Mithra’s Christmas
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December is a time of good will and holiday cheer for most reasonable Americans, and yet some nay-Sayers insist on sabotaging my right to enjoy it. They want to bring out the bad that must be hiding somewhere, and for them bad even lives in Christmas!
I just want to state for the record that I neither challenge nor resent the 2000 year old rumor that Christmas is a Christio-political compromise to new converts of the day, that allowed them to still observe the festival on December 25th in honor of the pagan God Mithra. I reluctantly concede that it is known that Jesus was not born in December (and that he could not have been if one believes the data in the New Testament), and that the early December celebrations that involved decorating a tree and exchanging gifts were performed in recognition of Mithra’s birthday. I also accept that the early Christians did not have Christmas trees immediately after the compromise where Mithra’s festival was renamed and re-cast for this new purpose. I further make no attempt to refute the idea that the early Christians made no claim that Christmas was on Christ’s birthday. I will even grant the nay-Sayers that this gift, born of compromise, is mostly secular in Western civilization now, even though this fact would appall the pagans for whom Christmas was created to appease.
However, I FLATLY deny that celebrating it makes me a liar or a hypocrite. I am known to reject paganism and yet I celebrate Christmas, which, when taken out of context, may seem like an exercise in hypocrisy. However, I do not claim that anything the nay-Sayers say is false. Furthermore, I reject the conspiracy to lie to children about Santa Clause or the origins of my holiday. It is a western tradition among the devout and among total sinners alike. I find all the lies around Christmas tolerable, as a practice that I accept, but do not embrace; nor do I (actually will I) fool my children with them. Deception is part of the Christmas game and I see it as nothing more than that. I welcome the feast, the fellowship, the caroling and the giving. I respect the spirit of Santa Clause, and even that of Krampus, who is just doing his job. I make no claims toward anything else, and wish not to be held accountable for the cognitive dissonance some people have while we pay tribute to Mithra on this day.
I also respect your right to avoid honoring Mithra if you so choose. I only ask that you do not denounce me for celebrating what I see as a secular activity because it makes you feel like a pagan.
If there are no more objections, I must go now. I have to put up my nativity scene. I have not decided whether to use the old one for Ra, or the more modern one for Christ, this year. I also have to purchase a fallen evergreen and put some ornaments on it before it finishes dying.
Tireless Defender of Christmas,
John Myste
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Welcome to MMA sir. A thoroughly well written denial of being hypocritical about having a jolly old time during the festivities of the coming days for which the Christians should not be celebrating but due to their conspiracy like ways they will. Right?
From a friend of mine … Happy Chanukah
I love the family gatherings and the eating. Oh and the drinking and gift giving, I’m all for that.
I’m a Krampus fan. The family not so much. Mithra however is my idol, literally. I mean you can imagine a Mithra but not so much a Jesus. Really great post John and from what I have seen of the folks around here you will fit in nicely.
🙂 🙂
I have no cultural relation to Krampus. I just like him.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Holte Ender, Michael Scott. Michael Scott said: RT @madmike1 Mithra's Christmas http://bit.ly/eSXzZb […]
Good old Krampus, haven’t heard his name for years. Do you have a Slavic heritage? One of the best kid-scarers ever invented.
I stopped believing in Santa when I was about 8, started again when I was 9. Me Santa (and Krampus) have been good buddies ever since.
Yes, I posted this mostly in Jest. The idea two-fold:
1. Christmas is a reworking of a Pagan holiday that never had anything to do with Christ. It is a historical compromise to try to bring the pagans on board for political purposes.
2. I am often informed that I am a closet Christian. Why else would I celebrate Christmas? The argument is absurd for two reasons: I celebrate the secular aspect of Christmas. Oh, and, if you accept that argument as valid, then the real question is, am I not a closet pagan?
Also, is not the one making the accusation a closet pagan? I will make the nay-Sayer a deal: I will accept his right to celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday if he accepts my right to celebrate it as a secular holiday and we will both ignore the fact that it was created to appease those whom we call pagans, who also had a right to celebrate it.
Welcome to MMA John, good post.
I agree with you, enjoy the spirit of Christmas and don’t let the PC nutters(or anyone else) from telling you what to do, think or act.
I’m not to sure however about your idea regarding telling your children (to be) the truth about Santa Claus.
Lying to your children in an unspoken national conspiracy is an essential component of a kid’s education and upbringing. The sooner they learn that the bastards in power will lie and deceive them at every opportunity the better for their future development