The birth of the child Jesus similarly evokes the hopeful possibilities of a world that had been conquered by the Roman successors to Greek imperialism. That this child, born in poverty and homelessness and among animals, to parents who would soon flee and become refugees in Egypt, has frequently renewed hope for those who themselves have little grounds to believe that their own suffering will soon end.
Of course, both stories have their limitations too. The regime that the Maccabees created soon turned oppressive to those in the Jewish world who did not accept the stern orthodoxies that the Jewish state created, and some even welcomed Roman rule as an alternative. The Judaism that was so hope-oriented in the centuries of Jewish exile from our homeland has now become trapped in nationalist fervor and justifications for imposing exile or living under Occupation for a significant section of the Palestinian people, ignoring the Torah's command "when you come into your land, do not oppress the stranger (the Other), remember that you were strangers in the land of Egypt." The Christianity that celebrated the birth of that Jewish refugee child Jesus would in later centuries turn against Jews, women, people of color and many others as its practitioners sought to impose their religion by force throughout much of the world. So many American Christians today are willing to turn their backs on the fate of other refugees instead of embracing them in the spirit of love that Jesus represented.
So the bad news is that the world is not yet redeemed, and our religions have at times acted more like the oppressors than like the embodiments of the liberatory humanitarian loving energy they set out to embody. The good news is that there are many people in both of these religions who are capable of reclaiming the hopeful and loving and justice-oriented instincts that were there at the beginning and to create beautiful rituals to embody that energy.
This Chanukah (which begins on Saturday night, December 24th this year) and Christmas can be turned into occasions for the spiritual progressives in these religions to unite, affirm their shared message of hope and insist that all our friends and families stop wallowing in despair and cynicism and instead join us in challenging the forces of fear that have led so many people to embrace militarism and xenophobia. Let them hear the voices of those who raise high the banner of love, kindness, generosity, social and economic justice, environmental sanity and awe and wonder at the grandeur of the universe -- and let that message be prominently and explicitly articulated by YOU, dear reader, throughout this holiday season. It's a spiritual progressive approach -- and you can be a militant atheist, agnostic or secular humanist and still be a spiritual progressive -- you don't have to believe in God or be part of any religious community, you only have to be willing to commit your energies to building a world of love, justice and environmental sanity, and do it with us by reading our vision at www.tikkun.org/covenant and then joining our international movement at www.spiritualprogressives.org/join.
Personally, I'm already hopeful on another front. Executive Director of the Network of Spiritual Progressives Cat Zavis is offering a training for people who want to help transform the dynamics in American society (more info atcat@spiritualprogressives.org) starting in January. And we are both heading to Toronto for a conference of some 20,000 peace-and-justice oriented Muslims at their annual Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference (I've been invited to speak as the only Jewish speaker -- to represent the Jewish people who seek peace rather than domination with Muslims and see them as we see Christians -- namely as our brothers and sisters with whom we must work together for a world of love and justice).
Warm blessings for a happy and spiritually rich Chanukah, Christmas and/or holiday season.
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