Christmas around the World

Last week, I used this column to sketch out the decades-long campaign to take Christ out of Christmas. Today, I want to tell you a more upbeat side of the story. 

Christmas endures. It is simply too widespread and too rich to be emptied of meaning. Let us explore this theme by taking a quick romp through some random countries to be encouraged by their Christmas customs.

Starting in Berlin, even last week’s terrorism cannot overcome Christmas joy. Europe is breathing a sigh of relief since the Jihadist who mowed down 60 people with a stolen semi, leaving 12 of them dead, was caught. But what stands out to me about the story is the location of the attack.

Reports say that it happened at a ‘Christmas Market.’ This is an Old World tradition that endures even after decades of secularism. Don’t think of this as some kind of Black Friday at a big box store. It is more like a street fair. Vendors set up shops all around the square. Everything is bedecked in lights. Thousands of festive people fill the streets enjoying the atmosphere and one another.

In German, these are called Kristkindlmarkt. ‘Christmas Market’ is a passable translation, but ‘Christ-Child-Market’ is more exact. There is even a traditional hot beverage served in embossed, collectible mugs. The taste and smell of this Gluhwein recalls happy memories for anybody who has been to Germany, Austria or other Germanic countries at Christmas time.

Unlike America, Christmas trees are a strictly Christmas Eve tradition. You will not find them decorating homes or businesses until the night before Christmas. Instead, those who decorate during Advent (the weeks leading up to Christmas) typically put a lighted star in the window. This is the sign of a Christian home.

German Lutherans brought the Christmas tree, along with other traditions when they migrated eastward into Russia. This created an interesting mix of Eastern Orthodox Christmas traditions with Western European traditions. One of the bigger differences is the date itself. While America follows the European tradition of Dec. 25, Eastern Orthodox tradition celebrates on Jan. 6.

Since the Russian Orthodox tradition dominates, both Dec. 24 and 25 are regular work days. For those who want to celebrate in the Western European way, it means going to church after work and heading back to work the following morning.

At least they have the option to do this. During the Soviet years, many Christmas observances were outlawed. The atheistic communist regime, in their attempt to stamp out Christianity, made New Year’s Day the biggest celebration of the year, and it still is the biggest celebration in Russia.

One Russian tradition is that on Christmas Eve no one eats until they see the first star come out. Then there is a 12-course meal of traditional Christmas dishes. One of these dishes is sochen, and it is the source of the Russian name for Christmas Eve, Sochelnik.

Heading south from Russia, we visit Palestine, the actual place of Jesus’ birth. Here you will once again see Christmas trees. A favorite place to cut them is from Mount Carmel. You might remember Mount Carmel as the site of the biblical show-down between Elijah and the prophets of Baal (see 1 Kings 18).

In Palestine, there are no gifts under the tree. In fact, even the ornaments and manger scene are homemade, cut out of paper bags. The emphasis is on the family meal. After Christmas Eve church services, the extended family gathers around the table for a fancy meal that lasts into the wee hours of the morning.

The Door of Humility, entrance to the church.
Ian and Wendy Sewell, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

In Bethlehem itself stands the oldest surviving Church building in all of Christendom. Built in about 330 A.D. it has remained unmolested for almost 1,700 years. The most unique architectural feature of this church is that nobody can enter without bowing. The entry passage is only four feet tall. Whoever wants to be in that exalted place must first be humbled.

Worshipers from Latin, Coptic, Greek, and Ethiopian traditions each hold their customary services in different corners of the church. It is like the entire world comes together in answer to the angels’ song, “Peace on earth, good will toward men.”

The mention of Ethiopian and Egyptian Christians should also remind us that Christmas is celebrated on the African continent as well. In South Africa, Dec. 25 falls during the height of summer. Many people use the break to have a holiday at the beach.

Christmas dinner in South Africa is typically a cookout, but the Christmas tree remains a familiar sight. As in Germany, Christmas trees are not put up until Christmas Eve. Then the family will go to church and come home for a feast. Those following their German traditions will open presents on Christmas Eve, while the Dutch tradition opens presents on Christmas Day.

As we have hopscotched around the world, we have seen much that is different, but also much that is the same. An evergreen tree, lights, presents and a family meal — these basic elements unite people who celebrate Christmas throughout the world.

The evergreen tree points to life even in the midst of the coldest and darkest days of winter. The lights shine forth a similar note. The presents are an echo of the Greatest Gift the world has ever seen. And the family meal reminds us of the mother, the father and the child of Bethlehem.

It is a joy to see these same symbols in and around Evanston. The train full of presents at Depot Square, the Christmas trees in front of the Beeman-Cashin building and the lights all carry something of the story of Christmas. 

But perhaps the most heart-warming local touch are the camels on E-hill. They tell the story of foreign kings who were drawn to the scene of Jesus’ birth. For us they are a reminder that Christmas was not just for some, but for all. Merry Christmas, Evanston! 

Faith, Facts, and Federal Holidays

Evanston's Depot Square, Christmas trees and tractor complete with a flying pig. (Photo: Jonathan Lange)

Imagine a celebration of Independence Day without displaying Old Glory. Imagine if we disallowed any public reading of the Declaration of Independence because it offended someone. That would be crazy, utterly absurd!

But here in our town, and in towns all across the country, Christmas decorations on the square and courthouse lawn have zero depictions of Christ. And we all know how the ACLU would have a fit if somebody hauled out a bible in history class and actually read the account of Jesus' birth. Is that any less absurd?

Someone might object to the comparison by saying that Independence Day is a federal holiday, but Christmas Day is a religious holiday. False. Both days are officially recognized federal holidays. But of the eleven listed holidays, Christmas is the only one where there can be no public recognition of the actual event that it celebrates.

It is, of course, true that the birth of Jesus has religious significance for millions of Americans. But it is also true that it has cultural significance for all Americans. The achievements of Western civilization are, in very large part, traceable to the teachings of Jesus and the impact that his followers had on the world. Hospitals, public welfare, human rights, and a thousand other things that we hold dear were unheard of in the pre-Christian world.

On Columbus Day school children learn about Christopher Columbus and the impact that he had on our culture. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day we see pictures of the man, and children hear about his dream and his letters from a Birmingham jail. But on Christ's birthday, our public celebration can neither show his picture or talk about his life and impact.

How did we arrive at this absurd place? Who passed the laws against celebrating Christ's birthday on the national holiday that names him? Nobody. Did you ever stop to think about that? There is not one single piece of federal legislation which prohibits nativity scenes on public property or the public telling of the life of the man celebrated on Christmas.

As with most of the madness in the war against western civilization, the "laws" against Christmas are not laws at all. Rather, they are recent judicial precedents set in various circuit courts around the country. If you are more than thirty years old, you lived at a time when manger scenes were found on courthouse lawns all over the country.

The ACLU only began challenging them in the early 80s. The first case to rise to the level of the US Supreme Court was Lynch v. Donnelly in 1984. And this case did not make manger scenes on public property illegal. Quite the opposite, it upheld the right of Pawtucket, Rhode Island to have one as part of their public decorations.  

Five years later, the ACLU sued the County of Allegheny over two displays in Pittsburgh. In this case, the court ruled that religious celebrations on public property did not necessarily violate the establishment clause. They did, however, order the removal of one courthouse display because of the words, "Glory to God for the birth of Jesus Christ.” Let that sink in. As recently as 27 years ago a major city in America thought nothing of putting those words on public display.

Given these two victories at the Supreme Court, why have  we removed the manger scene from our own town? Why do we no longer celebrate this federal holiday by talking about the actual event that it celebrates?

The answer has mostly to do with money. Take, for example, the case of Knightstown, Indiana. This small town (pop. 2100) recently announced that it would remove the cross from the town Christmas tree -- a decoration that had been in place unopposed for years.

Knightstown Christmas tree, before the cross was removed,
Dec. 11, 2016. (Photo: Provided by Mike Fender)

What was the reason for removing the cross? After all, it's not like there is any controversy about whether Jesus was a real, historical person. Nor is there any question that he was killed by crucifixion on a Roman cross.

We have more historical proof of these two events than we do of any other event in ancient history. I admit that it would, in fact, violate the establishment clause if the government would make the strictly religious claim that this Jesus is the Creator of the Universe. But if somebody is offended by the historical fact that Jesus was born and was crucified, there's not much we can do about that.

No, the reason for the removal of the cross was not because it was against any law. Nor was it because it is a strictly religious symbol. Rather, the town of Knightstown simply did not have enough money to battle the gargantuan resources of the ACLU in court. It's just cheaper to back down than it is to fight.

It's a perfectly reasonable position. One which town councils, guided by the well-meaning advice of their attorneys, have made all over the land. In fact, I would bet that it's the same reason Evanston chose to decorate Depot Square with deer, and trains, and a Christmas tree. But I'm wondering if that is still the wisest choice.

As defenders of the Second Amendment regularly remind us: a right not exercised is a right soon lost. The same is true when it comes to the First Amendment. In a mere three decades, without any law, or Supreme Court decision, America's public consciousness of the history of Christmas has been scrubbed clean of any reference to Christ.

It has been scrubbed clean by the bullying litigation of the ACLU, and against the wishes of the vast majority of her citizens. We have simply silenced ourselves due to fear, intimidation, and misinformation. Perhaps it is time to reverse our self-imposed censorship. It would be a perfectly legal thing to do.

The Supreme Court has spoken loud and clear that there are two legitimate ways to display a manger scene on public property. One way is if the town simply designates the property as a location for private displays which can be used by any group that obtains a permit. A second way is for the manger scene to be placed as one decoration among others.

It seems to me that we already have plenty of other non-religious decorations. To place a manger scene next to the lighted reindeer, or by the train full of toys would be in perfect compliance with Supreme Court precedence.

Doing so would have more than a religious significance. It would be a public declaration that we are no longer going to be intimidated into rewriting world history. Facts are facts. Events are events. And nobody, Christian or non-Christian, should be hesitant to give credit where credit is due.

The birth of a man changed the world. Like it or not, that is the truth. The fact that large numbers of Americans also worship this man as God should have no bearing on whether Americans of all religions can name his name and remember how things were different before he came.

George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Christopher Columbus, and Jesus of Nazareth are all recognized with a federal holiday for the way they have contributed to our civilization. If we name the first three, surely we can name the fourth.

Further Reading:
Wyoming Tribune Eagle: Relating Faith, Facts, and Federal Holidays
NTV: Nativity at the Nebrask State Capitol
American Center for Law and Justice, Informational Letter
Public Discourse: Christmas and Western Civilization

Fake News and the Power of Truth

There’s a new term in town. Right before the election, on November 6, the New York Times reported, “Media’s Next Challenge: Overcoming Fake News.” As if on cue, the Washington Post declared: “Russian propaganda effort helped spread ‘fake news’ during election, experts say” (Nov. 24). The narrative was even uncritically repeated last Tuesday night (Dec. 6) by some professors at UW-Casper. 

Though “fake news” may be new to us, it has actually been around for about a decade. UrbanDictionary.com defined way back in January of 2007 as: “Parody of network television newscasts that exploits the absurd in current events for humorous intent rather than being concerned with providing complete and well-balanced information.” “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart, “The Colbert Report,” and “Real Time with Bill Maher” are given as examples.

That’s quite different from today’s meaning. Instead of pointing to political comedy, Mainstream media is now using it to refer to a couple of hundred web sites that use splashy headlines and vague sources to make click-bait for advertising profit, many of which are geared toward the politically-minded of all stripes. Fair enough.

But by making a second, more nefarious claim — that the Russian government is controlling some of these sites in order to sway the elections — they have veered into the same baseless sensationalism that “fake news” is all about. 

CNN admitted as much on Dec. 2, saying that this charge remains, “unsupported by even a shred of evidence.” And on Dec. 7, the Washington Post was forced to add an editor’s note to the above mentioned article admitting that it “could not vouch for the validity” of any of the hundreds of web sites alleged to be fake news, much less in control of the Russian government. 

In fact, this is how fake news has always worked. Mention something that is obvious to everyone, then attach to it — without evidence — the new thing you want them to believe. For example: “We have found actual dinosaur skeletons (true) which have been Carbon 14 dated as 50 million years old (demonstrably false).”

Judging from the sources pushing the Russian story, and their demonstrable political bias, it is at least equally plausible that the Russian narrative is just one more “fake news” story designed to sway the election the other way.

Be that as it may, Laura Hancock, political reporter for the Casper Star Tribune, begins her article about the professors at UW-Casper on Dec. 6, “Fake news, which is believed to have influenced the election, isn’t going away.” It is amazing how many questions can be begged in a single sentence. 

A careful reader might want to ask some of those questions. For instance, who is it, exactly, that believes fake news influenced the election? Does this person have any factual grounds for their belief, or is it blind faith? Grounds, or no grounds, is the charge actually true? And if it is, did the “fake news” influence the election in Clinton’s favor or Trump’s? 

If you asked these questions to a cross-section of Wyoming voters, you would likely get wildly different answers. In fact, on Dec. 6 the New York Times ran the headline, “In News, What’s Fake and What’s Real Can Depend on What You Want to Believe.” Knowing the New York Times, I suspect that the reporter probably had religious believers in mind, but never even recognized her own unwavering faith.

You see, the problem with “fake news,” whether it is generated from the right or from the left — whether it is intentional propaganda or blind faith guided by wishful thinking — is that without the tools to sort truth from falsehood, people have no other recourse than to retreat into their own echo chambers, AKA “safe zones,” and hear only what they already believe.

Not only is the truth lost by this terrible idea, so is community. A culture that cannot reason together in a free marketplace of ideas is a culture that is easily divided and used by identity politicians and the special interests that enable them. This is tragic and destructive. 

Sadly, we are already quite far down this path. The divisions and hostility, which seem to be growing among us every day, are not the result of racism or sexism, nationalism or any other “ism.” They are the result of our inability to communicate across the aisle. They arise from a despair that truth is either knowable or known.

Giving up on the idea of truth, we resort to power — governmental power, corporate power and media power.  Power is used to redefine terms. Power is used to declare winners and losers before the debate is begun. Power is used to punish those who do not agree with us. Power is used to shut down opposing points of view that we know “cannot be true” but we lack the ability to disprove them.

Like “fake news” itself, the temptation to settle matters of truth by power is nothing new. We have been doing it since we first threw temper-tantrum when mom told us we couldn’t have a piece of candy. But just as temper tantrums cannot alter the truth, shutting down the opposing view cannot help us form a closer community. Nor can it help us come any closer to understanding the truth or each other.

We have a lot of work to do. Identity politics and the politicians that use them have been slicing and dicing us into angry mobs for far too long. Instead of uniting in a shared truth, we have fragmented into one group that believes this truth, and another that believes that truth, and on and on and on.

To the extent that education has stopped teaching our children how to think, teaching them instead what to think, we have done ourselves no favors. The politicization of every science from astronomy to zoology, from sociology to biology, only continues the trend. Instead of seeking the truth itself, we see whatever “truth” advances our cause.

The first step on the road to recovery is the mere admission of this fact. Those who believe that truth actually exists can be serenely confident that they are not the only ones capable of finding it. Whether by an excellent teacher, or by the school of hard knocks, we all come to know the truth in one way or another. And sources that hide the truth in order to maintain their own agenda will make themselves irrelevant as their cover-ups become increasingly ridiculous and transparent. 

The second step to recovery is to rediscover the liberal arts — the arts which free us from the chains of deception and equip us to live as the human beings that we are. It would be fine start for all of us to relearn the basics of logic. Learn to identify a logical fallacy when you hear one; learn how to ask critical questions; learn the importance of checking sources and cross-examining witnesses.

The last thing we need is for some “high priests of news” to tell us which news is news and which news is not. That’s the arrogance that got us into this mess. So let the “fake news” have its day. It will fade away like every other fad. The truth itself is all that is needed for a healthy community. Truth produces its own light. Instead of driving people into cages, like a shining light, it draws people to its source.

Of Gods and Men

Before meeting Al, I had never thought much about Cuba. It just wasn’t on my radar. I guess I naively assumed that if the good people of Cuba wanted Mr. Castro as president, who was I to judge? I’ve grown up since then. Fair and free elections are a privilege that not all people have.

College forced me to rethink my assumptions. It’s not that I was a poli-sci major, or anything like that. It’s just that my teammate and roommate during the first two years of college was a guy named Alvaro Fernandez. He and his family spoke Spanish at home. And on special occasions Al’s mom would bring us homemade tamales.

His tastes in music (Bruce Springsteen and Rush) were annoying. I preferred Jerry Jeff Walker and Merle Haggard. He was a business major and I was studying for a teacher’s certificate. He played defense, while I played offense. But we got along well.

The more I came to know him, the more he opened up about his life and family. He had not always lived in America. He came with his father and mother from Cuba. I suppose they actually fled. But I never learned the circumstances. 

People who openly resisted Castro’s confiscation of their farms and businesses were typically hauled in front of a firing squad. But you didn’t have to be rich to stand against the wall. Black and white, young and old, men and women, rich and poor — all received the same treatment. Socialism doesn’t discriminate. 

The names of many, but by no means all, of the victims are inscribed on 14,000 white crosses at the Cuban Memorial in Miami. Under their names a single word marks their fate, fusilado. Those who were only suspected of opposing the regime were thrown in squalid prisons where many still rot, waiting for a trial that will never come. 

Records are hard to come by. Only grieving families are left to recount the disappearance of loved ones. Estimates place the dead at nearly 100,000, and those who passed through Castro’s prisons numbered about 500,000. Let that sink in. Out of a population of 6.5 million, 1 in 13 people went to prison.

Just to put that into local perspective, imagine a town the size of Evanston. Then imagine 200 of us being killed by firing squad, 1,000 more imprisoned without trial and 2,000 fleeing with only the clothes on their back. To make it a bit more realistic, imagine those fleeing having to cobble together their own boat and row a distance from Evanston all the way to Salt Lake City, with a good number of them drowning, starving or otherwise dying along the way.

The up side is that for the 9,000 of us that remain, going to the hospital is free. But remember to bring your own bedding. And if the doctor gives you a prescription for Aspirin or common antibiotics, good luck finding a pharmacy that can fill it. Oh, and don’t even think about going to the top floor of the hospital where the best care is given. That’s reserved for high government officials and Michael Moore’s visiting film crew. After all, some are more equal than others.

As for the Church in Cuba, the 1959 revolution did not restrict religious practice. It only prohibited religious people from joining the Party. Remember that the next time you hear someone argue that you can worship any way you like, you just can’t act like a Christian in your place of business or if you hold any government job. 

Oh, and there’s another catch. Only those churches registered by the regime are allowed. Non-registered churches are demolished while their pastors are imprisoned. I am sure that their registration process is every bit as fair and unbiased as the IRS’s treatment of organizations registering for 501c(3) status.

But, back on the island, the Fernandez family were one of those who emigrated. They were allowed to keep their lives in exchange for giving all of their possessions to the government. In fact, the regime was so generous that it even gave them $5 for travel expenses.

So, while I was running barefoot through pastures in rural Texas, Little Alvaro was starting over with only the clothes on his back. He didn’t talk much about his childhood in Cuba. But one thing he told me has stayed with me ever since. 

He was in the third grade when his teacher told everybody to put their heads down on the desk and to pray to God for a piece of candy. So Al, together with his classmates did so. Then they were told to hold open their hands. You can imagine the wonder and the eager expectation that filled their hearts. But nothing filled their hands. 

Minutes passed. Then the teacher gave another command. “Pray to Fidel Castro for a piece of candy.” Again, they complied. Again, they waited. But this time, each and every child felt a piece of candy being pressed into his or her hand as the teacher walked from desk to desk teaching the regime’s object lesson for the day.

What kind of a mind would dream up such a lesson? What did Fidel Castro’s regime want the children to learn from it? I know what I learned from it. Communism is not just a political theory. It is a religion. God is the government, the source of all good. And he’s a jealous god. By means of firing squad and prison, he teaches: you shall have no other gods before him.

The Communistic deity, wherever he has seized the reins of power, has left a trail of misery and bloodshed. From the former Soviet Union to the island prison called Cuba, the story always plays out the same. As a result, the last century has seen more bloodshed than any other century in the history of the world. It has also seen more persecution of Christians than the early Christians ever contemplated.

Castro acted like a god in life. But death brings all men down to earth. I do not rejoice in his death any more than in the thousands that he killed. I only hope that the people of Cuba may be spared from another rising in his place. Freedom is a privilege that none of us deserve, but it’s a privilege that I wish all men to have.