The Reason for the Season

I wrote this blog post a few years back but this Christmas seems like an appropriate time to post.

In no way would anyone ever consider me to be a religious person, at least not in the sense of being your classic, church attending, Bible quoting, hymn singing type of guy. I mean, when you think about it, I’ve raised two atheist or agnostic sons, depending on what you use as their precise definitions. It is important for me to say that I am neither. I was raised in the United Methodist Church and have spent time in both Lutheran and Episcopal Churches of my own free will. I am a Christian who has chosen to practice it in my own way. Have I experienced disillusionment at times with formal religion? Absolutely. Do I believe every word of the Bible to be literal and absolutely true? Absolutely not. I feel strong enough about my beliefs however, to be angered by those who use their Christianity as a tool of divisiveness. It is a stain on every one of us.

This brings me to Christmas. Many of us, including my sons, think of Santa Claus and his elves, gifts under the tree, as well as the other trappings that have become family traditions for many of us. There is nothing entirely wrong with that, and I’ve contributed to that vision myself. I have, however, tried to not let the day go by each year without considering what the true meaning of the holiday is meant to be. It should still be a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The importance of Jesus is different for different people. I’m not one to try to say who exactly He was. Did He really raise Lazarus from the dead? Was He the literal Son of God? Is His story just a fairy tale? The answer to all three questions is I wasn’t there so I can’t be sure. The more important answer is actually a question. Does it really matter?

There are many stories, true and fictional, that have great meaning and a most clear moral. Some have been made into movies. Many know of my affinity for “Harvey,” the greatest movie ever made, and the greatest that will ever be made. That’s certainly no exaggeration. Did Elwood P. Dowd really exist? Did Harvey really exist? Again, it doesn’t matter. The messages and moral of the story are what is important. The same is true of another Jimmy Stewart classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Did an angel really stop George Bailey from committing suicide, show him what the world would be like if he had never been born, and by doing so, earn his wings? Is the moral of the story less important if the answer is no?

So, at least at some point this Christmas, take a moment to take Jesus back from the zealots that want to turn Him into their own source of intolerance. I may not be a religious guy, but I can read. I have read the Bible, more than once. Unlike some, I don’t need to have someone stand in front of me and tell me what the very thing I just read actually means. Certainly it’s often interesting to hear someone else’s perspective on any piece of literature, whether it’s Oscar Wilde or the Bible. That doesn’t mean that his perspective is truer or more correct than your own.

In the case of Jesus, whether we consider Him to be a philosopher, a prophet, the Son of God, or a character in a complex story, one thing is apparent: He was a pretty liberal minded fellow considering we’re talking about 2000 years ago. Think about the hard line drawn by the Jewish people of that era. That’s what the whole Old Testament is about. Man, they were tough on themselves and tough on others. Jesus himself was a Jew, yet, so the story goes, He healed both Jews and Gentiles. He told of the Good Samaritan, who himself would have been an outcast by the Jews. One of His primary messages is that He loved all people, even those who would do Him harm. That sounds like a pretty good message of acceptance despite diversity to me.

Adultery in His time was punishable by death. (Certainly, there are still people killed all the time by their partner when they’re caught cheating, but clearly the law doesn’t back them up on this today.) When a woman who had been caught committing adultery was brought before Christ to be stoned to death for her act, (and what of the guy she committed adultery with?), He told His followers, “Let he who has never sinned cast the first stone.” He explained that mercy is our greatest gift and it should be given if we wish to receive it ourselves. He hugged a prostitute that had been exiled. He visited leper colonies. Need I go on? This guy brought in those who had had been shunned previously.

He was a peaceful man. He believed in turning the other cheek when others wouldn’t have the patience, tolerance, or insight to do the same.

Many of us have heard the true story of the pamphlet on the door of the Episcopalian Chaplain at Stanford University. It was titled, “What did Jesus say about Homosexuality?” The inside was blank. Much of what Christ said differed in message from what can be read in the Old Testament. He made no reference about many things brought up in the Jewish scriptures.

Consider this though. Jesus did discuss the Eunuchs that were “safe” to work in the harems. He mentioned that some were “eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men,” which seems to be a reference to castration, which was common so that the royals could be sure that they would have no interest in the women of the harem. But Jesus also referred to others: “eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb.” I’m not sure about you, but to me it sounds like Jesus saw some men that were born safe around the ladies. Personally I think we refer to those men as gay. Doesn’t that mean that Jesus might have been saying they were born gay? Maybe there is a Minister or Priest that could give us their perspective.

True or not, the story of Jesus Christ is one of love, tolerance, acceptance, peace, and understanding. Each of these would be great lessons to think about while we sit around the tree on Christmas morning, opening presents, drinking champagne and mimosas, (well, that’s our tradition anyway), and enjoying the company of those we love.

Phil Hicks - December 24, 2011