Attacking Christmas

"Liberals are attacking Christmas, again."

According to Fox News, you'd think liberals were out stealing manger scenes and beating down anyone dressed like Santa in stores and on the streets.  The truth is the Pagans are the ones who got the raw deal out of Christianity co-opting their season and all of the things we know to be symbols of Christmas.  According to Biblical researchers, the Christ-child "Yeshua" (NOT "Jesus") was born around June 3rd.

It was the Catholic Church and its creation that borrowed all the symbols from the world's oldest and largest religion- Paganism, and then married them with gospel writings to arrive at "Christmas Trees."  The Pagans burned candles during all of their rituals, as Catholic do in all their ceremonies.  Pagans worshiped the female form, as Catholics still do the Virgin Mary.  During the winter solstice Pagans would bring evergreen trees, wreathes, or sprigs inside to decorate their home, as a sign of life's resilience over winter's icy grip.  Catholics just adopted all these things and stuck a Christian label on them and today we still kiss under mistletoe, and cut down 34 million trees every year to celebrate "Christmas."

That the vast majority of Christians have no clue as to what a Christmas tree has to do with the birth of Yeshua, isn't surprising.  They hide colored Easter eggs, and celebrate the Easter Bunny, completely unaware that the tale originated as the pagan goddess Ostara raising a dead bird back to life and then turning it into an egg laying hare.  Growing up my CCD teachers were always hard pressed to answer my questions about what Santa, the Easter Bunny, evergreen trees and colored eggs had to do with Christ.  Which is why I always say that I left the Church when I reached the age of reason.

The truth of the matter is that I enjoy the holidays.  I love the decorations, the music, the general cheerful mood most find themselves in, and of course the sales.  What I don't appreciate is that Christians claim sole ownership to this holiday, and tout "Keep Christ in Christmas!"  To which the historian in me just wants to shout back, "Christ's real name was 'Yeshua', not 'Jesus', and he was born in June!"  Then again, it's the holidays, and I don't want to yell at anyone.  I just want to smile and wish you season's greetings, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, or if you are a Pagan where all this started, I'll wish you life and good health in this time of want and woe.  Regardless, know that this isn't any one group's season to guard, but rather all of ours to share.