"Why do I feel Christmas is somehow "special" if it is only a Christian holiday?"
The Universal Mind "remembers" all days as holidays. But the concept of "honoring" a day as a "celebration" of those past and a respite and time of recollection for those present is purely an idea in the "living realm" of Earth, where we are right now. I think one of the reasons in popular culture why we celebrate a "Universal Holiday" is because mankind needs this kind of self acknowledgement of historical importance. "Christmas" was a pagan festival at first, another time for celebration and recollection, testament to early man that he was in fact "in charge" of the planet. After the Christians took over most of the civilized world, the pagan holiday became a religious holiday, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the "savior" of mankind. When I was a youngster, this is the version of Christmas I most remember, as ingrained in the Baptist Doctrines I was taught growing up. Of course the Culture soon demented the religious aspects of the holiday, in order to favor a time of year when advertisers, manufacturers, and retailers could make a lot of money at the "expense" of the "holiday tradition." Current Culture bestows a greater meaning of the smaller Jewish Holiday of Channukah. Then, to appease and entice the black population, Kwaanza is established almost suddenly overnight. Now, in Southern California and in other parts of America, the Spanish greeting of Merry Christmas, or "Feliz Navidad" is also used along with the others. In the 21st Century world, "Happy Holidays" encompasses all these holidays and more, to sate the masses into establishing a history with allusions to your "religion of choice". In America, allusions to any Muslim holidays, like Ramadan for instance, which just passed, are not given to the public by the media because, especially in light of the 9/11 tragedy, Muslims are not in favor at this time in Cultural History.
I am programmed to feel this is a special time of year. Now it is fashionable to refer only to secular images of Christmas and to take the religious icons out of the experience completely. I find this fairly amusing, as a Christian, but I'm not surprised.
As a believer in the Universal, however, I find the blurring of the holidays somewhat prophetic. The mix of races and creeds is more advanced than at any time in history. If the media propels the deep seated anger inherent in any clash of religious idelogy, then all he** breaks loose, and mankind loses. I think there is a "peace on Earth" that can be achieved, and perhaps it will be, and perhaps it won't.
However at the time of the corporeal "death" as one leaves Christmas, Channukah, and Kwaanza in the dust of time, one achieves the Universal Truth, that holidays are merely days of remembrance embraced by man to make him think he has a great history and culture, derived from myth and early belief systems. He doesn't yet know what lies in store, and why there are no holidays in the Universal. Especially holidays which essentially compete for religious supremacy no matter how cheerful and filled with joy the message "seems" to be.
The Universal Mind "remembers" all days as holidays. But the concept of "honoring" a day as a "celebration" of those past and a respite and time of recollection for those present is purely an idea in the "living realm" of Earth, where we are right now. I think one of the reasons in popular culture why we celebrate a "Universal Holiday" is because mankind needs this kind of self acknowledgement of historical importance. "Christmas" was a pagan festival at first, another time for celebration and recollection, testament to early man that he was in fact "in charge" of the planet. After the Christians took over most of the civilized world, the pagan holiday became a religious holiday, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the "savior" of mankind. When I was a youngster, this is the version of Christmas I most remember, as ingrained in the Baptist Doctrines I was taught growing up. Of course the Culture soon demented the religious aspects of the holiday, in order to favor a time of year when advertisers, manufacturers, and retailers could make a lot of money at the "expense" of the "holiday tradition." Current Culture bestows a greater meaning of the smaller Jewish Holiday of Channukah. Then, to appease and entice the black population, Kwaanza is established almost suddenly overnight. Now, in Southern California and in other parts of America, the Spanish greeting of Merry Christmas, or "Feliz Navidad" is also used along with the others. In the 21st Century world, "Happy Holidays" encompasses all these holidays and more, to sate the masses into establishing a history with allusions to your "religion of choice". In America, allusions to any Muslim holidays, like Ramadan for instance, which just passed, are not given to the public by the media because, especially in light of the 9/11 tragedy, Muslims are not in favor at this time in Cultural History.
I am programmed to feel this is a special time of year. Now it is fashionable to refer only to secular images of Christmas and to take the religious icons out of the experience completely. I find this fairly amusing, as a Christian, but I'm not surprised.
As a believer in the Universal, however, I find the blurring of the holidays somewhat prophetic. The mix of races and creeds is more advanced than at any time in history. If the media propels the deep seated anger inherent in any clash of religious idelogy, then all he** breaks loose, and mankind loses. I think there is a "peace on Earth" that can be achieved, and perhaps it will be, and perhaps it won't.
However at the time of the corporeal "death" as one leaves Christmas, Channukah, and Kwaanza in the dust of time, one achieves the Universal Truth, that holidays are merely days of remembrance embraced by man to make him think he has a great history and culture, derived from myth and early belief systems. He doesn't yet know what lies in store, and why there are no holidays in the Universal. Especially holidays which essentially compete for religious supremacy no matter how cheerful and filled with joy the message "seems" to be.
Comments