[Vision2020] great letter to the editor

[keely emerinemix]

I was out of town, Bill, and didn't read it  'til just now.  I think Ms. Wright has made a very important point.   For a faith that seeks converts, as we Christians rightly do, too many of us seem -- would "hell-bent" be inappropriate here? -- committed to engaging in petty sniping and needless alienation of those around us.  

It's true that most people celebrate Christmas, in some form or another, as that winter holiday that commemorates Jesus' birth.  But worship, praise, adoration, and devotion to him are not properly expressed in public schools.  I don't see evidence of enough worship, and I include myself in this, in  Christian churches, nor enough evidence of piety in the Church's engaging with the community around it.  Let's have the fruit of worship spill out into the culture around us through acts of love, peace, and humility, rather than staking an easy claim to "Silent Night" in school concerts.

I'm so sorry for the offensive smugness and insensitivity Christ's followers at the concert demonstrated.  



Keely
www.keely-prevailingwinds.com




From: london at moscow.com
To: vision2020 at secure.fsr.com
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:12:43 -0800
Subject: [Vision2020] great letter to the editor











This letter to the editor (below) was published in the Daily 
News on December 25, 2009.  Perhaps you were busy that day and missed 
it.
The message is right on.
BL
 
-------------------------------    
Last night I attended the Lena Whitmore Concert and found it 
to be a wonderful and uplifting experience - that was until the end when the 
parents' complaints emerged while waiting to collect their kids. It seems the 
"Good Christians" in our community considered themselves persecuted because they 
had to listen to a couple of songs not dedicated to Christ's birth.
There were 15 songs last night; eight were Christmas songs, 
53 percent. There was one song for Hanukkah, representing 7 percent of the 
program, and one for Kwanza for another 7 percent. The remaining 33 percent of 
the songs were secular and nonreligious. It seems that the Christians in our 
community have defined persecution as getting your way most of the time. 
Apparently they think they need to get their way all of the time.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind Christians 
they do not have exclusive rights to the month of December. In addition to 
Christmas, December is graced with Hanukkah, Kwanza, Bodhi Day, the Islamic New 
Year, Ashura, Yule, the Pancha Ganapati Festival and Hijra. Yet the Hindis, 
Buddhists, Pagans and Muslims do not claim persecution when none of their songs 
grace the elementary school program, despite having children of these faiths in 
the school.
So while Christians are singing "Peace on Earth, good will to 
men," they are readily engaged in religious sniping, ensuring that good will is 
only offered to Christian men. If Christians think they are being persecuted and 
lament the trials of getting your way most of the time, you should try not being 
Christian; perhaps then you would truly know what the face of persecution looks 
like. For many, persecution is found on a Christian face. Is it no wonder then, 
that so many are choosing not to be Christians?
Khaliela Wright, 
Moscow 		 	   		  
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