Christmas Day 2009

Christmas Past: me, my brothers and sister celebrating the big day in simpler times. Hand coloured photograph by Diana Durrand

Who is this man, Christ, whose birth we celebrate every 25th of December? The question is so loaded I hesitate to ask it even in the privacy of my own thoughts. But this is his day, and after having celebrated more than 50 of Christ's birthdays, it's time I got things sorted out.

First of all, Christ was a man. Secondly, he is a historic figure whose memory is cherished in the hearts and minds of millions. He was the spiritual force that propelled the unfolding or Western Civilization.

I know this seems an unsatisfying description to those who believe in Christ the Savior, Christ the Redeemer. I apologize. I do not wish to offend. But I have had Christian dogma thrust upon me from the cradle and must make sense of it in my own way. As a 'Cultural Christian' I have to incorporate the meaning of this incredible man into my world view, for I cannot deny him without denying in large part who I am.

Let me state once and for all what Christ is not. He is not - for me - the forgiver of sins and bestower of salvation. I do not believe in the continuation of my conscious self after death. If I am going to find any semblance of heaven, it must be within my own lifetime; as for hell, we live it in the here and now and are responsible for many of its torments.

And yet I believe in God, and in the power of Christ to connect us to our spiritual selves. God for me is the collective expansion of spiritual energy in the world; Love, the nurturing of that spirit through acts of celebration and compassion; hated the willful destruction or undermining of spirit. God is the sum total of his individual manifestations; every living creature is an expression of God's will. There is no God without living, sentient beings; there are no living sentient beings without God.

If you want to find out more about my notion of an evolving God as the living, breathing spirit of the world, read my entry on Intelligent Desire called The Magnificent Crane Fly.

Christ is one of those rare mystics who have penetrated to the very heart of life's meaning. When we honour him, and rejoice in his birth, we are sustaining and expanding his spirit in the world and emulating him as best we can. Christ's power derives from the intense belief millions share in him, and that power can be traced back to Christ the historical figure, who was born some 2000 years ago in the city of Bethlehem.

Some will be outraged by my agnosticism. Again, I apologize. But I have to make sense of my world if I am going to celebrate its wonders, and I cannot do that without a deep belief in the importance and the meaning of Christ.

Above right - Flickr photo by Patrick Denker One of the comments on Mr. Denker's site:

unnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnbelieveble Like Barnum is suppossed to have said No one ever went broke underestimating public taste.

Is the criticism warranted? Are twisted balloons an inappropriate medium for representing Christ's suffering on the cross?