 |
The ideology behind giving thanks
Pastoral Pondering: How can we
appear more
`redeemed' to non-believers?
Has
Christmas become
a more secular holiday? |
Are Americans emphasizing the gifts, rather than the giving? |
By Schellene Clendenin, Newberg
Graphic reporter
E-mail Schellene at sclendenin@eaglenewspapers.com
|
Baby Jesus in the manger, surrounded by robed people and farm animals, and
Santa Claus in his red suit with a white beard and bag of toys.
These two images are tied closely to Christmas.
But then so are midnight mass on Christmas eve and stores filled with holiday
gifts before Halloween arrives.
Many complain that Christmas has become more consumer driven and less a
celebration of the birth of Christ, its original purpose.
“I don’t know that it’s necessarily more secular than it was
20 years ago, but it sure seems that way,” said Pastor Paul Almquist of West Chehalem
Friends Church.
Almquist said he hardly gets to focus on Thanksgiving because American
society moves so quickly from Halloween to Christmas. In many ways, he said, Christmas has
become more of a commercialized holiday, perhaps due to the economy.
“I think that (the change) has been going on for a long time, but our
society is becoming more pluralistic,” he said. “People have so many more
diverse opinions on everything, so it’s natural that there would be a push to
de-emphasize Christ.”
Almquist said that as a pluralistic society Americans are more aware of
various religions in society: “It used to be said that this (was) a Christian nation,
and Christianity is still the predominant faith.”
But there seems to be a growing influence of other religions on society,
Almquist maintained. “It will be interesting to see what effect that has on the
celebration of Christmas,” he said.
We hear a lot more about other religions that weren’t visible in the
United States in the past, he said, adding “as a Christian I hope it doesn’t
diminish Christianity. However the added numbers of different faiths may spur us on to a
different influence.
“Sometimes Christians have a feeling they don’t have to speak up
about their faith.”
Almquist pointed out that the holiday was named Christmas and if Christ is no
longer going to be a part of it perhaps it should be called something else.
Pastor Peter Blank said he feels Christmas has definitely become more
commercial and Halloween and Thanksgiving have nearly upstaged the holiday.
“The lights of the commercial stores and music is overshadowing the much
more quiet birth of a child,” he said. “There’s a display outside
Attrell’s Funeral Home (a live nativity scene); it’s a quiet but strong
statement of what it’s all about; in the mall it’s a different meaning.”
Blank said God is still a part of Christmas, but American society is more
interested in giving expensive gifts with beautiful wrap, instead of handmade presents,
gifts from the heart and gifts in the name of God.
In the beginning, he said, the date for Christmas was based on the winter
solstice, an event celebrated by pagans. Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year,
and has been Christianized as the day of Christ’s birth.
Blank said he wishes he could see less emphasis on dollars and cents in the
celebration of the holiday and more emphasis on loving each other and being loved.
“Hold onto each other — the greatest gift we have in this world is
love; it’s not Nordstrom’s,” he said. |
|
From Nov. 22,
2003, Newberg Graphic
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