{"id":3351,"date":"2015-12-07T07:44:21","date_gmt":"2015-12-07T13:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=3351"},"modified":"2015-12-06T22:13:29","modified_gmt":"2015-12-07T04:13:29","slug":"on-true-meanings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2015\/12\/on-true-meanings.html","title":{"rendered":"On “true meanings”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

So this is the time of year when\u00a0media types, and pundits, and politicians, attempt to conjure up a \u201ctrue meaning of Christmas\u201d that can appeal to nonbelievers, and provide a way for public figures to celebrate the holiday without feeling like they\u2019re promoting one religion over another.<\/p>\n

Some\u00a0people latch on to the tradition of candles, and the identification of Christ as Light, and connect this to Hannukah, and say that Christmas is all about hope in dark times \u2014 whether it\u2019s the Christ child providing hope, or a miraculously long-burning oil providing hope, we should all continue to hope even when things seem bleak.<\/p>\n

Or people latch onto the words of the angels and say that Christmas is about Peace on Earth, and even nonbelievers can see Christmas as a time to celebrate peace.<\/p>\n

Or we take the Christ child and make this metaphorical: \u00a0the hope that each newborn child offers us.<\/p>\n

Or we detach the customary gift-giving, turn Christmas into that date on the calendar when we customarily exchange gifts, and say that Christmas is \u201creally about\u201d it being better to give than receive.<\/p>\n

I was thinking of this in the context of Obama\u2019s fluff at a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of \u201cA Charlie Brown Christmas\u201d \u2014 you know, the classic show in which Charlie Brown plaintively asks what Christmas is all about, and Linus responds by reciting from Luke, \u201cFor unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.\u201d \u00a0What did Obama say? \u00a0As Fox quotes him<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor half a century, people of all ages have gathered around the tv to watch\u00a0 Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the gang teach us the true meaning of Christmas,\u201d Mrs. Obama said during a taping of ABC\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s Your 50th<\/sup>\u00a0Christmas, Charlie Brown.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey teach us that tiny trees just need a little love, and that on this holiday we celebrate peace on Earth and goodwill toward all,\u201d he said. . .<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause as Linus knows, that\u2019s what Christmas is all about,\u201d Mrs. Obama declared.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Obamas took the one Christmas show with an explicitly Christian message, and removed it.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m reminded of the first time I attended mass on Christmas Day, as an adult, and discovered that the readings were different. \u00a0No nativity story now \u2013 but instead \u201cin the beginning was the Word\u201d from John 1. \u00a0And the priest, in his homily, rather than talking about babies, and hope, and light, urged us to stop and think how profound it was that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. \u00a0The Incarnation is radical, that Jesus, in becoming human, bridged that gap between God and man. \u00a0And the Incarnation is something that makes no sense at all to Jews, or Muslims, or the nonreligious.<\/p>\n

(Incidentally, some years ago, Dad gave me his missal from pre-Vatican II days, and I learned that this passage was called the Last Gospel, and read every Sunday at the end of mass, to emphasize its importance.)<\/p>\n

Consider this: \u00a0I spent some time last night trying to find a description of the \u201ctrue meaning\u201d of Ramadan. \u00a0There are lots of pages on the value of fasting for spiritual growth, and traditions that Muslims follow, of trying to be more devout, of reading the Quran, and trying to make the whole thing more than just a trial and obligation. \u00a0It\u2019s easy to find information on special prayers and customary meals and greetings and so forth. \u00a0But what\u2019s the meaning of it all? \u00a0Ramadan marks the \u201cbirth\u201d of Islam, when Muslims believe that God first spoke to Muhammad.<\/p>\n

If you were invited to a Ramadan celebration, you could easily enjoy the event as a spectator, and share in\u00a0the food, the conversation, the music and dance if applicable. \u00a0But could you meaningfully share in the celebration of the \u201ctrue meaning\u201d of Ramadan if you don\u2019t actually believe that God revealed himself to Muhammad?<\/p>\n

Consider, too, that Christmas has become a holiday of sorts in such places as China and Japan. \u00a0But does it \u201cmean\u201d anything there? \u00a0No, of course not. \u00a0It\u2019s an occasion for a party, for decorations, for entertainment, with as little need for anyone to find any \u201cmeaning\u201d in it as if we were to start speaking of the True Meaning of Halloween.<\/p>\n

Even the \u201ctrue meanings\u201d that have become popular to attach to Christmas to make it more generic \u2014 Peace on Earth, or The Season of Giving: \u00a0are these notions really deeply-felt and meaningful to those who engage in Christmas traditions from a secular point of view, or is it more accurate to say that charitable giving is a Christmas tradition<\/em>, and wishes of peace likewise so?<\/p>\n

Consider how Christmas is celebrated in movies and on TV \u2014 as a party, a festive meal, an exchanging of gifts, maybe even a visit to a homeless shelter. \u00a0Is this meaning<\/em>? \u00a0Or is it a set of traditions with a sentimental feeling attached to them, a shadow of meaning from past beliefs?<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0103\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So this is the time of year when\u00a0media types, and pundits, and politicians, attempt to conjure up a \u201ctrue meaning of Christmas\u201d that can appeal to nonbelievers, and provide a way for public figures to celebrate the holiday without feeling like they\u2019re promoting one religion over another. Some\u00a0people latch on to the tradition of candles, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":3371,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nOn "true meanings"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"So this is the time of year when\u00a0media types, and pundits, and politicians, attempt to conjure up a "true meaning of Christmas" that can appeal to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2015\/12\/on-true-meanings.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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