Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!apple!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: lums@soggy-fibers.ai.mit.edu (Andy Lumsdaine) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: PEACE ON EARTH was (Re: Christmas...) Message-ID: Date: 7 Jan 91 04:18:26 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics Lines: 46 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article John_Graves@cellbio.duke.edu (John Graves) writes: >In article >kriz@skat.usc.edu (Dennis Kriz) writes: >> So this is a "Second annual letter" to President Bush, to ask for help >> in "returning Christmas to us" > >And this is my first annual plea to President Bush, to ask him to remember >the Christmas message of the angels, that there be "PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD >WILL TOWARDS MEN (AND WOMEN). I'm sorry, but I must disagree. The Christmas message of the angels was (and is): And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. - Luke 2:10-14 That "the true meaning of Christmas" is peace on earth, good will to men (and women) is an increasingly popular sentiment, but one which I (as a Christian) find somewhat distressing. While it is a nice sentiment as far as it goes, it is not by any measure the whole story. It leaves out the crucial and glorious fact (yes, I mean fact) that through Jesus Christ (he whose birth Christians celebrate on Christmas), we can be reconciled with God. As a minor point, I should also point out that other translations render Luke 2:14 something like: "... and on earth peace and good will towards men with whom His favour rests." (This is from memory, don't have anything but King James with me -- it should be about right, though.) So again, the message of the angels is not quite the warm fuzzy that popular culture would like it to be. Regards, A.L. Andrew Lumsdaine "We don't understand the software, and lums@rice-chex.ai.mit.edu sometimes we don't understand the hardware, MIT RLE but we can *see* the blinking lights!"