Another Christmas Day has come and gone
but I thought there was one thing that required a bit more
reflection.
This Christmas, like those that
preceded it, had its share of detractors.
As time has gone by, these detractors
have become both more numerous and more vocal.
Some insisted on alternative and
meaningless names like Winter Holiday.
Some demanded that government
institutions ban decorations that have distinct Christian themes.
This year. there was even contention
over a manger scene on city hall property.
When detractors are asked why they
object to Christian themes two reasons usually top the list.
Probably the most common reason cited
is the canned response “separation of church and state.”
This response however has been very
much taken out of context.
When the United States was still in its
infancy, the Founding Fathers (another term currently in disfavor)
made it very clear that the government would not establish a national
religion.
Citizens would be free to choose how
they would believe.
They could even choose not to believe
if that is what they sincerely desired.
Therefore, separation of church and
state was not intended to be a line drawn in the sand with faith on
one side and government on the other.
It was simply a guarantee to citizens
that a particular denomination would not be forcibly imposed upon
them.
Another reason commonly cited is that
Christian symbols might make some people uncomfortable.
I find this line of reasoning flawed at
best.
As a Christian, I know that some choose
to believe differently than I do.
Their choice is simply that. It is
their choice.
As a Christian I am supposed to tell
others about Jesus but I cannot force them to believe in Him,
I cannot force my belief on others. No
one can.
At the end of the day, they remain free
to say, “No”.
When they do say “Yes” to Jesus it
is because of a change He brings about.
I dare mot take any credit for that.
Likewise, a person of another religion
cannot force his or her belief on me.
Therefore, symbols of other religions
do not make me uncomfortable.
That said, I do believe some
individuals will feel genuine discomfort which, in and of itself, is
a good thing.
Discomfort is a wonderful motivation
for change.
If I place my hand too near an open
flame I will feel discomfort in that hand.
That discomfort will
motivate me to change the location of my hand before it sustains
serious or permanent damage.
A person who feels genuine discomfort
in the presence of a religious symbol, be it Christian or otherwise,
feels uncomfortable for a reason.
That discomfort should motivate that
person to seek out the reason for it.
It could be racism.
It could be intolerance.
It could be a an emptiness longing to
be filled.
It could be something completely
different.
Whatever it is, it is an indication
that individual needs to incorporate an effective change and the
sooner the better.
But Christmas Day has passed and soon
all the decorations and symbols will taken down and put in storage
for another year.
Why discuss such things now?
People should be able to tell
Christians by the way we live and treat others each and every day not
just during the Christmas season.
If they cannot, then it as if we have effectively removed the decorations of His love from our hearts and placed them
in cold storage as well.
This would be extremely sad because
this is would be a choice that we made and not one that was imposed
upon us.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at
http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 3, 2014.
Please enjoy the contributions of my
fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, January
10, 2014.
