful meditation and joyful thanksgiving.

Jesus gave to all of us needy humans the greatest gift of all: Himself.





"Did I forget to post the full article AGAIN? D'OH!!"

FReegards,

ConservativeStLouisGuy