Please Do Not Bother Me With Your Plastic Light-Up Nativity Scene

There's a lot of hub bub in western PA this holiday season about the constant battle of removing nativity scenes from public places. I think you know that I think both sides of this argument are stupid. For the people who get so offended that we're removing Christ from the season by not having a nativity at your local municipal police station, I remind you that in least in theory we have a separation of church and state. And also that for most of the existence of America Christians have benefited from the fact that it's not entirely true that we have a separation of church and state, and God permeates a lot of the U.S. government. And for the non-Christians who get all irate about Christian representations in public places, I say, "Come on, do you think anybody at all is taking that seriously other than the same irate Christians who get upset when it gets taken down? Nobody is converting religion because ceramic baby Jesus is in front of town hall for fifteen days a year."

I think we know that I don't think Jesus Christ is coming down to save my soul any time soon (or ever). But I like a little nativity in my Christmas. Just like I tear up and get all warm inside when Linus gives his speech about the savior being born in "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown." Jesus is not my reason for the season, but I think that the season is (or should be) a celebration of a concept, and that concept is nicely wrapped up in the story of Jesus' birth.

The idea that this is a religious holiday for Christians is something that Christians hold on to, and good for them. A large percentage of them are well educated enough to know that if you assume Jesus to be real and you do your Biblical research, December isn't anywhere near when he was born and this is really a re-purposed Pagan holiday that was Christianized to get the dirty Pagans under control by the Romans. The origins of the holiday and their complete lack of any tie to Christianity are well documented at this point. Do I care? No. Do Christians who want to celebrate the birth of their savior in December care? No. And there's no reason we can't all be okay with this.

And there's no reason we can't re-purpose the holiday again, just like the Romans did to the Pagans, so that it's about a more universal concept - and, no, I do not mean the universal shopping concept. Because if you think about the story of the Nativity, it's really quite beautiful. It's a story in which one night something happens that can alter the course of humanity forever in a positive way. It's a story about the possibility of hope and salvation. It's a story in which a beautiful baby is born under a perfect night sky to a happy couple and the possibility that suffering and destruction may someday end is suddenly something that people can believe.

Is the idea that there could be a birth of hope and belief such a bad thing to celebrate?

I.think.not.

So, when you get all worked up about the fact that there's a nativity in front of the fire department, why don't you just chill out and remember that that's a story about hope and a future of salvation. Is plastic Virgin Mary with a light-up donkey really a reason to put more negativity into the world when we could all instead be working on creating reasons to re-instill hope in each other? Again, I.think.not. And when you get all upset because somebody took your nativity down from in front of the police social club, how about thinking about whether Christ represents the need to create animosity between otherwise good people. Say it again with me: I.think.not.

I, myself, will enjoy the entirely fabricated story of Christmas in which a savior is born conveniently at the same time as the winter solstice. And I will revel in the idea of hope and salvation and peace on Earth. Because the story, no matter what its original affiliations, is beautiful and something we should all want to embrace in concept if not in the pure pedantic definition. When Linus takes center stage and reminds us of the reason for the season, or when I pick up the pieces of the nativity underneath my neighbors' Christmas tree and roll them around in the palm of my hand while thinking about the story of the nativity, it's not about Jesus. It's about an idea. Let's celebrate the idea.

I promise you, three plastic wise men with a light up camel are not about worshiping God, any version of God. Relax. It's Christmas. It's solstice. Bring hope and peace with you everywhere you go.