To Hell With The War On Christmas, Let’s Talk About A War On…Advent?

I was reading the?Huffington Post today and came across an article that made my heart and spirit very happy to read and see. Diana Butler Bass has written a piece on Advent! Too few people who grew up in Christian households or who are Christian do not realize the tradition of Advent or even know what it is, which is truly a disheartening thing to hear and even know.

I grew up in the Methodist Church where Advent is celebrated every year. It is my favorite part of this time of year because it builds the expectation up for the Christ child and the Nativity. Then, Christmas starts and lasts twelve days.? Not very many Christians know that and it is sad.

What’s the big deal with Advent?

Advent is what helps keep the focus on the spiritual aspect of Christmas for Christians- or should be. We are not yet celebrating the birth of the Christ Child, but instead waiting with bated breath and hope, focusing on the new light to enter the world. In such a capitalist country like this one, the focus is far too often taken off of the spiritual aspect and instead focused on the consumer part of it. This is NOT what this time of year is about!

Advent, Christmas- it’s all the same, right?

As stated above, no, it’s not all the same. Christmas is the actual celebration of the Christ child being here. Decorations shouldn’t go up until the day of Christmas and then be left up until January 6. Gifts are given to everyone all twelve days and it is one endless celebration, which is how the Christian mystics and ancients intended for it to be.

War on Christmas?

No, there is no war on Christmas. The thing is, creating this so called War on Christmas because of people saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas creates an entirely different war. It opens the door for the war on spirituality to start and that is exactly what has happened. For instance, Pope Francis has been known to denounce market-based capitalism; what ended up happening after that is a lot of conservatives denounced?him, some going so far as to say that Jesus wept over his denouncement of capitalism. This just goes so to show exactly how deep rooted the idolatry of money and stuff is worshiped here in America.

What does the greed have to do with it?

Simply put, greed has a lot to do with it.

  • Greed, much like hate, is something that enters into the spirit of a person and grows.
  • We are being spoon fed that capitalism is good for all, when that is simply not the case, because there are too many starving, sick, homeless, and poor.
  • This greed and need for stuff and things to cement our status in society is becoming all consuming; so much so that a tradition that is rich in spirituality has almost been completely erased because of it.

What do we do?

We take a stand and remember what the Ghost of Christmas Present told Scrooge about these people that claim to speak in God’s name and yet hurt the poor:

“There are some upon this earth of yours,’ returned the Spirit,’ who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us and all our kith and kin, as if they had never lived. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us.”

The Ghost of Christmas Present, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Also, remember what Jacob Marley had to say about what business truly is- and it’s not turning a pretty penny for profit.

Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!!

-Jacob Marley, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

This is what we need to bring this time of year back to;? a time of spirituality and a time of giving. The monstrosity that it has become is not what was intended by any shape or form.

Edited/Published by: SB