Punditry

Face it: The war on Christmas is lost.

When did it end? Well, there won’t be any official declaration of surrender from churches, so it’s hard to pin down. There will be no C.E. Day (Christmas Ends.) But, in my mind, the war was decided this year. This year almost every major department story put up its red-and-green decorations the day after Halloween; most marketers had expunged references to the Christian feast in their generic ads; “Cyber Monday” became a definitive addition to the lexicon as one more day to consume, and several years had passed since “Black Friday” became not simply a day to shop for bargains, but a time when Americans expect stories of shoppers being trampled (sometimes to death) at 4 a.m.

The rest of Fr. Martin S.J.’s post references dealing with the commercialism of Christmas and there is much I agree with there. As for the War on Christmas being over – I say not so fast.

What happened with Major retailers who switched to talking about holiday gifts, etc is that there was an outcry against the banning of the word Christmas and the associated Political Correctness. Many retailers responded to the so-called Christmas Wars and backtracked to some extent. The problem is that the underlying assumptions that brought this on in the first place are still there.

Retailers wised up because it was hitting their pocketbook. Unfortunately government entities have not signed a truce on Christmas. Whether it is local governments or public schools this attitude is firmly in place. The changing of Tulsa’s “Christmas Parade of Lights” to “Holiday Parade of Lights” is a typical example. The banning of Christmas nativity scenes and other Christian symbols is still going on. Boca Raton bought and displays Menorah’s, but refuses to do the same for Nativity scenes. They even argue the Menorah is a secular symbol despite an appeals court ruling that it was a religious symbol. Public schools are even worse and have not only not issued a cease fire on this “war”, but have renewed the battles.

The workplace is also an area where this “war” has continued. Companies so worried about complaints from non-Christians about creating a “hostile workplace” is that they surrender ahead of time and just make a blanket policy about decorations and the naming of parties. So that one person might not be offended, the majority are allowed to be offended. There is massive cowardice in surrendering to political correctness and the worries about lawsuits. Though considering how some courts have ruled, unfortunately it can be a valid concern.

In some ways the egalitarian of Americans can be applauded as a well-meaning effort to appeal to and include everyone. The reality though is that it creates thin-skinned people easily offended by the beliefs of others. Multiculturalism quickly descends into playing favorites with some segments and diminishing other. So we get celebration of Muslim Holy Days and Happy Holidays for Christmas and the atheists who case out government buildings looking for a star or an Angel on a Christmas tree such as the one in Sonama that got such decorations removed because they so offended him. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Survival of the whiniest. Anybody so bothered and upset by either the display of religious belief or the display of lack of religious belief needs an actual version of tolerance training. I just don’t get this – as an atheist and thorough going secularist displays of religious belief whether I lived in the U.S. or Japan never bothered me other than the wish for their enlightenment. I felt no need to stuff out such displays, especially considering that life was short and then that’s it – so why waste time in such an effort.

In other news Calif. Judge OK’d Seinfeld’s ‘Festivus’ as Legitimate Religion, Ordered Special Meals for Inmate

I have yet to hear anybody saying Merry Christmas to me this year, how is your mileage?

Yes it is Bishop Noonan who will be installed in the Diocese of Orlando Thursday. Picture taken during a roast given him by employees of the Pastoral Center in Miami.

So which is sillier? The Mickey Miter or the one worn by Archbishop Dolan after he was installed as Bishop in Milwaukee (he put it on briefly during a homily)?

Yes bishops are also allowed to have fun.

Tis the season for … “Holiday” movies. Yes every year at this time we get a proliferation of somewhat related to Christmas movies. Now I am a fool for these movies, even some of the worse of them the B movies of the season. The nebulous message of family is important is indeed an important message and considering the themes of so many movies, this aspect is a least welcome. Though while I can enjoy a badly made movie purely for the enjoyment of its b-ness, I of course also enjoy the movie that is artfully made with good scriptwriting, directing, acting, etc.

Now I don’t pretend to be a movie critic or play one since my abilities are lacking in that direction and I am unable to dissect a movie as to what makes it good or bad at a high level. Regardless I will forge ahead.

I was thinking on the topic of what are the best Christmas movies and for the most part I could only really think of what are my favorite Christmas movies have little to do with the celebration of Christ being born – though there is often at least some connection however thin.

It seems that most of these movies spend more time proving that Santa is real. Writers seem to be firmly of the Santa Clause apologists camp. “Yes Virginia, Santa Claus is real.” Now interacting with myths and playacting this type of belief is no problem with me. A good imagination can enjoy the Faery Story and have fun with believing Fairies are real in imaginative playacting. Movies though in the vein of showing that Jesus is true and in fact Truth himself are rather scarce and especially scarce during Christmas.

Now for me the perfect Christmas movie would involve the very themes regarding the Christ child. Now this does not mean that it must be a movie based on the actual event of the Nativity of Christ. Advent is the season of joyful waiting for the Incarnation and the Incarnation itself something we can meditate on endlessly. God became man not to just hang out with his creation, but he came as the Messiah, a redeemer to redeem us from our sins. Redemption from our sins is the one gift nobody could give us on Christmas, but Jesus. Plus Jesus continues to give us this gift through the sacraments and the priesthood he also gave us as a gift. We are sinners and we need redemption and the Incarnation and later Crucifixion and Resurrection are the crucial events in human history. So again for me a perfect Christmas movie would involve acknowledgment of sin and our redemption and the very mercy of God that made this possible.

Maybe Dickens’ The Christmas Carol is one of the most popular Christmas stories because it touches on these themes. Scrooge the greedy sinner treats others as objects in attainment of more money. The three spirits show him the errors of his ways and he repents of his sins and becomes giving to others on Christmas Day the Feast of the Incarnation.

Every year I once again watch “It’s a Wonderful Life”, but it’s not the perfect Christmas movie. George Bailey the compassionate man who gives himself for others and puts aside his own ambition to help others gets caught up in the tide of events moving against him and attempts suicide only to be stopped by an Angel who shows how his life had impacted others to the good. There is much in this movie that I so love, but sin and redemption is not much of a factor.

I’ve also watch Elf on Christmas Eve every year since it came out and I always enjoy it. The six foot “Elf” who leaves the North Pole to find his father is quite funny situationally and Will Farrell really pulls of Buddy the Elf – something he is very hit and miss with regarding his characters. It is part of the Santa Clause is real and family is important camp.

One of the worst Christmas movies is “Jingle all the way” with Arnold Swartzenegger and Sinbad. This movie is so bad that of course I watch it every year and provide my own Mystery Science Theatre 3000 soundtrack. This one falls in the perils of materialism and family is important camp. Though I have my limits on bad Christmas movies and thus have not seen “Christmas with the Kranks”, “Surviving Christmas”, and “Deck the Halls.”

You might think “The Nativity Story” would place itself well having actual Christmas themes. This is one case where I am at odds with Catholic film critic Steven Greydanus who views the film more favorable then myself. I regard Steven Greydanus as the film critic whose taste most matches my own and have found his reviews to greatly inform me. The times when I have ignored his advice on a movie has always been to my detriment. I re-watched “The Nativity Story” last year and my original feelings were reinforced. The theological arguments against the movie were not the reason and I think Mr Greydanus wrote a very good article on the subject of the Virgin Mary and birthing pains. A Virgin Mary with teenage angst was a bit much for me. Plus the visuals were so underwhelming in regards to the angels, especially only having one Angel talk to the shepherds. No multitude of Angels showing the glory of God. Now I can see some argument for understating a miracle visually since you are never going to fully reflect it, still this is a scene I have meditate on and those words bring so much more to me than understated visuals in the film. I think I am more annoyed at what they could have done with the film than what was actually done. I didn’t hate the movie and some parts were nicely done such as the Visitation (though a Visitation without the Magnificat). Plus the movie’s failure at the box office ensures we will not see the story retold by someone more fully capable artistically.

I’ve only watched “A Christmas Story” twice. I was initially prejudiced against it since any movie Ted Turner decided should be played for 24 hours on Christmas must be problematic. The Christmas Story is hardly a Christmas story, though there are certainly some pretty funny scenes in it along with many lines that have crept into the culture. Plus I mostly like anything with Darren McGavin in it since Kolchak: The Night Stalker was one of my favorite series growing up. This one is partly in the family is important camp. I would also put National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation
as being close to “A Christmas Story” in tone and the type of humor.

The animated version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a classic for good reasons, though once again this is a movie in the family is important camp and the decrying of the materialistic aspects of Christmas. But it does contain a conversion story in it and as such like The Christmas Carol could partly explain why this is such a classic. The movie version though while touching on the same themes is just plain horrible – Anathema Sit Ron Howard

The original version of “Miracle on 34th Street” is still a good watch, but again part of the Santa is real and family is important genre. The parent of the little (Natalie Wood) will not play along with the idea of Santa since it would involve lying to her daughter. I was reminded of this because of a caller from an eleven year old to Jimmy Akin on Catholic answers. The boy asked if telling a child about Santa was a sin. Jimmy’s answers was appropriately nuanced, but he said if he ever has kids that he would not lie to them about this. Though he went on to explain that when the child was of an age to understand that playing along with it was fine. This playing along I would imagine to be at the same level when we play along with the Santa is real movies knowing the difference between the historical Saint Nicholas and the various mythical legends that arose later. This though is a prudential question for parents as Jimmy Akin also explained.

Then of course there are the Tim Allen Christmas movies “Stinkin’ up Christmas since …” Yet more movies in the Santa is real and family is important genre weakened by a divorced family. To be fair the first The Santa Clause movie was an okay film and even re-watchable. The same can not be said for the second one and the third one was disastrously bad. Luckily the series stopped, but Tim Allen did not stop making bad Christmas movies.

Secular Christmas movies are nothing new and even some great films considered Christmas movies such as “Christmas in Connecticut”, “White Christmas”, “Holiday Inn”, etc.

Even the first Die Hard is in the family is important genre as a Christmas movie.

Being a film lover, but not a film geek I wonder what are the films that have themes of sin and redemption that are connected to Jesus who made that redemption possible and what are your favorite Christmas movies?

It has come to my attention that an organization called the American Catholic Council (ACC) will be holding what they describe as the “North Florida Listening Assembly” in Jacksonville on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011. Self-described as “seeking to reclaim the promise of the Holy Spirit manifested in Vatican II,” this assembly is billed as “a day of reflection and stimulating dialogue” – all in preparation for a national gathering to be held in Detroit in June of 2011. I want to clearly and unequivocally advise all Catholics that this North Florida Listening Assembly is not conducted under the auspices of the Diocese of St. Augustine, nor is it sanctioned, approved or endorsed by the diocese or any other entity of the Roman Catholic Church.

Although the stated purpose of the ACC is to “reclaim the promise of the Holy Spirit manifested in Vatican II,” in fact, the goals proposed in their literature, as well as the organizations which make up the ACC, are largely in opposition to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and the Holy Spirit, which inspired that Council.

I commend and embrace all true efforts at Church renewal, but the ACC’s agenda is decidedly not such an effort. Many of the groups which have banded together in the ACC espouse positions which are clearly contrary to Catholic faith and morals, and which engender only alienation and estrangement from the Church.

Accordingly, the Diocese of St. Augustine cautions any Catholic against participating in this North Florida Listening Assembly, as well as the national assembly to be held in June in Detroit. Catholic parishes, schools, and institutions are not to host any meetings, gatherings, or “listening sessions” associated with either event or with the ACC.

Additionally, priests, deacons, and lay ministers are expected to avoid these events, and to strongly urge the faithful not to attend or support them or the ACC in any manner. I ask, rather, that we all pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and shun efforts which threaten the unity of the Church for which Christ, himself, so fervently prayed — Bishop Victory Galeone

Archbishop Allen Vigneron had already issues a similar statement in regards to the Detroit meeting.

It is so predictable the names these dissident groups choose. “North Florida Listening Assembly” like I guess Hillary Clintons Listening Tour. They always betray themselves by saying they are listening when really what they have their ears attuned to is the spirit of the age in an act of itchy ear listening. If tons of faithful Catholics went to one of their events – I can guarantee you there would not be much listening going on.

But really if they are so interested in listening than they should listen to Jesus and specifically when he said “He who hears you, hears me.” when addressing the Apostles and giving them teaching authority. In the case of the ACC they have only not listened to the respective bishops, but have defied them. Jesus continued his statement with “and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” This perfectly describes the ACC and like groups.

The Rainbow Sash Movement wishes to congratulate Cardinal Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington for siding with common sense and reason by allowing “Catholics for Equality” a newly formed Washington DC based Gay Catholic political organization, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign Fund to host an event to be held at Georgetown University Intercultural Center Auditorium University Wednesday, December 8, 2010 8:30 – 10:00 PM

We are glad to see that Cardinal Wuerl is not taking the same position of Archbishop Timothy Dolan recently elected president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, but allows for vigorous debate.

…

This story has the slight problem of being a total lie. The Cardinal did not such thing and they know it.

This is the response from the Archdiocesan director of Communications:

“Yes. We were in touch with Georgetown. The group Catholics for Equality has been told by GU it may not sponsor or hold events there. An adjunct faculty member at GU, Rev. Joe Palacios, is the leader of the gay marriage group (he is very involved with Human Rights Campaign). He is on some panel the GU Dems and GU GOP are sponsoring. He is a priest of LA. He does not have faculties in the Archdiocese of Washington. In short Rainbow Sash put out a wholesale lie apparently trying to get attention. Thanks for the heads up. Please feel free to let those you know are concerned the information is completely false.” [source]

If a church is worried that heartless Grinches might steal from its Nativity scene, it can tag the Baby Jesus with a GPS tracker.

BrickHouse Security is providing free GPS trackers to churches and communities across the country.

Religious institutions and nonprofits can enroll in a program to get a free Spark Nano GPS tracker to install inside a Baby Jesus statue or attach to a Menorah.

That way if a thief makes off with a cherished treasure, the church, synagogue, or other group can log on via computer or mobile phone to track the missing items. [Source]

Some might remember my prophetic parody from years ago:

Find Jesus

Do you know where you Baby Jesus in your Nativity set is? With the rash of Baby Jesus thefts across the country whether it be public or private land how can you be sure? Do your check your lawn often fearing some Nativity scene napper with who know what nefarious scheme? Or perchance that it will be stolen only to be returned later with glued on devil horns as happened recently in Norwalk, Connecticut. Have you considered even resorting to using a chain attached to the leg of the Baby Jesus regardless of the atheistic of this act? If so you might consider our new product – Find Jesus®! Our plastic Baby Jesus plastic doll product Find Jesus® comes with and embedded GPS transmitter, external antenna, and combined with our unique receiver you will know where it is at all time. You won’t be omnipresence, but you will know where Jesus is at all time. No more late night worries or concerns will plague you. This GPS loop transmitting antenna cleverly disguised as a halo will ensure that you can track your Baby Jesus no matter where it is taken The provided GPS receiver will help you track down your property if it does come up missing. This small compact unit will give you an exact location at every moment. If it detects that it has been moved from the preset position an alarm is sounded immediately. Simply follow the onscreen and audible instructions to retrieve your Baby Jesus or to provide the police with its location. Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep which he was willing to go look for and find. Return the favor and Find Jesus®. You might wonder how we can offer such compact and beyond state of the art technology? We have developed a new process called Niño Technology. Niño Technology provides very small programmed machines that operate the receiver and transmitter. So do you know where your Baby Jesus is? You will if you have Find Jesus®

Dawn Eden sent me the following information.

A high-school textbook used for the AP (Advanced Placement) European History exam equates the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance with “high magic” and says that, to combat witchcraft in the 13th century, “the Church declared its magic to be the only true magic.”

The Western Heritage Since 1300 (10th Edition, AP Edition, is published by Pearson Education Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall) is written by Donald Kagan of Yale University, Stephen Ozment of Harvard University, and Frank M. Turner of Yale Unversity.

Attached as a PDF file are the relevant portions of the textbook, which were given to me by a teacher at a Catholic high school that uses the textbook. The teacher, who does not teach history, learned about it from a student who asked her if its account of “Church magic” was true.

An actual AP European History study sheet featuring material from the book. The study sheet is available as a download from http://teacherweb.com/ . The download link is http://teacherweb.com/CA/SantiagoHighSchool/Krueger/AP-Euro-Chapter-14-Student-Notes-Pages.doc .

Sample quote from the book’s Chapter 14, p. 438, under the section title “Influence of the Clergy”:

Had ordinary people not believed that “gifted persons” could help or harm by magical means, and had they not been willing to accuse them, the hunts would never have occured; however, the contribution of Christian theologians was equally great. When the church expanded into areas where its power and influence were small, it encountered semipagan cultures rich in folkloric beliefs that predated Christianity. There, it clashed with the cunning men and women, who were respected spiritual authorities in their local communities, the folk equivalents of Christian priests. The Christian clergy also practiced high magic. They could transform bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ (the sacrament of the Eucharist) and eternal penalties for sin into temporal ones (the sacrament of Penance or Confession). The also claimed the power to cast out demons who possessed the faithful.

In the late thirteenth century, the Church declared its magic to be the only true magic. Since such powers were not innate to humans, the theologians reasoned, they must come either from God or from the devil. Those from God were properly exercised within and by the church. Any who practiced magic outside and against the church did so on behalf of the devil.

And a sample quote from the attached study sheet:

1.

1. Influence of the Clergy

– When the church expanded into rural areas, it: ____________

– There the church clashed with the “cunning folk” who were respected in their communities

– The Christian clergy also performed “magic” by turning bread: __________________

– In the 13th century, the church declared its magic to be the only true magic

– The church argued that: ______________________________________________

– Therefore, magic either: ______________________________________________

– Those powers from God were good and were practiced w/in the church

– Those who practiced magic outside the church: ___________________________

– Attacking these so-called witches was a way for the church to extend its spiritual control

– The princes of the day who wanted: ____________________________________

– Witch trials became a way for the church and princes to realize their power goals

N.B. One of the book’s co-authors, Frank M. Turner, who died last month, also wrote a book on Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman that, according to its publisher, “portrays Newman as a disruptive and confused schismatic conducting a radical religious experiment” and “demonstrates that Newman’s passage to Rome largely resulted from family quarrels, thwarted university ambitions, the inability to control his followers, and his desire to live in a community of celibate males.”

I use to complain when history textbooks pretty much had a hole the size of the Catholic Church in them regarding the Church’s contributions to Western Civilization. But this textbook is a textbook example of anti-Catholicism.

Often actors can do a brilliant job at a role and yet not understand the role at all. The latest example is Liam Neeson who does the voice of Aslan in the Narnia films.

Neeson said: “Aslan symbolises a Christlike figure, but he also symbolises for me Mohammed, Buddha and all the great spiritual leaders and prophets over the centuries. [Source]

Wow what an insightful comment in the all religions are alike mode. For example:

Both Mohammed and Buddha laid down their life for others like Jesus. Oh wait.

Both Mohammed and Buddh a claimed to be God sent by the Father to redeem the sins of the world, just like Buddha except he didn’t believe in sin and just like Mohammed. Oh wait.

Jesus invaded towns and had child brides just like Mohammed. Plus Jesus taught you could lie to an enemy and break a treaty with an unbeliever just like Mohammed. Oh wait.

Jesus taught how man could escape suffering through loss of desire and personality. He held that every person must find his own path to nirvana, or the extinction of self. He also preached the untenable nature of existence and the means to escape suffering. Buddhism denies the ultimate existence of sin and the necessity of grace just like Buddha. Oh wait. But Aslan shows that the world is just CGI, kinda like Buddha.

Plus C.S. Lewis was an apologist for all paths lead to Heaven and talked equally about Christ/Buddha/Mohammed. In fact C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien use to have arguments about the use of allegory and did not like the obvious allegory of Christ/Buddah/Mohammed to Jesus. Oh wait.

Christ/Buddah/Mohammed all have names which start with a letter of the alphabet – hey maybe Liam Neeson is on to something.

Sometimes it is so annoying so much of the symbols and ideas relating to Advent and Christmas are taken and bent to secular aims.  No this is not just another rant against the materialism of the season leading up to Christmas.  One of the things that has been adopted to secular purposes is the Advent Calendar.  It is very common now that such calendars leading up to Christmas are used to promote just about anything and usually with a materialist purpose.  They seem to be popping up everywhere with each day in the calendar promoting something else.

The latest example of this is:

For those not in the know this is from the latest version of the game Angry Birds which just released a new version.  Oh well I can pull the Catholic both/and and both prepare for Christmas on each day of Advent and play Angry Birds.

Originally an Angry Birds Halloween app was released and now it has been updated for Christmas.  This is a very popular game first introduced on the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch iOS platform and the original game was also later released on Android.  Angry Birds is very addictive as I well know and it took me a while to get three stars on all levels and versions of this game.

One nice thing about the new version is that the new levels only become available as the calendar date arrives.  This is quite good news for me that I am limited to only trying to get three stars on one level per day which gives me time to play Cut the Rope pray.