Why are we celebrating Christmas?

Fri, Dec 20. 2011

Editor: As we celebrate Christmas, we often hold the impression that the rest of the world is also celebrating the birth of Christ. However, we ought to remember that Christmas is a Christian holiday. This is not celebrated by the Hindu, Islam or Buddhist.{{more}} You may find some Christians living in countries which are predominantly non-Christian but there are no official holidays.

In some predominantly Christian countries it has been found that the majority of persons no longer believe in the virgin birth of Christ nor the belief that he was sent by God to die for us. However, these countries still have holidays for the occasion. This does not make sense, since each vacation should relate to the beliefs of the majority. In our country, it appears that the majority of persons still believe in the virgin birth of Christ and everything else that goes with it. However, in Christianity, we speak so much about Israel and God’s love for Israel, but the majority of Jews do not believe that Christ was the Messiah sent by God. As far as they are concerned, he was just an ordinary person.

The celebration of Christmas has become a mere tradition. There is hardly any mention of the death of Jesus Christ by most persons. There is emphasis on the receiving of gifts, the decoration of homes and the consumption of food and liquor. Some persons are even disappointed when they do not receive a gift especially from their partners. What does this have to do with Christmas? It is either we get back to the real reason for the celebration of Christmas and do so in an appropriate manner or we do not celebrate it at all. Once we continue to ignore the real reason for the celebration of the season, as generations go by, there would be less and less interest in the birth of Jesus Christ. This would lead to a further decrease in the importance attached to the Christian religion itself. I am not saying that there should be more adherence to the Christian teachings, but if we are celebrating a Christian belief, it should be done in a manner which emphasizes the religion.

Mystic