Merry Christmas: Cohen Provokes Me to Think, Part 1

Earlier today, on her blog, Ann Althouse, mentioned a piece written by writer Richard Lawrence Cohen on his blog last Christmas Eve. (Because I'm usually fairly busy that day, I must have missed it when it first appeared.) It begins:

As a Jew, a liberal, a lover of the Constitution, and a loather of Fox News, I wish to declare that the word “Christmas” does not faze, throw, offend, upset, or disconcert me in the slightest.

(Read the whole thing, as they say.)

I found the post interesting and although it was written almost a year ago, I had to send this comment:

Richard:
You crack me up, man! I love the way you express yourself here.

Your tolerance blows me away.

If in bygone days, Christians were thoughtlessly imperialistic about expressions of our faith at this time of year (and some still are), today I feel that we are made to feel almost guilty about expressing our religion. Christianity is an inherently public and collegial faith. The One we call Savior has told us that, as we go through life, we should share the Good News that we believe about Him, something we believe can make a difference in everybody's life. But we aren't called to force our faith down other people's throats!

My feeling, Richard, is that you have identified an overlooked "happy medium" in this entire discussion.

Of course, there should be no established, state-sanctioned religion. I believe that not just as an American who reveres the Constitution, but as a Christian. Faith in Christ cannot be compelled by coercion. In fact, no one should be so foolish as to think it can be.

One can only come to faith by way of the gentle wooing of God through loving, Christ-filled people! (That's why a lot of the political rhetoric identified as Christian these days simply isn't and it frankly ticks me off that these bigots have taken control of the media's perceptions of Christian faith!)

No one should regard a Christian's heartfelt expressions of faith as a threat to their religious freedom.

Nor, in my estimation, are such expressions inherently insensitive. A friend of mine, an atheist, lost his wife to cancer. I conducted her funeral. Several days later, he came by to see me and we talked for awhile. As he left the house, I put my hand on his shoulder and said what I felt at that moment, "God bless you," I said. Then, wondering if I'd said the wrong thing, I told him, "I'm sorry." 'That's okay, Mark," he told me, "you can say it."

It seems to me that too many verbal firebombers on all sides of this question have been allowed to dictate the terms of debate and action. As a Christian, I don't so much chafe under it, as find reason to mourn.

Thank you for your post, Richard. As always, what you say is warm and loving and sensible.

And...God bless you, my friend.

Mark Daniels