| HERALD MINISTRIES EDITORIAL PAGES FROM THE DESK OF THE FOUNDER AND EDITOR OF HERALD MINISTRIES :
"‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT!" By Harold E. Cormany
This supposedly “blessed Christmas time” that Christian ministers preach about certainly does not fit in with what we see on CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS. The area of the world that is supposed to be ‘holy’, is now a powder keg of violence, just waiting for someone to light the fuse. So where do we get this peace on earth thing, anyway? This December Like every other before it, millions of Christmas cards will be sent out with this thought written on them; we'll hear the phrase 'peace on earth; goodwill toward men' ad nauseum, people start wishing everyone a “Merry Christmas” as soon as Halloween is over, at least, the store keepers do. One well known religious group had their kettles out November 10th. Even those who observe Christmas might think that’s a bit early, don’t you think? Is it right in God’s eyes to set up a brigade of metal pots in front of grocery stores, making people feel embarrassed if they don’t drop something in the kettle? Is this the way Jesus would have His Church obtain their funds? Seems the Bible talks of “freewill offerings”. Let’s stop kidding ourselves, whatever blessed thoughts there may be about the Christmas season take a back seat to what people do this time every year -- make cash registers go 'ker-ching' non-stop. It is reported most commercial stores do more business during the last week of November (black Friday) and the month of December than the rest of the year combined. For many, it's break it or make it month. And barely two months ago -- another holiday that was a bonanza for many retailers. How much do you suppose was spent on Halloween decorations, costumes, party supplies and other gimmicks that have become traditional to that holiday? Pray tell, if this is indeed “All Hallowed ee’n”, what do jack-o-lanterns, black cats, witches, elaborate scary costumes, trick or treat, and other non-religious customs have to do with a ‘supposedly’ sacred night? We might also ask what Easter eggs, Easter bunnies, fancy Easter hats and outfits and Easter sunrise services have to do with the resurrection of Christ? Especially when Christ wasn’t crucified on Friday, nor rose from the dead on Sunday. History proves that Christ was not born on December 25th. Christmas is nothing more than the pagan Saturnalia, a Brumalia that was celebrated thousands of years before Christ was born. We have the Roman Catholic Church to thank for introducing pagan Sunday worship as the Lord’s day, replacing the seventh day Sabbath. They call Christmas (or the Mass of Christ) the date of Christ’s birth, and they call Easter (Ishtar- a pagan fertility goddess) the date of Christ’s resurrection. No where does the Bible tell us to observe these days, nor does it tell us to keep the vile pagan practice of Halloween. Religionists cry, “let’s put Christ back into Christmas!”. How can this be possible when Christ was never in Christmas? It's pathetic listening to preachers trying to put Christ into the “mass of Christ”. The term alone ought to tell us where it came from. But if they really want Christ back in Christmas why don't they try telling their followers: give your money to the poor instead of to Wal-Mart. Go to church instead of the mall. When you kneel, be sober and praying, and not locked in the bathroom paying for yet another night of drunkeness at yet another Christmas party. Is this likely to happen? When pigs fly perhaps. Anyone with an ounce of awareness knows this holiday is about buy buy buy get get get, party party party not about prayer, church, or concern for the poor. The trappings of Christmas, including Santa Claus, decorated fir trees, yuletide logs and all the rest, are pagan in origin, and are actually a part of Baal worship which God calls an abomination. One only has to read their Bible to prove this. Even if Christ were somehow related to this day, do you really think he’d want to be? Christmas has become exemplified by increased depression, too much spending, excessive materialism, personal sky high debt, absurd incessant advertisements, and of course bogus annoying cultural wars over the "meaning" of Christmas itself. Not only does it have nothing to do with Him – it has nothing to do with religion or Christianity. Santa Claus has elbowed Christ to the side and become THE symbol of the entire holiday season. Listen to the ads and many of the songs. Mr. Claus is everywhere, one rarely sees or hears about Jesus Christ. Today Kwanzaa and Hanukkah, have finally achieved a somewhat equal footing with the hoopla of Christmas, so for many reasons it is now politically correct to say “Happy Holidays”. This makes many Christian ministers unhappy because there are more and more followers of 'those kind' of religions arrving all the time that the constitution says must be treated on an equal basis with their own. That doesn't play well in certain areas of the country and with a certain number of religious leaders. So Merry Christmas vs Happy Holiday is their way to mask the real issue. They blame secularists and liberals of course, but this time they're being betrayed by some of their own. Business, businessmen, shopkeepers, merchants-- they began the switch and won't stop any time soon. Privately, they probably agree but it's just stupid business to risk alienating a goodly proportion of your customers when such an easy and acceptable alternative is available. But still we read of them and see them properly outraged on Fox News. Say "Merry Christmas" they demand, hoping that will marginalize those of us who do not observe it. (Not even all Christians celebrate Christmas, as you are probably aware if you’ve gotten this far,). Yes, on top of everything else, some Christians have begun to use Christmas to make political statements. Well, whatever the seasonal greeting, I still say, ‘Bah! Humbug! Go, Grinch!" We have an entire section on the origin of Christmas and articles that reveal the pagan beginnings of other holidays on our Herald Ministries website. Why not take some time to check them out? After you read the articles, you might have second thoughts the next time you wish someone Merry Christmas, or Happy Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. Sorry, I forgot again. ". . . next time you wish someone “Happy Holidays”. That way even the heathen can be included. But oh, what to say to the Muslims? Probably best not to say anything. But hey, this is still the best time of the year, right? No offence, of course, to the atheists. Not that it really matters, they think we're all crazy anyway. Sorry readers, but Herald Ministries has been officially self-designated a “non-politically correct” website. Bah Humbug to one and all.
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