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Dec. 25 not owned by Christians

Say Merry Christmas or Happy Saturnalia, or my favourite, Happy Pagan Picnic
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Dec. 25 not owned by Christians

This idea that there is a war on Christmas was the brainchild of Fox News and picked up by right-wing Christians and their Dear Leader, Donald Trump. If there is a war, it might be on logic and reason, knowledge of history and science as attested to by how difficult it is for contrarians to even hint at mockery of religious beliefs in these days of overblown sensitivities which have replaced the blasphemy laws and stifled free speech. We would’t even have a free press had not braver people then pew warmers refused to accept the status quo.

Dec. 25 is not owned by Christians; it was the date used by countless far older pagan faiths as the time of birth for whatever god they wished to worship. It took the church to end diversity of beliefs in the ruins of the Empire. Christians have never been known for being a tolerant bunch. They were known for building bonfires and roasting contrarians, though.

So, Merry Christmas writer, give a pause to remember it was the pagans in Rome who celebrated the birth of their god Saturn at the Winter Solstice with singing and gift giving. Hey, who doesn’t like a good party on the darkest night of the year in the northern climate where all the other traditional “Christmas” traditions were swiped from to win over converts?

Think of the Druids who gave us Mistletoe to kiss under. Thank the Anglo-Saxons for giving us Wassailing. And the Celts for whom we adopted the holly and the ivy. And, never forget that virgin births were a specialty of pagan beliefs long before the manger story was invented.

I will end with a prayer that I get this letter used on-line to perhaps educate people with religious blinkers on about their own faith and its origins. Say Merry Christmas or Happy Saturnalia, or my favourite, Happy Pagan Picnic, in the end it is just customs and customs can change.

Robert T. Rock

Mission City