You're Only Allowed to Talk About Peace at Christmas

Peace on Earth! 

They're all into it this time of year. But it's only at this time of year you'll hear a fundamentalist talk about world peace.

Peace on Earth! At Christmas time.

But let someone else try to say it. Let a nonviolent war protester try to say "peace on Earth" and it becomes a heathen battle cry, an attack against Christendom. When I was young, my family treated the peace sign almost like a satanic symbol. I was discouraged from even touching anything with a peace sign on it. You know, dirty hippies and such...or something. I still don't really get it.

Peace on Earth! At Christmas time. For people who think like me.

But let people be thoughtful about what peace for our world really means, what it should mean, whether it is attainable, what it would look like, how to begin...and they're just lost souls searching for Jesus. All they need is Jesus, then they won't have to look for world peace to save them. Just give up on the world because it's all going to be destroyed anyway and Jesus will come back and get rid of all those sinners and hippies when he's good and ready.

Peace on Earth! At Christmas time. For people who think like me. As long as they don't think too hard.

But let people be thoughtful about the worldview of their neighbor or their enemy, let them be generous about the motivations of someone who sees life a little differently than the fundamentalist, and those people are enablers. They're encouraging sin. They're not calling out the "sinner" and making sure that heathen knows exactly why they're going to go to hell unless they meet Jesus.

Peace on Earth! At Christmas time. For people who think like me. As long as they don't think too hard. And MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! (None of those offensive "Happy Holidays" fighting words allowed!)

It gets a bit ridiculous, doesn't it?

But really now. Thinking, putting oneself in the other's place, attempting to understand people's motivations and worldviews, assuming the best about people's intentions—these things promote peace. Perhaps not world peace, not right away; but personal peace, relational peace. Isn't that at least a good place to start? Our world is important, to us if to no one else. We should promote thoughtfulness, understanding, and peace every chance we get, not just at Christmas.

And so, I wish you and yours Thoughtful Holidays! And winter days...and spring days...and summer days...