Non-Christian people living in a multi-cultural society may think that having religious decorations around the town/village they are living in could cause offence to people of other religions. They might also think that Christians should celebrate Christmas as the remembrance of Jesus in their own homes/churches/meeting places like Jewish people do with Hanukah and Muslims do with Ramadan and the Eid Festival etc. Also if say there was a crib scene in a town/village centre it could get vandalised and it would be the people that put it up paying for it, instead of the people that vandalised it. With England being a Christian country, I think that there should be no stopping people putting up religious symbols; most Christians would agree that if people of different religions wanted to share their festivals with everyone else they would be allowed religious decorations up as well.
Christians should not accept the commercialisation around them by forgetting about the real meaning of Christmas, I think that decorations, Christmas trees, Secular Christmas cards, Mince Pies etc. should be involved because they shouldn’t not enjoy Christmas as long as they remember the real reason. The gifts and cards people receive at Christmas is a symbol of giving and receiving, a sign of sharing which is a Christian thing to do and therefore does not make it secular if people realise why they are giving and receiving presents at Christmas. Christmas tree’s, are secular but people have began to say that they could symbolise the wood used on the cross that Jesus was crucified on. Christmas carols are really good and are used a lot in order to raise money for charities for people less fortunate than themselves so that they can enjoy Christmas as much as most other people. Things like a Star or Angel on a tree, Holly, Nativity Plays, Advent Calendars, Wreaths and Candles are all religious symbols of Christmas and should be kept in memory unlike things like Crackers, Elves, Snow, Santa, and Reindeer etc. which just add a nice feeling for children and have a more comforting atmosphere unlike the real story of Jesus which probably involved a lot of suffering from Mary etc.
Christmas day is an important day/festival for Christians as Jesus was the light of the world, the saviour and a leader of their religion. This time is important to celebrate the birth of Jesus, a gift from God that was sent to Earth to save everyone that wants to be saved.
TIFFANY HORAN
