They are aware of Christianity, its holidays, its general story, its values. The government mandated days off are mostly Christian things.Ĭultural Christianity means everyone who was raised in a culturally Christian society has a Christian lens. Some very insular communities might be able to escape a lot of the trappings of Christianity, but still. There are very few places in the West that are not, on some level, culturally Christian. It’s how you see more churches than mosques or synagogues in the West by a very large factor. It’s how the concept of “other religions” exist, let alone the fact they have to ask for time off for their own holidays that count against their personal vacation time, when Christians often don’t have to do that. It’s how Christmas is considered a “neutral, secular” holiday, when it’s celebrating the birth of Christ. Christianity co-opted them and thoroughly Christianized them, to the point their re-paganization only really started in the 1800s… by people who were also culturally Christian, and often wrote whole books on Christianity on top of their neo-pagan beliefs. The time between Christmas and New Year is also prone to being off and this also in some dominions has Christian events.Īnd yes, I know that most of these holidays actually have pagan roots. Our dedicated time off that is mostly guaranteed to all workers are Christian holidays. Cultural Christianityįor starters: What is cultural Christianity?Ĭultural Christianity is the fact the Western calendar is primarily built around two things: farming, and Christianity Jesus loves the little children of the world.Periodically, I discuss the concept of cultural Christianity, the dangers of authors mucking with folklore that is not theirs, and what you have to guard against when you’re a part of a culturally Christian society.Īnd every time I do, like clockwork, Christians come in and say “but what about, hmmmmm? That’s just as bad!” “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. The more we understand one another, the more we value one another- and that makes for a better world. How many of us understand why the Jewish people celebrate it? Why is it called the Festival of Lights? Why is it celebrated for eight days? Did Jesus celebrate Hanukkah? That is your homework- go to the internet and find out the answers to these questions.Īs long as the practices of a culture do not honor the devil or celebrate evil, we should honor them and seek to learn about them. For instance, right now we are in the celebration of Hanukkah. But, instead, let’s make an attempt to understand the history, tradition, and holidays of other cultures. We seem to enjoy sampling the foods of other cultures, but that seems to be as far as we want to go. It defeats the purpose of us being different. We seem to think that the races must all be the same in order for us to get along. We should respect and honor the things passed down from one generation to the next to preserve the cultural heritage and ethnic identity of a people. Of course, my background will be different than someone with ancestors from Latin America or from Africa. What makes us unique should be valued and not marginalized.įor example, my ancestors mostly came from Germany. Our traditions and cultural differences should be celebrated. He enjoys the differences we all bring to the table. God views us all as equals, regardless of the color of our skin. I Samuel 16:7 (New Living Translation, NLT) People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. He sees us the same and loves us the same. It was a simple little song to speak of how God looks at the nationalities and ethnic groups of the world. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” Maybe you sang it too. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. There was a song that was sung when I was a child, that went something like this.
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