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It’s important not to overlook the real story of Christmas

Friday, 19 December 2008

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Most of us enjoy this festive time of year, but are we becoming more secular and agnostic regarding the Christmas season? For many with an ‘atheistic’ view of Christmas, it is presents and parties, tinsel and turkey, banqueting and booze.

Many are prepared to tolerate a ‘sprinkling’ of religion provided the festive season isn’t exclusively focused on the Biblical events of that first Christmas.

Of course, in this world of political correctness it would be considered ill-mannered or bad taste to offend those from different faiths or none by sending greeting cards depicting ‘The Christmas Story’. Far better to send sentiments of ‘Happy Holidays’ with a robin in the snow, or ‘Winter Wishes’.

And is this Christmas story just a story, promoted by well meaning folk to cheer us amid the gloom of ‘the bleak mid-winter’? And what is fact or falsehood? The little drummer boy, sung and adored by many, is not mentioned in the Gospels. But what of the donkey Mary rode from Nazareth to Bethlehem? No donkey appears in the Biblical account. Mary and Joseph probably walked.

And the three kings who followed the star to the manger to greet the new born baby Jesus — incorrect on all counts. They weren’t kings but magi (from the Greek word, magol ‘wise men’) — and we don’t even know how many of them brought the three gifts as they stopped at Mary and Joseph’s house in Bethlehem when Jesus was a child (possibly as old as two years). And was our Lord born on December 25? We don’t know.

But none of this should detract from the truth of the Gospel message encompassed in this beautiful Christmas story — that of a virgin birth of God’s only son, who by his life, work, witness and death on a cross provides us with the lasting gift of salvation for those who just believe. So this December 25 will it be just another ‘Merry Xmas’ for you and yours or, perhaps for the very first time, a special, meaningful, wonderful, peaceful and deeply significant ‘Happy CHRISTmas’?

Bill Kerr

Newtownards

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26 Comments

As interesting as your xmas eve and new years eve Conor!

I hope you can part with as much wisdom in 2009 Conor!

Posted by Mark | 06.01.09, 11:38 GMT

You had an interesting Boxing day then Mark

Posted by conor | 31.12.08, 08:13 GMT

And a lot of blinkered sheep in the christian community!

Posted by Mark | 26.12.08, 18:25 GMT

There are some heavyweight intellectuals among Northern Ireland's trendy atheist community

Posted by conor | 24.12.08, 09:04 GMT

Not so much arrogant as more confident in my convictions and in the fact that there is truth in what I say. Thanks for the analysis though!

Posted by Mark | 23.12.08, 14:12 GMT

and totally arrogant

Posted by conor | 23.12.08, 12:58 GMT

Your presumptions are wrong again. I'm merely a humble commentator and realist Conor!

Fit to make up my own mind, you should try it instead of following like a sheep!

Posted by Mark | 23.12.08, 11:50 GMT

I apologise Mark, I presume you are a theologian then

Posted by conor | 23.12.08, 08:04 GMT

Thanks Mark. I thought so

Posted by JK | 22.12.08, 14:16 GMT

Very good Conor.

Number 1, I am not a Civil Servant.

and Number 2, I'm not Christian bashing, merely querying what appears to be a completely fabricated story!

The gospel changes throughout time, becoming more and more glorified and also more worthy of being told! (A better story, yet still untrue).

Too much has been added in and left out (or cut out by the Church through the years), for this to be taken seriously. None of the bible is eyewitness account and wasn't started being recorded for at least 50 years after the time!

Good contributions JK

Posted by Mark | 22.12.08, 12:15 GMT

Psalm 14 v 1 "THE FOOL SAYS IN HIS HEART THERE IS NO GOD".
The Bible calls those who don't believe in God fools. I hope no one will try and censor this portion of scripture like they are now trying to censor the Free Presbyterian Church. Ultimately everyone of us, whether you wish to admit it or not, will be judged on what Matthew 22 v 42 says "what think ye of Christ".

Posted by Berty | 22.12.08, 10:59 GMT

Thank you, Bill Kerr! Very well written. Those who say it can't be proved, plainly and simply haven't TRIED to prove it - now have they! How sad.

Posted by Stan | 21.12.08, 03:35 GMT

Why so much anti-Christianity? People seem to get really worked up, if there not interested why don't they just get on with their lives and let us get on with ours. Or is there an agenda here, I wonder if there is someone or something at work in their lives. Figure it out for yourselves.

Posted by Ballykelly | 20.12.08, 23:44 GMT

Ill be celebrating the Pagan Way :)

Posted by Vm | 20.12.08, 19:54 GMT

show me a shred of proof. in the old form of english did they not have the letter g

Posted by JK | 20.12.08, 15:44 GMT

pagan and proud-illiterate and proud

Posted by JK | 20.12.08, 15:41 GMT

well, I dont believe in this nonsense about god etc, also the tooth fairy, end even santa claus. shock , horror!

christmas time is a holiday, I enjoy a good drink, see my friends and family and I couldnt give a monkeys about god, churches or whatever other nonsense this man is spouting on about.

Posted by STEPHEN | 20.12.08, 11:32 GMT

Bill, please ignore the crude comments about and very flawed understanding of your well-written letter about the true meaning of what we call Christmas. Christians (that is, true Christians) everywhere are now having to suffer for their belief in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ - just as in the time of the apostle Paul and later. Christ was a real man, while still the Son of God, and all the mockery and superior posturing of the Satan-ruled will not change that. Even the mockers need salvation. "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom 5:8.

Posted by Ivan McIntosh | 20.12.08, 10:05 GMT

We call it "Faith"!!!

Posted by mom | 19.12.08, 22:15 GMT

The bible is a translation of a translation of a translation of a translation of a translation of a translation of a translation of a translation of an old form of enlish that we would not understand, over the course of nearly 2000 years. Most of us can't pass on a shopping list correctly. Get my point?? Mark is right, how do we even know if this 'story' is remotely true?? We can't, yet so much crap gets said and done over this book.

Posted by Show me a shred of proof! | 19.12.08, 14:15 GMT

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