MRFF Board Member Brigadier General John Compere Shares “Peace & Goodwill: The Reasons For The Season”
JohnCompere_green_1200x628
Our American winter holiday season begins and ends with secular holidays (Thanksgiving Day and New Year’s Day). In between are secular (non-religious), sectarian (religious), ethnic, cultural, seasonal and regional celebrations. They are merging yet different holiday traditions.
Peace and goodwill are the reasons for the season. Our winter holidays become the season of peace and goodwill when they are inclusive and not exclusive.
Peace and goodwill are principles proclaimed by one of the oldest songs of the holiday season. There will be “peace on the earth and goodwill to men”, women and children when we respect the traditions of others and reject the badwill of those who presumptuously claim their tradition is the reason for the season.
Our secular celebrations are inclusive and involve Thanksgiving feasts, winter solstice observances, Santa Clause, elves, flying reindeer with red-nosed Rudolph, sleighs with bells, gift-giving, snowmen/women, fireplace stockings, decorative trees, holly, poinsettias, mistletoe, eggnog, candy canes, fruit cakes, caroling, the Grinch, holiday cheer and welcoming the New Year plus much, much more.
Sectarian celebrations are exclusive and involve only those practicing a religion. It is important to note less than 50% of Americans belong to a church, synagogue or mosque (Gallup poll).
“Season’s Greetings” and “Happy Holidays” refer to the entire festive period and all traditions. “Merry Christmas” refers to one day (December 25) and one tradition. The word “Christmas” is Latin for “Christ’s mass” which is an exclusive ritual of one religious denomination.
American colonists (Puritans, Congregationalists, Quakers, Methodists, Baptists, et al) opposed celebrating Christmas because it was a Roman Catholic Church religious ceremonial. Southern States first began celebrating December 25th with feasting, drinking, dancing, gambling, hunting, fishing and socializing. It later became an American public holiday at the initiation of banks and businesses and is our biggest commercial holiday.
Yuletide celebrations and decorated trees originated with pagan winter festivals of Germanic people from European antiquity. They are not mentioned in religious scripture.
American Christianities commemorate the fictitious birth date of a foreign Jewish figure from the ancient Middle East. The day, month or year of the birth of Yeshua or Jesus is not known. It was celebrated at different times for 300 years until a 4th Century Roman Catholic pope arbitrarily set December 25 to compete with the pagan winter solstice festivals celebrated throughout Europe. There is not one birth story but three different birth versions (Matthew 1-2; Luke 1-2; Revelation 12). All were compiled from hearsay and written in ancient Greek by anonymous non-eyewitness authors long after he reportedly lived. They cannot be reconciled when compared.
Saint Nicholas was a gift giver to children and 4th Century Eastern Orthodox bishop in Asia. His December 6th festival day was a holiday dedicated to children. He was recreated as our secular Santa Clause and the date changed to December 25th. This was the genesis for our secular gift-giving tradition.
The term “Xmas” is not sacrilegious, does not replace Christ with an English “X” and does not remove Christ from Christmas. Those who claim otherwise are ignorant of Christian history. “Xmas” originated in the early Christian church as an acceptable abbreviation for Christmas because the New Testament was written in ancient Greek and its letter for Christ was “X”. The Greek letter “X” is deeply rooted in Christianity and has been used as a sacred Christ symbol for centuries by Christian churches.
Knowledge of historical facts about the winter holiday season provides wisdom, insight and perspective. “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored” as English philosopher Aldous Huxley wisely wrote.
Every member of the American military takes the sworn oath to support, defend and bear true faith and allegiance to the United States Constitution. Fidelity to the Constitution is the foundation of American military service. We are one nation under the Constitution and it is the Constitution in which we trust.
The Constitution, Department of Defense directives and Armed Forces regulations prohibit the military from endorsing a religion and require the military to remain neutral regarding religion (neither pro-religion nor anti-religion but religion-neutral). Religious displays are authorized only at military chapels. Also, religious worship is authorized at military chapels and religious instruction is authorized from military chaplains.
Our American military is composed of men and women of different faiths, beliefs, cultures, regions, traditions and ethnic origins. At all times and especially during this winter holiday season, it is incumbent on military leaders to promote the goodwill of inclusiveness which enhances morale and prevent the badwill of exclusiveness which diminishes morale.
Respect for all Americans and their traditions fosters peace and goodwill. Christianity, for example, blesses peacemaking (Matthew 5:9; Romans 14:19; James 3:18) and encourages goodwill to others (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31). Peacemakers and goodwillers care about fellow Americans, welcome different holiday traditions, accept human diversity and avoid imposing their beliefs on others. Peacebreakers and badwillers do not. More respectful inclusiveness and less disrespectful exclusiveness will ensure peace and goodwill for all during this winter holiday season.
“So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind
Is all this sad world needs.”
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox (American poet)
Happy Holiday Trails!
John Compere
Brigadier General, US Army (Retired)
Disabled American Veteran (Vietnam Era)
Board Member, Military Religious Freedom Foundation
Texas Rancher
Recent Posts
8 Comments
Comments are closed.
I just read the Colorado Springs Gazette article “Patriotism or desecration” which focuses on the wreaths on veterans’ graves protest by your organization. I understand your comments above but one indisputable fact always leaves me scratching my head. If it wasn’t for the birth of Christ there would be no wreaths, no Christmas trees, no lights, no presents, no Black Friday, no Christmas sales, no holidays off from work and probably no MRFF. As a side note, I wonder how many MRRF staff and members take the Christmas holidays off?
Good think you are retired Vince Corry CDR USN (Ret) because your reading for comprehension skills are quite lacking.
Had Christianity not occurred Pagans would still be decorating trees and bringing garlands inside for the season. Had the Children of Abraham not torn the world into pieces with their endless sibling rivalry and wars to determine who is The One, humans might have already mastered many mysteries of science that baffle us today (looking your way jet cars).
It’s all water under the bridge now. No sense crying over what might have been. Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster so many people are leaving religion and it’s outdated dogma behind. Well done humans.
“If it wasn’t(sic) for the birth of Christ, there would be no….” I understand this is a very, very complicated concept for some people to process, but I’m going to give it a try anyway. THE 25TH OF DECEMBER IS NOT YESHUA’S BIRTHDAY!! Even if one insists that he was an actual living individual, to celebrate the anniversary of his birth in December of our current calendar is patently incorrect. Some sources say September. Others say during the spring–whenever that might be in the desert lands of the Middle East. The whole story is merely a revision of the Osiris/Krishna/Zoroaster/Buddha/Mithras origin stories. Born of a virgin–check. Born in a stable/cave/manger–check. Worker of wonders and miracles–check. Different era, different audience, different names, same story.
This may also be truly difficult to grasp, but there are many people on the planet that are NOT christians (myself being one of them) and that don’t hang wreaths, erect sparkly trees, exchange blenders and leaf blowers, shop ’till we drop on the day after Thanksgiving, line up in the wee hours to be the first to purchase that new gizmo, take time off from work (some actually work in christians’ jobs so the latter can do whatever floats their boat), or rant and rave about the “War on christmas.” Food for thought, perhaps….
As a side note, I wonder how many of those people who claim to be christians and therefore qualified to celebrate an anniversary actually follow the teachings of the celebrant. You know–love your neighbor, welcome the stranger, share the wealth, shelter the homeless, feed the hungry–maybe you’ve heard of those activities???
I am so glad that my father, a Korean war veteran who passed away many years ago now does not know about you and your website. MRFF is campaigning on halting the laying of wreaths on soldiers graves because that act might be offensive to some and your calling for secularism is deafening when your own statement above is chock full of religious references?
My Father was a Lutheran and his best buddy in his unit in Korea was of the Jewish faith. Dad’s buddy was killed in the Korean war and ever few years dad would travel quite some distance to visit his grave either on Veteran Days or around the Christmas holiday and leave a wreath upon his head stone. One year his family was there when my dad, mom and I arrived and they were so thankful and supportive of my dad coming a long distance to lay a wreath upon their son’s grave. They had no religious issue with a ‘Christian’ laying a wreath on/at their Jewish son’s head stone.
In my opinion MRFF, you are making a mountain out of a mole hill with this call to stop laying wreaths upon all military personnel graves.
Is everyone an atheist on here?
You and your board members are a pathetic excuse of Veterans. You should not be even allowed the title. Everyone knows the wreaths were for Christmas. Not for religion. They even have it in there rules not to put them on Jewish headstones. You know a volunteer made a mistake, so you go after an organization to try and make money. You are a pathetic joke. Do all Veterans a favor and quit breathing. Coming from a Veteran with no religious views.
Jon Stewart said “ Everyone knows the wreaths were for Christmas. Not for religion.”
I’m not sure what to say to Jon Stewart with no religious views; who also stated the MRFF is a joke due to their defending gravestones of nonChristian veterans on behalf of the relatives of the person under the gravestone.
If the wreathes really aren’t about Christian Nationalists shoving their faith where it doesn’t belong then why aren’t the wreathes placed on graves in a month not co-opted by Christianists?
One or two graves without a cross covered is a mistake. All the graves covered no matter if they have a cross or not is another matter entirely.
Guess which situation was brought to the attention of the MRFF, Jon Stewart?
I never knew twigs made in to a circle were a religious symbol. Even my Google search doesn’t know it. But having been told so by MRFF makes me love circles of twigs even more! And if you’re offended by circles of twigs…. well it’s 2021 and I’m not surprised.