Warning:
To those who may find the conversation of religious matters uncomfortable and unsuited to their tastes, it is important that you know that this article contains various Biblical and generic religious references. This article is written from a Christian point of view, and therefore some of the opinions expressed may be considered biased. Although I encourage you to read it, if at any point you feel that you are uncomfortable with the subject matter, let me know in the “comments” section. Thank you.
Enjoy,
JY
It occurred to me earlier this
month that it might be a good idea to devote a blog specifically to the
tug-of-war between the commercialized and religious versions of Christmas. To exemplify
this contradiction, I’ve picked the timeless classic A Charlie Brown Christmas as a reference point to the argument.
It’s important
to watch the entire special if you want to fully understand the context of the
argument, but here’s the summary if you can’t find the time:
Christmas time has once again rolled around, and instead of
feeling merry like all of his comrades do, Charlie Brown is engulfed in a deep
depression. As he looks around the neighborhood, everything is dazzled with
bright lights, shiny ornaments, and delicate wrapping. No one mentions the name
“Jesus.” There is only Santa Claus and Tannenbaum. At the height of his frustration and depression, Charlie Brown yells out in anguish, “Isn't there
anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!” His friend Linus van Pelt
replies, “Sure, Charlie Brown,” after which he launches into a beautiful passage from the Gospel of Luke:
Although this was a cartoon made roughly 45 years ago, all
of the ideas presented are still true. Somehow or another, Christmas has become
less about spirituality and more about presents and other commercialized
symbols. Using projection, we have put our own glamorous and commercialized
meaning onto the Christian celebration of Christmas. We warp Christmas so
wickedly out of proportion that it isn't even Christmas anymore; it’s just a
mass commercial bonanza.
What this Charlie Brown cartoon attempts to teach us is that even in the height of all of this present-wrapping and eggnog-drinking, we have to remember what Christmas is really all about. And I'd say it does a pretty good job of getting that point across. Rock on, Linus!
I think it's obvious to everyone that we've taken the Christ out of Christmas (sorry to be so cliche)... But I think it's interesting how companies use religion as an ad technique during the holiday season. You hear about the "season of giving" and all that. But as they go on with their ad, we see all they're really doing is trying to convince us we'll remember the "true meaning of Christmas"... While we buy their products. Plus there's the whole "equality" idea people have around December, and you can't actually SAY Merry Christmas because that's not what everyone celebrates, all that jazz.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I respect all religions. I understand that people find comfort in belief in a higher being, and that ritual and tradition is naturally going to become a major part of that. What disgusts me is when people profit off this faith, in the guise of providing us "a better experience," one that is more sentimental and rewarding...as long as you have that company's product. And while I agree that Christianity and Christmas is certainly the most prominent example of this, with the new conscientiousness of being politically correct, corporations are beginning to see religious minorities as a potential market as well. Now there are commercials offering to teach you the "proper" way to read the Koran, idols are sold as a way of increasing the "holiness" for Hindus, and even organic material is commercialized to attract the pacifist Buddhist or Jain.
ReplyDeleteFor those individuals who take advantage of others in such a way, all I can say is to let the religion be. It's beautiful the way it is, you don't need to add anything to it. It has enough problems of its own, you don't need to increase it. And goodness knows that it's hard enough to find true, unadulterated faith in this world without you interfering to make it worse.
Great job on your blog, Jackson.
Reading this blog, i totally understand where you are going. Every time christmas is coming up, everyone always talks about how they are excited to get presents and that's all they want, is more and more. It even has Christ in the name, Christmas. It's a time where you celebrate with your family and enjoy the ending of they year and respecting others. People are beginning to become more and more greedy as they are asking for presents and sometimes say they want more. Christmas is a time of sharing and happiness all around. Not waking up to open presents and not understanding the true meaning of Christmas. As years pass by, this is just becoming a bigger problem as more kids are influenced by the generation above them.
ReplyDelete