{"id":5663,"date":"2015-12-22T00:10:20","date_gmt":"2015-12-22T05:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=5663"},"modified":"2015-12-22T08:45:05","modified_gmt":"2015-12-22T13:45:05","slug":"sins-of-omission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=5663","title":{"rendered":"sins of omission?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"photo-1423477491197-ec2f29ac4d6b\"<\/a>At this time of year, some strongly suggest that there exists some so-called \u201cwar on Christmas.\u201d Honestly, the Intramuralist has never been too keen on that idea; I\u2019m not keen on utilizing the \u201cwar on,\u201d politically-expedient terminology in any<\/em> arena \u2014 save that which is actual war.<\/p>\n

I do believe, however, there exists a vocal minority which wants no acknowledgement of the holiday\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026 like at the University of Tennessee, where students and staff were told this year they were not allowed to throw any Christmas parties… \u201cHoliday parties and celebrations should celebrate and build upon workplace relationships and team morale with no emphasis on religion or culture. Ensure your holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise.\u201d<\/em> The university\u2019s chancellor later apologized, recognizing a possible infringement of free speech.<\/p>\n

\u2026 like at W.R. Castle Elementary in Johnson County, Kentucky last week, where kids were performing “A Charlie Brown Christmas,\u201d but the school superintendent cut Linus’ speech because it contained a biblical passage. Linus speaks of the babe lying in the manger, then saying, \u201cAnd suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, \u2018glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.\u2019 \u00a0That\u2019s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t see either above as a \u201cwar.” I see it as… wait. Allow me one more current observation, first quoting that beautiful, beloved song\u2026<\/p>\n

Let there be peace on earth<\/em>
\n And let it begin with me.<\/em>
\n Let there be peace on earth<\/em>
\n The peace that was meant to be.<\/em>
\n With God as our Father<\/em>
\n Brothers all are we.<\/em>
\n Let me walk with my brother<\/em>
\n In perfect harmony.<\/em><\/p>\n

Let peace begin with me,<\/em>
\n Let this be the moment now.<\/em>
\n With ev’ry step I take<\/em>
\n Let this be my solemn vow;<\/em>
\n To take each moment and live<\/em>
\n Each moment in peace eternally.<\/em>
\n Let there be peace on earth<\/em>
\n And let it begin with me.<\/em><\/p>\n

A song so meaningful to many, played so eloquently often, this time of year. Microsoft even featured the hymn in one of their first TV commercials this month, billing it as a \u201cspecial message\u201d from their employees. They sang the entire song, entitling it: \u201cMicrosoft spreads the spirit of the season on 5th Ave.\u201d The only problem is that they omitted the \u201cwith God as our Father\u201d section of the song\u2026 uh, God would be the spirit of the season. (“That\u2019s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”)<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s it. I understand that not everyone is convinced of the first coming of Jesus Christ. I get that; it\u2019s not my job to play the convictor in the heart of another.<\/p>\n

What concerns me, however, is our society becoming increasingly uncomfortable in acknowledging God and his rightful position in our society and in our lives. Christmas, Hanukah, and multiple other holidays are key moments when we acknowledge who God is and how as mankind we relate to him. Some instead want a\u00a0removal of all acknowledgement. That, I believe, is dangerous. When we can no longer acknowledge God\u2019s existence \u2014 when we spend more effort and energy on God’s omission than on our humble acknowledgement \u00a0\u2014 we have elevated ourselves to something we are not. We are also missing the meaning and spirit of the season.<\/p>\n

December 25th is officially recognized as \u201cChristmas\u201d by the United States government; it\u2019s one of only 10 American, federal holidays. Christmas is the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

I respect both those who celebrate Christmas and those who do not \u2014 \u00a0those who wish to honor Jesus and those who do not. But sad is the day when the existence of God is omitted from the celebration.<\/p>\n

Respectfully\u2026
\nAR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At this time of year, some strongly suggest that there exists some so-called \u201cwar on Christmas.\u201d Honestly, the Intramuralist has never been too keen on that idea; I\u2019m not keen on utilizing the \u201cwar on,\u201d politically-expedient terminology in any arena \u2014 save that which is actual war. I do believe, however, there exists a vocal … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “sins of omission?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-event"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5663"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5673,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5663\/revisions\/5673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}