Sender: |
|
Subject: |
|
From: |
|
Date: |
Mon, 24 Aug 1998 09:30:18 -0500 |
Reply-To: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
On the meaning of the Christmas tree:
My wife and I have been putting up a Christmas tree of the twenty years we
have been married. She is a devout Christian. I am not. Neither of of,
however, celebrate Christmas as a Christian holiday. Her denomination
doesn't recognize December 25 as the real birth day of Christ. I don't
recognized Christ as a devine.
We celebrate the holiday as part of the Winter Soltice, putting up the tree
as a symbol of renewal.
A devout Christian once challenged me on this practice and, after I
explained our philosophy, she said that we could not then, give gifts.
When I asked why, she said that gift-giving was a Christian practice,
beginning with the wise men!
Needless to say, I did not carry on that conversation.
The point is that the tree or any other gesture during the mid-winter (or
mid-summer, as one noted) holiday perioed, can be symbols of any kind of
renewal, or re-birth to which one wishes to attribute them.
May I suggest to the Christians out there that the symbolism of Christ has
very much to do with re-birth?
------
Robert Handy
Brazoria County Historical Museum
100 East Cedar
Angleton, Texas 77515
(409) 864-1208
museum_bob
[log in to unmask]
http://www.bchm.org
----------
From: Ross Weeks Jr.[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, August 24, 1998 9:14 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS (was "The Holidays")
And this means that museums must ignore our culture?
-----Original Message-----
From: Allison Weiss <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, August 23, 1998 5:30 PM
Subject: Re: CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS (was "The Holidays")
>
>_____________________________________________________________________
>You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
>Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
>Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
|
|
|