MOST SOCIETIES, Barbados included, suffer some discomfort for the sake of political and religious correctness, not to mention change in the way we do and say things.
We are experiencing one such bit of evolutionary change and inconvenience in Barbados and, unfortunately, too many people are giving in to its ridiculousness at this time of the year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The problem arises when we wish each other “Happy Christmas”.
Should we change to “Happy holidays” and ditch “Happy Christmas” in order to avoid offending someone who may or may not be Christian? There is growing pressure, or so it seems, on Barbadians to be politically correct by wishing others “Happy holidays” instead of “Happy Christmas”.
We must resist any such unreasonable demand and the reason is clear: Barbados is an overwhelmingly Christian society that accepts and respects the rights of people of different faiths – Muslims, Hindus, Greek Orthodox or Jewish religious observances, to name a few. We should stick to the traditions which have served us well for centuries.
The birth of Christ is central to us as Christians and Christmas, the celebration of his entry into the world in human form, is a linchpin of what we as Barbadians believe in: God’s love for us as outlined in the Gospel of John, Chapter 3, Verse 16.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosever believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life,” is the way it is expressed in The Bible.
That explains why some clerics in our midst correctly call that verse a biblical anchor for our religious practices at this time. That’s why those words and their interpretation were deeply embedded in many sermons and prayers heard in churches up and down and around Barbados on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Indeed, they were recited across Christendom to emphasise our acceptance of their importance to us.
But the proliferation of the electronic and social media has spawned a desire among many, especially young people, to be “relevant,” to be abreast of things in the age of Facebook and Twitter.
Tune in to the scores of North American channels on cable television and you hear “Happy holidays” at every turn. That’s fine for the United States, Canada and other places where there is far more religious diversity than in Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean.
Bishop Peter Fenty, a Barbadian who is Canada’s top black Anglican cleric, put it succinctly in a recent conversation from his home in Toronto.
“In North America the multiplicity of different faiths plays a role in terms of being politically correct as to how you even greet people,” he said. “I will always want to be respectful of others who don’t share my faith and I can understand that it could be offensive to offer greetings of ‘Happy Christmas’ to [them]. What I have issue with is the seemingly growing reality where we are almost as Christians being pressured not even to want to speak about Christmas. Christmas is a Christian celebration . . .”
Well said!
Barbadian Christians should be sensitive to the beliefs of others but not at the expense of our own. Some would wish us not to say too loudly how we enjoy the Christmas season and they don’t want us to greet each other with “Happy Christmas”. We beg to differ.
It was Jesus who said to give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.
Greeting each other “Happy Christmas” is part of that message to Christians.