Christmas Caroling

As this Christmas season draws ever so close (two days away, in fact) I can't help but wonder about the religious message of the season: a child is born, presumably the savior of the entire human race, who will, at the age of 33, be viciously nailed to a construct of wood and left to painfully suffer and die. During his short ministry, whether you believe in it or not, this child-become-a-man would spend his time almost exclusively with the rejects, outcasts and disabled of his society. He did not dwell with the rich or the established members of the community. Instead, he sought out the infirmed and the down-trodden. Were he alive today this child would be abhored by those right wing, neo-con fanatics who claim to be his followers. He would forgive but stand-against the politicians who are stripping the poor and the disabled of their protections and rights as members of society to be cared for and assisted.

So what do we make of the message of a child born in a manger?

If this child was born so "perfect" could he have felt the pain and suffering as the nails were hammered into his wrists? Yes, it was his wrists not the center of this hands. This child knew that humanity is about being born with suffering, not creating unnecessary suffering. So, this season about a reflection on being born into suffering and pain, not about commericalism or some fat dude in an ugly red outfit. It isn't about trees being trimmed or families getting together to eat too much damn food and fight about dysfunctional issues that only cause wider rifts between families. Hell, I don't even know when the whole getting together for meals for holidays began! It's not like Joseph, Mary or Jesus ever sat around a table and dug into turkey and cranberry sauce! In fact, Jesus rejected all that crap and went begging.

The hypocrisy of the season which celebrates the birth of a man who spent his life tending to the poor and the disabled affects me deeply. The Christian Right which claims to know best who and what Christ was and what he wanted would preport that Christ was a God that wanted the rich to be richer and the poor, the oppressed and the disabled to fend for themselves. A man who abandoned his career and security to follow some foolish notion that he was a son of God in favor of helping those who suffered from physical, emotional and political oppression is in this present day and time the God of those who seek to slaughter the meek who don't believe in him as the Word of God. Don't fucking believe it! Jesus of Nazareth was not a capatalist who believed in getting what you want for yourself and fuck everyone else. He was a socialist who believed that the each of us who has more has the responsibility to help those who have less.

As someone who was raised Christian, nothing makes me angrier than thinking that those who are now in power are using the name of a man who ministered to the poor, the suffering and the disabled to justify they evil manipulation of monies and resources to not help those who are suffering, poor and disabled.

Sure, it's not much of a entry to celebrate the season of Christmas, but the fact is that a message of a man who sought only to help those who could not help themselves has been corrupted to the point where those who would like nothing more than to destroy the welfare and social security systems which help those who are disabled and suffering have actually convinced us that Jesus of Nazareth does not love them. It's disgusting and inhuman. And perhaps what's worse is that the citizens of the U.S. have voted into office men who believe that anyone who is not rich, able-bodied or can in some way be used to further their evil means should simply die off or be erased.

Merry Christmas, President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, Secretary Rumsfeld and the rest of you sorry bastards. Enjoy your expliotation of the poor and the suffering...your day is coming...

Sorry, if this one got too political...but I can't not say it, you know?