Wednesday, December 21, 2005

P C Christmas?

On krisalis blog she wrote about the Human Resources PC correct greetings. Here it is:
  • Please accept without obligation, express or implied, these best wishes for an environmentally safe, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, and gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday as practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice (but with respect for the religious or secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or for their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all) and further for a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated onset of the generally accepted calendar year (including, but not limited to, the Christian calendar, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures).
  • The preceding wishes are extended without regard to the race, creed, age, physical ability, religious faith or lack thereof, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee(s).
Perhaps the above is a sign of the time. I guess I don't understand all the fight about Christmas and saying Merry Christmas. Why are people offended? If you are a Christian you are celebrating Jesus' birth, it's a historical fact he was born, lived and died according to a Roman historian Flavius Josephus. If your not a Christian, then why would celebrating a baby's birth be so offensive to you? I've been wished Happy Chanukkah or Happy Ramadan and even Happy Qwuanza . But why are people upset about a little baby in a manager? Perhaps the better questions is who is this Jesus?

You must admit Jesus changed the course of the then know world and continues to divide peoples. He is the dividing point. Who is he? C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity answer that question by saying we have three choices. #1. Jesus was a liar. Would a liar do the things Jesus did? Say the things that He said like the Sermon on the Mount? #2. Jesus was a lunatic. Only a mad man would claim to be God (remember the Jews wanted to stone him and in the end He was crucified for blasphemy, claiming to be God). But would a lunatic heal the sick, raise the dead, and bring sight to the blind? 3. Jesus is Lord. Here is the dividing point! If he is not a liar or a lunatic then He must be Lord. That's the divide. While a baby in a manager puts no demands on our life, the teachings, the life, the death and the resurrection of Jesus does put demands upon us. He calls for our worship and commitment. He calls for our ALL.

So when I see people get upset when I say Merry Christmas or I here of the forced pc as above I remind myself it's because of Jesus.... His Birth, His Life, His Teachings, His Death and His Resurrection. When some one gets upset about the saying Merry Christmas I just remind myself they are not willing to bow before the manger like the lowly shepherds and say Hossanna. He is Lord.

I'll be taking a blog break. I'm leaving warm sunny Florida to go to New Jersey to celebrate Christmas with my family. I will be running and riding a mountain bike to keep up my training. I want to wish all of my blog family and friends:


MERRY CHRISTMAS

I pray that you and your family will know the joy and peace of worshiping the new born King.

24 comments:

:) said...

Awesome post. Thank you and Merry Christmas to you too!

Steven said...

Hear! Hear! Excellent post and I completely agree with you. Have a very Merry Christmas, Oldman.

Linda said...

Great post and I have to agree that Jesus is the reason for the season. Does your mountain bike have snow tires weather. Enjoy the cooler Merry Christmas to you too!

kristen said...

well said. merry christmas to you and yours.

Nancy Toby said...

Did I miss it? Who was offended by Merry Christmas?

http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=resources_xmas_tales&JServSessionIdr005=u75bnye2y1.app5b

Merry Christmas, anyway!

Steffany said...

Thank you for your heartfelt and well-written post! Merry Christmas to you as well!

Papa Tweet said...

Merry Christmas to you too Old Man. Have a nice time with your family. Have fun riding in the cold. That'll give you an idea what the rest of us are going through. You're gonna freeze your butt off.
Benny

Comm's said...

Well said buddy. Remember the weather is different in NJ, no cold beers or tequila, hot toddys and muld wine.

Anonymous said...

Please click on nancytoby's link. (http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=resources_xmas_tales&JServSessionIdr005=u75bnye2y1) There are very few true attacks on Christianity. The feeling that there is an internal religious war is being propagated by large church-based bureaucracies in a desperate bid for undeserved power. They are trying to make Christians feel like under-dogs when we actually make up the majority of the US population. Please don't fall victim to propaganda.

Do you agree with everything your pastor says? Would you really want his interpretation of the Bible to become law? Or would you prefer it to remain a kindly Sunday suggestion that you, as an individual, are allowed to think about?

Born To Endure said...

Thanks to you, i'll be having palm tree dreams...in all of this snow..have a very merry christmas!!

David said...

Merry Christmas Oldman.

soccerdad said...

Merry Christmas, Oldman! have a safe and wonderful vacation.

Unknown said...

Amen. Merry Christmas and God Bless.

Cliff said...

Amen to that..

Isn't New Jersey colder than Florida? :)

Have a great Merry Christmas...

What i find it very odd about PC is that if we all just say Happy Holidays . What's next? Happy Dec 24th? Happy December? If the meaning of Xmas is to shop and give present, then why can't we do it any other day? ...Ppl are strange...they like to celebrate Xmas but don't like the origin of it.

Oldman said...

Cliff:

Yes New Jersey is cold but I like to get the "feel" of Christmas with cold weather and maybe a little snow. It makes Christmas like I remember it growing up.

People will celebrate any holiday where they get rewarded, ie presents. When the secular world talks about the spirit of Christmas they are talking about their own feel good about myself attitude becuase I'm getting presents, but the true spirit of Christmas is Jesus and his love for us.

Recovering Alumni said...

Merry Christmas, Oldman. Great post.

Jank said...

Merry Christmas to you, too

Triathamom said...

Merry Christmas. May He be the reason for this season & every season. God's blessing to you.

Deene said...

Merry Merry Christmas!! add a hallelujah to that. Have fun in New Jersey.

Bolder said...

ok, i tried to be PC for you... and, i researched, and researched, and came up with a solution... my vids don't load unless YOU press play...

and, jus for you Oldman... the vid has Bing Crosby singing a Christmas song!

seriously N., thinking of you over the holidays.

take care, G.

Jill Homer said...

Enjoying the blog. Looking forward to watching your progress toward the Ironman,

April Anne said...

I hope you had a Merry Christmas. Great post!! Blessings in 2006 Oldman.

Unknown said...

Great post, well said!

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