Materialism and Secularism Fog True Meaning of Christmas
As every year Christmas becomes a more materialistic, secularized holiday, Christians are fighting to assert the true reason for the season: the birth of Jesus Christ.
A Houston atheist recently wrote that although he is happy to share Christmas with Christians, he wants the holiday to be completely secularized as a winter celebration that belongs to everyone.
“Christmas isn’t just for Christians,” co-organizer of the Houston Atheists group Curt W. Loose wrote in Chron blog.
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“Jesus, frankly, is not the reason for the season, and he never really was,” argues Loose, pointing to the generally accepted atheist belief that Christmas is supposed to be the inaugural celebration of the winter solstice.
“The Solstice was the reason for winter celebrations long before Christianity started hijacking holidays,” Loose adds.
Although Christians continue to hold true to their faith this holiday season, there exist a growing number of secularists in the United States who celebrate Christmas.
Even Richard Dawkins, described by The Daily Mail as the “world’s most famous atheist,” admitted to partaking in the holiday festivities.
“I am perfectly happy on Christmas day to say Merry Christmas to everybody,” Dawkins told Radio Four’s Today program in 2008.
“I actually love most of the genuine Christmas carols,” he added.
Although many argue that secularism is changing the true purpose of the Christmas holiday, materialism is also fogging Christmas morals.
This year's Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, showed less-than-moral displays of shopping sportsmanship as Americans fought to get the best holiday gift deals. Pepper spraying, stampeding, and fist fights were a common sight for the 2011 Black Friday agenda.
While some argue the traditional purpose of Christmas is being forgotten, many still actively remind Americans to worship Christ this season. The Facebook group "Keep Christ in Christmas," with over 300,000 followers, offers an array of testimonials reminding readers of the true Christmas spirit.
"This is our time to celebrate the birth and sacrifice of Jesus with our family and friends. It is a great time to discuss how we each have experienced Jesus in our lives and the glory of God's grace," founders of the Facebook page wrote.
"God our deliverer, whose approaching birth still shakes the foundations of our world, may we so wait for your coming with eagerness and hope that we embrace without terror the labor pangs of a new age," wrote Christian writer Janet Morley on the page's wall.
David Peeples wrote in the Yuma Sun, Christians must remember to keep the focus on God in light of all the materialistic and secular distractions this holiday season.
“So then - as our most sacred holidays are becoming more and more about fantasy, celebration, and getting what we want - we should each ask ourselves if God can be found in the time we take to observe the most important event in all of human history; the day when God became a man so that He could offer His life on our behalf, and in turn give each one of us the opportunity to experience a restored personal relationship with our creator."
