THE REALITY OF THE RULING CLASS!
National Buffoons Christmas Inflation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M30pFMvVhw
ISN'T THIS LIVING CHRISTIANITY???
Celebrating Christmas, the Birth of Jesus – ‘Wise Men from the East Came to Jerusalem’
Christians worldwide celebrate Christmas today, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was born approximately 4 B.C. in the town of Bethlehem, five miles east of Jerusalem, in the nation of Israel.
Four gospel accounts in the Bible provide many of the details surrounding the birth of Jesus, including stories of extraordinary and supernatural events coupled with more broadly known historical details.
One is the visit of the magi – or “wise men” – in the months following Jesus’ birth. Tradition says they were three in number, but in reality, the Bible does not specify their names or number, nor which country east of Israel they came from.
From the Gospel according to Matthew:
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They hold him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herold, they departed to their own country by another way.
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called me son.”
—Matthew 2:1–15.
Ken Klukowski is a Breitbart News senior contributor.
Poll: Majority of Americans Favor Jesus over Santa on Christmas
A majority of Americans still believe Jesus Christ — not Santa — is the reason for the Christmas season, according to a new poll from Rasmussen Reports.
Out of 1,000 U.S. American adults polled between Dec. 8-12, 57 percent “believe Christmas should be more about Jesus Christ than about Santa Claus.” Only 22 percent put Santa first and 20 percent are undecided.
“Two years ago, 63 percent said Christmas should be more about Jesus. Support for Jesus as the primary reason for the holiday which celebrates his birth has ranged as high as 76 percent in 2012,” according to the poll, which has a ± 3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.
Ninety-percent of adults celebrate Christmas in their family, an increase from 85 percent two years ago. Out of those Americans, 52 percent celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, while 37 percent view it as a secular holiday. Eleven percent are unsure.
The overwhelming majority of every political affiliation celebrate Christmas in their family, including 97 percent of Republicans, 89 percent of Democrats, and 86 percent of unaffiliated. However, Republicans (73 percent) are far more likely than Democrats (47 percent) and unaffiliated voters (40 percent) to view Christmas as a primarily religious holiday.
“Republicans (74 percent) are also more likely than Democrats (51 percent) or the unaffiliated (50 percent) to say Christmas should be more about Jesus than Santa,” according to the poll report.
Older Americans are also more likely to celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday than younger Americans. Less than half (48 percent) think Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Sixty-one percent of Americans between the ages of 40-64 and 71 percent of those 65 and older believe the holiday is more about Jesus than Santa.
By sex, women (62 percent) are more likely than men (53 percent) to believe that Christmas is more about Jesus. Married Americans are also more likely than unmarried Americans to celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday.
America and the Season of Hope
As our nation proceeds through the holidays, Christians celebrate the birth of their Lord. Despite this season that traditionally emphasizes hope, many are pondering in trepidation the fate of our country as it continues to veer deeper into postmodern secularism. How or who can help us alter our current trajectory toward destruction? According to one famous pastor, it’s not going to be the church.
Andy Stanley, who leads one of the largest multi-campus churches in America, tweeted this summer that “saving America is NOT the mission of the church.” That’s true as the mission of the Church is to “make disciples.” However, these are not mutually exclusive initiatives. They are quite compatible and synergistic. In fact, it could be argued that had the Church experienced even modest success in the pursuit of its mission over the past threescore years, our nation would not be in the precarious situation it faces today. Let’s examine these two objectives of making disciples and saving America further.
A disciple is a student or learner -- a journeyman in support of a philosophy or teaching. Jesus claimed to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. To follow Christ is a twofold process where the first is to follow Him (Truth) along the proper path (Way) to the final destination of heaven. The second is a transformational process to become like Christ in every aspect of one’s being (Life). Jesus explained the discipleship journey in this way, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.”
Those followers with a bit of marketing savvy would have groaned at this declaration. Imagine their murmuring in modern-day speak, “We’re trying to start a movement here, Lord. We need Likes, Shares, and Subscribes. Speak about peace, love, and how cool heaven will be -- not this cross stuff. Who wants to pick up a cross?” Who indeed?
Jesus gave us the Golden Rule to treat others as how one wish to be treated. When asked which of the commandments was the greatest, Jesus responded citing Deut 6:4-5 and Lev. 19:18 to love God with all you’ve got (body, mind, spirit) and to love others as you love yourself. There are three loves involved: love for God, love for others, and love for self. Since the term “love triangle” has some negative connotations, let’s call this relationship an “agape triangle.” His next statement was even more remarkable, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Every law, rule, and principle, every “thou shall” and thou shall not” is summed up in this agape triangle which has only one verb -- love. This agape love is a caring, charitable, pay-it-forward action that has another’s best interest at heart. It is unconditional in application. Therefore, at the disciple’s transactional level of life, every decision should be motivated and agape-triangle-tested to ensure it reflects a proper love for God, love for others, and love for self.
Thus, when one applies the requirements for discipleship, we deny ourselves by not being self-centered and put others first. Employing a different geometric construct, one can visualize our love for God in the vertical (God above us) and our love for others in a horizontal (peer-to-peer) relationship. Put these vertical and horizontal loves together, it forms a cross -- a cross of love. Thus, disciples pick up and carry daily a cross of love. This is not easy. It’s hard to love someone who has hurt or betrayed you or a boss/authority figure who has abused you. It’s very difficult to love a terrorist who desires to kill you, but that is the command.
How does all this come together in a pragmatic way? To follow Christ is to pursue truth and respond to every situation in love. It is at this intersection of truth and love that one finds wisdom. When we love others, we bless them and thus nurture their growth. An interesting phenomenon is that when we love others, we bless ourselves. A common tactic or prescription for those suffering from depression, anxiety or other mental distressing states is to have them go and volunteer to help others. One, this alleviates the patient’s stress by taking their mind off their own problems, but it also causes the brain to release “feel good” chemicals (serotonin, dopamine) that improves their own mood and well-being. When you love others, you bless them, you bless yourself and to complete the hat trick, God is glorified. It’s a win-win-win scenario.
From a lean, six-sigma perspective, there is an astonishing efficiency and effectiveness in this interaction. A person performs an act of love, the recipient is blessed, the giver is blessed and God is glorified from one single act! This enhanced performance is developmental -- it produces growth. Each agape cycle of loving others is self-motivating. The incremental addition of encouragement through the feedback loop of positive reinforcement via satisfaction for both giver and receiver stimulates future similar action. These blessings grow and multiply such that it creates an upward spiral of love. Why does this work? Because God designed it this way. When humanity, created in His image, aligns with His design, all participants are blessed. For the Christ-follower, truth and love are not abstract theoretical concepts. Truth and love is Christ for He is the wisdom of God.
Now, imagine this agape cycle in continual practice within one’s family. Then visualize this process in your neighborhood and community, your state, region, and nation. Imagine its embrace by our culture and society. It would direct the motivational behavior and mission of our nation and if expanded globally -- the world. Yes, there would still be cancer, pandemics, and drought, but in terms of what we humans can control (our attitude and behavior); it is inspirationally optimized. Instead of RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness), they become Routine Acts of Kindness.
Even if one doesn’t believe in God, the logic of the Golden Rule is compelling. To save America and to make America great, America must reestablish its goodness. This calls for an emphasis on personal integrity and responsibility, on justice, and a proactive willingness to selflessly serve, encourage, and assist others. The agape triangle becomes the evaluation template for every decision we make. Is running up our national debt in the best interest of the citizens of our country? Are drag queens good role models for our children? Should we encourage transgenderism? Is abortion on demand an act of love or selfishness? Does Critical Race Theory promote unity and synergy or create dissention and division? Does the media, education, the arts, science, and our government promote objective truth or an agenda? Do our elected leaders exhibit servanthood in addressing the needs of the people or are they examples of arrogance and self-centeredness? We could go on.
America has a lot of problems to work through. Yes, it is not the job of the Church to save America, but if the Church became proficient in making disciples, then saving America would be an expected by-product. The mountain ahead is steep. Yet, in this season of hope, we know that with God all things are possible. Merry Christmas!
Tom McAllister, Ed.D, is a business consultant, adjunct professor, and the author of Short Strolls in Faith. Several concepts for this article came from his research paper, “All Excellence is God’s Excellence: Examining the Fractal Nature of Biblical Wisdom for Decision-making in Complex Environments.”
Image: PublicDomainPicture
Poll: Most Say Americans Have Forgotten the Real Meaning of Christmas
Most believe Americans have forgotten the “real meaning” of Christmas, a recent Ipsos poll released ahead of the holiday found.
Three-quarters at least somewhat agree that Americans have forgotten the “real meaning” of Christmas, and of those, 42 percent “strongly” agree.
Even more Christians, 84 percent, agree that Americans have lost the true meaning of Christmas, and most Republicans and Democrats, 88 percent and 66 percent, respectively, agree as well.
Further, even non-religious Americans agree that Americans have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas.
Notably, the survey did not ask respondents to identify what they consider the “true meaning” of Christmas to be.
The survey was taken December 9-11, 2022 and was “based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,023 adults,” per the poll.
This coincides with a Rasmussen Reports survey which found 65 percent expressing the belief that Christmas is “over-commercialized.” That is up three percent from the 62 percent who said the same last year.
There is a consensus across the board as well, as most Republicans (70 percent), Democrats (67 percent), and independents (59 percent) believe the holiday is “over-commercialized,”
The survey also found that most, 58 percent, believe stores begin the Christmas season “too early.” Once again, there is a consensus across the political spectrum as well.
The survey was taken December 6-7, 2022, among 1,000 U.S. adults and has a +/- 3 percent margin of error.
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