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Christmas is about Christ - Let it Remain so

Christmas marks a mystical sea change in mankind's journey. It celebrates the birth of the man much of the world believes to be the son of God. Christmas is fundamentally important in many ways in nations in which the principal faith is Christianity. These are facts of life. So why do some Australians agonise over a religious festival that has been observed for 2000 years and try to minimise or even stop its observance?

It is time to cast off the doubts and embrace the Christmas of our childhood, the virtues of a more innocent age. Nativity plays are part of Australian life - even in a multi ethnic community. We must be passionate about our faith -we must put Christ back into Christmas. To sanitise religion, to mutilate the corporate body of a great faith in the name of political correctness, is to surrender to intellectual bullies. To excise Christianity's ceremonies and traditions from the Christmas period is to adopt the most bleak view of even what a secular society should be.

Christmas is a positive time of hope, understanding and giving. It is for families. It is a time when differences are forgotten. Christmas is an occasion when Australians extend friendship to all. It presents an opportunity to put on display Australia's enviable reputation for pulling together as a nation. Christmas is for examining our personal pasts and looking forward with renewed optimism. It is a time to remember those less fortunate than ourselves and to wonder at the good that lights up our lives and world from time to time.

How can it be bad to hold that sort of Christmas true and dear? How can it be bad to allow Christians to publicly celebrate their special day? It is nonsense to assert that Christmas in the Australian context excludes many people. Christmas is a living thing, a miraculous experience. It is a day that has been proudly celebrated by generations of Australians whether they are of a religious persuasion or not.

Far from banishing its observance from schools and public institutions, Christmas is for all people at all times and in all places. Long may it stay so.

Source: Australian Prayer Network

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