CADRE Comments

Two Jewish Journalists Support Christmas For those interested in the topic, both Jeff Jacoby and Diana West, both Jewish individuals, have also written pieces about the attack on Christmas. Mr. Jacoby's column is called "A Jew says 'Merry Christmas'" , and he notes that he appreciates the Christmas holiday even if it has no religious significance to him. I enjoy Christmas decorations -- and Christmas music, and the upbeat Christmastime mood -- and I say that as a practicing Jew for whom Dec. 25 has no theological significance at all. I have never celebrated Christmas, but I like seeing my Christian neighbors celebrate it. I like living in a society that makes a big deal out of religious holidays. Far from feeling threatened when the sights and sounds of Christmas surround me each December, I find them reassuring. They reaffirm the importance of the Judeo-Christian culture that has made America so exceptional -- and such a safe and tolerant haven for a relig...

Fragile Religious Identities and Christmas Charles Krauthammer makes a good point From Goodbye Christmas? by Charles Krauthammer: Some Americans get angry at parents who want to ban carols because they tremble that their kids might feel ``different'' and ``uncomfortable'' should they, God forbid, hear Christian music sung at their school. I feel pity. What kind of fragile religious identity have they bequeathed their children that it should be threatened by exposure to carols? I'm struck by the fact that you almost never find Orthodox Jews complaining about a Christmas creche in the public square. That is because their children, steeped in the richness of their own religious tradition, know who they are and are not threatened by Christians celebrating their religion in public. They are enlarged by it. It is the more deracinated members of religious minorities, brought up largely ignorant of their own traditions, whose religious identity is so tenu...

Luke, the Census, and Quirinius: A Matter of Translation Introducing the Issue One of the more well-known criticisms of the Gospel of Luke’s infancy narratives is that it puts the census (also called a “registration”), that caused Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, at the wrong time. Most versions translate Luke 2:1 along the lines of the New Revised Standard Version: Luke 2:2: This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. The problem is that the registration that occurred under Quirinius took place in 6 AD, a few years after the reign of King Herod. But Luke places the birth of Jesus during the reign of King Herod, between 4-7 BC. The registration under Quirnius was significant because it signaled the beginning of direct Roman control over Judea. Prior to that time, King Herod – not a respected Jew, but also not a Roman – governed all of Israel as a client king of Rome. Not too long after he passed away, Judea came to be ruled directl...

Remember Them. They Fight for Us. This Christmas season, remember the U.S. troops, especially those stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. http://www.soldierworks.com/191/untilthen.swf">Here is a touching reminder of the men and women serving us overseas. I've heard some people dismissive of the idea of "supporting our troops." They think it's just a matter of sentimentality. Or a cloaked political ploy to garner support for the war. Afterall, what can we do practically to support our troops? First of all, people of faith can pray for them. Pray for them all. Pray for those individuals you know who are there. Pray for those whose pictures you see. Pray for their families. But there are other practical things that can be done. My church has adopted two Marines in a helicopter squadron over in Iraq. We've sent everything from battery chargers, to snacks, to videogames, to music, to DVDs, to Christmas gifts and New Years decorations...

The Anti-Christmas Grinches Strike in Plano Here is possibly the silliest attack yet. In a post earlier today , I wrote: "I know I don't have to go through a litany of the Christmas horror stories that take place yearly in the name of "non-establishment" of Christianity. You have read about schools being told that they cannot sing Christmas carols, Christmas trees being removed from courthouses and replaced with non-threatening winter or holiday scenes, and department stores telling their clerks that they cannot say 'Merry Christmas' but only the non-offensive 'Happy Holidays' or 'Season's Greetings'. It goes on and on and on." Little did I know that I would come across this story from World Net Daily: First it was schools that banned the singing of Christmas carols. Then another banned carols played only by instruments with no lyrics being presented. Now a school district has banned the colors red and green from a ...

The Dems' Abortion Trap They say they don't like abortion, but their attitude says differently James Taranto, in his Best of the Web column of December 16, 2004, for the Wall Street Journal, writes: Newsweek reports the Democrats are getting some political advice from an unlikely source: The week after Thanksgiving, dozens of Democratic Party loyalists gathered at AFL-CIO headquarters for a closed-door confab on the election. John Kerry dropped by to thank members of the liberal 527 coalition America Votes. When Ellen Malcolm, president of the pro-choice political network EMILY's List, asked about the future direction of the party, Kerry tackled one of the Democrats' core tenets: abortion rights. He told the group they needed new ways to make people understand they didn't like abortion. Democrats also needed to welcome more pro-life candidates into the party, he said. "There was a gasp in the room," says Nancy Keenan, the new president of NARAL...

A History of God Coming to the History Channel Saturday, December 25, 2004 - 8-10pm The History Channel A History of God - A fascinating look at how God has manifested himself to people from Abraham's days to the present. We explore fertility rites of the ancient Middle East; the awesome revelations at Mt. Sinai; the jealous yet compassionate God of the Hebrews; Jesus and the mystery of the Trinity; and Allah, the Muslim God of Unity. Here is the story of thousands of years of wrenching and revolutionary encounters with God that prophets, saints, and mystics have experienced, and mankind's quest for comfort and meaning.

Mock Darwinist Disclaimers. Why not have warning stickers on textbooks teaching evolution? In light of the controvery in Georgia over warning stickers about evolution on science textbooks, the IDEA (Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness) Center has posted a number of mock disclaimers for textbooks teaching evolution here (warning: it is a pdf file). Some are pretty good. My favorite reads: As you learn evolution, remember that evolution cannot conflict with religion because science and religion deal with separate realms. Religion only deals with morality, values, and subjective faith. Science only finds objective facts. Science requires no faith. If you doubt science and evolution, just remember it is the job of science to provide plausible natural explanations for natural phenomena. If evidence for evolution is lacking, remind yourself that the statements of science must invoke only natural things and processes. The theory of evolution is scientific because it rejects...

Should the Democrats make a Stand for Christmas? It would be a way to make points with many Christian voters I know I don't have to go through a litany of the Christmas horror stories that take place yearly in the name of "non-establishment" of Christianity. You have read about schools being told that they cannot sing Christmas carols, Christmas trees being removed from courthouses and replaced with non-threatening winter or holiday scenes, and department stores telling their clerks that they cannot say "Merry Christmas" but only the non-offensive "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings". It goes on and on and on. And, of course, those of us (and I include me) who think that there is nothing wrong in government and schools recognizing a holiday that remains one of the central celebrations of a largely Christian populace, each of these attacks on Christmas makes us more and more angry at those who seek to tear it down. In today...

Check Out the New Look for Early Christian Writings Peter Kirby is asking for comments on his "new look" for his invaluable earlychristianwritings.com . I didn't think anything is wrong with his present style, but nevertheless like the changes he's making. They give it more of an old style academic feel. I find it ironic that one of the best websites on early christian history is run by an atheist. Whatever his beliefs, however, the website is the best place on the web to find the primary sources of the early Christianity. It is also a great resource for getting references to online introductions about those sources. And, Kirby often offers his own thoughts and anlaysis. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I do not (and think that Kirby should spend more time reading N.T. Wright, Ben Witherington, Robert Gundry and others). But you can count on his comments being informed and reflecting the input of much modern scholarship.