Let’s Not Throw Out The Baby With The Bath Water

It’s the Christmas season once again, complete with manger scenes including baby Jesus. Yet every time I read a new statistic, the news is that Christianity is losing ground, at least in America. I understand and am not even surprised.

Those of us who have abandoned organized religion bear perhaps the greatest responsibility to mankind. Since we don’t have a church or clergy to whom we can delegate the spreading of good news, we have to do it ourselves. Fortunately, it’s not that difficult. (And if we band together, even in just twos or threes … even better.)

Jesus’ message was simple. Love – God, your neighbor, and yourself. Of course unpacking that took quite a bit of explanation, both explicitly and in story form, but those are the basics. And because we can’t do it locked in the human condition, He sent a helper: His own spirit within us.

I have no quarrel with the masses who’ve done away with tradition, nor the crowd who still finds inspiration there. But all of us should be careful to live in accordance with the three greatest ideals taught by the son of God. To do otherwise would be to throw out the baby with the bath water.

Merry Christmas.