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Old 12-15-2015, 04:17 PM   #1
MikeWaters
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Default Dallin H. Oaks on Christmas cards

From his FB page:

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A few years ago, I analyzed the Christmas cards I received at my office and home. There were many, so this was not a small sample. Significantly, my sample was biased toward religious images and words by the fact that most of the cards were sent by fellow leaders or members of my faith.

I sorted the cards I received into three groups. In the first group I put the traditional cards—those with an overt mention of Christ and/or pictures evocative of the birth of the Savior. Only 24 percent of the cards I received were of this traditional character.

In the second group were those cards whose pictures and visuals were not at all religious, but they did have the words “Merry Christmas” to identify the religious origin of the holiday. This was the largest group—47 percent.

In the third group—comprising 29 percent of the cards I received—there was no mention of Christ or Christmas and no religious visuals at all. These cards had words like “Season’s Greetings,” “Happy Holidays,” “Peace in the New Year,” or “Peace and Beauty of the Season.” A few were so daring as to refer to “Peace on Earth” or “Faith, Hope, and Love,” but none had any pictures suggestive of religion.

For Latter-day Saints, Christmas should be a time to celebrate the birth of the Son of God and also to remember His teachings. In reality, His life has had greater impact on every part of this world and its history than any life ever lived. His gifts to us are the greatest gifts ever given—the assurance of immortality and the opportunity for eternal life. Those are the gifts we should celebrate at this and every Christmas.
What does this mean? Are we to read between the lines here?

Do we send Christmas cards to our Jewish friends?

I just don't get it. I guess I'm not inspired.
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Old 12-15-2015, 04:23 PM   #2
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I don't think Christians should apologize about Christmas.

No more than folks in Turkey ought to apologize about Ramadan.

So something like "Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays" should cover everything.
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Old 12-15-2015, 08:51 PM   #3
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I like Elder Oaks, but he can be pretty dry. I think he means well. I think all he's really saying is encouraging LDS to think about Christ. For the record, I don't care much about what's on Christmas cards either way. But I will say that the purely secular Christmas songs about things like winter wonderlands and reindeer do nothing for me. But I do really like some of the religious ones.
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Old 12-15-2015, 09:01 PM   #4
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Probably better not to know what these guys are like, in terms of personality. The way we carp and judge.

Btw, I don't think one has to have much in the way of personality to do a good job in administration and church leadership. Look at Mitt Romney.
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Old 12-23-2015, 06:25 PM   #5
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As I view our recent history, I conclude that religious observances of the birth and mission of the Savior have evolved from Christ-centered observances into an elaborate commercial holiday of gift-giving. In the public square, the focus on worldly gifts has gradually and now almost decisively overshadowed the religious aspects of the Christmas holiday.

As Latter-day Saints, we are uniquely qualified to celebrate the mission of Jesus Christ throughout the year. We have the gift of the Holy Ghost, whose mission is to testify of the Father and the Son. For that reason, we have a duty to testify like the shepherds, who, “when they had seen [what the angels described], they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child” (Luke 2:17).

We know whom we seek and we know why. We are children of a Father in Heaven who declared, “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). And our Savior—the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Lord God of Israel—is fundamental to that work and that glory.

The gifts that Christ gives us are the greatest gifts ever given—the assurance of immortality, the availability of strength and succor for the challenges of mortal life, and, most gloriously, the opportunity for eternal life, “the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7). Those are the gifts we should celebrate at this and every Christmas.
Dichotomy. It's either gifts OR Christ. You can't have both.

A family in my ward did this. They didn't have any gifts for their kids for Christmas. They just did charitable efforts. Maybe this tradition should spread. If you are a Mormon kid, you get no kids for Christmas.

:|

How could we improve bringing Christ into Christmas? How about a Christmas eve mass? Or a Christmas mass?

Sorry we don't do that. That's the time we do Christmas gifts. :|
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Old 12-23-2015, 06:47 PM   #6
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I just feel like there is a big cloud of negativity sitting over the church. Of grumpiness. And dourness.

If for just a second we get a reprieve from that in an Utchdorf talk we sing praises to God. Or when we recollect Gordon B. Hinckley's messages of optimism.

"Gays are destroying The Family and all of existence." It's just a message that doesn't resonate with optimism. And many would argue, doesn't resonate with the reality of their day to day experience with gay family members, friends, and colleagues.
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Old 12-23-2015, 07:52 PM   #7
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Here is D.F. Utchdorf's Christmas FB message:

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At Christmastime, let us turn our hearts to the Savior and to our families. As we celebrate this season of joy, we will do well to remember that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the real source of true happiness.

This Christmas, I ask all of us to give profound and heartfelt thanks to our Father in Heaven for the gift of His Son—our Savior. Let us find opportunities to spend meaningful time with our families and other loved ones. As you and I do this, we will feel the true and lasting spirit of Christmas.

From my family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, or Fröhliche Weihnachten!
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