Christmas in Vietnam and around the World

Someone I know visiting Vietnam recently noticed there was a large outdoor nativity scene in the City. A banned concept in Vancouver at LaFarge Lake. During Covid Vietnam had more freedom than we did. Isn't that ironic. 

I get kind of irritated with the persistent drive to secularize Christmas and everything else in North America. By embracing holidays from other cultures they intentionally try to push Christmas aside. Erroneously claiming the term Merry Christmas is somehow offensive. That shows how far we've fallen from reality. I can say Happy Diwali, Happy Hanukkah and Ramadan Mubarak. That shows a respect for cultural diversity. 

Christmas is a huge holiday celebrated all over the world. For some it's a religious holiday, for other's it's not. That's OK. Christmas can be whatever you want it to be. 

This year I bought an inflatable nativity to go with our inflatable Santa. Christ's birth is a historical reality and how we celebrate and interpret that fact is entirely up to us. Pretending that he never existed is like claiming the world is flat. It denies reality. 

Muslims see Jesus as a prophet and view Mary as one of the most important women in scriptures. Yet they don't worship him because they believe in one God just like we do. That's nothing to get all bent out of shape about. 

Hinduism worship many different Gods. That aspect of their religion I personally feel uncomfortable with yet I do believe in the freedom of religion. The reason why the freedom of religion is so important is because that's the first thing they take away before they take away every other freedom we have until we own nothing and can do nothing when civil liberty is abolished. 

Jews obviously don't believe Jesus is the Messiah Ben David. Yet they cannot deny the reality of his existence. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded that. None of us can deny that Jesus was a Jew and was of the house of David. Anti semitism among Christian extremists is somewhat conflicted. Jesus was a Jew and the Bible was written by Jews. Both the old and New Testament. Paul and the Apostles were Jews. 

Yet as we've seen pride and corruption can enter anywhere. Netanyahu is a bad man. He is clearly not messianic. He is the opposite. Expansionism has nothing to do with Zionism. 

Somehow I was recently put on a mail list for evangelical Christians who are on a mission to convert Mormons. I just shook my head. I've seen this all before. What a waste of a life. What a waste of a mission. Do something positive. Do something constructive. Live Christ's teachings don't distort them and abandon them. I don't like born again Christians.

For me that falls under religious extremism. They are very intolerant. It's like that old radio show the bible answer man. He was the most unchristian person I have ever heard. Everyone who doesn't believe his own very small minded false doctrine is of the devil. Everyone. Well good luck with that buddy. 

I often talked about the spirit of the law not the letter of the law. I've previously spoken about religious intent. For me it all comes back to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.  

"And what is good, Phaedrus, And what is not good. Need we ask anyone to tell us these things?” No we do not.