Pope says materialism pollutes Christmas spirit
Pope Says Materialism Pollutes Christmas Spirit
From the Association for the Advancement of the Blindingly Obvious comes a warning from Pope Benedict XVI about the evils of the over-commercialization of Christmas. No, duh….
Actually, Benedict might be better served by joining forces with Jerry Falwell and Pat Buchanan, both of whom seem to seriously think that there is a war on Christmas and Christianity. The three of them could join forces with the joyless trolls at the Catholic League and rain on EVERYONE’S Christmas/Holiday/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Day Before Boxing Day/Bowl Championship Series celebrations.
You’ll get no argument from me regarding the over-commercialization of Christmas, but that’s capitalism for you, no? Actually, when you consider the economic impact that the Christmas season has on both the US AND the world economy, those who would dial the crass commercialims back a notch or six might want to think about what they’re advocating. Both the US and the developed world have become addicted to the economic push provided by increased sales of goods at Christmas time. Just think of all the jobs that would be lost if people actually started to celebrate Christmas solely for it’s original purpose. (Yes, coming soon to a town near you - FAMINE AND PESTILENCE!!)
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict warned on Sunday against rampant materialism which he said was polluting the spirit of Christmas.
“In today’s consumer society, this time of the year unfortunately suffers from a sort of commercial ‘pollution’ that threatens to alter its real spirit,” the Pope told a large crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square to hear his weekly Angelus blessing.
And this is a new phenomenon? Man, I had NO idea that Christmas had become such a crass commercial enterprise….
When did this happen??
He said Christmas should be marked with sober celebrations and urged Christians to display a nativity crib in their houses as “a simple but effective way of showing their faith and conveying it to their children.”
Last year, under Pope John Paul, the Vatican launched a high-profile campaign to urge Roman Catholic Italy not to compromise the spirit of Christmas through excess or dilute its message out of fear of offending a growing Muslim population.
Frankly, it’s rather late to be worrying about the message of Christmas being diluted. That train left the station lo, these many years ago, and it’s not coming back any time soon. I would agree that Christmas is, sadly, first and foremost a commercial bonanza. Frankly, though, there are a lot of people who are only in the holiday season for the presents. Does that make their celebration less significant or meaningful? I can’t answer that, and I frankly have no desire to. Not being a Christian myself, I have no dog in this fight. I would agree that the original meaning of the season has long since been drowned out by the din of cash registers and mall Santas laughing their stereotypical laughs. This is hardly a new or recent phenomenon, however.
Of course, if the Pope is getting his panties in a wad, then perhaps we just may be onto something….
