Billy's Silly Blog

Christmas

A friend asked that I provide some views on Christmas. As a recovering church-goer, and a person trying to come to grips with the plethora of religious attitudes and customs in the world, any comments will tend to be sociological rather than religious. I shall leave religious views to those who bask in the warm radiance of mystical theological emanators whom I have ceased to pursue in this life.

Many of the world's great religions piggy-backed to success on the back of state violence (Christianity via the Roman Empire, Islam via the Muslim conquests). And today we perpetuate the belief that state violence (aka arms sales and military strength) is the surest way for "good things" (such as democracy, freedom, free market capitalism, religious freedom) to succeed.

Enter Christmas! The story line goes that a baby in a manger, born of a poor woman, in a barn, a refugee in an occupied land, an otherwise inconsequential person, was to assume the pinnacle of spiritual attainment.. considered the "Saviour of all Mankind". As a carpenter, he really never amounted to much, in "world" terms. Today he might have grown up in "rent to income" accommodation (if he was lucky) or even in some refugee camp in Darfur or somewhere. He is not heralded as the "King of the Jews", the valorous Swatzenneger of his time who defeated the hated occupiers. Actually valour was evident a few years after Christ's death at Masada, and the Roman empire crushed the Jewish rebels. Valour didn't work! Instead, the story of peace, of the power of a baby in a low-rent district, was carried on the back of the Roman empire across Europe and the Middle East, and from there to North America. The flip-side of conquest was the peace of Christmas. And of course the conquest of the Americas looked very similar, with priests and privates in lockstep.

Looking back, we now see that, even after the Roman Empire was dead and gone, the baby from the other side of the tracks was still celebrated. The words of a common Palestinian tradesman have strengthened the lives of rich and poor folk for 2000 years. Compare that to the Wall Street erudite who just received a Christmas bonus of $54 million. What will be his legacy? This kid who was born in a barn may have turned our value systems on their heads; military or economic or even informational power aren't guarantors of success. The Christmas story says that something else is! And we spend much of our lives searching for it, sometimes through religion, sometimes in relationships. We get fleeting glimpses of it, like sub-atomic particles, in our lives or in the lives of those around us. And we hope that "you can't take it with you" doesn't apply to whatever it is, and that we can enjoy it (once found) indefinitely.

There is a school of thought that the kid-in-the-hay had it, that "sine qua non" of life. Christmas time is a good time to look for it! Look in your families, in your churches, amongst your friends and interests. And as Herod said to the wise men, if you find it, come back and let me know. Guaranteed my motivations are different from his.

Peace and joy of the season to you all.

posted by bill @ 5:05 PM