In the early days of this nation - in fact, before it was a nation -- the majority of Americans were the rough equivalent of today's biblical scholars, except that our forefathers didn't spend all their time trying to disprove or undermine the Bible as is so common today.
It's getting difficult to learn anything about the Bible accurately in the secular community, and even many modern churches have distorted the Holy Writ to fit their own agendas. For example, because there are so many homosexuals and lesbians passing themselves off as clergy, their message differs distinctly from the Bible, in which God Himself condemns those who prefer their own sex.
So-called Progressives who have infiltrated the Christian Church (and the culture in general) have adapted the Bible to fit a "social gospel" that promotes class warfare and twists the Gospel message to fit their revolutionary doctrine. For example, they will explain Christmas by comparing the birth of Jesus to the homeless of today. But according to the Bible, Joseph and Mary weren't homeless, they were just unable to find accomodations because all the rooms were filled with others who had to come to Bethlehem to register for the new Roman tax.
But let's for the moment turn away from the lies and deceit. The truth is that Jesus is the human aspect of the Triune God, who temporarily surrendered His divinity to pay the ultimate price for our sins and provide redemption for us.
Jesus came in utmost humility although He was the King of kings and Lord of lords. He came not only to give us the ultimate example of how to behave, but also to buy our freedom from the penalty for our sins, by His own selfless act of sacrifice.
God-hating athiests (why such hatred, if they don't believe in him?) try to undecut the Bible at every opportunity. They'll bring up tidbits about how Christmas is derived from many pagan traditions. While we don't know the exact date of Jesus' human birth, from the evidence we can deduce that it may have been in the autumn.
Such aspersions don't really matter, though. Long ago, people chose a date on which we celebrate His birth. Over the years Christmas has been secularized, demonized, commercialized, scrutinized, and plagerized. But for Christians, it remains a time when we can focus on remembering to treat others as He wants us to treat them. We tend to speak a little gentler, behave a little more civilly, become a little more generous. We give gifts, because He gave Himself as the ultimate Gift. Hopefully, amidst all the stress and anxiety we place on ourselves, we might take at least a few moments to actually think about Him, and what He gave us through His earthly life.
Have a very Merry Christmas. Remember the real reason for the season.
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