December 7, 2006
-
Changing Religious Experiences
The role, purpose, and practice of Religion has changed fairly dramatically in the Developed part of the modern world.
Rapid transportation, more rapid communication, and the rising standard of living have all left their mark. This is nowhere more apparent than during the Christmas Holidays.
The United States and most European countries are now multi-ethnic societies with multiple religious faiths and sects represented so that what was once a primarily Christian celebration at the beginning of winter has now become a holiday celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike.
This holiday has for centuries been a time of gift-giving and family renewal. Gifts mean purchases (most often), and purchases means business opportunities. Modern communications technology mixed with this means an overwhelming bombardment of advertising and many think the original meaning of the holiday has totally disappeared.
Not so. The Religious celebration is still there, still celebrated by the devout, and still has the same meaning. It has, however been combined with a massive joyous year-end celebration which, In my opinion, increases its importance.
What do you think?
Comments (10)
Yes I have to agree, but as a non-Christian, I always feel left out, even though I always participate in the gift giving with my friends. There seem to be others who feel the same, like people far from families, the homeless and people who have seasonal depression, so it seems to be to reach out to these people during this holiday would be a more respectful and appropriate application of Christmas than buying presents.
Judging from the way I am bombarded by pleas for charitable donations at this time of the year, I suspect a lot (most?) of charitable giving also happens at this time of the year. If it's any consolation, and I suspect you probably already know, the "Start of Winter" celebration is much more ancient than Christmas. The early christian missionaries sort of subverted it to celebrate Jesus's birth when they moved into Northern Europe. It was not much celebrated as a Christian feast for the first several hundred years of Christianity - Easter was the big thing and fortunately that holiday (holy day) was tied to the Passover which traditionally was celebrated in the Spring.
I regret that Christmas has become so commercialized, but it was not the Christians who were responsible for this. Non-Christians played a very big role in how this time of celebration has evolved over the years. Actually, such commercialization was against the law in most areas of the country until the mid 1800s just because Christians were worried that the season would degenerate into a commercial enterprise.
Reluctant, I want documentation on that statement!
I'm pretty well up on social history and the only laws about celebrating Christmas I can pull up offhand are those of the Puritans - they made such celebrations illegal in the Massachusetts Bay Colony as they forbade ANY religious celebrations. Incidentally, they hassled their near neighbors, the Pilgrims down at Plymouth, for several generations because they were not austere enough!
The Puritan prohibitions were based on much more complex Calvinistic reasoning than concern about commercialization and were certainly gone before the Revolution.
Her is the other Chris site http://www.starzantees.com have a good weekend.
Tycheat,
Good question,
Has Man made God in his own image, or is God an absolute other whose manifestation is through various religions?
Depends on the religion and the God. The Greek Gods were definately made in mans image, Buddhism and a lot of spirtualism would probably fall into the second part of your question.
I agree.
Sorry I should have specified, I agree with your post.
Ineteresting . . .I've always had a bt of a love/hate relationship with religious commercialism. I like that things start shutting down, families get together, people on the street do seem a bit frendlier, etc. I also like the idea of giving things to my friends and family, because it feels good. But at the same time, I always felt a little gross inside as a kid when I'd get a pile of presents I didn't ask for and for the most part wouldn't use while I knew lots of people were being left out . . .I still feel that way when my family/friends get extravagant. For a while, I thought it was the "invention" of Santa Claus (in his American form, not as pere Noel or St. Nick) that did it, seeing as he was an emblem of commercialism from the start. Now, I'm not so sure about any of it. . .I'm still trying to reconcile my disgust/horror at stepping into Macy's and the delight I feel when looking up at the streets strung with Christmas lights.
I think you have a point that it's become a greater social festival and that that's great, but I also think Sandstorms has a point that it's still an exclusive one.
How can we go about making Christmas more inclusive? Is this desireable, or would it further obscure "the meaning of Chrsitmas"?
Why make CHRISTMAS more inclusive? It is after all, a Christian holy day. The question should be: How can we make the Winter Holiday Season more inclusive?
Actually we've done a pretty good job - what with Winter Solstice, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa being emphasized during this holiday period. Off-hand, I don't know of any Muslim celebration at this time of the year. Is there one?
Aside from the religious and quasi-religious celebrations, there is the New Year celebration. Back in Soviet times, visitors to the USSR were sometimes surprised to see the ubiquitous Santas - the Russians called him "Father Frost" but he played the same role Santa does in the US and certainly looked like Santa - red suit, white beard, reindeer, the works. He was the spirit of the new years in that supposedly atheistic country.