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PAGAN HOLIDAY
by John T. Crestwell, Jr.
12/26/04

The word “Pagan” is/was seen as anything that is not Christian in origin.  In the Hebrew Bible we read stories about the God of Israel versus the “god” (small g) of the Pagans. The implication is clear: that which is Pagan is heathen and bad. The problem with language is we don’t get the root or heart of words and unfortunately the vernacular prevails and we use words out of their original context. Actually, Pagan comes from the Latin “Paganus” meaning "rustic,"  "hick," or "country” and was the word Latin scholars used in the Old Testament to describe those in opposition to Yahweh. In the Roman Empire after Emperor Constantine established Christianity in the 300’s CE, those in the country were much slower in adopting the new state religion than were the city folks. They continued to follow the Greco/Roman faith, Mithraism along with various mystery religions long after those in urban areas had converted to Christianity. And so, Pagan, for me, means the customs and teachings of those original tribal religions before the establishment of Christianity.

With that said, I was reading the Maryland Journal newspaper this week and there was an article on page four titled, “Don’t Deny the Importance of Christmas” written by Rich Tucker a columnist for a conservative website who was able to get his article published with the Journal. Anyhow, in the article he said, and I quote:  “When it is all said and done, we can’t afford to lose Christmas to the secular world.  It’s a traditional Christian holiday, and it should remain critical to us—the second holiest day of the year.” (Easter is the first).

As I read the article, I said to myself, “Man, do people really believe that Christmas, translated the festival of Christ, is a traditionally Christian holiday?  What would happen if people knew that Christmastide, this celebration, this feast, is steeped in the pagan mystery religions.  What if Christians knew that the ancient Egyptians cut down palm trees and decorated their homes during the Solstice?  And that this palm tree represented rebirth or resurrection and was related to a celebration of the “sun of god” (that’s S.U.N.) and this worship was done thousands of years before Christianity.  What if those who say Christmas is Christian only knew that the “pagan” Romans decorated their trees with bits of metal and replicas of their god, Bacchus [a fertility god]?  They also placed 12 candles on the tree in honor of their sun god.  What about the European Druids who tied fruit and attached candles to evergreen tree branches, in honor of their god Woden. This is the deity after which Wednesday was named.  And that holly, mistletoe, and the Yule log are all pagan symbols that predate Christianity.  What would happen if this Gentlemen who wrote the aforementioned article, knew his history or just did a simple internet search.  Would there be any meaning in the Christmas story for him and others with similar beliefs?  Or would Christmas instantly become unimportant and meaningless?  What about the meaning and purpose of Christmas for those of us who call ourselves Unitarian Universalists?  Does this holiday inspire anything in you?  Does it call us to anything significant?  I would like to establish three thoughts...

First, there is no original, authentic religion - all religion is syncretistic (shared beliefs) and evolves with the people, the place and the particular need of those people.  Therefore, Christmas is a shared inclusive holiday not an exclusive celebration.

Second, the birth of every child is special and there is greatness within every human being on earth!

Third, Christmas DOES have meaning if we believe that all religions, pagan, orthodox and unorthodox, whatever you call them, move and inspire us to look and act beyond the exclusive,  toward the common good, which asks us to give, share and love more and more each day.

Regarding my first point, the origin of Christmas, I’d like to share with you the findings of Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy who wrote the book The Jesus Mysteries…   It’s quite provocative!  (Read from this link.  I read from the book during the sermon)

Some of what I read may have been startling to you but the point is the original story of Christ’s birth is steeped in mythology and pagan symbolism but for me, this is no big deal.  If we comprehend that through Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Israel, Greece and Rome we have a long tradition about life, death and rebirth and the importance of respecting the circle of life, that is the point.  And so, this time of the year is for everyone.  We are all a part of a shared religious history.

Also, another fact which moves me to point number two is that the story of the birth of the son of God is a story about greatness springing forth from the womb.  Yes, there is that potential for human greatness in all human souls in every child that is born; a greatness that moves people like Ghandi and Rabbi Abraham Heschel and Mother Teresa and others like them to sacrifice their lives for, what we call principle #2, justice, equity and compassion in human relations…   It is important, this Christmas, and as we move into the New Year, to remember that it is vital that we invest in our children.  We must, as parents and citizens, agitate within public and private systems, and demand that our children be afforded the opportunity to be the best that they can be. This is one of my commitments for the New Year.  There is still a large disparity within varying educational systems in urban and suburban areas.   If you look at the numbers, the schools in the ghetto still produce second and third class citizens perpetuating a reality of “haves” and “have-nots”.  But let us see that greatness is not in one particular human birth, not in any special race, not in any particular gender, but greatness is possible in every human born on earth who has the capacity to be compassionate and loving and true to the cause of justice for all people.  My Christmas hope is that every child will be afforded the opportunity to be all they can truly be!

Lastly, regarding the meaning of Christmas for Unitarian Universalists, I don’t think I can say it better than one of our very fine late ministers, Rev. Lawrence E. McGinty, who said, “Christmas is a celebration of hope, of life, of renewal. A UU celebrates Christmas because he or she is a human being and Christmas is a great cultural human festival which has meaning and benefit beyond any particular theology or religious tradition.  Christmas is a light that shines in the darkness, in the darkness of our hearts and minds, showing us the good within us that can be, a light that has been shining through the centuries, illuminating the lives of human beings.”

Yes, this is why I celebrate Christmas.  It is a time to celebrate all that life is and all that life can be.  It is a time to be thankful for life and all the things that make it possible for us to live.  Jean McCarty came up to me after our wonderful Christmas Eve service and she said to me that she was moved deeply by the music.  I concurred.  She then said, “You know, this is why I come to church.  It’s being together, celebrating together.  I just feel better when I come to church”.  I could say the same thing about why we UU’s celebrate Christmas.  It’s a time to be together, to celebrate together and even though it’s a pain to make the time and to get to where we’re going, when it’s all said and done we feel better about the experience; the time is quite meaningful.  It is a mass, a great feast into all that it means to be human.  Yes, when we love and share and laugh and play, this is Christmas, this is an experience of the divine.  And when we cry and mourn, as long as we have each other, this is Christmas too.  That’s all I have to say… I’m going to get home and play with the kids’ toys some more…  But as I close, hear more words from the late Rev. McGinty:   “ Christmas is for everyone, everyone who can affirm joyously the meanings to be found in abundance in this life and on this earth: the wonder and promise of birth, the magnetic, ancient dream of peace among men and women, the discovery that wonderful things DO happen, that the good in people can come to the surface, the joy of sharing, of giving and receiving, of expressing awe and friendship, of dedication to the highest ideals. All these meanings and others are in Christmas, the season of light and hope.”  Christmas is indeed a celebration of life.  Merry Christmas! Amen.

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