Christmas for Non-Christians?
By definition, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of
Jesus Christ. But why would anyone who wouldn’t call themselves a Christian
wish to celebrate this? Might uncertainty about what Christmas ‘means’ be a
contributory factor in the apparently widespread phenomenon of ‘Christmas
depression’? (A recent article in The
Independent reported the results of a survey which found that nearly 50% of
men feel sad or depressed at Christmas.) A ‘secular Christmas’ might involve
gatherings of family and/or friends, exchanging gifts and cards, nice food, and
songs about snow and roasting chestnuts. If the story of Jesus’ birth features
at all, this may be in nativity plays with odd contemporary additions to make them
somehow more ‘relevant’, of interest largely due to the actors’ cute appearance
and charming idiosyncrasies. Or it may feature in carols sung every year
because they are traditional, but with little thought of their meaning for us
today. Santa Claus plays a prominent part – although largely as a morally
dubious untruth told to small children in the hope of bringing about an
improvement in their behaviour, rather than as the uplifting tale of St
Nicholas and his anonymous generosity. (He is said to have provided the dowries
without which three sisters would have been unable to marry.) Nevertheless,
Christmas continues to be regarded as a very important celebration, which
consumes significant resources in terms of time and money. Indeed, the December
editions of most British womens’ magazines are almost exclusively concerned
with the celebration of Christmas, as if nothing else matters in December, and
their pages are peppered with numerous references to ‘the big day’. The
purveyors of furniture and home improvements often advertise that their
products will be delivered or fitted by Christmas, as if this is the ultimate
deadline; the day on which everything must be perfect. But why is this day so
important?
The novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch once said that, even if you don’t believe in God, the nativity story might be a good thing to have in your life. Unfortunately, she doesn’t appear to have told us why she thought this. But perhaps her reasons might go something like this:
The festival of Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ who, whatever your religious beliefs, was one of the most important people who has ever lived. He may not have known that he ushered in a religion which would be practised for centuries by millions of people, but he did teach a new way of being religious – indeed, a new way of living – which wasn’t concerned with trying to follow complicated rules in order to placate the powers which govern the universe, but was about enabling human beings to live together meaningfully in love, joy, hope and peace (even if many of his followers down the centuries have failed to do so).
The story of his parents’ journey to Bethlehem in order to obey a decree issued by the Romans who occupied their country, his birth far from their home which took place not in the relative comfort of an inn but amidst the squalor of a stable full of animals, and the visit from the shepherds show that this great man began his life as one of the most humble among us. Indeed, he stayed that way since, right at the very end of his life, he washed his disciples’ feet as a sign of humility and dedication to the service of others. Yet Jesus was visited not only by some of the most humble members of his society, but also by the wise men, who had thought Jesus sufficiently important to travel many miles in order to pay their respects, and brought gold in recognition of his kingship. The fact that they called first at the palace before finding Jesus in the stable, and that King Herod, hearing about the birth of another future king, dealt with this perceived threat to his authority by murdering all the male infants in the vicinity, highlights the contrast between the kingship of Herod, and the kingship of Jesus which was quite unlike that of the rulers of his day.
The wise men’s gift of frankincense indicates recognition either of a priestly role, or perhaps even divinity. So, was Jesus the Son of God? Of course the answer to this question depends upon what is meant by ‘Son of God’. Some – the philosopher Don Cupitt, for example – would say that it just means ‘human being’, and that we are all, therefore, sons – or perhaps children – of God. But perhaps Jesus did, in some sense, show us something extraordinary, which might be called divine, and thereby embody what might be called a divine spark.
The story also contains the theme of triumph over adversity. Despite his birth in a stable in an occupied country, pursuit by a murderous king, escape with his parents to Egypt, and excruciating death on a cross (anticipated by the wise men’s gift of myrrh, used to anoint the dead in preparation for burial), at the age of 33 after only three years of ministry – despite all of these things, the death which his life made inevitable represented both a sacrifice and a victory. The significance of Jesus’ death has been discussed by theologians for centuries but, at the very least, we can say that Jesus sacrificed his own life for the sake of his teachings, and that the survival and influence of these teachings down the centuries represents a victory over the power of evil manifested in those who were responsible for his death.
Finally, the story of Jesus’ birth is about new beginnings. The word ‘nativity’ is derived from the Latin ‘nativus’, meaning birth. It’s come to be associated with Jesus, but in fact it can apply to anyone. The philosopher Hannah Arendt said that we should be concerned not so much with our mortality but with our natality – the fact that we have been born, and the opportunities which this gives us. Even if we are only born in a literal sense once, we can be reborn metaphorically many times – every time something new happens to us, every time we make a new start at something, and every time we overcome a difficulty.
Here, then, are several ways in which the Christmas story might still have an important meaning today, even for those who don’t regard themselves as religious. The philosopher Paul Tillich thought that no one could be a genuine atheist, however. For Tillich, God is ‘our ultimate concern’, and it is difficult to live without having some kind of ‘ultimate concern’. So perhaps thinking about the meaning of the Christmas story can help us to think about what it really means to be religious.
Reference
The Independent, ‘Nearly one in two men feel depressed over Christmas, survey reveals’, http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nearly-one-in-two-men-feel-depressed-over-christmas-survey-reveals-9908855.html
© Elizabeth Burns, December 2014
The novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch once said that, even if you don’t believe in God, the nativity story might be a good thing to have in your life. Unfortunately, she doesn’t appear to have told us why she thought this. But perhaps her reasons might go something like this:
The festival of Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ who, whatever your religious beliefs, was one of the most important people who has ever lived. He may not have known that he ushered in a religion which would be practised for centuries by millions of people, but he did teach a new way of being religious – indeed, a new way of living – which wasn’t concerned with trying to follow complicated rules in order to placate the powers which govern the universe, but was about enabling human beings to live together meaningfully in love, joy, hope and peace (even if many of his followers down the centuries have failed to do so).
The story of his parents’ journey to Bethlehem in order to obey a decree issued by the Romans who occupied their country, his birth far from their home which took place not in the relative comfort of an inn but amidst the squalor of a stable full of animals, and the visit from the shepherds show that this great man began his life as one of the most humble among us. Indeed, he stayed that way since, right at the very end of his life, he washed his disciples’ feet as a sign of humility and dedication to the service of others. Yet Jesus was visited not only by some of the most humble members of his society, but also by the wise men, who had thought Jesus sufficiently important to travel many miles in order to pay their respects, and brought gold in recognition of his kingship. The fact that they called first at the palace before finding Jesus in the stable, and that King Herod, hearing about the birth of another future king, dealt with this perceived threat to his authority by murdering all the male infants in the vicinity, highlights the contrast between the kingship of Herod, and the kingship of Jesus which was quite unlike that of the rulers of his day.
The wise men’s gift of frankincense indicates recognition either of a priestly role, or perhaps even divinity. So, was Jesus the Son of God? Of course the answer to this question depends upon what is meant by ‘Son of God’. Some – the philosopher Don Cupitt, for example – would say that it just means ‘human being’, and that we are all, therefore, sons – or perhaps children – of God. But perhaps Jesus did, in some sense, show us something extraordinary, which might be called divine, and thereby embody what might be called a divine spark.
The story also contains the theme of triumph over adversity. Despite his birth in a stable in an occupied country, pursuit by a murderous king, escape with his parents to Egypt, and excruciating death on a cross (anticipated by the wise men’s gift of myrrh, used to anoint the dead in preparation for burial), at the age of 33 after only three years of ministry – despite all of these things, the death which his life made inevitable represented both a sacrifice and a victory. The significance of Jesus’ death has been discussed by theologians for centuries but, at the very least, we can say that Jesus sacrificed his own life for the sake of his teachings, and that the survival and influence of these teachings down the centuries represents a victory over the power of evil manifested in those who were responsible for his death.
Finally, the story of Jesus’ birth is about new beginnings. The word ‘nativity’ is derived from the Latin ‘nativus’, meaning birth. It’s come to be associated with Jesus, but in fact it can apply to anyone. The philosopher Hannah Arendt said that we should be concerned not so much with our mortality but with our natality – the fact that we have been born, and the opportunities which this gives us. Even if we are only born in a literal sense once, we can be reborn metaphorically many times – every time something new happens to us, every time we make a new start at something, and every time we overcome a difficulty.
Here, then, are several ways in which the Christmas story might still have an important meaning today, even for those who don’t regard themselves as religious. The philosopher Paul Tillich thought that no one could be a genuine atheist, however. For Tillich, God is ‘our ultimate concern’, and it is difficult to live without having some kind of ‘ultimate concern’. So perhaps thinking about the meaning of the Christmas story can help us to think about what it really means to be religious.
Reference
The Independent, ‘Nearly one in two men feel depressed over Christmas, survey reveals’, http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nearly-one-in-two-men-feel-depressed-over-christmas-survey-reveals-9908855.html
© Elizabeth Burns, December 2014
