DURING the recent Christmas season, the streets were full of lights. Photos of Noche Buena circulated all over social media. People shared “family photo greetings”. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, people did their best to keep the holidays as cheerful as possible.
Not everyone wanted to get into the Christmas mood though. There are people who don’t practice religion, that don’t see the point of these holidays.
That’s fine with me though. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion especially when you realize that Christmas Day – supposedly the birth date of Jesus – was actually derived from the birth date of Iranian sun-god Mithra.
The Bible doesn’t actually mention when Jesus’ real birthday is. It is believed that Roman church officials decided to coincide Christmas with this day to make it easier for pagans to accept Christianity.
If you think about it, Christmas – and the religious foundation it is supposed to hold – is a product of man-made preaching. This is how it is with so many religious holidays and practices.
I don’t mean it only for Christianity; most religions that have a scripture of some sort require their followers to adhere to certain rules unless they want to be “damned”. These rules in themselves are not entirely wrong; they only become so when radicals use them to oppress others who don’t believe these teachings or who believe otherwise.
How many times have heinous crimes been justified in the name of religion? The crucifixion of Christians, Jihad, and even the Crusades that we are so proud of. When looked at from the point of view of the oppressors, they were noble deeds of offence or defense. But the ones who truly suffered were the common people who would rather not have anything to do with them.
These close-minded qualities are what scare people away. That is why you even have people as young as nine years old who think religion is a waste of time.
I think the religion that you belong to, or the lack of it, should not be a determinant of what kind of person you are. If you are a Christian who doesn´t go to church much or a Muslim who celebrates Christmas, it shouldn´t be considered “wrong”. We all have the right to choose and forcing people to believe like you do doesn´t make you sacred.
Christmas should be an eye-opener. Not everyone who is Christian will be able to perform church duties. Some people who normally don´t celebrate Christmas are stuck with those who do. I think the real thing we need to celebrate is how we are able to survive the tough year 2020, and give thanks to those who help us in times of need.
Don’t make Christmas too biblical or too commercial. Make it a celebration of community, regardless of what you believe in./PN
