On December 20 yet another attack on a Christmas market took place in Europe, this time in Magdeburg, Germany. In the last few years, this has become a morbid trend that has taken dozens of innocent lives. But the attacks on Christmas are not only carried out by terrorists. There is a cultural war raging as well.
On the one hand, you have Muslim extremists. They see Christians as infidels who must either convert to Islam or be subdued. In their homelands they conduct persecutions and genocides against Christians and in the West, where they arrive and settle as refugees, they try to impose their beliefs through hate and violence.
On the other hand, you have the woke nihilists. They believe that the groundworks on which the modern world has been built, including faith in the Christian God, must be destroyed. To them, Christmas is a celebration of patriarchy and white supremacy, a conservative relic to be done away with.
So Christmas is under fire from every direction. Intelligence services are on their toes for Islamist terrorist cells and lone jihadi wolves. Congregations brace for church invasions and harassment. Religious symbols related to Christmas are ousted from public spaces and buildings, schools and workplaces.
No more crosses, no more angels, three wise men from the East and nativity scenes. Last year a German kindergarten even did away with the Christmas tree, so as not to offend Muslims. As for Santa Claus, he has long become a commercial figure that has nothing to do with sanctity.
Woke marketing is playing a central role in deconstructing Christmas. Speaking of Santa, this year’s commercial for British chemist chain Boot’s – which attracted heavy criticism in the UK – portrays him as a lazy bum whose black wife does all the work with the assistance of gay and transexual elves and helpers.
A Google Christmas advertisement is on the same wavelength: A non-binary individual sells skin care products and wishes us Happy Holidays. No family around the table, no children or grandparents, no baby Jesus, no Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, in particular, is becoming almost incorrect. Businesses, journalists, public figures and politicians increasingly opt for Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings. A couple of years ago in an internal memo, the European Union itself discouraged the use of Merry Christmas by its employees.
It is as if DEI is for everyone else apart from Christians. Diversity, equality and inclusiveness apply only when Muslims pray en masse in central squares, or when workers are encouraged not to eat lunch in the presence of fasting colleagues during Ramadan.
Seemingly, Christians in countries that were founded and built by Christians no longer have the right to celebrate Christmas for what it primarily is: The birth of our Lord and Saviour. If we do so openly, we risk offending progressive bigots or Muslim invaders.
What is most distressing is that the most persecuted religion on earth today is none other than Christianity. Only this last year we have witnessed prosecutions and genocides against Christians in Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, Eritrea, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Mali, Congo, Libya, Iran, lately again in Syria, and elsewhere. No “all eyes on” this.
On top of that, last Friday’s Magdeburg massacre is part of a series of countless attacks on Christian targets throughout the old continent. Churches in France are being burnt down. Even in Greece, according to the latest government report, Christianity is the most attacked religion in the country.
Now 2024 years after the birth of Jesus Christ, Christianity is once more in the crosshairs. And Christmas in particular seriously annoys anyone who opposes the great religion of the West, its historical background and its effect on mankind.
This is why we need to defend Christmas. Now more than ever before. Stand up for what we believe and for who we are. Now, as more and more people understand what is at stake, as more patriotic leaders come to power all over the West, as a glimmer of hope has appeared on the horizon.
What is faith in the Christian God, after all, if not belief that there is always hope? Miracles are part of our theology and tradition. If we believe in a God who was born as a human being, then killed, then resurrected, we can surely believe that His legacy on earth is not lost just yet.
Jesus Christ defied every worldly authority. The least we can do in His name is defy today’s persecutors and defend our identity. Starting by saying loud and clear: Merry Christmas, everyone!
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