Boston, Massachusetts became the first major city to rename their official decorated tree from ‘Christmas Tree’ to ‘Holiday Tree’ in 2005, prompting the Nova Scotian logger who donated the tree to proclaim that he’d rather see it cut up and tossed in a wood chipper than call it a ‘holiday’ tree.
In 2002, New York City public school system managed to ban nativity scenes while at the same time allowing the display of Hanukkah menorahs, Muslim stars and crescents, and Chris…, er, holiday trees.
Fast forward to this year alone…
Because of ONE parent’s complaint, a Little Rock elementary school cancelled a planned voluntary field trip to see a local church’s live presentation of “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown,” a trip hundreds of other students were looking forward to.
A group of Missoula, Montana parents complained about Christmas carols being performed at their kids’ elementary school, calling the Christian based songs, “a form of bullying.”
The University of Virginia, citing housing regulations and safety hazards, made students take down dorm-area Christmas trees and other decorations.
In Santa Monica, California, small but vocal group of atheists managed to put a stop to the 60 year tradition of church-created nativity displays in Palisades Park.
In a stunning lack of regard for the religious liberties of soldiers on active duty, the US Navy has cancelled the long-standing tradition of producing a ‘live nativity’ at a military base in Bahrain.
This list could go on and on, and on and on and on, ad nauseam. Each year, Fox News documents instances of the so-called ‘War on Christmas.’ Each year, the secularists tell us there is no war, all the while filing lawsuit after lawsuit to remove every mention of Christ from every area of the ‘public square. After all, they aren’t coming into our houses to remove nativities from our living room shelves (yet), so why are Christians whining so much?
To be sure, as a Christian it does sadden me to witness the senseless removal of the symbols of my faith, especially on what should be the most joyous, most celebrated holiday of all. We watch with disappointment as a vocal, hand-wringing, meddling minority continually manages to thwart the will of the majority, no matter that the majority doesn’t wish harm upon anyone, but merely wishes to express their faith the way they have for generations upon generations, since the dawn of a country once founded upon the tenets of Christianity.
Like the Grinch who tried to steal Christmas by stealing the presents around the tree, the lights, the candy canes, and even the tree itself, only to realize that he couldn’t steal what was in the hearts of the villagers, the secularists who seek to war against Christianity by eliminating the vestiges of Christ from the winter solstice will also fail, even if they initially ‘succeed’ in the short-term.
Because when God came to earth in the form of a baby boy, He came with a purpose that cannot be thwarted by the mere machinations of man. With respect to the adherents of all of the other religions that seek to explain why we are here, there is one key difference between those and Christianity – all the other prophets and ‘gods’ of those religions are dead, but Jesus is very much alive. He is alive in heaven, and He is alive in the hearts of those who believe on His name. Removing a nativity from a park in Santa Monica isn’t going to change that.
On Christmas Eve, 1914, across the dreary, snowy battlefronts of World War I, German and British troops who had been trying to kill each other just one day earlier celebrated Christmas together. They exchanged gifts, showed each other pictures of loved ones back home, played games, sang carols, and longed for a day when peace would reign. In a time of war, the ‘Grinch’ had surely stolen all the trappings of Christmas from the soldiers in those muddy trenches, all the lights, the glorious trees, and even the nativity scenes, but he couldn’t steal Christmas from the hearts of men who truly knew what it was like to long for the kind of ‘Peace on Earth’ only Jesus can bring.
Just as before the age of man when one third of the angels rebelled against God and were, to quote Milton, ‘hurled headlong, flaming from the ethereal sky,’ the forces of evil have always gone to war against the good. Today, the battle remains the same – only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Until Christ returns, the secularists can and surely will keep tilting at windmills. In the meantime, Christians will continue to celebrate the birth of their Savior, even if all the trappings are gone.
If you enjoy our blog, please consider helping us grow our Facebook page by clicking ‘like’ in the box to the right!
I am a christian who used to wear “Jesus is the reason for the season” buttons and proudly display nativity scenes at our business, but 2 years ago, Yahweh pulled me out of all of that. You see, there is nowhere in the Bible that we find instructions for us to celebrate the birth of our Savior on December 25. But there are 7 Feasts Holy to God that we are commanded to keep.
And it is on one of those feasts that Jesus was actually born per the Bible (see Luke’s story about Zechariah) and astronomy can chart the stars as far backward and forward as you desire to go and they have proven that John’s description of the birth of Jesus in Revelation 12, actually happened on Sept 11, 03 bc. That would be the same date as the Feast of Trumpets. Jesus will return at the sound of the 7th trumpet on the Feast of Trumpets in some year at some hour which we do not know.
God has opened my eyes to what the scriptures actually tell us instead of the traditions I have been raised on and had loved so dearly. But I love God more than I love traditions. Not so long ago, I would have lamented the restriction of christmas just as you do, but today I believe that God is allowing and even directing this removal of His people from a holiday that has zero meaning to Him and, according to Deut 12:29-32 and Mark 7:7-8 may even be offensive to God.
Christmas did not originate until around 300 AD. So the apostles did not observe christmas or teach others to do so. It is clearly a manmade tradition that has replaced the Holy appointed times God has instructed us to keep unto Him.
Hi Susan – Thanks for the comment! As a fellow believer I would apply Colossians 2:16 (Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days) to what you said, respecting your view in that regard and hoping you will respect mine. But the intent of the article speaks to the intent of the secularists. Whether or not Christmas should or should not be a holiday and whether or not it is really the day of Christ’s birth (it isn’t) is irrelevant to their intent – since Christmas happens to BE the day when most Christians celebrate Christ’s birth, they are at war with it.
Best Regards,
Scott
Me too Brijette!!! Yahweh is calling His people out. He revealed the Truth to me in April 2010.
The Bible clearly shows us that Yeshua (Jesus) was born in the fall. I am 57 years old and I remember when I was a teenager and my father was enrolled in a bible college, he told me that they know Jesus was born sometime around August or September but we just choose to celebrate Christmas on Dec 25. Well, why?
God has Holy Days that He said are His Holy Days and we are to keep them. They are found in Leviticus 23. We know Jesus died on Passover, rose on First Fruits and 50 days later sent the Holy Spirit to us on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). So Yeshua did every significant act of His first coming on God’s Holy Days! Would it not stand to reason that He will return exactly on God’s remaining Feast Days found in the fall? Of course it does.
The scripture tells us Jesus will return at the sound of the last trumpet. The first fall feast is called Feast of Trumpets. One year, on that Holy Day, Yeshua will return. Clearly, he was born on one of these fall feast days. Either Feast of Trumpets or Feast of Tabernacles. So why not celebrate His birthday then? Let the pagans have Dec 25. It means nothing to God.
Whoops I meant Susan. I’m agreeing with Susan. God has revealed to me what He has revealed to Susan. I was not exposed to anyone outside of my christian church and had no human influence in this. God by His Spirit and through His Word the Bible, showed me this Truth.
In Col 2:16, it never says they were not keeping the Sabbath, Feasts, diet etc. Truth is these new christians lived in a pagan country. They were not in Jerusalem and the ones judging them were not Jews. They were pagans who were judging the new christians because the WERE keeping the Sabbath, Feasts, diet, etc. Paul makes this clear in 2:18 when he identifies who is doing the judging. Gnostics worshipped angels. Not Jews.
This is a bit late, (I just found your site in the last week) but I love the picture at the end of this article. It is so intimate compared to the usual Nativity scene we see at Christmas. What a beautiful, touching picture! Thanks!
Brijette