The Christmas season is now fully underway, and perhaps you have already heard of Christians being persecuted. Do you know any Christian friends who feel they have been persecuted this year? Here is an improved (but simple) chart by Rachel Held Evans you can share with them to determine whether or not they have really been persecuted.
I wish you both a ‘Merry Christmas!’ AND a ‘Happy Holidays!’. ~Tim
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No, we haven’t been persecuted. They trot out the same codswallop every Christmas/holiday season. Also the one about ‘putting the Christ back into Christmas’. Like no-one’s heard of it before, duh.
Regarding persecution, the Evangelical Alliance, here in the UK ,set up a survey about whether society persecutes Christians. Supposedly set up by ‘Christians in Parliament’, it puts forward questions about persecution – but also the way in which the questions are phrased makes it sound like their definition of what makes a Christian is straight from the usual narrow Evangelical mindset. It made me feel quite sick, actually, especially when I know I used to be one like that. I just filled it in and gave them a piece of my mind. ‘How does the world do [certain things]?’, they ask? A damn sight better than Christians do, I replied 🙂
Here’s the survey. Airsickness bags on standby:
https://ea.typeform.com/to/u6W89o
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Tony, I took a look at the UK survey just out of curiosity. One thing that bugged me was the use of the phrase “hate crime.”
I find that people use that phrase far too flippantly. A hate crime is a violent, targeted, evil thing, and it’s often deadly. But someone says “Happy Holidays” to you instead of “Merry Christmas”? That’s not a hate crime.
The people that have acid thrown in their face, the countless LGBTQ youths that have been attacked by gangs, the women who are sexually assaulted as punishment for some perceived slight…those are the ones you may want to ask about hate crimes.
(This is not directed at you, by the way, just the people who think and act this way).
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“But someone says “Happy Holidays” to you instead of “Merry Christmas”? That’s not a hate crime.”
Strangegirl, I agree! Some people get way too excited about these things.
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Tony, I read the survey. Can you toss me one of those airsickness bags real quick?
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I’ve just completed the survey. I felt that it was “leading” in how it thought the answers should be. I’m not sure that they are expecting that other “Christians” are my identified hostile group!
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I think, as followers of Jesus, we are called to be sensitive, not touchy!
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Excellent point, Susan!
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It seems in today’s world almost every group feels “persecuted” because they are not given a platform from which they can inflict their views upon everyone else.
I have often felt “hounded” by “christians” who want to tell me that if I don’t celebrate Christmas in the way they think it should be celebrated I am destroying Christmas.
I think it’s wonderful that people everywhere take time every year to pay homage to the practice of giving, even in a secular way. Yes, there is a huge materialistic side to it all, but what do we expect from people who for the most part do not know or follow Jesus?
And what a wonderful opportunity it is for us to promote “peace and goodwill among men”, no matter what they choose to call it. . . . . . “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”!
If people ask me why I love Christmas, I take it as an opportunity to share about celebrating the birth of someone who based His life on values such as acceptance of all, kindness, and giving whatever He could. Otherwise, I just put the emphasis on sharing as much joy as I can with others.
God knows the world needs more Joy!
Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!
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Dennis, I like this answer! “If people ask me why I love Christmas, I take it as an opportunity to share about celebrating the birth of someone who based His life on values such as acceptance of all, kindness, and giving whatever He could. Otherwise, I just put the emphasis on sharing as much joy as I can with others.”
And I think your comment on peace and good will to all is right on target! Why do we have to get tied up in knots over ‘Happy Holidays’?
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to be honest, I’m not fond of the term “Happy Holidays” but only because I’m from England and here, a holiday more often refers to a vacation than to the season of goodwill. I’m all for goodwill, though, wherever it comes from.
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Susan, just wanted to say that’s an interesting perspective. I do know in the UK a holiday is another word for vacation, so I can see how someone saying “Happy Vacation” would be a little strange, haha.
Over here (in the US, anyway), it’s just a general greeting that translates to, “I hope you have a nice time this Christmas season” or something like that. I’m not sure why people make it seem like it’s meant to be malicious or something.
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Susan, that makes sense to me.
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Additionally, the holiday season in the US runs from Thanksgiving to New Years Day. Christmas is the dominant culture holiday, with two overlapping versions, religious and secular. Other religions have holidays in that time frame and various countries may well have national holidays as well. What’s wrong with Happy Holidays? Working in retail I usually use the year round versions of thanking and well wishes. General politeness and positivity are what matter.
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Time Lord, you make good points. And I like your inclusiveness and flexibility and agree that politeness and positivity are what really matter.
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Ah, that makes so much sense to this English girl! “Happy Holidays” (plural) covers a season incorporating several celebrations, which is entirely appropriate in the US but, perhaps, less so here in the UK. Thank you for enlightening me! Personally, I’m not offended that many non-Christians celebrate Christmas – not at all- but I do find the pressure on Christians to combine the secular and the sacred is often overwhelming. There is SO much to do and I’d rather keep it as simple as possible. There have been some Christmasses when I became actually too busy doing the secular stuff to have time to go to Church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day – wrapping presents, preparing Christmas lunch etc etc. That had to stop! Year on year, I am trying to tone down the secular so that I can enjoy the sacred, whilst still feeling festive – if that makes sense!
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It makes perfect sense. Enjoy. Merry Christmas to you and those you love.
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Thank you! And the same to you and yours and to all the lovely people on here!
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Susan, “I do find the pressure on Christians to combine the secular and the sacred is often overwhelming.” I agree, and I like your idea of toning down the secular yet feeling festive.
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As the Evans chart makes clear, there’s persecution and there’s “persecution.” The following article does a nice job of describing how followers of Jesus, throughout the history of Christendom, have found each other, formed communities, and shouldered their various tasks of service in the name and spirit of their Lord and Master. Quite a few of these groups did indeed suffer persecution, but few, if any, had time to complain about “persecution.” May we, each in our own way, strive to be more like them, learn to accept as an honor any persecution that may come our way, and thus find little time to whine about “persecution.”
https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/church-community/the-way-two-millennia
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Newton, thanks for sharing this interesting article.
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What about our brothers and sisters in muslim countries? They are persecuted for sure.
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Charlotte, Christians in some Muslim countries are severely persecuted for sure. I think this makes claims of persecution in the USA even more pitiful.
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Oh, I see what you mean. Yes, people should just stop feeling victimised. It is pathetic.
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There are many muslim fanatics who will persecute anyone, just as there are many christian fanatics who do the same, but there are also many muslims who have stood up for and even protected their christian and jewish neighbours when they were in trouble.
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Well said, Dennis.
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