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Wednesday, December 20, 2006

How the Jews and Secularists Did Not Steal Christmas

by Rabbi Michael Lerner for the San Francisco Chronicle

December 17, 2006

Some leaders of the Christian Right have decided to make an issue of the secularization of Christmas. Objecting to the move by Macy's and some other retailers to wish their shoppers "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings," instead of the traditional Merry Christmas, they accuse secularists in general, and, on some of the right-wing talk shows, Jews in particular, of undermining Christmas.

The assault has been led by Bill O'Reilly, the most popular cable newscaster, who told millions of viewers that there was a systematic assault on Christmas by secularists. When challenged by a Jewish caller who said he felt uncomfortable being subject to frequent attempts to convert him by Christians at his college, O'Reilly responded: "All right. Well, what I'm tellin' you is, I think you're takin' it too seriously. You have a predominantly Christian nation. You have a federal holiday based on the philosopher Jesus. And you don't wanna hear about it? Come on -- if you are really offended, you gotta go to Israel then.'' I told O'Reilly that my grandfather didn't come here from Russia to be in a "Christian country," but rather in a country that welcomes many different faith traditions and officially privileges none.

Meanwhile, Richard Viguerie, the master of right-wing direct-mail campaigns, interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air, repeated the charge that Christians were the victims of a systematic secularists assault against Christmas. On MSNBC, William Donahue of the Catholic League insisted, "Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. It's not a secret, OK? They like to see the public square without nativity scenes." Liberals and civil libertarians would be making a huge mistake to see this as merely the rantings of a few overt anti-Semites and anti-civil-liberties extremists. They articulate a legitimate concern that many Christians say privately: their children have learned that Christmas is about buying -- and the person with the most expensive gifts wins!

There is a beautiful spiritual message underlying Christmas that has universal appeal: the hope that gets reborn in moments of despair, the light that gets re-lit in the darkest moments of the year, is beautifully symbolized by the story of a child born of a teenage homeless mother who had to give birth in a manger because no one would give her shelter, and escaping the cruelty of Roman imperial rule and its local surrogate Herod, who already knew that such a child would grow up to challenge the entire imperialist system. To celebrate that vulnerable child as a symbol of hope that eventually the weak would triumph over the rule of the arrogant and powerful is a spiritual celebration with strong analogies to our Jewish Hannukah celebration, which also celebrates the victory of the weak over the powerful, and the triumph of hope (symbolized by the Hannukah candles) over fear and the darkness of oppression (both ancient and contemporary).

Many other spiritual traditions around the world have similar celebrations at this time of year around the winter equinox. The loss of this message, its subversion into a frenetic orgy of consumption, rightly disturbs Christians, Jews and other people of faith. Yet, this transformation is not a result of Jewish parents wanting to protect their children from being forced to sing Christmas carols in public school, or secularists sending Season's Greeting cards. It derives, instead, from the power of the capitalist marketplace, operating through television, movies and marketers, to drum into everyone's mind the notion that the only way to be a decent human being at this time of year is to buy and buy more. Thus, the altruistic instinct to give, which could take the form of giving of our time, our skills and our loving energies to people we care about, gets transformed and subverted into a competitive frenzy of consumption.

Not surprisingly, the Christian Right is unwilling to challenge the capitalist marketplace -- because their uncritical support for corporate power is precisely what they had to offer the Right to become part of the conservative coalition. Their loyalty to conservative capitalist economics trumps for them their commitment to serving God. But for those of us who want to prevent a new surge of anti-Semitism and assaults on the First Amendment, our most effective path is to acknowledge what is legitimate in the Christians' concern -- and lead it into a powerful spiritual critique of the ethos of selfishness and materialism fostered by our economic arrangements. It's time for our liberal and progressive Christian leaders and neighbors to stand up again on behalf of Jews and on behalf of their own highest spiritual vision -- and challenge the real Christmas and Hannukah thieves!

Meanwhile, the rest of us can consciously resist by giving gifts of time rather than gifts of things. Give your friends a certificate saying "I'll give you five hours to do... " and then fill in the blanks with something that they might need that you could offer. Teach their child a skill or help that child with homework? Paint part of their home or fix a leaky pipe or mow their lawns or shovel their snow or give child-care time or do food shopping? Sharing your time could be far more meaningful, allow for real contact, etc. For those with whom you don't want that contact, don't buy -- just send them a lovingly written personal note affirming the values you want this season to teach. Resist the pressure to join the orgy of consumption!

12 comments:

Juggling Mother said...

"the Christian Right is unwilling to challenge the capitalist marketplace "

I never understood how fundementalist christian (and Jew in most cases) equalled right wing capatalist. Surely the bible is against all aspects of modern capitalism?

I agree that Christmas has been consumed by consumerism, but I don't understand how having nativity scenes in the public square will reverse that! After all - over here in the UK, where schools still have to provide a "predominantly christian" syllabus, most schools have a Nativity play every year, carol singing is still on every high street and the seasonally preferred way of begging and Christmas day is one of only two days in the year that employers must offer their em[ployees the day off (the other being Good Friday), Christmas is still a consumer frenzy, and if you ask children what happens at Christmas they will tell you about Santa & the presents they want!

Still, as a secular person I don't have a big problem with being wished merry Christmas, seeing decorated trees in the town square or even hearing most of the carols. We have a tree, and will eat Christmas dinner. We lit Hunnukah candles for the 8 days and ate doughnuts on the first and last one. We will light a Yule Log this evening and will eat a chocolate version. The kids know the stories behind all of these traditions, and (I hope) will grow up understandingb that people have many diffferent traditions, all celebrating the ame principles. It doesn't really matter where the traditions originated - as long as they are teaching the right thing!

CyberKitten said...

Well said JM.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

I so agree with JM...! I am Jewish and I have always loved the ritual symnols, if you will, of Christmas..the singing of Carols and the beautiful trees that one sees almost everywhere, and the feeling of community created by these things....Bill O'Reilly and his cohorts are so crazy....so filled with the milk of Non-Human Non-Kindness...EVERYTHING Jesus was NOT about...I will never understand how in a country that was built of the tenants of Freedom Of Religeon, there is so much "Anti Everything" and...'our way is the only way' kind of thinking and behaving, I wonder if these people really REALLY get what Jesus Christ was truly all about?
I love what the Rabbi had to say and thank you CK for posting this...You are the most well read person I have ever met...!

Gerry Watt said...

and...'our way is the only way' kind of thinking and behaving, I wonder if these people really REALLY get what Jesus Christ was truly all about?

That is what Jesus Christ was all about!

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Looks pretty clear cut to me

Laura said...

Here's the way I've come to look at it. Neither the US nor England is a theological state. Our governments are secular. That said, I could give a crap if someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, or puts a Nativity or Menorah or whatever in front of their house or in a public square... so long as the same people griping about not being able to put up a Nativity allow me and people like me the right to put up a Pentacle in a public square as a celebration of the Solstice. However, it rarely works that way. To me, the people who make a big stink out of this are usually one-sided in their claims. They're not claiming the right for all people to be equally represented, but for their views to be represented as official or superior.

So wish me a Merry Christmas, but don't be offended when I wish you a Merry Yule right back.

We need to learn to value difference, not erase it. "Happy Holidays" not only reinforces the myth that we're all the same, but also denies those minorities the ability to equally display their beliefs (or lack thereof) in just as public a fashion as the dominant culture.

Paste said...

Well all I want to say is a 'Happy Christmas CyberKitten', I've really enjoyed your blog this year.

Juggling Mother said...

Laura said "Neither the US nor England is a theological state"

This is something that I hear all gthe time - especially from liberal Americans who seem to assume that the UK is basically just a grown up version of the USA. But it is, of course totally wrong. The UK is, without a doubt, a theological state.

There is a state church.

The head of state is the head of the state church.

Many of our laws are based on the combination of church & State ie: All state schools much provide a syllabus that is "Broadly Christian" (unless licensed to offer another religion now!) and include at least 10 minutes of worship every day; Our Blasphemy Laws only apply to blasphemy against a Christian God; The civil marriage ceremony is based on the christian one, our employment laws specify that no-one can be made to work on Christmas day or Good Friday, but other religious holidays don't get a mention etc....

The top 26 Christian Bishops & Aechbishops automatically get to sit in the House of Lords & make laws.

Sure sounds like a theological state to me!

Laws do not a culture make!

OldLady Of The Hills said...

A Very Merry Christmas to you my dear CK! Hope your day is filled with lovely gifts, fabulous friends and family and some pretty yummy food, too!
I wish you all the best dear CK on this Christmas, 2006!

Laura said...

JM, yes I know there is a state church, but isn't it now just a figurehead/relic gone the way of the crown? According to what I have seen, heard, and read, most British folks are far more secular that the average American. That's really all I meant by that.

Merry Mithras!

Juggling Mother said...

Laura - yes, I would agree that the Uk is far more secular than the Us, as well as more tolerant of non-christian religians and far better integrated culturally.

however, you said that Britain is not a theological state, and it patently is, by any legal definition. Even Wikipeadia reckons this is so:-)

Still, I don't mind having a state festive season in the middle of winter:-)

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Well, I LOVED my card, more than I can say...! This was so incrddibly thoughtful and dear of you....I thank you with all my heart! Such lovely surprises from across the pond, my dear CK!
Hope your Christmas Day was a lovely one!

CyberKitten said...

It's an interesting question that has been raised by several of you: Is the UK (and specifically England) a Secular country/state. Personally I would say 'Yes' despite having a state church and everything JM rightly pointed to.

Nominally we are a Christian country - actually a Protestant country ATM - and yet only 7% of the majority christian 'faithful' attend church.. whilst 36% of people in a recent MORI poll considered themselves non-religious.

We do indeed still have many institutions and traditions hanging on from our more religious past - but I don't think that this in itself makes us anywhere close to a theocratic state.