You mentioned the anti-Christmas Christians.
I first encountered that mindset among Christians several years ago, and I was a bit shocked. I mean, it's not surprising that NON-Christians and athiests would feel this way -- various non-christian groups have been voicing anti-Christmas sentiments for years, but Christians against Christmas? Whoever heard of such a thing?
Yet, this attitude seems to be becoming more and more common. Some folks bemoan Christmas commercialism; others point out that celebrating Christmas is not mentioned in Scripture, and still others denounce the holiday's "pagan roots".
The funny thing is, these folks who would like to see Christmas celebrations cease are in complete agreement with NON-Christians who would like to see the same thing. And many of the most vehement anti-Christmas Christians subscribe to an extreme form of Christian fanaticism that advocates the veiling, extreme modest dress for women, female disenfranchisement, and a return to a rigorously patriarchal social order. In this regard they greatly resemble Fundamentalist Moslems and ultra-Orthodox Jews, the two other religious groups most likely to be offended by public Chritsmas displays and celebrations.
Do I think this is evidence of some sort of a "conspiracy" between the three groups?
Of course not.
But maybe they *are* all on the same side, spiritually speaking.
The kind of anti-christmas christians I am speaking of aren't really legalistic like the fundamentalists you speak of but simply people who don;t like being so obligated to spend an irrational amount of money. So then they come up with arguements that are trying to be spiritual about why they are down on the commercialism. My intention is to focus on the generosity of God and how we can model this and the whole spend lots of money be actuallly a celebration of christmas.
Commenting by HaloScan
