A Christmas Meditation

Some people cite the date of Christmas as evidence of a pagan origin or a pagan nature.  It is not only true that the date of our present Christmas celebration is probably not the day Jesus was born, it is also true that December 25 was a feast for various pagan religions. The day's association with the solstice seems, to some people's minds, to be a sign either that Christmas is not about Jesus or that Christmas is merely a carryover from pagan times. Such understandings fall short of the truth.

To properly understand the concept of having Christmas on the 25th, we must understand the mindset of the culture at the time when the date was fixed. People in the late Roman Empire were more dependent on the natural cycle than we are today.  Although urbanites were less dependent than rural people, the dependence was still a reality for those who lived in cities. Nowadays, one can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables out of season. For many modern people, such delights as tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce form a part of the diet year round. In the late Roman Empire, people could only eat either what was in season, what could be stored long-term, or what could be brought from other climates quickly enough that it would not spoil along the way.

The religions from which these people converted associated the natural cycle with their myths. The story of Hades and Persephone explained the existence of winter and spring among the Greeks. Among the Norse, the tale of Balder performed a similar function. One linked the events of myth to natural cycles, not necessarily to historical dates.

A similar phenomenon was actually present in the Old Testament. The feast of Pentecost occurred around the first harvest. The Israelites celebrated the New Moons. I believe that it is no coincidence that a mass conversion occurred on Pentecost.

By choosing to institute Christmas on the solstice, the church authorities were connecting Jesus' birth not to pagan mythology but to the solstice itself, to the darkest day and the day when the daylight hours begin to lengthen. In choosing to celebrate Christmas around the solstice, Christians were treating the date mythically, not historically. They were not saying that Jesus' birth was not a historical event. They were simply saying that it was more than just a historical event. It is an event which defines present life in a way which other events do not. Thus, it has special significance.

 There is a real symbolism in the choice. Jesus came when Israel was only a wraith of its former self. It had come back from exile, but it had come under Roman rule, it no longer had the Ark of the Covenant, and it lacked prestige. It was at such a low point that Jesus came, a paradox of light only coming at the darkest place. 

some words of caution

This last post was just an introduction, so I'll just start with a request.
Since this is a blog and people will be posting comments, I would like to impress on everybody the grave importance of commenting civilly. Commenting civilly means several things. First, it means trying to properly understand what people are saying. Maybe you don't even disagree with the person in question. Secondly, it means properly handling disagreement. In the third place, civility means proper choice of words.

Properly understanding what people are saying is crucial to engaging with them. This is all the more the case when discussing controversial political topics (although I probably won't talk much about that on this blog) as political discussion often involves straw men, poor arguments, and shallow slogans.

When disagreement exists, it must be handled properly. The proper way to handle disagreement is to focus on the idea, not the person. Realize that there is a great variety of opinions in the world, and, although they cannot all be correct, those who hold views contrary to yours cannot all be ignorant, stupid, or whatever. Calling people names does not prove them wrong, it just makes things unpleasant. Treat people's ideas with respect, too. Civil discussion can be very illuminating if people are willing to seriously consider and critique one another's opinions. Mean speech causes people to close their minds, while civil speech makes people more open and more ready to think.

My last point is about words. The dictionary contains quite enough archaic, convoluted, and colorful descriptors that the only excuse for using profanity is habit or cultural forces. I'm not going to be some kind of super-strict sensor, but I will say that those who use profanity in their comments do so at the risk of seriously lowering themselves in my estimation and lowering the caliber of social interaction to be had on this blog.

I hope that this blog can be a place where people can civilly and intellectually discuss things without launching the online equivalent of a barroom brawl. If we strive to be civil to one another on this blog, we will all benefit. 

This is my very first blog post of my entire life.  I am tempted to put in double exclamation points, but I'm too old to do that.
Since this is an introductory post, I'll put in some information on what I think I'll be blogging about. Since I am interested in everything, this blog will probably run the gamut from spinning (yeah, making thread) to spirituality, from health to history. I am a Christian, so I hope to show that as in how I blog and what I say, but if you aren't interested in religion, there will be plenty of content on various subjects.
Although I hope to blog broadly, I mean to focus on crafting and craft projects, foraging, theological conundrums, literary criticism, and maybe some history.  Sorry this post is so short, I will post again soon.