(In Part 1 I talked about what started me thinking about
people finding offense where none was intended.
In Part 3 I talk about how we can respond to "offenses".)
In Part 3 I talk about how we can respond to "offenses".)
“In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Jesus
Christ will be persecuted.” - 2 Timothy
3:12
So the sentiment I started seeing that made me realize
Christians were taking offense where none was intended was this:
“It’s not Happy
Holidays, it’s Merry Christmas”
When I started seeing this message this Christmas season,
the thoughts I was having about taking offense where none was intended suddenly
had a whole new meaning. We Christians have been doing this exact thing. For
years!
I know there are
people who vehemently believe that the retailers and individuals who use the
phrase “Happy Holidays” are intentionally trying to put down or squash
Christianity. While there may very well be some instances where that is the
case, I don’t believe there is a widespread conspiracy. In fact I believe it’s
really more of a recognition that the United States has fulfilled the dream of
religious freedom for all people that our founding fathers (and by this I mean
the men and women who fled from religious persecution by sailing across an
ocean in WIND powered boats) imagined. There are quite a number of holidays and
winter festivals (Hanukkah, Ramadan – on occasion, Christmas, a variety of
Solstice celebrations/festivals, Kwanzaa, etc.) that take place during the
months of December and January.
In order not to offend anybody (and to not break the bank
with the cost of printing ads for all those different holidays) retailers use
“Happy Holidays”. Also, it’s not always easy to determine if a person
celebrates a particular holiday, especially if you’re in Minnesota bundled up in
your winter attire (hat, gloves, heavy coat, scarves, etc), or in your car at
the drive thru window. So what’s a person to do? Ask every individual they meet
which holiday, if any, they celebrate? That’s ridiculously impractical, so they
say Happy Holidays.
Despite the logic of people using the phrase “Happy
Holidays”, Christians are still finding offense in it and I don’t understand
why. Maybe someone else can explain it to me. During this time that is supposed
to be a celebration of the love God showed to us by sending his son to us, shouldn't we be accepting these well wishes with grace and in the spirit in
which they are intended?
Don’t get me wrong. I do believe Christians are, and
Christianity is, being attacked in very real ways. I just don’t believe the use
of “Happy Holidays” is one of those ways. The energy we waste on this topic
could be used in much better ways. Also, the negative emotions (hostility,
anger, hurt, etc) that emanate from the people who take offense to these words
do nothing to share God’s love. In fact, it does the opposite and closes hearts
and minds (because in a lot of cases the person who originally said "Happy Holidays" with no ill intent is now hurt/offended that you took it as having ill intent)..
An offended brother is harder to reach than a fortified
city, and quarrels are like the bars of a fortress. – Proverbs 18:19 (HCSB)
Is that really what we want to do? Make spreading the word
of God’s love and salvation even harder? I can’t speak for anyone else, but as
for me and my house, we say heck no!
So what do we do when we hear or see “Happy Holidays”? Well,
apparently, I will share my opinions on that in part three. (Seriously, when I
started writing this I had no idea I would have so much to say. I just pray
that my words and thoughts on this subject are pleasing to God and that He is
the one who is inspiring them).
