Big-Brained Primate Calls Birth of Christ "Legend"

If you were the Archbishop of Canterbury, even an Archbishop who considered himself to be educated, enlightened, and well-read, you might take it upon yourself this Christmas to thank God for sending His Son Jesus Christ to save humanity from hellfire. You might take the opportunity, even if you have a liberal arts degree, to point out God's love for all of His children. OR, if you were Dr. Rowan Williams, you might grant interviews in which you tell the entire world that it all sounds quite nice, but it's just a "legend," and that, as most atheists argue, "you can't prove it!" Well, all I can say is, I can't prove Amelia Earhart is dead, but I just take it on faith. Don't get me wrong, I understand where he was coming from. When he says, in his interview with Simon Mayo of the BBC, "Christmas was when it was because it fitted well with the winter festival," he's talking about Saturnalia, the Roman feast in honor of their god Saturn. It makes sense. If I were a Roman emperor trying to convert people to Christianity, I wouldn't want to tick them off by yanking away a popular holiday. That's not the point, though, as even a primate like the good doctor should know. The point is not when we celebrate, or if the magi were kings, or if there was in fact a little drummer boy. The point is that we celebrate! It sounds to me as though the Archbishop is trying very hard to "fit in" with the secular left by showing off his big, fat, enlightened brain by opening his big, fat, enlightened mouth. We get it, you know your history and you have a healthy skepticism. What about faith, though, Dr. Williams? Why marginalize the rest of us who just believe, and celebrate that belief? Was it a good idea to try to score points with the seculars at a time when we are fighting for the right to say "Merry Christmas" to a sales clerk without getting sued? As my mother used to say, for the skeptic, no proof will ever be possible. For the believer, no proof will ever be necessary. I don't care if scholars want to debate the actual date that God sent His only son to be born and crucified for us, and it is to be expected that there will be doubters of the immaculate conception, but don't make the rest of us out to be a bunch of superstitious boobs because we believe that God could love us that much, that there could be miracles.

Why Faith Scares The Faithless

If you have ever tried to have an intelligent discussion about religion with someone who believes in nothing, you've probably heard this before: "Don't you think it's arrogant to think that your religion is the one true way?" You have to give these people credit for trying, I suppose, because the supposed argument is that anything you say must be tainted with an offensive show of superiority and self-righteousness, and you are probably a hypocrite, to boot. It can be an effective tool in an argument, to make your opponent look like a smug bombast, but it denies the truth behind what faith really is.
What really makes you want to strangle the person who asks this question is since they have no belief in anything, they fail to see that the question is ...well, idiotic. Read it again. "Don't you think it's arrogant to think that your religion is the one true way?" That's what faith is! Not just "think," but "believe," or "know to be true." I don't know about you, but I have never met a Jewish person who said to me, "You know, I'm Jewish, and all, but I can't help but think that maybe the Hindus are on to something," or a christian who said, "Yeah, I worship Christ, but I'm probably going to pray to Allah tonight, just to be on the safe side." It doesn't happen. Everyone, whether Muslim or Jew, Christian or Buddhist, believes they are right and all else are wrong. As it turns out, there actually is such a thing as a stupid question, so unless you are a complete boob, this one should never be asked.
As my mom once said to me, "for the non-believer, no proof will ever be possible, but for he who believes, no proof will ever be necessary." Even the "enlightened" secular humanists out there can probably wrap their minds around those sage words, so why does faith scare them? It's a simple question of rationalisation and moral relativism. No one likes to believe what they are doing is wrong, especially if they enjoy it, and people really hate being told what they're doing is wrong. They say to themselves, "Wait a minute...according to this moral code, here, what I'm doing is a sin...but I don't feel sinful...and I don't really appreciate being judged by all of these people...how dare they? Judgemental bastards! Hey, I know...since I like what I'm doing, it can't be sinful, therefore there is no such thing as sin, therefore there is no God! Yeah... that's how I'll play it!" Right. If it feels good, do it, there are no consequences, it's just another "lifestyle choice." Just ask Charles Manson about his "lifestyle choice." I'm sure he's got a rationalisation, too.
What's funny is, as soon as you tell one of these people that you're a person of faith, they're immediately on the defensive. They automatically start making judgements about you. You're a christian, so you must hate homosexuals, course language, alcohol (and people who drink it), people of all other faiths, and, because you're so intolerant, you think everyone who's not you is going to Hell. Plus, since no one is perfect, that automatically makes you a hypocrite! Don't you just love how they think? Tell them you're a Christian, and their brain sends a signal to the mouth that's almost uncontrollable to shout with a contorted face, "YOU HATE ME! THAT MAKES YOU A HYPOCRITE, YOU CHRISTIAN! I HATE YOU, TOO, SO THERE! " Being lectured by one of these clowns is like listening to a fish describe land, but once you understand what you're dealing with, you begin to see the patterns. Do you see now how a person like Rosie O'Donnell can spew out the garbage she does about Christians being as dangerous as radical Islamo-fascists?
They already want to jump into the ring and start swinging before you even knew there was a bout scheduled. So, how do you beat them? Kill them with kindness. Ask them what they really know about you and what you personally believe. Tell them you're willing to teach them if they are willing to learn, and that you're open to friendly debate. Tell them you will pray for them. If that doesn't work, and they still want to make you out to be Ghengis Khan simply for believing in something, well...then, I guess you can tell them to go to hell. Psst! Just kidding, Mom, I would never....