Here Comes Christmas Again

Still Just Thinking

By Jim Gerwing
Oh boy. The swift passage of time is one of the blessings and curses of old age. Here it is, Christmas just around the corner, with all the joys, the aches, the hardships, the tensions. It seems just a few months ago since last Christmas.

For regular Christian churchgoers, this is a holy season, a time to reflect on what the message of Jesus Christ means.  For Christians who enter churches once or twice a year, this is a time for pleasant pageantry and fond memories.

For shoppers, this is a bittersweet time of finding the right presents for those they love, and possibly maxing out their credit cards one more time.  For some, this is a time of sadness and loneliness.  For many, this is a time of great indifference.

In an effort to be politically correct, many institutions struggle to find inoffensive words to replace Christian terms.  I find this pathetic in a multicultural society.  Can we not enjoy each other's celebrations? Is there really any good reason why Christians cannot celebrate Christmas publicly?  If others want to keep aloof, that is surely their right. Can we not agree to protect the sacred and traditional holy days of all faiths?  Why should we hide the fact that Canadian people do celebrate Christmas, and Rosh Hashanna, and Ramadan, and Winter Solstice, and all manner of other religious or non-religious customs, many at the same time on the calendar?  Can we not enter into these times with understanding or at least tolerance? 

Religious bigotry has done much to destroy good will. Religious institutions have much to answer for in their promotion of vitriolic hatred for those who disagree with them.  I have yet to see a sincere and full apology from any Christian denomination for the abuses perpetrated in the name of God and their particular beliefs. I am not sure about other faiths.

No doubt, someone will take me to task for bringing up these unpleasant facts at a time that cries for peace and harmony.  But isn't it also time to be honest, to confess our wrongdoings, to make heartfelt overtures toward those whom we have alienated, and to accept sincere offers of reconciliation?  Isn't it time to put aside our ingrained and learned differences and find a way to enjoy the richness of our diversity?

Yours for a Christmas season that proves that peace could be more than a dream.