Okay, time for a small rant.
Every year about this time you see all kinds of “return to Christ” publicity, to put the Christ back in Christmas and so on. I’m sick of those. Not because my holiday is Yule, but because Christ didn’t go anywhere.
Christmas is the name that the Christ Mass turned into. You never hear about putting the Michael back in Michalemas, do you? Christ is a religious figure, and on Christmas that religious figure is celebrated by those who honor and worship him. They have a feast day, a religious celebration and take time to remember Him and all He did for them.
But the whole “put Christ (etc.)” is silly. It is an attempt to change a secular celebration (X-Mas) into a religious celebration when most of those celebrating X-Mas are not Christian.
And that’s probably the biggest sticking point. It is an attempt of the religious right to enforce a state religion on all of us again. Not just on the “pagans” but also on the Athiests and Hindu and the other established religions. Basically it is one religious group saying that this time of the year is their celebration and ONLY their celebration, no one else can touch it.
For the truly religious, the “put the” movement is able to be ignored. For them their god didn’t go anyplace or leave their celebrations. He is still there for them to worship and honor on this day when his birth is celebrated. And that’s fine. I would never dream of asking Christians to give up that aspect of their religion and their faith. That is what they believe and what they want. But by the same token, I expect to be extended the same courtesy.
So don’t “restore” something that never left. That’s like a movement to restore the sun to the sky because there are clouds up there. The Sun is still there, just waiting for the fog to lift. No “restoration” needed.
