I hesitate to wish a happy Christmas to everyone, especially at a time of tension, which many (in my view, wrongly) portray as a clash between Islam and the West.
I should like to wish a happy 25th December to all who read this. The date is special to most Christians. It is the day on which many, though by no means all, celebrate the birth of Jesus, whom we revere as the Son of God.
But I hesitate to wish a happy Christmas to everyone, especially at a time of tension, which many (in my view, wrongly) portray as a clash between Islam and the West. Even in the so-called Christian West, many have disowned Christianity and prefer to wish each other a happy holiday for fear of causing offence.
I am aware that Britain, which calls itself Christian, has a bad track-record in many parts of the world. Phrases like the Crusades, the Balfour Declaration, the Opium Wars, Suez, and ‘beyond the pale’ evoke painful memories for millions of people. Self-proclaimed Christians exploited child factory workers, moved slaves across the Atlantic and treated women as mere chattels for centuries.
We in the West have often put self-interest first in dealings with others. Look at the almighty struggle that is needed to create a level playing field for international trade, or our blindness to the cruelties of despotic regimes when it suits our national purposes.
Yet stereotyping people and groups can be misleading. To regard all Muslims as potential terrorists, as some are inclined to do, is a travesty of the truth. To demonise all Germans or Jews or Palestinians because of the sins of a small minority is irrational and dangerous.
Christ did not walk this Earth to set one nation against another; one religion against another; or one person against another. Quite the opposite. ‘Love one another as I have loved you,’ he said. How much did he love people? He was willing to lay down his life for them.
At the heart of the Christian message is a cross. Someone expressed it as crossing out the big ‘I’ at the centre of our hearts - putting aside our own desires and feelings where they conflict with what we can see of the Divine will. This may sound theological but it is actually quite practical. It means, for example, saying sorry to my daughter for getting angry with her; or putting aside anxieties about health and energy when I feel that I am meant to undertake a trip abroad. For many Christians, putting God’s will first has resulted in them dedicating their lives to healing the sick, educating and feeding the poor, abolishing the slave trade, ending injustice and improving the lot of others.
So I write as a Christian who is aware of our shortcomings, but knows that personal change and growth is at the core of the Christian message. I hope that non-Christians will find it in their hearts to forgive us Christians for selling Christ short. And I hope that no one will be offended if I wish everyone a happy Christmas.
NOTE: Individuals of many cultures, nationalities, religions, and beliefs are actively involved with Initiatives of Change. These commentaries represent the views of the writer and not necessarily those of Initiatives of Change as a whole.
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