In Case You Had Not Noticed...

The Twenty Five Days of Christmas died. I had written more than half of my posts in advance, but I planned to write the other half as I went. But, finishing my degree at Criswell, and my brother returning home unexpectedly, combined to prevent me from being able to finish. So, next Christmas I will resume this chain of posts, and finish them this time.

Twenty Five Days of Christmas (4)

This article is actually somewhat of a sell for one of the future articles, because I am going to revisit the theological implications of this event later in the month. So, what was this event? The Christmas Truce in 1914.

Pope Benedict XV had urged for the warring nations to make peace for Christmas, but was refused (officially). However, there were widespread truces across the Western Front--the soldiers battling simply refused to fight each other. About one hundred thousand soldiers participated.

This story is well known, and frequently recounted in Christian circles about the power of Christmas. But, for the believer, this type of behavior should not just be restricted to one day of the year. To hear more, keep visiting, as I will deal with more issues, and get deeper in-depth as we get deeper into the month!

Twenty Five Days of Christmas (3)

It appears that the Christmas tree was first used at Christmas time in the mid 1400s. By the middle of the 16th century, there were several German churches that displayed Christmas trees, and by the 17th century, they were gaining widespread appeal. By the 19th century, the custom had spread across Europe, even going as far as Russia.

Why is the Christmas tree displayed at Christmas? Well, as with the Christmas lights, there are multiple reasons, none of them conclusive. The first, is that as an evergreen, the tree shows the continuation of life, or as a twist on that one: the tree shows the undying nature of God's love. Another suggestion is that the three corners of the tree represent the three persons of the Trinity. The final suggestion is that it was simply done because of the beauty and freshness of the tree, to cheer a house in the dead of winter.

Twenty Five Days of Christmas

This is one of my favorite Christmas carols. I think it captures the sense of anticipation among Israel while waiting for a savior. In addition, it is simply a beautiful melody. While you listen, consider what it must have felt like to be in bondage, but looking forward to a Hope.

Twenty Five Days of Christmas (2)

Christmas Lights

Why do we hang Christmas lights every year? I mean, I always get the warm and fuzzies when staring at a well lit house at Christmas--it is actually one of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season. But why do we do that?

The short answer to that is that we don't know. There are multiple theories: the fir tree was a sign of God; or, the lights were simply to light up gloomy houses; or, the lights were so that St. Nicholas could see his way into the house. But, all of these are just theories.

What we do know is that the tradition started in the 17th century, and was firmly taking grasp within a hundred years. At that time, the Christmas tree would be lit by candles. Around 1890 is when candleholders were first used to attach the candles to the tree (before this, they were melted onto the tree). The first building to be lit entirely by electricity was the Savoy Theatre in London in 1881. The first electrically lit Christmas was owned by Edward Johnson in 1882--he was Vice-President of the Edison Electric Light Company, so the newspapers ignored it, thinking it was a publicity stunt. After President Cleveland sponsored an electrically lit Christmas tree in 1895, Christmas lights started sweeping the nation, and by 1930, the lights had become affordable for most people. Over this time, they had slowly started being used to decorate more areas as the price dropped, leading to what we see today, such as this truck. Merry Christmas!

Twenty Five Days of Christmas

Merry Christmas! I know, it is not Christmas yet, but it is the First of December, which often signals the start of the Christmas season for many people (those who don’t start it the day after Thanksgiving). I love Christmas, it is my favorite season of year. And because of that, I am starting the Twenty Five Days of Christmas. Each day, I will put up a short blog on a topic that is related to Christmas. I will start with a few modern things, such as, “Why do we put up Christmas lights?” But as Christmas Day draws closer, I will shift into more serious discussion on some of the background of the world that Jesus was born into, and then some of the specific imagery that is used in the Birth Narratives. So, Merry Christmas, and I hope you enjoy the next few weeks.

The Rule of Law and the Role of Faith

            I recently read about an interview in which Herman Cain (candidate for President) said that communities could ban mosques from being constructed. I posted it on my Facebook, expecting everyone to realize that Cain was not a good candidate. However, there was a very vocal minority who agreed with him. As I read the comments on another article on this story (you can read the article and the comments here), I realized that the belief that we should be allowed to prevent mosques from building in our community is actually fairly widely held. I believe that position should be untenable by both Americans at-large, and by Christians.

            The Rule of Law

           

America is built upon the foundation of the rule of law. This is what we see as separating us from other nations that are ruled by dictators and do not grant basic freedoms to their people. Law is supposed to be just, and interpreted blindly with no prejudice or malice. Our laws and Constitution go beyond mere justice in that they establish freedom for all American citizens, regardless or race, sex or religion (in theory).

The problem comes when one group starts trying to eliminate the freedoms of another group, such as when some Americans want to eliminate another American’s freedom of religion. And if they succeeded, then they would establish the legal precedent that a religion could be discriminated against if enough people decided that they wanted to discriminate. Imagine with me, for a moment, a time when the ACLU has the legal grounds to not just attack a nativity on the courthouse lawn, but is legally allowed to ban churches themselves. That idea seriously concerns me.

This idea of banning mosques, because they are supposedly trying to take over America through the use of Shariah Law, tramples all over the Bill of Rights. The obvious violation that first comes to mind is a violation of the First Amendment, which is the right to practice your religion without any interference from the government (and remember, the law is blind, so what applies to one religion applies to another one, regardless of which one is true).

 Further, beyond the freedom of religion, it also violates their right to assembly. Any group can assemble, as long as they remain peaceful. And if they are not peaceful, then they will be punished for their crimes. For instance, criminal organizations are allowed to meet; there is nothing we can do about that, but as soon as they break a law, then they are arrested.

It also violates the Fifth Amendment, which states, “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury…” Now, most would probably argue that that is referring to prison, but having your rights revoked definitely is being held to answer for an infamous crime. Americans are not allowed to pay the penalty for a crime when it cannot be proven they did the crime. Thus, you cannot ban a mosque based on suspicion that they are going to plot a crime.

The irony of this is that those who want to limit the freedoms of Muslims because they are trying to “take over our country”, or “infiltrate and kill us”, or “make us follow their laws and eliminate our freedom” are guilty of the exact same thing. Eliminating the freedom of others that you dislike is exactly what Muslims are accused of wanting to do. And, let us remember, the people who crafted these legal protections were guilty of taking over their country and rebelling against the government, but yet they still paved the way for future generations to have those freedoms. They knew how those could be used against their new government, but they decided that it was a risk worth taking.

The Role of Faith

The previous argument was for all Americans, but this one is solely for Christians. We have been called to suffer and die. We have been called to be the ones being persecuted, not the ones doing the persecution. Christ did not tell us to try and legislate away those who scare us, but rather to take up our cross and follow him. The significance of that statement often escapes us: Christ told us in no unspecific terms that following him would require us carrying out own tool of execution! To follow Jesus means that our own sacrificial death should always be looming in our minds as something that may soon happen. Thus, it does not matter if a group is trying to kill you, your job as a Christian is not to try and eliminate their freedom, nor even to try and defend yourself—rather, your job is to be a faithful witness to the love of God right up to your death.

While well-meaning people say that it is only right to stop the supposed evil, just remember what Christ himself said: “Do not resist the evil doer. But if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him your other also.”