On Christmas

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I think there is a way to reconcile the good part about Christmas without believing in Christ as the Son of God. In both Islam and Judaism (please correct me if I am mistaken), Christ is seen as a prophet - a person sent by God to deliver wisdom. Christ's wisdom was about the values we all hold as important, christian or not: kindness towards others, humility, love, and so forth. Although the holiday does celebrate the birth of Christ, the wonder of the season is all wrapped up in the celebration of these virtues, and the peace and harmony that they bring when practiced. These are things which can be celebrated by anyone - whether you believe Christ is the son of God, a prophet, or even just a good man with no ties to a deity at all. We do tend to focus on the commercial aspects of the season with our emphasis on gifts, but if you think of the sentiments behind the gift giving especially ('better to give than to receive'), then the true spirit of Christmas can be a part of everyone no matter what they believe.

-- Wendy (wruhm@compuserve.com), December 25, 1999

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