![\"Children](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/51\/2018\/01\/children-study-koran.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThey banish fears, unwanted thoughts,<\/p>\n
Remind us that we\u2019re human too,<\/p>\n
That people win, and people lose,<\/p>\n
And still we battle on, survive,<\/p>\n
And try our best for better lives,<\/p>\n
And hope for peace, a peace for all,<\/p>\n
An end to pain, an end to war,<\/p>\n
So at such times we celebrate,<\/p>\n
Not in the faith, the name, the date,<\/p>\n
But in the company of men,<\/p>\n
And recognize that now and then,<\/p>\n
We all need time to pause, reflect,<\/p>\n
To ask ourselves if we suspect,<\/p>\n
That we can be a better friend,<\/p>\n
A kinder, gentler heart to lend,<\/p>\n
In times of pain, in times of woe,<\/p>\n
To those who have no place to go,<\/p>\n
In place of faith, instead of prayer,<\/p>\n
A simple wish to heed and care,<\/p>\n
For all mankind, both friends and foes,<\/p>\n
Both strangers and the ones we know,<\/p>\n
And at this time, as gifts exchange,<\/p>\n
We see that there is nothing strange,<\/p>\n
Tradition, custom, folklore too,<\/p>\n
It matters little which you view,<\/p>\n
They\u2019re all the same, they bear no blame,<\/p>\n
They all possess a common aim,<\/p>\n
To slow man down, to make him think,<\/p>\n
To make him see a common link,<\/p>\n
To make him see the simple truth,<\/p>\n
That children, infants, those of youth,<\/p>\n
Have no division, no design,<\/p>\n
They do not see these narrow lines,<\/p>\n
They merely see another friend,<\/p>\n
A start, a middle, and an end,<\/p>\n
Another way to fill their life,<\/p>\n
With laughter, kindness, free from strife,<\/p>\n
And so I think on Christmas Day,<\/p>\n
As presents wend their merry way,<\/p>\n
From mom to dad, from dad to son,<\/p>\n
As games are played with endless fun,<\/p>\n
We should recall we\u2019re not alone,<\/p>\n
We all possess an honest goal,<\/p>\n
To be ourselves, and to be free,<\/p>\n
To live our lives just peacefully,<\/p>\n
And for ourselves, this human race,<\/p>\n
To make this world a better place.<\/p>\n
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cA Christmas Poem\u201d by R.J. Ellory, published on the STAND website (Scientologists Taking Action\u00a0Against Discrimination)\u00a0 I simply am a simple man, I have no faith, no master plan, I take offence at none at all Save those who try to say we\u2019ll fall, And sometimes I just wonder why They can\u2019t accept that people try, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":219,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1399,1364,1320],"tags":[618,1266,1400,3],"class_list":["post-3626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-religion","category-religious-freedom","category-scientologists","tag-christmas","tag-discrimination","tag-poem","tag-scientology"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Young](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/51\/2018\/01\/boy-praying.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Boys](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/51\/2018\/01\/western-wall.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n