971
The Spirit of Christ....mas
The Christmas season is upon us, ideally a time of holiday, of refreshment, a time out and a time off. It is a time for families to visit and to renew and reflect upon their love for each other, their community and their country... an occasion to give joyously and receive graciously. Christmas is bright lights, happy children, jolly Santas, voices raised in song, and shopping and wrapping and parties and cozy kitchens filled with delicious smells.
All those things are part of the spirit of Christmas.
But wait....are those church bells we hear ringing through the hubbub....reminding us of the truest and most important "Spirit" of Christ....mas?
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their sins." (Mat. 1:21)
"And the angel said unto them, fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2 10,11)
I like to think that this year of 2001 the Spirit of Christ...mas will be present in American hearts and homes as it hasn't for decades.
As a nation we are poorer than we were a year ago. More people have lost their jobs and many companies have filed for bankruptcy.
We are more humble, because on September 11 we became shockingly aware that we, like all people everywhere, have our vulnerabilities. Out of the terror and destruction and death and heartbreak that touched each of us to a greater or lesser degree, has come to many Americans a spiritual awakening, a need to examine more closely that intangible thing we call the soul, a desire to rejuggle our priorities and pay more attention to the sufferings of our fellow man.
To remember that Christ...mas celebrates the birth of our Lord and of Christianity.
I make no apology to current political correctness with all its sneers and snickers directed at Christian beliefs, and neither should any other Christian worthy of the name. Christianity, despite its historical warts and human failures, is the primary religion of this country. Its principles are embedded in the heart of our Constitution, which created a nation of free and productive people such as the world had never seen. Christianity laid the foundation of our culture, our traditions, our ethics and laws. But it didn't end there. Guided by Christian principles, our Founders created a nation where not only Christians, but ALL religions were guaranteed freedom of worship.
True Christianity, with emphasis on the word 'true,' is big enough to accept the beliefs of other forms of religion and allow their peoples to worship freely by its side, though it may try its darndest to win them for Christ with words.
Such choices are not available in much of the world.
As we Americans celebrate Christ...mas, maybe we are no longer the same people who took so much for granted. Prosperity. Safety. Power. Invulnerability. Freedom to worship or not worship, as we please. Perhaps we will be braver, less meek and sheeplike in our obeisance to the cultural political correctness that has led us away from the proclamation and defense of Christ...mas. Maybe we'll even remember that Christianity was not an inheritance that came from our Father without a price. It suffered agonizing birth pains 2000 years ago that continue even today in many parts of the world, though most Americans appear to have drowsed in complacency and their own affairs, and neglected to speak up for their suffering brothers.
Sudanese Catholic Bishop Max Gassis said it like it is: "Western nations are not defending their own (loudly professed) Christian values."
But the Christians of southern Sudan know all about defending their faith. During 19 years of struggle between the Muslims of the north and the Christians of the south, two million Sudanese have died, millions are homeless and an unknown number sold into slavery or seized and imprisoned for indoctrination. A 1995 United Nations survey confirmed that at least 10,000 children had been seized from their Christian and animist parents and confined in twenty Islamic indoctrination camps. U.N. Human Rights official Gasper Biro said, "The whole range of human rights universally recognized have been violated. Summary executions, arbitrary arrests, systematic torture, detentions without trial, slavery, religious persecution."
According to U.S. missionary Brad Phillips, "Sudan's black Christians are being wiped out systematically, village by village (Where are the most prosperous and prominent Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton?!) ."
Sudan, Nigeria and Indonesia lead the world in actual death tolls of Christians. According to Human Rights Watch, Christian villages in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, have suffered repeated attacks, resulting in more than 5,000 dead and 400,000 refugees. The U.S. State Department's annual religious freedom report rates Afghanistan, Burma, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam, along with our buddies Saudi Arabia and China, as among the world's worst in terms of religious freedom. In fact, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Afghanistan are rated the "most repressive" Muslim countries. In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the governments require all citizens to be Muslim and continue to prohibit any public manifestation of non-Muslim religions. Punishment meted out to Christians from Islamic militias includes a choice between conversion to Islam or death. Interestingly, Iraq is the least hostile country in the Middle East to Christians, because of its more secular brand of Islam.
Religious freedom continued to worsen in China in the last year. Catholic and Protestant members of unauthorized churches were subjected to raids, detention and persecution.
You see, terror is not new. It's just new to us. As the Website, persecution.org, points out: Is it not terrorism when churches and homes are bombed? Are Christians not terrorised when they are imprisoned for worshipping God in their homes? Are they not terrorized when they see their loved ones slaughtered before their very eyes? All of these atrocities and more are happening to our brothers and sisters in Christ in nations like Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Sudan.
And what can we do about our suffering brothers in Christ?
We can open our eyes and hearts and learn about their problems.
We can fight our own peaceful war on terror by urging our politicians and government to refuse to trade with those who continue to abuse humans with their violent and atrocious practices. We can say that this great nation founded on principles of truth and freedom and justice for all will have no fellowship with vicious tyrants of darkness, no matter how much oil they have.
We can pray for those who are cold and hungry and victimized, yet still have the courage and loyalty to defend their faith against all odds.
And we can pray this Christ...mas for a renewal of our own neutered and battered faith, so that we may defend it proudly and without apology. So that we can have the wisdom to know and act upon what is right and just and true.
Even if it costs us.
Merry Christ...mas. I wish you all good tidings, great joy and pure hearts.
Payson.cc © 2001 Carrol Cox
Payson Arizona Editorial and Opinions on National USA / World / and Local News Issues