Christmas cards

22/12/2011 by Ted.

From the Daily Mail

Stores ‘ashamed’ to sell religious cards… but obscene ones litter the High Street.

They (the stores) claimed a creeping ‘multicultural indoctrination’ had led to an aversion to Christianity, and that shops were worried about stocking cards that might offend other faiths.

Of 6,576 cards sold individually, just 36 – 0.5 per cent – featured scenes such as Jesus in a manger or angels.

Multi-packs fared little better, with only 5 per cent of 1,337 on sale at the stores visited containing at least one card that reflected the season’s Christian message.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ.  It belongs to Christians, and is celebrated by Christians.

Commercial “Christmas cards” are an industry driven way of exploiting the Christian celebration for commercial reasons.  The cards popularly on sale today therefore probably reflect the political-correctness-indoctrinated and largely Christianity-indifferent  character of the society within which our Christian celebration takes place. Christians can always choose not to buy them.

Perhaps we should instead purchase a pack of card blanks (mine were ten for 99p from Works) and take the time to write a personal Christmas greeting to Christian friends, perhaps including a suitable Christmas verse such as the very appropriate  -

Unto you is born this day a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.

I receive shop-bought cards from Christian and non-Christian friends as does everyone else and, though often bright and beautiful, they are discarded when Christmas is over.  But unprofessional hand-produced Christmas cards  bearing personal greetings from friends and, especially grandchildren, are special  and are never thrown away because they are an expression of the person’s thoughts which gave birth to the words. And for me Christmas greetings are the personal thoughts expressed  - not the illustrations and glitter commercially produced.

Regarding the excuse made of an indoctrinated  “aversion to Christianity”, didn’t someone say, And you shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake? It isn’t that bad yet so we shouldn’t complain.

Incidentally, regarding the excuse that the portrayal of the Nativity Scene might cause offence to other faiths, and disregarding the fact that not portraying the Nativity scene might cause offence to Christians, some years ago I spent a happy holiday in Tunisia.  The towns were well populated with mosques and minarets from which the moslem call to prayer daily reverberated greatly amplified by multiple loudspeakers.  The holiday was in December and coincided with their feast of Ramadan which fell in December that year.  Despite this, because we were guests from a “Christian” country the foyer of our Tunisian hotel was festooned with streamers and baubles, and an enormous Christmas crib was erected there - populated with an array of gingerbread men instead of nativity figures,

And these are supposed to be the people to whom we cause offence when celebrating Christmas in our own “Christian” land.  Poppycock!

Posted in Family Chat | No Comments »