The Reason for the Season
I was recently sitting with friends discussing life and love, when invariably the subject of religion came up. This was not the usual “so, you don’t believe in god?” religion speak that I am so used to. No, in this room sat four educated adults each in their own stages of non-belief (or at least very liberal belief by most standards) where my atheism would neither be a shock nor a reason of concern for anyone present. Honestly, I doubt religion would have come up at all if it weren’t for the fact that we were listening to Christmas music in a room decked for the holidays. A discussion started on our love and/or disdain for these holiday jingles when someone jokingly said “well, Jesus is the reason for the season”. That phrase lingered in the back of my mind the rest of the night. Is Jesus really the reason for the season? In America Christmas is a large part of our culture. It drives our retail economy and gives most of us a chance to see our extended family at least once a year. It encourages giving and makes hot chocolate a romantic alternative to cheap beer on a blustery December night. Personally, these are the things that make me enjoy the holidays and I think that when it really comes down to it, it’s what rings true for most other Americans as well. But Jesus? Really? Continue reading