Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, president of world’s largest Muslim nation (220 million), Indonesia, has urged all Indonesians (88% Muslims, 11% Christians and 1% Hindus) to celebrate 2012 Christmas together.
“The President said the Christmas celebration this year should be inclusive and enjoyed and understood by all parties,” said Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi, on Friday. She chairs this year’s organizing committee for the Christmas celebration at the Jakarta Convention Center on Dec. 27 to be attended by President Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono, both Sunni Muslims.
Now, compare this with Yudhoyono government’s treatment of country’s Muslim Shia community. Last month, Amnesty International urged Jakarta to provide protection to hundreds of Shi’tes who have been forced to return to their village in East Java after being evicted from their homes by the anti-Shia Saudi Wahhabi mob. Shia communities are found in Java, Madura and Sumatra.
“Converting Shi’ite Muslims to the Sunni Islam followed by most Indonesians would be the best way to prevent violent outbreaks,” says Suryadharma Ali, Indonesia’s minister of religious affairs, reported by Asia Times, December 7, 2012.
Islam do teach tolerance toward non-Muslim communities – but celebration of Christmas has nothing to do with the disputed date of birth of prophet Jesus (as). It’s its roots in pagan Roman culture. From a simple event in the past, Christmas has become a multi-billion dollars business.
The Jewish-controlled Fox News is also urging every American, regardless his or her faith, must join in the lavish and lengthy celebration of Christmas season – or be called anti-American.
William Waits in his 1994 book, ‘The Modern Christmas in America’ has claimed that Christmas event which started as a simple family gatherings – have been now commercialized into a multi-billion dollar industry and certainly the most important seasonal event in the Christian world. Thanks to the western colonization of the Muslim world – Christmas has also become an important social event in the Muslim nation-states.
The topic reminds me of a Christian lady raised on the story of St. Nicholas, Christmas tree and who taught her beliefs to American Muslims for 22 years. Dr. Paige Turner MD, studied Islam to find some faults which she could use to preach Christianity among Muslims – but ended becoming a Muslim herself. She is author of book ‘How to Prove That Christianity Is Not True’. On the topic of Christmas she wrote:
St. Nicholas represented a sect of Christianity at the Council of Nicea (325 CE). He became famous for making toys for the local children at Christmastime. Over centuries the kindness and generosity of this individual has grown into a legend of a jolly fat man with a white beard who lives in the North Pole. He has elves, to help him make toys, and magic reindeer, to pull his sleigh through the sky on Christmas Eve, and he comes down people’s chimneys to deliver Christmas presents.
As a small child, I believed this story and was filled with excitement and joy every Christmas season in expectation of Santa’s coming. I was saddened and disappointed when I discovered that there was no Santa – that it was all legend and fable.
That Santa is only a legend and fable is well accepted by all but small, naive children. Nevertheless, many, many millions of dollars are spent annually based on the expectations of those little children’s expectations that this legendary figure will be bringing them presents. Similarly, many, many millions – even billions of dollars are collected annually from Christians who live in expectation of Christ’s coming again or in expectation of peace in the afterlife, through their acceptance of New Testament teaching in this life.
Promoters of Christianity generate millions of dollars in donations annually. Christianity is a big business. The people who are part of this big business have a vested interest in keeping it going. While the vast majority of Christians are well-intentioned people, they are people who have been persuaded to convert to Christianity; they are persuaded to “piecemeal study” of the New Testament (in Sunday-school fashion); and then they are persuaded to accept it as the inerrant, divinely inspired word of God – without question and without analysis.
Indonesian President: ‘Christmas for all’ | Rehmat's World
“The President said the Christmas celebration this year should be inclusive and enjoyed and understood by all parties,” said Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi, on Friday. She chairs this year’s organizing committee for the Christmas celebration at the Jakarta Convention Center on Dec. 27 to be attended by President Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono, both Sunni Muslims.
Now, compare this with Yudhoyono government’s treatment of country’s Muslim Shia community. Last month, Amnesty International urged Jakarta to provide protection to hundreds of Shi’tes who have been forced to return to their village in East Java after being evicted from their homes by the anti-Shia Saudi Wahhabi mob. Shia communities are found in Java, Madura and Sumatra.
“Converting Shi’ite Muslims to the Sunni Islam followed by most Indonesians would be the best way to prevent violent outbreaks,” says Suryadharma Ali, Indonesia’s minister of religious affairs, reported by Asia Times, December 7, 2012.
Islam do teach tolerance toward non-Muslim communities – but celebration of Christmas has nothing to do with the disputed date of birth of prophet Jesus (as). It’s its roots in pagan Roman culture. From a simple event in the past, Christmas has become a multi-billion dollars business.
The Jewish-controlled Fox News is also urging every American, regardless his or her faith, must join in the lavish and lengthy celebration of Christmas season – or be called anti-American.
William Waits in his 1994 book, ‘The Modern Christmas in America’ has claimed that Christmas event which started as a simple family gatherings – have been now commercialized into a multi-billion dollar industry and certainly the most important seasonal event in the Christian world. Thanks to the western colonization of the Muslim world – Christmas has also become an important social event in the Muslim nation-states.
The topic reminds me of a Christian lady raised on the story of St. Nicholas, Christmas tree and who taught her beliefs to American Muslims for 22 years. Dr. Paige Turner MD, studied Islam to find some faults which she could use to preach Christianity among Muslims – but ended becoming a Muslim herself. She is author of book ‘How to Prove That Christianity Is Not True’. On the topic of Christmas she wrote:
St. Nicholas represented a sect of Christianity at the Council of Nicea (325 CE). He became famous for making toys for the local children at Christmastime. Over centuries the kindness and generosity of this individual has grown into a legend of a jolly fat man with a white beard who lives in the North Pole. He has elves, to help him make toys, and magic reindeer, to pull his sleigh through the sky on Christmas Eve, and he comes down people’s chimneys to deliver Christmas presents.
As a small child, I believed this story and was filled with excitement and joy every Christmas season in expectation of Santa’s coming. I was saddened and disappointed when I discovered that there was no Santa – that it was all legend and fable.
That Santa is only a legend and fable is well accepted by all but small, naive children. Nevertheless, many, many millions of dollars are spent annually based on the expectations of those little children’s expectations that this legendary figure will be bringing them presents. Similarly, many, many millions – even billions of dollars are collected annually from Christians who live in expectation of Christ’s coming again or in expectation of peace in the afterlife, through their acceptance of New Testament teaching in this life.
Promoters of Christianity generate millions of dollars in donations annually. Christianity is a big business. The people who are part of this big business have a vested interest in keeping it going. While the vast majority of Christians are well-intentioned people, they are people who have been persuaded to convert to Christianity; they are persuaded to “piecemeal study” of the New Testament (in Sunday-school fashion); and then they are persuaded to accept it as the inerrant, divinely inspired word of God – without question and without analysis.
Indonesian President: ‘Christmas for all’ | Rehmat's World