Stringer/Bunch Debate on Christmas

 
 
 Proposition: 
 The Christian may celebrate December 25th as a 
 national holiday.
 
 Affirm:  Larry Bunch
 Deny:  Jason Stringer
 
 Greetings from Larry A. Bunch in Caneyville KY!
 
 This is my third and final affirmative. I shall first give some 
 attention to the things Jason wrote in his second negative before 
 concluding my part in this debate.
 
 Jason wrote: 
 Does Xmas fall as specifically a "national holiday" or is there 
 more to it?  Obviously there is more since the world accepts this 
 date as the birth of Christ. 
 Jason wrote: 
 "most 8 year-old children" and see what kind of response you get.  
 Overwhelmingly you will receive the Birth of Christ response. 
 Jason wrote: 
 The Congress set this day aside because of the religious world's 
 desire to have a day to celebrate the birth of Christ. When we as 
 Christians participate in the trappings of such a day we give our 
 approval to the matter. Jason wrote: The question still remains 
 Why was this "national holiday" created?  Answer that question 
 please, Larry.....
 
 Larry writes:
 While it is true December 25th was set aside as a national 
 holiday, I cannot say whether it was set aside because it was 
 viewed as the "birthday of Christ" or because families got 
 together at this time of year. And it really makes no difference 
 TODAY at all! (CAPS used for emphasis) I really fail to 
 understand why Jason cannot see that folks celebrate this time of 
 the year as a time of family get-togethers and a national holiday 
 without inserting the birth of Christ into it. Folks seeing my 
 winter/seasonal decorations need not assume I am celebrating the 
 birth of Christ because of lights, Rudolph, Santa and things of 
 the kind any more than seeing these same things in the yard of 
 the atheist and Jew causes one to make the same assumption.
 
 Jason wrote: 
 What you practice regarding this is not the issue.  You may tell 
 people all day long that you do not celebrate Xmas as the Lord's 
 birth, but the displays that you use give that indication.  Larry 
 has not bothered to argue at any time throughout this discussion, 
 other than to give it a taciturn nod, my arguments regarding the 
 world's attachments to signs and symbols.
 
 Larry writes: 
 I deny that the displays I use give any such indication. 
 Taciturn: temperamentally disinclined to talk - syn see SILENT 
 ((c)1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  
 All rights reserved.) A silent nod? I have given considerable 
 attention to your misunderstanding of signs and symbols.
 
 Jason wrote: 
 You and I both know, Larry, that Dec.25 is not the birth of Jesus 
 Christ our Savior.  The point I am pressing goes back to 
 influence. When an average citizen of Caneyville, Kentucky (don't 
 know exactly where it is, but anyway) drives down the street and 
 sees a house decorated in the "manner of the season" what do they 
 think?  Furthermore, Mr. Average Caneyvillian knows that this is 
 the home of Gospel Preacher, Larry A. Bunch who preaches for the 
 local church of Christ, is the message you're getting across to 
 them one of transformation from the world or conformation to 
 it?????
 
 Larry writes: 
 Caneyville is about two hours Northerly from Nashville TN, it is 
 North of Bowling Green KY. Mr. Average Citizen doesn't think any 
 such thing as indicated above. He might think, "Wonder why the 
 preacher doesn't put up any religious scenes?" Inquiry into this 
 question would reveal, to those who do not already know, that the 
 preacher doesn't celebrate Xmas as a religious holiday. Good 
 teaching tool!
 
 Jason wrote: 
 Larry, people know that I don't get drunk on July 4.
 
 Larry writes:
 And people know I do not celebrate Xmas as a religious holiday.
 
 Jason wrote: 
 Really, this is an observance of the passover by Larry.  In 
 Larry's belief I could wear the Masonic ring that I own, as long 
 as I know there's nothing to it.  He tries to deal with this by 
 saying,  (Larry wrote): "When you wear a Masonic ring, you are 
 proclaiming you are a Mason. When I put up bright lights and 
 Frosty I am proclaiming I am observing a national holiday but NOT 
 that I am doing so in a religious sense!" Jason wrote: But, 
 Larry, I am not proclaiming that I am a Mason.  Maybe I just like 
 the colors of the ring and the way it looks, much the way you 
 like the way Frosty and Santa Claus look.  I don't go down to the 
 lodge hall weekly and observe the rites of Masonry.  Yet you 
 observe all the rites of Xmas, save one, and say that it's 
 different?  How so?  Please explain.....
 
 Larry writes: 
 No, Jason, you couldn't wear the ring as long as you knew.. There 
 is no parallel to wearing the ring and putting up Rudolph in the 
 front yard. As the saying is, you are comparing apples and 
 oranges. The only comparison that could properly be made is 
 wearing the ring and putting up a manger scene!
 
 Jason wrote: 
 He fails to understand that he is compromising his influence.
 
 Larry writes: 
 I in no way compromise my influence by putting up decorations of 
 Rudolph or Santa! In fact, actually the very opposite might be 
 true, IF folks think Rudolph and Santa are indications of a 
 religious observance of Xmas (I deny that the mere presence of 
 such decorations necessarily demands one places a religious 
 connotation on the observance of the holiday), what harm has that 
 done me? If these same folks ever become subjects of my teaching, 
 they would learn the truth about the matter. I talked to one of 
 the ladies at the bank last season about the absence of any 
 decorations in my yard (my wife was in Texas caring for our 
 daughter) and she could understand that but thought it terrible 
 that I did not put up any RELIGIOUS decorations when I decorated! 
 I think this indicated she thought a little badly toward me in 
 regard to that and maybe my influence was hurt because of the 
 ABSENCE of religious decorations!
 
 Jason wrote: 
 because I refuse to answer the phone at work by saying, "Merry 
 Christmas and thank you for calling . . . .. ." or "Happy 
 Holidays and thank you for calling . . . . ."  Why?  One boss 
 threatened to write me up and put it in my personnel file that I 
 was insubordinate because I refused.
 
 Larry writes:
 This borders on the ludicrous extreme! If I felt that deeply 
 about the matter, I don't think I could even work to influence 
 sales associated with the holiday! One of my sons worked as a 
 meat-cutter in a grocery store and couldn't understand how his 
 meat-market manager could sell pork when his religion forbade the 
 eating of it! What in the world is wrong with "Happy Holidays and 
 thank you for calling"? Jason, are you not fearful that your 
 insubordination borders on a violation of such passages as 1 
 Tim.6:1-2? You know, sometimes folks accuse members of the Church 
 of Christ with pharisaism but the charge is untrue because the 
 Pharisees emphasized some things and violated or neglected 
 others. However, what Jason is doing sounds like pharisaism to 
 me! No, I do not regard it as "obeying God rather than man" any 
 more than I regard a single container in the Lord's Supper as 
 "obeying God" instead of doing as other churches do in the use of 
 multiple containers. At one time I did not drink coffee, not for 
 any particular reason, I had just never started drinking it. One 
 time Grover Stephens asked me if I wanted a cup, and I said, "No, 
 I am a Christian." To which Grover replied, "I'm a Christian too, 
 but that doesn't make me a fool!" "nuff said on that!"
 
 Conclusion. There is no validity in objecting to the observance 
 of Xmas as a national holiday. (Please re-read my concluding 
 statements in my second affirmative, the part I "saved" and did 
 not post in the first affirmative, concerning objections to 
 observing Xmas in any way.)
 
 Objections to brethren celebrating Xmas fall in the extremist 
 realm that other things fall in - such as No Bible Classes, 
 Single Container for the Lord's Supper, Wearing a Doily on 
 Women's Heads, etc. While it is not my desire to disparage any 
 brethren holding such views, I will object strenuously to their 
 demand that I do as they do, and my writing in opposition of such 
 will be quite strong.
 
 --brotherly, Larry