Goodwill should be expressed using the broadest possible terms.
Towards the end of his second presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised a weary nation one thing: “Merry Christmas” is coming back. “We’ll have a ‘Merry Christmas’ as well. “Just like we did for everyone seven years ago[when]we brought it back,” Trump announced in a Facebook video. “It was in serious trouble (but) we’ve brought it back.”
Of course, “Merry Christmas” was never in any danger. But the complaints come from conservative Christians who lament the weakening of Christian sentiment in public. This obligation is the greatest. not satisfied It has clearly lost its grip on Christian culture, for example, in shopping malls and restaurants in recent decades. It has replaced Christmas decorations with non-specific holiday decorations. Or replace the Christmas special with a special holiday menu. (Though he campaigned during Christmas, Trump’s own stores, buildings, and restaurants do not generally refers to Christmas) in this logic of grievance “Merry Christmas” contrasts with “Happy Holidays” in the race to define the nation’s character.
But this dichotomy is false. And there are many reasons why even devoutly conservative Christians should consider blessing others. “Happy Holidays” this season. This is not to say that using “Merry Christmas” is a bad thing to do—especially when said to devout Christians or on Christmas Day itself. And while I doubt most people are so sensitive that they’d be offended by a well-intentioned greeting, “Happy Holidays” still has a lot to offer.
First of all, there are actually other holidays. At the end of the year—and not just in other religions. But also in Christianity, the word day off It should not be limited to the meaning of bank holidays. Why do financial institutions or governments determine actual holidays? But let’s stick to the original meaning of the holy day. Christmas is definitely an important holy day. But so is Advent. Weeks of praying and waiting lead up to the grand finale. So is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. which is an important event in the Catholic calendar and is It is a “Day of Holy Obligation,” which means Catholics must report to Mass to observe it. (In Nicaragua, Spain, Philippines and other countries There will be a celebration of the Immaculate Conception. is national holiday in the secular sense), hence “Happy Holiday”, which is plural and inclusive thus reflecting true religious feelings—Christian style—
It is accepted that these holidays are considered high church.– But there are other reasons. That is more Christians around the world than in the collection. Hanukkah, which this year begins on Christmas Day: This celebration of the miracle of God’s light has its origins in the Book of Maccabees. which most Christians consider acceptable And Jesus himself celebrated this occasion in the book of John. Perhaps this is why some Christians do Observe this festival And why do Orthodox Christians use menorahs in their churches, again, considering the conservative Christian-friendly holiday of the end of the year? Christians also have no reason to avoid more comprehensive coverage.
More important is the fact that a friendly greeting is a kind of charity. which is the most Christian virtue Such greetings are seen as offering hope for the happiness of the other party. This means that the greeting is primarily for the benefit of the other person. In that case, goodwill should be expressed in the widest possible terms. If you don’t know who’s celebrating what but intend to greet them warmly, It doesn’t make sense to pinpoint one tradition as the medium of your connection. Wishing someone well only in ways that are important to you. Regardless of what is important to them. It defeats the purpose of wishing someone well in the first place.
But perhaps a group of people who wish A strong “Merry Christmas” might get a little joyful by deliberately insulting other religions or those who may not celebrate anything in particular at all. It’s a minor act of liberalism—not so much an opportunity to connect with others as it is a chance to point out which religion should dominate American life. Satisfied with America’s pluralism I certainly have concerns about the liberal tradition. But one thing liberalism does well is help reduce tensions between hostile religious sects (indeed, this is part of liberalism’s general origin story). The results of this impact are something we should celebrate. That is, peace among people of diverse beliefs with conflicting truth claims. Maintaining such agreements requires patience and generosity. Which isn’t always easy. But it is worth the many small concessions to sleep peacefully in heaven.
