In today's world, the traditions of yesteryear are being set aside in favor of "politically correct" forms of expression.
Take, for example, the traditional name for the birthday of Jesus Christ. It originally was a reminder to go to church and celebrate a Christ Mass or service especially dedicated to the birthing day of Jesus who is called the Christ or the Anointed One and the Jewish Messiah.
When our nation was predominately Christian there was no question as to the importance of this time for worship, thankfulness and sharing, but as fewer and fewer real Christians stand up for this ancient truth, more people are rejecting the Christ part and are just celebrating a holiday from work or school while expanding the gift giving part as an excuse to spend lots of money and even go into debt. This latter part is against the teaching of Jesus who said we should 'owe no man anything, but love'.
The fact of Christ's birth is indisputable. The question of who he really was is where the problem comes. He is either who He says He is or one of the greatest liars who ever lived and the Bible the greatest fabrication of even more lies.
There is a distinct difference between those who believe Jesus is our Savior and those who don't. So for believers, this is one of the holiest times of our calendar year. While for others, it is an offence to believe we even need a savior. After all humanism teaches that all men are gods so who needs God.
Because of this latter stance, the merchant world devised an 'inoffensive' (to their way of thinking) way to express the holiday, changing "Christmas" to "Xmas". While effectively taking Christ out of Christmas, the substitution of "X" would leave the individual to choose what to put in its place (kind of like algebra where "x" is the unknown quantity).
It is obvious, to me at least, that this really reveals the condition of the person's heart. By not declaring they are FOR Christ by saying Christmas, they are declaring themselves AGAINST Christ by using "X" in its place.
To hide behind the "politically correct" stance is to say people's opinion matters more than God's. Any parent worth his or her salt counts the birthday of their child as special and they would be very upset to hear anyone belittle its celebration. God, the Eternal Father, sets the example for all fathers and mothers residing on Earth - He wants everyone to not only honor His Son, but to enjoy the time of loving and sharing it provides.
Without Christ, Christmas is just an empty holiday. With Christ it is a joyous celebration of "peace and good will to all men".
So, do you choose Christ or X? Your participation in this holiday will reflect your faith or the lack of it.
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