Come this time of year you are bound to hear the phrases “true meaning of Christmas” and “put Christ back in Christmas”. But just how true are these statements? What is the true meaning of Christmas? Does Jesus really have anything to do with the date of December 25th?
The answer to the latter, at least, is no. If Jesus was indeed a real person, he wasn’t born in the middle of winter. Shepards and their flocks would have been a might bit cold on a night at the end of December. Scholars have put Jesus’ birth at either the springtime or the fall. So why do we celebrate December 25th as the day he was born?

The ancient pagans celebrated the end of December as a time of re-birth. The winter solstice, what is called Yule in some traditions, falls on or around December 21st. This is the time of year where the day is shortest and the night longest. After this time, the days slowly become longer. Thus, the ancient pagans viewed this as the return…or rebirth…of the sun. There was much celebration…great feasts, dancing, singing, exchanging of gifts…general merry-making in all of the northern hemisphere.
A few cultures even believed one of their gods was born on December 25th. Take the Romans, for example. Their god Saturnalia, the unconquered sun god, is said to have been born on this celebrated day.
Keep in mind, all of these winter celebrations existed long before Jesus was a twinkling in his God’s eye. When Christianity rose up, the orthodox Christians wanted a way to convert pagans to their new religion. What better way than to overlay the pagan winter celebrations with a Christian one. And thus, the nativity story was born…even if it’s star character was not.

When we look at all of this, it makes one wonder why Christians like to exclaim “put Christ back in Christmas”. Jesus really had nothing what-so-ever to do with December the 25th. Many ancient cultures have a claim to that day or the surounding days. We can all celebrate in our own way…the Pagans with their beliefs and the Christians with theirs. One religion need not lay claim to a day that has much meaning for all.

And speaking of meaning…what is the true meaning of Christmas? In one simple word…love. Not one religion needs to lay claim to the meaning, either. This is a dark and cold time of year for all in the northern hemisphere. Spending time with friends and family and exchanging gifts of love goes beyond one religion or culture. It’s a universal celebration of warmth in this cold time of the year.
Let’s all celebrate and all share the true meaning. Happy Holidays to everyone of all faiths!

There’s a new video game that’s been released recently…Left Behind: Eternal Forces. This game was apparently released about a month ago, but I just heard about it tonight while watching the news. The object? To convert as many people as you can to Christiainty. While that’s not so bad, as many Christains do that on a daily basis, what is bad is what the Christians in the game can do to the non-Christians they don’t convert…kill them with quite a bit of armed-force firepower!

Now the creator of the game states it’s a “pacifist” game, as you lose “spirit points” every time you kill someone. I’d really like to know what this guy’s definition of “pacifisim” is if he thinks blowing up a bunch of innocent non-Christians isn’t violent. And if you do happen to pull the trigger…well, that’s no biggie. You gain “spirit points” back simply by praying. Ah, the free life a Christian must lead…a life of no accountability. Kill someone? Who cares! All they gotta do is pray for forgivness and all is well…and they are free to kill again.

Is this really something we want our children to learn? That it’s ok to go out and convert the “Antichrist’s children” and kill them if they don’t succeed? That by simply praying on that murderous deed it makes everything ok? This game teaches intolerance of other beliefs at a level that no one (child or adult) should ever consider…convert or die. That campaign was used before in the past, though the battlefield was real, not digital. But does that make any difference? Should our children be brainwashed into thinking holy wars are a good thing, as long as we pray to the right person…in this case, Jesus? The obvious answer is a resounding NO. This game should be yanked off the shelves of any retailer that sells it. Problem is, it brings in money, and as our economy, not to mention our greed, thrives on the almighty dollar, the game will stay on the shelves for young minds to absorb.

Intolerence will be the death of the human race…and this video game is only helping in that death.

Link to article…read for yourself the controversy this game has wrought.