While he enjoys long walks on the beach, he will not be your alarm clock, because he's no ding-a-ling. Purists will give you a spiel about the baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary, peace on earth and goodwill towards man. Your email address will not be published. A sort of olive branch to Christians, if you will. Of course, if you aren’t remotely interested in a heathen, infidel, pagan, Satanic, baby eating, humanist’s opinion on anything, then I’ve just saved you the time of bothering by writing this preamble ramble. I hope you get some time off, get to relax, and just enjoy yourself. (The Founders used the terms “religion” and conscience” interchangeably. When I do state “what” I am, I do so reluctantly. My Christmas primarily means family. The TJP Christmas Playlist is live and shareable. Christians obtain grace from reflecting on the miracle of the Incarnation but they have given the event called Christmas as a glorious gift to the world. The Meaning of Christmas: A Secular Perspective. It is a concept wherein a state or country prefers to be officially neutral in the matters of religion.There is no religious influence on the political decisions that are made by the government for the benefit of the people. Required fields are marked *, × Secular means not related to religion, and does not concern with it. It wasn’t until I was about 18-19 years old that I began to delve into Christianity and the real reasons for Christmas. We have more important issues to deal with than others celebrate a holiday. Thus the word cannot in any logical way be joined to the word Christian. A few times it has been in not so nice of a way. I always wondered why so many people get upset if you explain that “Jesus” was not a factor in this party until the ruling class who forced Christianity on pagans and stole THEIR winter celebration. If secularism in theological terms is a heresy, it is primarily a heresy about man. Registered 501(c)(3). Latest, Opinion 1 Comment. All Rights Reserved. Christmas is the holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ. All groups that celebrate this special day do it because it has a deeper meaning for them, even if that meaning differs. Christmas for the religious holiday is centered around Jesus and for secular society, Christmas is centered on Santa. No matter what your belief system, I hope the holidays are a time of happiness, health, and success for you and your family. As I get older, see my daughter grow up and enjoy the holiday – there is also the bittersweet aspect of remembering loved ones have passed. 9 The secular Easter holiday is centered on the Easter bunny on its eggs and for the religious it is Jesus' resurrection. … I am not pompous enough to think I am authorized to write an article on the deeper religious meaning behind Christmas, so I won’t even go there. All labels are not the actual “thing” and people are far more complex than the labels attached to them. Family and friends you hadn’t seen in a while would come in and out during the days leading up to December 25th. I’m going somewhere with this. As for "A Christmas Carol," whether it is regarded as a secular or solemn work, it is for good reason the most enduring and endearing work in all of English literature. I relish the opportunity to say “Merry Christmas.” Yes, I am a non-believer who not only appreciates when it is said to me but I say “Merry Christmas” in return…and I genuinely mean it. While the birth of Jesus Christ is a primary aspect of Christmas for practicing Christians, many of the traditions associated with the holiday -- including the Christmas tree -- are not rooted in Christian religious practices, and a rising number of Americans will have secular celebrations. Early on, I would try to explain, but within 10 seconds their eyes would glaze over or roll up in the head. display: none !important; December 20, 2018 Each hour hundreds of children throughout the world die of starvation, so getting upset about that borders on the ridiculous. Information and translations of Christmas in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The real meaning of the holiday is a human one of experiences, tolerance, kindness, and love. New Bedford Police investigating woman who was assaulted, shotspotter activation and separate stabbing incident, Massachusetts State Police meet some unusual hikers while on mounted patrol, Chocolate consumption rose in 2020; Four Massachusetts chocolatiers considered best in country, Bristol Community College celebrates 2021 Virtual Commencement Ceremony, Valedictorian, Salutatorian and prestigious award recipients. To me, Christmas means one of the few times during the year I can fully extract myself from the daily grind and be with loved ones, specifically to celebrate another year gone by. “Forget Christ and forget the pagan origins,” they say; Christmas has evolved over the last century into time for fun and family, so why not just leave it at that? My mother would spend the 24-48 hours before Christmas preparing way too much food. The good thing is that we can remind ourselves that we lost that perspective on what’s important and regain it. However, there are secular elements to Christmas that have been commercialized, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and Frosty the Snowman. According to Taft (2015), secularization can be viewed as a gradual yet significant change in religious heritage where worldly influences erode the religious elements of traditions that communities have practiced for years. My mother passed away the first week of December a few years ago and while there is still a home cooked meal, no one replicates the aromas and grandiosity of her generous cooking and the atmosphere she created. In fact, I don’t even use the word atheist to describe myself, so as to distance myself from that angry lot of bloggers and trolls. December 31: Hogswatch . A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. the holiday where you would be on your best behavior lest you get fewer gifts, or even *gasp* get coal. }. I hope you are surrounded by good people, great food, and a festive atmosphere. Discworld/Pratchett holiday. It’s as close to real magic as one can get growing up and the holiday has engendered countless fond memories for me and my family. at least that was the “threat.” Santa only brought presents to the well-behaved kids. I understood what the day that pagans and/or Wiccan/Witches call Yule, Saturnalia or Winter Solstice meant, particularly since I actually have a number of friends who are pagan and/or Wiccan. The common ground of all three aforementioned groups is that it is the day whereby we gather with loved ones, we are generous either materially and/or spiritually, we sit around a meal and enjoy each other’s company, we remind ourselves of the important people in our lives whether they are sitting at the table or have been lost. I’ve been puzzling over the claim that Christmas is now largely a secular holiday ever since I first read it (I can’t recall where but here’s an example). Learn how your comment data is processed. The other day, I saw a minivan bearing a linguistically clever bumper sticker demanding “Keep Christ in Christmas.” What exactly is the definition of Christmas? Medieval Christmas lasted 12 days from Christmas Eve on 24th December, until the Epiphany (Twelfth Night) on … All of that is hard to spit out, so how about just a “Merry Christmas”? Even as my religious friends and family might place focus on the Christian aspects of the holiday, I see no problem ignoring them and approaching the day in a secular manner. Has memes. Secular blasphemy, isn’t that rich? Watching a Christmas Story or Miracle on 34th Street, before heading to bed. I don’t think so. Christmas and the Modern Secular Self The Christmas season is increasingly an anachronism in contemporary modernity and its continued existence must be justified to the modern person on new grounds. To me it's a secular holiday, and its importance in my life is unwavering. I too used to think Dec 25 was magical. Food she was making to feed 5-6 people, but always seemed to be a veritable feast that could feed a small army. Apr 26, 2021 - Explore Ann Hebert's board "Secular Christmas" on Pinterest. Actually I am sure you know that the holiday was originally just a huve party to celebrate the winter solstice. Secular definition, of or relating to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal: secular interests. The very definition of secular means it's neither sacred, pertaining to, or connected with religion. Because a fat, white-bearded old guy in a red and white suit climbed down a chimney and deposited things on that list under the Christmas tree – what a concept, that. So whether someone says “Happy Yule!”, “Happy Chanukah”, “Happy Holidays”, “Happy Kwanzaa” or any variation, does it matter? ... 1 To play Christmas songs before that moment is an affront to all that is held sacred in secular culture. It is temporal, the exact reverse of true Christianity. Conversely, if Tiny Tim lives, so too does mankind, and in this way does the destitute invalid offer the world salvation as a secular Christ. The aromas of all sorts of food, the sights of lights in windows and yards, favorite Christmas movies looping on the TV, the sounds of Christmas carols, the excitement of Christmas morning, the day full of playing, laughing, hugging, eating and finding out what your friends got for Christmas. See more. Can that be a bad thing? In that sense, we should all remember that is a celebration and that we are all Americans. But God and a virgin birth had nothing to do with it. It is also why it stings when I see someone comment or overhear someone say “Why do you celebrate a Christian holiday?” In essence, it is implying that I have no right to all those positive things growing up and that I should either convert or abandon the holiday since it’s not “mine.” How dare I. I think there is. Definition of Christmas in the Definitions.net dictionary. Thus a secular group would be the opposite of a group that would be bound by any religion or religious leader. For members of all other religions, as well as atheists and many reasonable Christians, declaring Christmas as a secular holiday would be an important movement toward eliminating the presumptuous and illegal assertion that America is a Christian nation based upon Christian values. What does Christmas mean? No, don’t worry. When Joe isn't writing, he's coaching people to punch each other in the face. When Congress declared Christmas a National Holiday, in 1870, Christmas ceased being a strictly religious observance and became a secular holiday. Holidays may be designated by governments, religious institutions, or other groups or organizations. 5 Secular Progressives and Christmas The term is most often used in a negative way to describe those who oppose the use of religious messaging in public arenas like schools and in advertising campaigns. If you get upset or are irked that when someone says Merry Christmas but you are an atheist, or someone says Happy Holidays, but you are a Christian and prefer “Merry Christmas”, then you have lost your perspective and are a true-blue resident of the first-world. Of course, you could misbehave all year, but around December you better start “standing up” straighter. You pour your cereal, realize you have no milk and get upset…or care how others celebrate. Bristol Community College celebrated its 54th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 22, 2021, at 5:30 …. However, I do hope you’ll receive the olive branch and keep an empty cup. Growing up in a Sicilian household meant that the Christmas Day meal was one of the highlights and would be talked about for days after. Butterflies in the stomach, nervous excitement would keep you up all night any other time, but you knew that the long day would ensure that there was enough exhaustion to put you in a coma within 5 minutes of your head hitting the pillow. He enjoys ancient cultures, dead and living languages, cooking, benching 999#s, and saving the elderly, babies and puppies from burning buildings. See more ideas about christmas, christmas pictures, secular christmas. How do I convey to people who are already peeved and not interested in my explanation the reason why I celebrate it? I want religious people to know that not all non-believers are “that” person. Modern-day opposition continues: some condemn the Christmas tree because they believe that the custom of cutting down a tree, erecting it in the home and decorating it is a Pagan custom.
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