Christmas thoughts

I heard the latest Gallup poll showing 94% of Americans acknowledge some sort of God. More specifically, most polls show 82% identify themselves as Christian. Judaism (1.3%), Buddhism (.5%), Islam (.5%), and Hindu (.4%) are the next closest religions. With these statistics in mind, let’s reflect on the Christmas season.

You can’t blame businesses for decorating in a non-Christian fashion for Christmas. Happy Holidays and all the rest. Businesses will do just about anything to get you to buy from them in terms of marketing. They aren’t interested in your religious sensibilities; they are interested in turning a profit. So realistically, it must not bother most of the 82% consumer base of self-identified Christians if the businesses are secular. Believe me, you would have the whole Christmas story told in song and word every hour in every store if it actually made a difference in sales. As long as people buy with Santa and snowmen, stores don’t need the Christ Child.

As far as government funded institutions (schools, etc.) go, self-interest is also a logical influence. You could make a strong case for schools to promote a sense of patriotism, not a Christian worldview. Actively promoting the Christian worldview and reaching out in the name of Jesus is the call of Christians and Christian communities. Even with 82% of the population, the type of Christian faith promoted by public institutions would seem too diluted and too strained to make any significant difference. It’s not about political correctness as much as it is lack of effectiveness. Manger scenes and Christmas trees in a country of 82% isn’t far fetched, even for government agencies, but what form of Christianity would you use to get any more specific?

I will give an example tomorrow.