Christmas -- It's Secular Meaning

The picture of the Christmas Card greeting you, is a fine art card, from artist Kevin Dillon's collections...reproductions of illuminated manuscript originals, scripted in the tradition of the Book of Kells. Using rediscovered medieval techniques, Kevin produces his own paints from crushed semi-precious stones, formulates the ink, scrapes and prepares the calfskin vellum, then meticulously scripts and illuminates each artistic piece, overlaying them with 24k gold. Kevin has been creating these manuscripts since 1988.

The calendar year 2010, is drawing to a close. Today is Christmas...the day, the period of cheer, benevolence and goodwill. Undoubtedly, it is a great religious occasion? But, does it have any other significance? What, if at all, is it's secular meaning? Today's mail begins by answering this question.

If 'benevolence' is the leitmotif of this period, what are the essential meaning and the underpinnings of the 'benevolent universe' idea? A little serious, yet a brief, discussion...please ponder over this.

What kind of a societal arrangement would foster benevolence and goodwill among men? Not what you might generally think or may have been led to believe. Yes, a free society is the answer. The Principles of a Free Society is the next piece of the mail.

The world today (led by the mainstream economists, liberals in politics and the academia) is 'touting' consumptionism. It emphasises consumption over production. Here, is a one-minute case against consumptionism. Literally, can be read in one-minute!

We have heard this so many times: What really came first,..the chicken or the egg? An interesting, scientific perspective is presented.

Happy Reading!!

Christmas -- It's Secular Meaning

[In answer to the question of whether it is appropriate for an atheist to celebrate Christmas:]

Yes, of course. A national holiday, in this country (USA), cannot have an exclusively religious meaning. The secular meaning of the Christmas holiday is wider than the tenets of any particular religion: it is good will toward men—a frame of mind which is not the exclusive property (though it is supposed to be part, but is a largely unobserved part) of the Christian religion.

The charming aspect of Christmas is the fact that it expresses good will in a cheerful, happy, benevolent, non-sacrificial way. One says: “Merry Christmas”—not “Weep and Repent.” And the good will is expressed in a material, earthly form—by giving presents to one’s friends, or by sending them cards in token of remembrance . . . .

The best aspect of Christmas is the aspect usually decried by the mystics: the fact that Christmas has been commercialized. The gift-buying . . . stimulates an enormous outpouring of ingenuity in the creation of products devoted to a single purpose: to give men pleasure. And the street decorations put up by department stores and other institutions—the Christmas trees, the winking lights, the glittering colors—provide the city with a spectacular display, which only “commercial greed” could afford to give us. One would have to be terribly depressed to resist the wonderful gaiety of that spectacle. ( Source: The Objectivist Calendar, Dec. 1976 )