Journazza

Just after I had pressed send on a Merry Christmas e-mail to my friends across the globe, a thought struck me. Didn’t I put ‘Merry Christmas’ greetings in there and not happy holidays?This came after a friend mentioned that in New York apparently the cards should no longer carry the term Merry Christmas, but Season’s greetings in order to make sure no one gets offended .

This coincides with the Daily Mail “>Daily Mail reporting that

Traditional pictures such as angels blowing trumpets over a stable, Jesus in his manager, the shepherds and three wise men following the star to Bethlehem are dying out.
Instead, scenes of the Nativity has been replaced on cards by designs or jokes with little or no relevance to the Bible story and the true meaning of Christmas.

Again, this is done to make sure no one is offended..

In France, Jaques Chirac, has launched the secular state. Muslims are not allowed to wear scarves at school, sikhs are not allowed to wear their turbans and Catholic public holidays are being removed. Am I wrong to think that this might have the opposite effect? What kind of a world do we live in? Yes, it’s good to make an effort trying not to offend others, but there’s a limit and a fine line that I believe we shouldn’t cross. In the ‘political correctness’ that currently reigns in the UK, France and the US, I wonder whether they have defined where the line goes. I really hope they have.
Because I think it has gotten a bit out of hand.

On the other hand the BBC drops a news item because a member of the Church gets offended. So, religion has a stance over the media in terms of censorship. Again, I wonder where the defined line goes.

The Vatican befriends muslims (?) in a recent speech (underneath). Interesting to see that the Church makes use of the media, I hope the media takes care of their ethical responsibility.

And with this I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas..!

Father Cantalamessa Delivers Advent Meditation

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 22, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Secularism, not Islam, is behind the war on Christmas, according to the preacher of the Pontifical Household in an Advent sermon.

Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa said this today in his second Advent meditation in the presence of Benedict XVI and his aides in the Roman Curia in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel of the Apostolic Palace.

The priest said the “cultural derision, or at least marginalization, of religious beliefs with the campaign in different European countries and cities against the religious symbols of Christmas.”

The preacher said: “The reason often given for this is the desire to not offend persons of other religions among us, especially the Muslims.

“But it is a pretext, an excuse. In reality it is not the Muslims who do not want these symbols but a certain non-believing group in society. Muslims have nothing against the Christian celebration of Christmas, indeed, they honor it.”

“We have arrived at a rather absurd juncture: On the one hand, many Muslims celebrate the birth of Jesus and want a crèche in their home and say that ‘those who do not believe in the miraculous birth of Jesus are not Muslim,’” Father Cantalamessa said.

“And on the other hand, there are many who call themselves Christians who want to make Christmas a ‘winter festival’ populated only by reindeer and teddy bears,” he continued.

To make his point, Father Cantalamessa commented that the Koran even speaks of the Annunciation.

He also mentioned an article published Dec. 18 in Italy entitled “We Muslims Say Yes to the Crèche,” written by Muslim journalist Magdi Allan, deputy director of Il Corriere della Sera.

The article states: “Christmas unites Christians and Muslims. For Islam the figures of Jesus and of Mary are very important and mentioned on several occasions in the Koran itself.

“Therefore, I don’t see why Muslim children cannot sing the carols.”