I’m not a practicing member of any congregation, but I’ve never entertained a single atheist thought. No aspect of creation has led me to doubt the existence of the Creator. I have never doubted that life endures beyond the final beat of a mortal heart. Faith and feeling lead me to hold these beliefs, but I hold them in concert with reason, not in defiance of it. I don’t believe any part of creation was put here for us to ignore, or deny.
I don’t like the way religious people are treated by our popular culture. A search for virtue and enlightenment that has been in progress for centuries is too often judged by the sins of its past, or the oppression it is found pre-emptively guilty of wishing to enforce. A secular State that has no qualms about legislating morality responds aggressively to those who speak of transcendence. Churches are measured against a grim shade of Torquemada, entirely invisible to the happy congregations inside. Questioning the fitness of religious believers to serve in democracy is as absurd as constructing a theocracy. Ideas should be evaluated on their strengths. Far from the stereotype of thoughtless Bible-thumping drones, religious men and women – from the Founding Fathers to today – have been ready to show the philosophical homework that led them to their moral conclusions.
People of the Jewish and Christian faiths are not the proprietors of our civilization, but it’s grossly unfair to deny their pivotal role in shaping it. It is equally unfair to plow over the true meaning of Chanukah and Christmas, and erect a thousand-watt generic monument to “happy holidays” and the Winter Solstice above them. I have never understood the increasingly common modern neurosis of taking offense at a hearty cry of “Merry Christmas!” Christians offer this wish as a gift, not a commandment. This is their season of joy, the celebration of what they believe is the most important moment in history. Joy is a flame that grows higher with kindling. It is music that bursts with the eagerness to leap from heart to heart. It is not a sacrament to be hoarded only by believers.
Who can embrace the full meaning of the birth we celebrate in this season, without loving the sound of laughing children playing with new toys, or young voices raised in carols of sleigh bells, snow, and mistletoe? Those who don’t believe in the divinity of Christmas Day have no reason to injure the faith of those who do… and the faithful have no reason to suffocate anything that spreads joy through the world, on this day we take as proof that Heaven loves us, and wants us to be happy. Even the most confident atheist can appreciate the nobility of a “fairy tale” that says the Author of creation wrote his own son into the story, in a chapter that would end with unspeakable pain… but turn the first page of a new book, describing a world of redemption and forgiveness. If you believe Christmas is a superstition, you can at least wish that all of humanity’s superstitions were as beautiful.
Some people doubt the sanctity of Christmas because the date was moved around in ancient times, to align with pagan festivals. With the modern understanding of reality, I wonder how the date would be measured on Mars, which takes just under six hundred and eighty seven days to orbit the Sun… or in the ribbon of light that stretches between the sisters of a binary star… or at the event horizon of a singularity. The theory of relativity tells us that it’s always Christmas somewhere. December the 25th is as good a day as any.
Tonight, on Christmas Eve, some of us will long for husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters who serve in distant lands, and sleep beneath different constellations… but we can all share the radiant memory of a single star, that burns forever above both the humble and the wise. Distance, and even death, are banished in the calm of a silent night, and a joyous morning. Not all of the guests at our tables will be visible to the eye, but all can be felt equally in the heart. No one requires you to believe in anything, to cherish Christmas as a special day… but we can all share the courtesy, and honesty, of remembering why this day is so special, to so many. This is not a season for demands. It is for gifts, and invitations.
I have two gifts for everyone, both simple, but heartfelt. The first is that I’ve finally found the time to put together my own website, where I’ve re-posted everything I’ve written for Hot Air, and set up a way for people to contact me. It’s rather plain right now, but I’ll keep working on making it better, and maybe do some more interesting things with it in the future. The address is http://www.doczero.org/
My other gift is even more humble, but people have frequently asked for it. My name is John Hayward, and it has been… and will continue to be… my delight and honor to write for you.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Congratulations on your new blog. I wish you every success.
Merry Christmas and God Bless to all here.
Thank You, sir, for a wonderful post. Your writing style has led me to believe that you are one who should be published, and often.
Please to meet you, Doc.
~(Ä)~
Doc John-
Many thanks for the insights, wisdom and clarity you’ve provided and I’m sure there are a lot in the world, like me, that appreciate your lucid contributions to the chaos that seemingly is growing on a daily basis…
You have given us a great Christmas gift. Your postings on Hot Air were too far apart. This new site will be a success.
Thank you!
And a very Merry Christmas to you as well.
Merry Christmas Mr Hayward.
“Falling Through Fire” is one of the most moving essays ever written. Doctor Zero in the Green Room is always my first stop on the blogosphere.
Thanks for all your work.
Yay! Bookmarked! Looking forward to your insights. Merry Christmas!
Doc John:
You honor us all by your gifts of prose and wisdom. It is said that patriots always seem to rise to the occasion when they are needed most. With your presence on both HotAir and DocZero, I’d say that you are the living reincarnation of our Founding Fathers (or at least a GREAT understudy).
Thank you for all that you do. I look forward to many years of your participation on the blogosphere and beyond. Merry Christmas to you and yours from a fellow blogger in Southwest Oklahoma.
v/r,
Bryan Wicks
http://itzwicks.livejournal.com
Welcome! I’ve read your posts on Hot Air regularly. I am always amazed and delighted with your clarity and with your understanding of the issues of our nation at this critical time. I am bookmarking your blog immediately. I look forward to visiting you daily.
Thank you.
I really enjoy your writings. Merry Christmas!!!
Yes, God is the Creator, and that is how we discover Him; but He is much more than that: to you and I, He is Abba, Father (in English: Daddy). He loves you more than all the mothers on earth could. He chose to become one of us, and about 2000 years ago He was born a Man and remains one for eternity. He loves everything human (we are the pinnacle of His creation; He made us in His image) and likes to relate to us in human terms and with human means: hence Congregations and Liturgy.
I have no doubt that you’ll come around to them.
These poorly expressed ideas are true. I just wish I could write like you do.
All the best
Merry Christmas to you sir and your family. I hope you find yourself in the company of people you love.
What a great way to start your blog, with this wonderful and peaceful article about something that seems to divide so many.
You are one of the reasons I wish I belonged to HA, so I could let you know there that I appreciated your articles. I’m glad you have your own blog so I can thank you here! Your thoughts are clear and concise, and balm to the anxious about our current situation.
Keep up the great work, and God bless you and yours!
Great post! You hit the nail on the head with respect to the secular world’s treatment of Christmas. Thank you for your thoughts and I look forward to reading more. Merry Christmas!
Doczero/John,
Merry Christmas and
A Happy New Year full of
More volleys down range
Danger (celebrating Christmas with my family in Germany on R&R from Baghdad, Iraq)
Merry Christmas John and much success with your blog. I will be putting it in my favorites and visiting often. I enjoy the clarity of your thoughts.
Merry Christmas, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for speaking the truth!! I love your clear style, and thrilled to “meet” you. I even printed a few things you’ve written for my 10 yo son, as he gets older. It’s difficult to find coherent, reasoned explanations about complicated issues. Happy New Year, too!
Thank you for the ode. It’s everything a liberal thinks he is, i.e. magnanimous. You, on the other, hand, actually ARE. You admittedly may not embrace the fervent faith practiced by some of us, but you are wise enough to recognize that “The fool hath said in his heart’ there is no God”. People who live with this idea as their fundamental raison d’etre are horribly flawed right out of the gate, and they only get worse from there. Witness the lot in charge of the government right now. Thank you for speaking the simple truth, expressed elegantly and humbly.
Doctor, it is good to see a site of your own making at last. It is an excellent Christmas gift to the cause of freedom, and those who defend it, all across the country, and indeed, the world.
I wish you all the best, and my prayers are with you!
Thank you John Hayward for the work you have already shared on Hot Air and good luck on the new blog. It will not want for talent and clear thinking I am sure.
Merry Christmas!
Mr. Hayward,
Each glimpse of your insight is a treasure, and your words are unfailingly powerful. Thank you for the Christmas gift, and may G-d smile on you and your family.
I concur with previous posters here; thank you for your clear thinking, excellent writing, and sharing with those unable to express what you do for us.
Warmest regards,
rosco
Doc 0,
Thank you for the blessing and Insights. You will be a success and I look forward to tagging you shortcut on my favorites many times in the future!
Bob
Merry Christmas Doc,
You are Bookmarked and I look forward to reading you more frequently (I hope) in the future. Back in late summer I was trying to find the right words in an email to my congressman. After I read your post concerning Healthcare Reform on Hot Air I copied and pasted “our thoughts” to him. I credited you of course, and received a very powerful response all due to you. Your writing inspires, I have no doubt of your growing popularity and success in the future.
Happy New Year, and hoping for a much brighter 2010!
Doctor Zero, you are blessed with the talent and wisdom to bring out the best in everything during the worst of times.
Merry Christmas with wishes for a glorious New Year.
I like the .org. Let me know when it’s time to get to work on 0PAC.
Congratulations!
Thank you, Mr. Hayward, and I look forward to reading more of you now!
Very well said!! Came here via SondraK, and if this is any indication of the level of commentary one can expect, will be returning often. May your home on the web be a beacon of light, thought, and reason for all to enjoy!
Merry Christmas.
Thanks for starting a blog, HA is blocked at work, and now i can read your posts without the ‘filter’
Thanks for doing this. I have it bookmarked and I really enjoy reading and thinking about your prose.
learning of your new website was a great Christmas gift for me! Thank you so much. Now I can go back into the archives and read to my heart’s content.
I always looked forward to your excellent writing on HA and now I can keep up without worrying about missing something. You are truly a great writer with a world view that I always enjoy. Keep up the good work!
The chances are slim you’ll read this I suppose – given the date and the way things move on.
It’s not easy to touch me John ……. particularly in this day and age, with these events unfolding.
But you have my friend ……. and now I can count you as one of my blessings.
mark
Thanks John for an awesome post. I just got to it today but like you said “… it’s always Christmas somewhere.”
Bill
Hello i read your site frequently and wanted to wish you all the best for 2010!
Merry Christmas and congratulation on your new endeavor. You are an amazingly, gifted writer and it is an honor to be able to read your wonderful writings.
I have never read a more uplifting and definitive testimony about Christmas, it was superb.
I wish all the best in 2010 and will read all the items I have missed and look forward to your next writings.
Welcome to the blogosphere DØCTØR ZERØ. I’ll add you to my blogroll. Looking forward to reading more of your posts in 2010.
Hello, i found this blogg on bing. I really think its very interesting and i will probably come back to read more. Just want you to now that you are doing a wonderful job.
It’s awesome to see this place is finally getting the attention that it really deserves! Keep up the terrific work.