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One late evening, a little over 2015 years ago, a man named Joseph and his young wife named Mary arrived in Bethlehem only to discover that there were no rooms at the local inn. Imagine the frightening situation they faced since Mary, who was expecting a child, probably had been experiencing birth pains for the last 10 miles of their 80 mile journey. Now that they had finally reached their destination they were told that the only place the inn keeper had to offer for their comfort was an animal shelter. This was not exactly the place Joseph expected...

Freue dich, freue dich, O Christenheit! Christkindchen komm in unser Haus, Leer deine schönen Sachen aus, Stell dein Eselchen auf den Mist, Daß es Heu und Hafer frißt. + + + Rejoice, rejoice, O Christendom! The Christ-Child to our house has come. Bring now forth thy treasures fine, Lift thine ass-colts from the mire That they on hay and oats may dine. + + + From all of us at Chez B-Chan to all of our friends here... + + + JOYEUX NOËL FRÖLICHE WEIHNACHTSENZEIT FELIZ NAVIDAD MERRY CHRISTMASキリスト�誕生日�����������Kiristo no tanjoubi, omedetou gozaimasu...and a Happy New Year!

Luke 2: 1-20 The Story of Christ's Birth And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David), to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being with...

The origins and meaning of the holiday. St. Francis' stroke of genius. This is how Joseph Ratzinger explained Christmas to the pilgrims who had come from all over the world, just before Christmas Eve. Dear brothers and sisters, with the Christmas novena, which we are celebrating in these days, the Church is inviting us to live in an intense and profound way the preparation for the Nativity of the Savior, which is now imminent. The desire that we all hold in our hearts is that the upcoming feast of Christmas may give us, in the midst of the frenetic activity...

A conservative activist and Illinois comptroller candidate was escorted from the Illinois State Capitol building Wednesday when he tried to remove a sign put up by an atheist group. William J. Kelly announced Tuesday that he planned to take down the sign put up by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and on Wednesday, he tried to make good on his plan. But Kelly said when he turned the sign around so it was face down, state Capitol police were quick to escort him away.

While Christmas is so familiar that we sometimes wonder whether anything fresh and true can be said about it, there is a way to explore its meaning that may seem new to us today, yet is in fact quite traditional, dating back to the Middle Ages and the ancient Fathers of the Church. Modern interpreters often argue about whether a given Scripture passage should be interpreted literally or symbolically. Medieval writers would question the “either/or” approach. They thought a passage could have as many as four “right” interpretations, one literal and three symbolic. These were: (1) the historical or literal,...

AnalysisMany balk at this element of the Nativity story, but historical and astronomical evidence tends to corroborate it. By Michael J. MillerDuring a 2007 BBC radio interview, the archbishop of Canterbury deconstructed elements of the Nativity story. “Stars simply don’t behave like that,” Rowan Williams said. Asked about the existence of three wise men, he replied, “It works quite well as legend.”But years ago Father Walter Brandmüller, president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, published an essay applying the historical-critical method to the question of the Nativity story. (The essay is reprinted without cumbersome footnotes in Light and Shadows: Church...

"The war on Christmas - it's a Commie thing" Matt Barber - Guest Columnist - 12/22/2009 10:25:00 AM SNIPPET: "Are you as annoyed as I am by that nauseatingly amorphous phrase "Happy Holidays?" You may be interested to know that the mindset behind the term precedes America's postmodern love affair with political correctness, tracing back to good ole' fashioned Cold War Communism (PC's uglier big sister)." SNIPPET: "Ronald Reagan once spoke to this noteworthy historical factoid during a Christmas radio broadcast about the Ukraine's war on Christmas. The great Gipper noted: "When the Ukraine was free and not under Soviet...

A photo of a Nativity Scene the Catholic League erected in New York’s Central Park in December 2009. (Photo courtesy of Catholic League) (CNSNews.com) – The New York City-based Catholic League has erected a life-size Nativity scene at the heart of New York’s Central Park, hoping the display will remind Christians in other cities that such displays are legal.   Placed at the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, the Nativity stands prominently in front of the world’s largest menorah – the eight-armed candelabra used to mark the eight days of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.   First...

The baby Jesus in a Nativity scene was reported stolen earlier this week. Friday, the Fairfield Police Station received a letter stating the figure was being held for ransom. The owner is pleading for her baby Jesus back. To Doris Thompson it's more than just a Christmas decoration it's a family heirloom. The Nativity scene was purchased from the sears catalog 50-years-ago. Doris and her late husband Elmer bought it together. The couple was married for 47-years. On Monday, Doris noticed baby Jesus missing. "It made me angry. I thought, 'What type of low life vermin steals baby Jesus.' Who...

A California neighborhood reportedly is up in arms after a resident decorated his lawn with a depiction of Jesus shooting Santa Claus. The controversial Christmas display shows Jesus pointing a double-barrel shotgun at Santa's dead body as Rudolph lays sprawled across the hood of a pickup truck nearby, WNCT reported.

A familiar nativity scene and menorah were removed from the Luzerne County Courthouse lawn Wednesday night because the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to get a restraining order. County Solicitor Vito DeLuca said a Pittsburgh lawyer from the ACLU contacted him Wednesday to give the county an opportunity to remove the items before it filed court action that was already in the works. The ACLU argues the displays violate the separation of church and state clause of the U.S. Constitution, DeLuca said. DeLuca said county officials opted not to spend time and money on a lawsuit – at least not...

PROVO, Utah -- The Nativity at the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum at Brigham Young University includes an elephant, a white rhino and many other animals. "This Nativity is a 300-square-foot presentation that features about 30 different animal species," said Patty Jones, administrative assistant at the museum. "We started this tradition 25 years ago to simply remind our patrons that all things testify of the creator." This year's Nativity is in the center atrium of the museum. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission...

The lunch conversation inevitably turned to whether the White House would display its crèche, customarily placed in a prominent spot in the East Room. Ms. Rogers, this participant said, replied that the Obamas did not intend to put the manger scene on display — a remark that drew an audible gasp from the tight-knit social secretary sisterhood. (A White House official confirmed that there had been internal discussions about making Christmas more inclusive and whether to display the crèche.) Yet in the end, tradition won out; the executive mansion is now decorated for the Christmas holiday, and the crèche is...

On December 1st, 2009, a standing room only crowd attended the second annual opening day ceremony for the Springfield, Illinois Nativity Scene. The display now stands in the center of the state Capitol Rotunda Building and will be on display throughout the Christmas season. The Springfield Nativity Scene Committee (SNSC), who coordinated the event, would like to express its deepest appreciation to the Chicago-based Thomas More Society who underwrote the Nativity Scene for the second year in a row. The SNSC would also like to thank the Illinois Family Institute and Isringhausen Imports of Springfield who were co-sponsors of this...

Leesburg, Virginia: Looks like the traditional Loudoun County Courthouse Christmas displays will be absent this year. For almost 50 years the Rotary Club of Leesburg has placed a Christmas tree on the courthouse grounds, Leesburg Today reported. For 20 years, Dennis and Debbie Welch has set up the courthouse nativity scene. But a new policy from the Facilities and Grounds Committee of the Loudoun County Courthouse prohibits any displays, according to Leesburg Today. Phil Rusciolelli has spearheaded the Rotary Club's Christmas tree initiative the past five years.

<p>Atheists asked the Macomb County Road Commission to rescind their order removing a privately maintained Nativity scene set at the crossroads of the city.</p> <p>The Christmas culture wars for 2009 have begun and ground zero is the Detroit suburb of Warren, which for 63 years has hosted a privately maintained Nativity scene set at the crossroads of the city.</p>

Ann Arbor, Mich., Oct 27, 2009 / 06:32 am (CNA).- A 63-year-old tradition of having a privately maintained nativity scene on a public median in Warren, Michigan has been ended after the local road commission received a threatening letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The move has resulted in a lawsuit charging that the ban on the display is discriminatory.In 1945 St. Anne’s Parish received a donation of Christmas nativity statues which were too large to set up inside the church. Some parishioners thought the statues and a manger could be displayed in the center of the village...

John Satawa's family has displayed a nativity scene on a street median in Warren, Mich., virtually every Christmas season since 1945, but following an intimidating letter sent by the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Satawa's county has put stop to the 63-year-old tradition. The Wisconsin-based Freedom from Religion Foundation proclaims its purpose in the letter to the Road Commission of Macomb County was to "protect the fundamental constitutional principle of separation of church and state." But Satawa contends there's nothing unconstitutional about his privately owned and maintained Christmas display. With the help of the Thomas More Law Center, Satawa has filed...

Offended by local nativity sceneAs a lifelong Christian, I am deeply offended by the creche that keeps appearing on the Chester County Courthouse grounds. It is racially, culturally and religiously insensitive. Jesus and His family were Middle Eastern and most likely had very dark hair, eyes, and skin — yet this offensive creche, showing the Holy Family and others in the Christmas drama as if they were northern Europeans with light skin and hair, keeps showing up on public property. Mary has blond hair, no less! And all the others have chalky skin and either blond or very light...

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) - Someone stole an Ashland church's baby Jesus figure from a nativity scene. The Independent newspaper in Ashland quoted a city police report which said a witness who lives near St. Paul Lutheran Church saw a sport utility vehicle stop in front of the church on Christmas Day. The witness told police someone got out, removed the figure from the cradle and drove away with it. The report did not list the monetary value of the stolen figure.

"Bring Back Baby Jesus and no one will get hurt - God." So reads a sign on the ground next to a Nativity scene at Alameda Christian Reformed Church in Alameda, Calif., according to the Alameda Sun. It's tough to keep the Christ in Christmas when thieves keep stealing him News reports from all over the country tell of many a missing baby Jesus - even from the town famous for the proposed "Bridge to Nowhere."

Right-wing politicians have protested at the inclusion of Islamic symbols in nativity scenes in northern Italy. Elaborate cribs with figurines enacting the nativity decorate most Catholic churches in Italy at this time of year. A priest at a Genoa church put a mosque and minaret in his crib, while a crib at a Venice school also had a mosque. The Genoa branch of the anti-immigrant Northern League reacted with fury. But a senior church figure said there are no firm rules on what can be included. 'Gesture of inclusivity'

Every year we are flooded with reports from across the nation about nativity scenes being vandalized. This year was no different. Here is a list of some of the incidents that came to our attention:· In Sandusky, Ohio a 50-year old figure of the Baby Jesus was stolen from a downtown park; it was found a few days later hanging from a ceiling fan in the apartment of the thief who stole it·  A Christian pastor in Loma Linda, California was beaten and left in critical condition while decorating his church· In Orange County, Florida a Christian church’s drive-through nativity scene was...

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day   See the Christmastide Overview page for more on the symbols of Christmas that are spoken of on this page and that are used throughout the Season until Candlemas   Christ is born in Bethlehem, alleluia! The mood of this Feast is summed up by words of the angels to the shepherds in Luke 2:10-14: And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the...

The majority of Britons do not believe the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus, a survey has suggested. Of 1,000 people questioned, 70% doubted the account, according to the British Market Research Bureau. Almost a quarter of people who described themselves as Christians shared their scepticism.

A message to observant Christians, you should know that if there ever is a Palestinian State you can say goodbye to holy sites Church of the Nativity and the Church of the Ascension. Christian holy sites and populations are endangered whenever Palestinians gain control. Christian towns and churches, including the sacred Church of the Nativity, have been used as bases for Palestinian snipers and launching-sites for terrorist attacks. Many historically Christian towns that came under Palestinian control through Oslo — Bethlehem being only the most famous example — quickly lost their Christian majority as those citizens steadily fled Muslim oppression...

It's becoming a holiday tradition -- secular activists again have asked Whitehall's mayor to scoot baby Jesus off government property. The Freedom from Religion Foundation, an association of atheists and agnostics, sent the mayor a letter that called the Nativity scene in front of the city's municipal building unconstitutional. "The Nativity stands alone, right at the front entrance, and that's a problem," said Rebecca Kratz, the staff attorney who wrote the letter for the Wisconsin-based foundation. "You can't get into the building without noticing this symbol of religion." Reynoldsburg packed up its manger in 2006 to avoid a hassle when...

For years now, I have been convinced of the accuracy of December 25th, 1BC, as the birthdate of Jesus Christ, if not actually, then very close. Although I fully admit I cannot prove it, I believe I can make a compelling case for it, using Scripture and other sources. First, the Scriptures tell us that Jesus ministry began when He was about 30 years old, in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar- about AD 30. Give or take 3 years for ''about 30'', and Jesus age in 30 AD was between 27 and 33. His ministry lasted about 3-3 1/2...

<p>Police in Naples shut down vendors of nativity scenes featuring the Prez-elect alongside Jesus. Why so touchy?</p> <p>Thank your stars you don't live in Italy, where you can get shut down for selling Barack Obama nativity figures.</p> <p>All this would make one think Italians have no sense of humor, which is totally untrue - after all, socialist party leader, media mogul, football-team owner, Economist whipping boy and (in his spare time) prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is famous for his wit.</p>

RFFM.org News SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS -- Nearly 20 members of a choir--which calls itself the Joyful Senior Singers & Ringers--performed in the Illinois state Capitol Building on December 9th. Hailing from the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur, the unique group of musicians and vocalists, consisting solely of senior citizens, performed near an historic privately-sponsored Nativity scene which has been on display in Illinois' Statehouse since December 2nd. There was no official estimate, but those present said the Capitol Rotunda crowd was huge. "What a wonderful experience," said Marian Blankenship, a spokesman and member of the choir. "We didn't even use a...

<p>AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — A Dutch gay group said Monday it has planned a "Pink Christmas" festival for the first time in Amsterdam, featuring a manger stall with two Josephs and two Marys.</p> <p>Other attractions in the 10-day festival include parties, an open-air market, gay-themed films, an ice skating rink and religious services on Dec. 25.</p>

SNSC leaders discuss propriety of anti-Judeo-Christian message on the nationally syndicated Laurie Roth radio show Thomas Brejcha, President of the Chicago-based Thomas More Society and Daniel Zanoza, Executive Director of RFFM.org and Chairman of the Springfield Nativity Scene Committee (SNSC) will guest on the nationally syndicated Laurie Roth Show [www.therothshow.com] on Monday, December 8th, from 5 - 6 P.M. Central Time. Brejcha, legal counsel for the SNSC and Zanoza will discuss the Springfield, Illinois Nativity scene which is now standing in the center of the Illinois state Capitol Rotunda. Brejcha and Zanoza will also be responding to an atheist group's...

The Real Nativity Story: Surprising Truths You May Not Know! The biblical accounts of Jesus Christ's birth present some surprising differences from popular ideas and traditions. Do you know the facts from the fiction? by John Ross Schroeder and Doug Johnson Most of us have been brought up with the traditional Christmas story—you know, the one about Jesus being born on Christmas day in a stable in Bethlehem with the shepherds and three wise men looking on as depicted in countless manger scenes. But is that the way it really happened? Most people think so, but a careful look at...

BERLIN (AP) — Police say a baby boy whose troubled mother laid him in the manger of a church nativity in hopes that someone would find and care for him is doing well.Augsburg police say a priest was startled to find the newborn in the nativity scene on the altar of the Peter and Paul Church in the village of Poettmes on Tuesday. He immediately called an ambulance.Police have since found the 38-year-old mother who said she gave the child up because she was in a "difficult personal situation," but hoped someone would quickly find the child and care for...

Dan Barker of the Freedom from Religion Foundation on December 1, 2008's Fox & Friends stated that the nativity scene represented 'hate speech' and 'a direct attack on good human values.'

NAPLES, Italy, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A vendor spokesman in Naples, Italy, says police shut down a shopping area offering nativity figurines, including one of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama. The unidentified spokesman said police shut down the Via San Gregorio Armeno shopping area of the city in an attempt to stop certain open-air vendors who are suspected of operating without authorization, the Italian news agency, ANSA, reported Wednesday. Among the nativity statue offerings set to be offered by the Christmas vendors were ones featuring the U.S president-elect. Also included in the holiday theme are Inter Milan soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic...

A primary school infuriated parents after cancelling the traditional Christmas nativity play to make way for the Muslim festival of Eid. Parents at the Nottingham school were told that the planned performance had to be pulled because some of the pupils wanted to celebrate Eid at home with their families. In a letter, sent by the staff at Greenwood Junior School, mothers and fathers were told: 'It is with much regret that we have had to cancel this year's Christmas performances. 'This is due to the Eid celebrations that take place next week and its effect on our performers.' However,...

Contrary to the popular belief that Christmas was set on Dec. 25 simply to rival a pagan feast, there are at least 4 theories explaining the date from a Christian perspective.  All of them may be true.Theory 1: Day of Creation and the Conception of Jesus.David Bennett at Per Christum has an excellent article beginning with this explanation:The main reason early Christians chose December 25th for the date of Christmas relates to the date of the creation of the world. Jewish thought had placed the date of creation on March 25th, and it was early Christian writer Sextus Julius...

Watch video... http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week817/feature.html DEBORAH POTTER, guest anchor: This week marks an observance for a belief system much older than Christianity -- the anniversary of the death of the prophet Zarathustra, also known as Zoroaster. Zoroastrianism began in ancient Iran or Persia and may be little known today, but it left its historical imprint on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Estimates vary widely, but some claim that as few as 115,000 Zoroastrians remain, a few in Europe, North America and Iran; the vast majority in India, where they are called Parsis. From Bombay, now officially known as Mombai, Fred DeSam Lazaro reports....

WELLINGTON — In this village, Jesus has returned with the help of modern-day technology.Last year, the baby Jesus figure disappeared twice from the Nativity scene in front of the Wellington Community Center, never to be seen again. This year, the new blond, blue-eyed statue was outfitted with a GPS tracking device that monitored its every movement.The evening after Jesus' birth, the baby moved.At 6:45 a.m. Thursday, a village employee noticed that the statue was missing. Building maintenance supervisor Gus Arnold logged on to the monitoring system and saw that it was taken from the manger at 10 p.m. Wednesday.Arnold homed...

Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Following the Christmas celebrations, Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church, which is built over the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born. But the ladders encroached on space controlled by Armenian priests, according to photographers who said angry words ensued and blows quickly followed. For a quarter of an hour bearded and robed priests laid into...

EUGENE, Ore. -- Two separate Eugene families whose Nativity scenes were desecrated last week when a vandal replaced the baby Jesus figures with severed pigs' heads say they were targeted because of their religious faith. The culprits left other, more secular decorations untouched and focused only on the families' religious displays. "To me, they definitely wanted to make a religious statement," said David Stahl of Eugene, who discovered a pig head in his front yard Thursday. "This takes definite thought and too much anger." Eugene police are investigating the cases as possible bias crimes, a classification that could lead to...

Father Christmas does exist -- Russian governmentAgence France-Presse First Posted 05:43pm (Mla time) 12/27/2007 MOSCOW -- Russia's government has ridden to the rescue of children by banning a television ad that declares Father Christmas does not exist, the daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta announced Thursday. The Federal Anti-monopoly Service ruled that the advertisement run by a network of electronics stores called Eto breaks a law against discrediting parents, the government-run newspaper said. The advertisement declares bluntly "that Father Frost does not exist," according to the report, referring to Russia's version of the gift-bearing, red-coated old man. "It means that parents are not...

•The twenty-fifth day of December. •In the five thousand one hundred and ninety-ninth year of the creation of the world from the time when God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth; •the two thousand nine hundred and fifty-seventh year after the flood; •the two thousand and fifteenth year from the birth of Abraham; •the one thousand five hundred and tenth year from Moses and the going forth of the people of Israel from Egypt; •the one thousand and thirty-second year from David's being anointed king; •in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel; •in the...

The Christmas Story <"He will save his people from their sins." This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be...

Police investigate vandalism of west Eugene nativity scenes By Greg Bolt The Register-Guard Published: December 21, 2007 05:02AM Vandals stole baby Jesus figures from two west Eugene nativity scenes early Thursday and left severed pigs’ heads in their places. Police are calling it a possible bias crime. Both incidents occurred sometime during the night at residences within a few doors of each other on Elmira Street. The homeowners discovered the vandalism later Thursday and reported it to city police. David Stahl, one of the two home­owners, said he’s had various lawn ornaments stolen or vandalized in the past few years...

The Origin of Nativity Scenes “... Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the place where travelers lodged.” According to St Luke the Evangelist (2,7) Jesus was born in a stable or at least in a place where animals were kept. In fact the word presepio (Nativity Scene) comes from the Latin verb praesepire (to enclose, to hedge, to fence) and today it means manger or crib. The term is thought to have been used for the first time with...

A recent survey revealed that one in three young adults had no idea that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Other religious blank spots included the role of the Archangel Gabriel, with more than a quarter having no idea that Gabriel brought God's message to Mary at her home in Nazareth to say that she would give birth to a son. So what do Britain's youngsters really know about Christmas? Femail quizzed four to nine-year-olds at four primary schools in Britain to find out. What gifts did the three wise men bring? Rashneet, six, from Broad Oak Primary School, Manchester: "The...

A proposed Kwanzaa celebration at the County Commission chambers caused an e-mail war among Shelby County employees earlier this week. Now it has also prompted a lawsuit. Probate Court Clerk Chris Thomas filed a complaint in Chancery Court Friday to block the Kwanzaa celebration set to be hosted by County Commissioner Henri Brooks on Dec. 26. “The reason I filed the lawsuit is because of the discrimination against Christians, Jews and other faiths by allowing the Kwanzaa celebration to happen and by not allowing us to have a ceremony,” Thomas said. “I’ve asked Mayor (A C) Wharton to stop it...