The "legalism" of the true spirit of Christmas (myth, churches)
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I have noticed a trend growing among Christians and churches during the Christmas seasons that is getting away from the system of commercialism in Christmas and instead embracing a system of giving of oneself or money for a needy cause which I don't have a problem with this in of itself BUT there are some drawbacks to this "new system" of Christianity, this can be a form of legalism where Christians can be coersed in this system to demonstrate that one is a Christian by showing good works out of guilty pleasure for the old system and whose to say 20 years from now after Christians practice this new system and it becomes the norm that other Christians won't start a "new" movement making the case that Christians are always giving and sacrificing and it is not a sin to want something for yourself, to live a little and have some fun, even twist some verses to prove their case; that it's ok to partake in the system of the commercial Christmas the world offers which we once did in the past. Now we are back where we started.
Again the new system is great but it is just a system and just like many non essentials it should be left between the Holy Spirit and the individual and not a movement among the churches or even a pastor.
Last edited by Fundamentalist; 12-21-2009 at 12:20 AM..
I have noticed a trend growing among Christians and churches during the Christmas seasons that is getting away from the system of commercialism in Christmas and instead embracing a system of giving of oneself or money for a needy cause which I don't have a problem with this in of itself BUT there are some drawbacks to this "new system" of Christianity, this can be a form of legalism where Christians can be coersed in this system to demonstrate that one is a Christian by showing good works out of guilty pleasure for the old system and whose to say 20 years from now after Christians practice this new system and it becomes the norm that other Christians won't start a "new" movement making the case that Christians are always giving and sacrificing and it is not a sin to want something for yourself, to live a little and have some fun, even twist some verses to prove their case; that it's ok to partake in the system of the commercial Christmas the world offers which we once did in the past. Now we are back where we started.
Again the new system is great but it is just a system and just like many non essentials it should be left between the Holy Spirit and the individual and not a movement among the churches or even a pastor.
Is this really a new movement, when I was a child some years ago we didn't have much yet the neighbors would bring us apple oranges nuts and a small toy I see only good from sharing with others.
Is this really a new movement, when I was a child some years ago we didn't have much yet the neighbors would bring us apple oranges nuts and a small toy I see only good from sharing with others.
And yet what celebration did Christ himself ask Christians to observe? His birthday, or rather his final meal?
Do we only do things He specifically asked us to do? After all, He never asked us to go to movies, learn to ski or sit down at our computers and surf the internet. We do all of these things. Why is it wrong to celebrate something that gives us cause to rejoice? When I celebrate Christmas, it is to remember the birth of the Son of God. To me, that warrants a celebration.
We celebrate birthdays all the time. Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ certainly seems like a worthy endeavor. The specific day is irrelevant to the purpose of the celebration. We frequently celebrate birthdays on days other than the actual date due to schedule conflicts etc. It is the intent that counts.
Since Enlightenment comes from bombarding the senses with external stimuli (According the Bagwahn Shree Rajneesh) or to seek pleasure and avoid Pain (As taught by Epicurus) OR from sampling a variety of celebrations and ideas and putting together what works,(unitarianism or religious science) it is up to the individual to make that choice. When the individual is in control of his own choices, the legalism cannot prevail.
I really don't see the point, other than a good holiday and paid day off of work, in celebrating the birthday of a mythological figure.
Right, why would you celebrate the birth of someone you don't even believe in? Yet most non-Christians do. This makes no sense. I wouldn't be celebrating something I don't believe in.
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