BY BERNARD JAMES MAUSER, PH.D.
We are in the midst of the most popular holidays of the
year. There are still some people completely unaware of what each of major
holidays is actually about in the different traditions. I’ll summarize these
briefly and provide some resources for those that would like more information
to prepare everyone for this season.
I remember growing up as a child in a part of the country
where many of my closest friends were Jewish and celebrated Hanukkah (or
Chanukah). I couldn’t help but envy that many of my friends got gifts for eight
days and I only got them on one. I knew little else other than that my friends had all
these candles they’d light over the course of eight days and would play with
these spinning tops called dreidels. There was much more involved of
course, but these were the facts I had access to.
After finishing my Bachelor’s degree, I decided I needed a
religious education as well. Having been raised Roman Catholic, I read through
my Bible and found the books of the Maccabees. It was here that I found my first exposure to the
historical origin for Hanukkah in the Maccabean revolution.
In 166 B.C. Judas Maccabee (Maccabee comes from the initial
letters of the Hebrew words Mi Kamocha Ba’eilim Hashem, Who is like You, Oh
God) rebelled against the Seleucids that were oppressing those in Israel and
trying to get them to worship foreign gods. The King of the Seleucids,
Antiochus, sent several armies to wipe out the rebels but was defeated each
time by the Maccabees. Before the final battle with the Seleucid army at Mitzpah,
Judah Maccabees and his brothers encouraged each other with the words: “Let us
fight unto death in defense of our souls and our Temple!”
After these victories the Maccabees cleansed all of Jerusalem
and the temple of idols that the Seleucids had placed there. The Maccabees then
made a Menorah to light in the temple to dedicate it. Unfortunately they had
only enough oil to last for one day. However, according to tradition, God
miraculously allowed it to burn for eight days until new oil became available.
This was a sign to God’s people that they were again under His protection. In
memory of this, people celebrate Hanukkah for eight days to give thanks to God
and to remember this miracle. For more on this read: http://bit.ly/13xq9fw,
http://bit.ly/1zq3rUn, http://bit.ly/1wfcu3a.
It seems difficult to justify that I’d have to explain the
origin for Christmas. However, recent studies indicate that 91% of people that
celebrate Christmas are NOT Christians (http://lfwy.co/1v9q2Ns).
I’d guess the historical basis for this
may be lost on this group. A third of children ages 10-13 also don’t know that
Christmas is about Jesus (http://bit.ly/1wC1lP8).
In short, Christmas is a celebration Christians have to mark
the birth of the promised messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe that
God the son added a human nature at the moment of conception. This conception
was a result of the Holy Spirit miraculously allowing the virgin Mary to
conceive (as we tell our children, God put Jesus in Mary’s belly). We also
explain to our children during this season that initially shepherds visited
Mary and Jesus in the stable after the angels announced his birth. At a later
time (which isn’t specified), wise men appeared to Jesus to present him gifts
while the family was at a house. If the star appeared to the wise men WHEN
Jesus was born its probable he was two years old or under based on what Herod
believed (Luke 2:16). In sum, we celebrate the birthday of Emmanuel (God with
us) on Christmas. For a treatment of those that raise objections to Christmas
one can find an excellent response here: http://bit.ly/1Hrxpqi.
Unlike the other two holidays, Kwanzaa has only been around since
the 1960s. The word ‘Kwanzaa’ means ‘first fruits’ in Swahili. I got my first
Kwanzaa card less than a decade ago and decided to look into it. Although some
claim that this is an extremely old holiday, you’d be hard-pressed to find ANY
reference to the holiday itself before the 1960s. Kwanzaa is gaining popularity among certain
groups and so it is good to be aware of what it is.
The founder of this religion is Dr. Maulana Karenga. Karenga
was a leader of the Black Power movement in the 1960s and was a community
organizer. He created Kwanzaa in 1966 upon Marxist principles that he labeled
as being those of African Heritage (no wonder so many resonating with Kwanzaa
have been duped in thinking the liberal policies are theirs). Although the
stated purpose is to “strengthen and unite the African communities,” the liberal
policies which it supports have done the complete opposite (http://bit.ly/1goPQD0). The central thrust of
his philosophy is communistic and communitarian.
Marx would have been pleased with Karenga’s condemnation of belief in God (Kawaida Theory, p.27), and with Karenga denying the Hebrew and Christian belief in heaven, hell, and the resurrection. Karenga writes, “it is a simplistic and often erroneous answer to existential ignorance fear, powerlessness and alienation. An example is the Hebrew myth of the six-day creation and the tower of Babel, or Christian myths of resurrection, heaven and hell.” (Kawaida Theory, p. 23)
One has to assess all of what is taught and accept the truth
any place it is found. There is some indication that Karenga has tried to
moderate these early comments to make inroads with those that are Christians.
However, most of what is celebrated with the principles of Kwanzaa and the
teachings of Karenga are consonant with Marxism. This is why it is embraced
where liberation theology is taught (http://bit.ly/13Wx1E2,
http://bit.ly/1xbW2rB, http://bit.ly/1CxfbCQ).
As a general guideline it is good to be familiar with what
our friends and family celebrate. We can discuss these holidays with candor.
Unlike the historical basis for Hanukkah and Christmas, one can easily find
Kwanzaa was made up to advance a political agenda. Kwanzaa and Dr. Karenga are
hostile to many of the ideas advanced in Christianity and Judaism. Although I
have friends that celebrate all three of these without realizing what they are,
ideas have consequences. The fact God has done miracles in history is significant
for all mankind. The most important peace that can be found this holiday season
does not originate in the will of man, but comes to all mankind on whom God’s
favor rests. (Luke 2:14) God makes a way for this peace through His son, Christ
the Lord, who was born on Christmas day.
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