Yet I found it ironic and instructive that the only candidate who answered yes was Mitt Romney – whose Mormon faith many Christians believe is based on folklore and cult worship. (In fact, one of those candidates, the ordained Baptist minister Mike Huckabee [pictured here], even asked indignantly during a New York Times interview last week: “Don’t Mormons believe the Devil and Jesus are brothers?”)
But I found Romney’s answer ironic not only because I was actually indoctrinated to believe that every word in the Bible is the true word of God; but also because far too many Christians I know would have answered that question exactly as he did.
Incidentally, my innate curiosity inspired me to abandon such Pentecostal belief in the Bible at a relatively young age. Alas, this resulted in my being called an apostate whenever I questioned even the most patently allegorical Bible verses. (Try discussing Darwin’s theory of evolution with a “born again” Christian. Talk about folklore and cult worship….)
However, I found Huckabee’s answer instructive not only because he disagreed with Romney without hesitation or equivocation; but also because he dismissed many of the Bible teachings upon which the Christian faith is based as pure fiction. (And my Sunday school teacher told me that it was the Devil in me that caused me to question whether Jesus really fed multitudes with just five loaves and two fish….)
Meanwhile, what does it say about their professed belief in every word in the Bible that fundamentalist Christians are embracing Huckabee as their political savior instead of rebuking him as an apostate…?
But since Huckabee is clearly manipulating his Christian faith for political gain, perhaps what the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, had to say about the Bible just days ago will be even more instructive.
Because this leader of the 77-million Worldwide Anglican Communion chose a Christmas interview on BBC Radio to proclaim that the Nativity, the Biblical account of the birth of Christ, which most Christians regard as gospel, is, in fact, pure “legend”.
Specifically, after asserting that Jesus was probably not even born in December, Dr Williams explained that:
Christmas was when it was because it fitted well with the winter festival….Matthew’s gospel says they are astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire, that’s all we’re really told. It works quite well as legend.
Of course, this means that all of those “Christmas cards which show the Virgin Mary cradling the baby Jesus, flanked by shepherds and wise men” are not only misleading but have as much basis in fact as Santa Claus.
Which begs the question: If the Bible misrepresents the birth of His son, how can we believe any of it is the true word of God…?
But where I can take being called a religious apostate, I cannot abide anyone thinking that I’m an Ebenezer Scrooge. Therefore, let me hasten to note that this is not a call to abandon the celebration of Christmas.
Instead, I hope the truth – that Christmas has nothing to do with the word of God – will set Christians free. Especially since, from time immemorial, the rites we practice this time of year have been more consistent with a pagan festival than the birth of Jesus Christ.
Accordingly, I hereby withdraw from the chorus of those still singing that Jesus is the reason for the season.
Merry Xmas!
Nativity Bible Story, Merry Christmas
Yankee71 says
How sad. You’ve used your platform to propagate yet another myth about the Bible. Your statement “If the Bible misrepresents the birth of His son, how can we believe any of it is the true word of God…?” demonstrates your ignorance of the Bible. I challenge you to show me in the Bible any depiction of our modernized nativity scene. The fact is that we’ve created our own accounting of the birth of Jesus (date and all), packaged it, created plastic injection molds of that story, and placed it neatly on Walmart shelves so we can demonstrate our Christianity. You sir, have confused that version of the story with what is actually recorded in the Bible and used it to insult the inspired Word of God. Instead of jumping on the “How can we really believe that the Bible is the true word of God bandwagon,” try reading it. You may find more truth than your international law degree could ever show you.
Jeana says
I am a Christian who does not believe or participate in the religious celebration of Christmas. But I want to challenge your statement that the bible misrepresents the birth of Christ…it does not. People have made Christmas what they want it to be and trying to find biblical justification for it has resulted in in the religious farce that is Christmas and all the misrepresentations surrounding this festival. People teach a lot of things in the name of Christ that can be found nowhere in the bible! Any objective person can understand the teachings of the bible if he or she studies it with an open mind. The bible’s teachings are not shrouded in mystery and subject to multiple interpretations as many people seem to think. While I do not agree with your views on the bible, you are most correct in saying that Jesus is NOT the reason for this season.
ALH ipinions says
I appreciate and respect the views of all who take issue with this article.
But please bear in mind that I quote the Archbishop of Canterbury for the proposition that our depiction of the nativity is based on the gospel according to Matthew:
“Matthew’s gospel says they are astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire”
And it’s the Archbishop who refers to it as “legend”.
More to the point, however, I state quite clearly that:
“…from time immemorial, the rites we practice this time of year [i.e., the modern nativity scene, etc.] have been more consistent with a pagan festival than the birth of Jesus Christ.”
But the only question at issue here is whether or not you believe every word of the Bible – as “far too many Christians” do?