Why do we do some of the curious things we do? Why pretend that a jolly man in a red suit gives toys made by elves to children on one night a year? Why pretend that rabbits lay eggs? And why do it in the name of religion?
We pride ourselves on being rational, thinking people. We think
of ourselves as up-to-date in our thoughts and actions. We try
to have good reasons for everything we do.
Why, then, do we do some of the things we do?
Consider, for example, Christmas. Why do we pretend that a jolly
old man in a red suit who lives at the north pole rides around
in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and drops down chimneys
to leave toys (made by elves) for good boys and girls on one night
of the year?
Then, at Easter, why do we pretend that rabbits lay brightly
colored eggs?
Ask yourself: Do these myths and customs make any sense? Yet
we persist in perpetuating them to our children. Oddly enough,
we also attach great religious significance to some of these practices.
Many are integral parts of celebrating the most sacred days of
traditional Christianity.
Why do so many professing Christians, seeking to follow the One
who said "I am the light of the world" and "He
who follows Me shall not walk in darkness" (John 8:12), perpetuate
such strange customs whose origins come not from the Bible but
from the dark, dim mists of antiquity?
It's not that the origins of such customs cannot be determined.
Often, around the time of these holidays, newspapers and television
shows describe the origins of some of these practices. Encyclopedias
and other books often help paint a picture of the passing of these
customs down to us from ancient cultures.
We pride ourselves on being rational, thinking people. We think
of ourselves as up-to-date in our thoughts and actions. We try
to have good reasons for everything we do.