One from the mailbag

Dear Jack,

I have read a number of your posts and want to know what you have against Christmas?

Thank you,

Darren.

Dear Darren,

I can't say that I have anything against christmas beyond I hate fruitcake and I can't take a lot of the music. Beyond that it is not something that I spend a lot of time thinking about. I don't need or expect everyone to believe in everything I believe.

Obviously I am Jewish and that means that I am not going to now nor ever consider Christianity to be something that I believe in. Just as I do not expect Christians to suddenly become Jewish.

I think that it is ok for there to be different beliefs and different faiths, it is all about how we handle things. If push comes to shove and you ask me to choose what I think is better I am going to say Judaism, just as I would expect you to select your own faith as being superior.

But I would rather see a good atheist than a bad Christian/Jew/Muslim and believe me they exist. Being a an adherent of a particular faith does not provide you with automatic status as a good person.

On a slightly different tack I think that it is wrong and disappointing for Jewish people to take Christian items and try and make them their own. There is no such thing as a Chanukah bush. I do not believe that Jews should do anything like that or stockings or really use any of the christmas symbols. It is not our deal and I wouldn't want to see the reverse.

I would also add that I enjoy going to my Christian friends homes and seeing how they decorated their trees and their homes. I can appreciate that and think that it is fine, but it is a different story when an MOT tries to incorporate it.

Anyway, Merry Christmas to all of my gentile readers. I hope that you have a nice holiday and I hope that the coming year is good for all people regardless of race/religion or creed.