We Wish You . . . Happy Holidays!
This is the time of the year that normally gets me thinking. I receive Christmas cards from people that assume I share their sentiments about Christmas. This is my dilemma: how to I reciprocate?
My first inclination is to simply say thank you, and not to reciprocate with a similar card, because giving a similar card would be dishonest for me. You see, I do not believe that a person called Jesus that might or might not have lived 2 000 years ago will some day come and rescue me when I do things that are against my true nature of Love.
I recently read about an atheist who got quite fed up with all the religious Christmas cards that he received, and who did not want to reciprocate with the bland alternative of “happy holidays”.
He designed his own card with this wording on the cover: ‘On December 25th, a Savior was born. He revealed eternal Truth, bringing Joy to millions. He astonished the world with His command over Nature. He changed history forever.’ You open up the card it says: ‘Happy Birthday, Sir Isaac Newton. December 25, 1642 – March 20, 1726.’
I had a chuckle when I read that, and I thought “good for you”. Am I an atheist? No. My belief in a God of Love is far too strong for that, and I see proof of God every day.
Of course there is the other extreme, namely a complete and destructive addiction to fantasy. I am referring to the English teacher that lost her job recently because she told a group of seven-year-olds that Santa Claus was not real. This caused such outrage among parents that they insisted on her dismissal. Would those parents have preferred that the teacher rather lie to their children at all costs? Or did the behaviour of the parents reflect an