Posts Tagged ‘secularism’

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Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?

December 9, 2011

“There is a war on Christmas!” At least that is what they say. “The culture is rejecting the Christmas season in the name of secularism and pluralism.”

That is an interesting perspective that may be driven more by propaganda than reality. I do not see the culture rejecting Christmas. I see the culture embracing Christmas, celebrating Christmas. I see the schools closing for two weeks. I see the Christmas lights everywhere. I see the Nativity on many street corners.

There may be a few very fringe people who do not want to celebrate Christmas, but to say there is a war on Christmas is probably a stretch. I have a friend who pointed to a northeastern state who is calling their state Christmas Tree a “Holiday Tree.” I responded that there are 49 other states that have “Christmas Trees!”

I would argue that Christmas is the still the most celebrated day of the year.

And then there are people posting things on Facebook like, “When somebody says Happy Holidays to me, I correct them. I say Merry Christmas!” Sometimes I wonder if we ever stop long enough to think about the backwards nature of that statement. Nothing could be further from the spirit of Christ than to rebuke and correct another person for saying “Happy Holidays.”

This Holiday season, I pray that we celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Not politics. Not propaganda. Not someone else’s cultural agenda. Just Jesus.

Merry Christmas!

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The Evolution of Religion in America

November 18, 2009

Think with me now…

We’ve gone from one primary religion (Christianity), to secularism (no primary religion), to pluralism (all religions–except the exclusive ones). However, since all religions are innately exclusive (except for unitarian/universalists) we’re back to secularism. (And the universalists only accept the inclusive religions which makes them exclusive–so they’re out too).

Maybe we should just elect leaders who’d like to be substitutes for God and make government the sole locus of authority!

Oh wait… nevermind.

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Are you a Pagan?

June 3, 2008

Pagan is a word that has been used for centuries to describe unbelieving, secular, hedonistic, narcissistic people.  It’s like a religious insult lobbed at those who operate outside of any religious community and therefore can be described as secular.  In fact, pagan was an ancient word used to describe polytheistic people (people who believed in many gods).  So, if you’re a Christian who ascribes to the “Shema” (Belief in only one God, the god of the Bible), you could not possibly be a pagan, right?

Think again and think hard.

Jesus said that His followers who “run after” food, clothing, and shelter have become “pagans” by serving two masters: (1) the God of the Bible and (2) the god called “Money,” and Jesus also said you cannot serve both (See Matthew 6:19-33).  If you run after food, clothing, and shelter with a consumer’s passion you cannot possibly be a Christ-Follower.  You might think you are a Christ-Follower but in fact you are a pagan.

In his book Forgotten Ways, Alan Hirsh writes, “Consumerism is thoroughly pagan.  Pagans run after (seek, desire, want; search for, look for) these things.  Seen in this light, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Extreme Makeover, Big Brother,and other lifestyle shows are the most pagan, and paganizing, shows on TV.  Even the perennial favorites about renovating the house paganize us, because they focus us on that which so easily enslaves us.  In these the banality of consumerism reaches a climax as we are sold the lie that the thing that will complete us is a new kitchen or a house extension, whereas in fact these only add more stress to our mortgages and our families” (p. 110-111).

In proper light then, how many of us are true Christ-Followers and how many of us are merely pagans?  You decide.

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