Below, you'll find some collected propositions about Christmas. Hereby you are invited to give your meaning about one, two, or about all of them by mail; but you can also place you reaction at the forum!
Because Christmas.....
– Has become a weird celebration: We are spending a lot of money; the governments - on a tricky way - are forcing us to do that to give the economy a big boost...
– The roots of Christmas are much older; our ancestors where celebrating at this time of the year the rebirth of the light.... long before there ever was this religion, this believe..in a boy who was given birth in a stable 2000 years ago... why don't we take that far more older celebration more serious?
– That boy, Jesus, isn't even born at the 25th of December... so ..what are we doing exactly, if we are singing about that boy, born in a stable, lying in a crib on a cold cold cold winter night?
– The shepherds, pictured as if they where romantic friendly men, actually where bold figures;...not bad, but they where hard working men, fighting to survive (as if they had any time or interests to follow a star to finally find a crib with an baby-boy in it...)?
– Half of the world is in war. And that's no news; half of the world is always and will always be in war... Whatever the name of the peacemaker is: we are humans, and humans...make war.
– Christmas is not a good celebration. Rather we should call it: Eat until you're that fat so you can roll-over the highway...- party.
– Remember, and think about this: the increasing of the CO2... because of all that meat we want on our plates?
– Many people do not even know anymore what Christmas is (or better: was) all about: they do not know anything about the old celebration (of our ancestors), neither do they know anything about the later version: about that baby-boy named Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago as the son of God, who died for our sins when he was 33 years old.
They think Santa Claus was born at the 25th of December in the year zero.
– Tolerance is far behind. We do not accept other religions, we do not accept any other ways of thinking than our own. It is the human nature..perhaps. But if we all think like that.... indeed, there will never be peace.
– Loneliness is surrounding us. How much people are there - unknown - who are sitting on their couch, alone, hoping that there will be something nice on the TV...because.. What-else can they do..these days?
– We do not see humans as humans anymore. We are numbers, and we are counting. If you are good for me, than I will be good for you.
– People are numbers, and they should not mourn....
© nov 2009 Johan van der Dong
(translation: Agnes Frijlink)
"De Onbevlekte ontvangenis" © 2009 Johan van der Dong
The bible tells us that an angel told Mary she was pregnant. Many people believe that this was a miracle, cause Mary carried a baby, while she never shared her bed with a man. She was clean, without sins. This is called: The Immaculate Conception.
Whether this has real happened or not, is not important now. Important is the idea that God choose to be with us, to live among humans, to be a human. Perhaps the story gives one important clue : the salvation of man by God.
.
