Merry Christmas

By Karen Bellenir

Photo by Gareth Harper on Unsplash

“Merry Christmas!” is a traditional greeting heard on many lips this time of year. I, myself, offer it to family, friends, and even casual acquaintances as often as I might say “Good morning!” at other times of the year.

At one point in my life, I worried that people who celebrated other things might be offended. I changed my mind more than a decade ago. It happened like this: While walking down a street on the day of the summer solstice, a young woman greeted me with, “Happy Solstice!” I was aware of the solstice from an astronomical perspective, but the concept of celebrating it as a holiday was new to me. Her cheer left me smiling. It was not offensive. I resolved to offer my own future greetings based on the happiness I was experiencing and simply let the receiver translate the good wishes into his or her own idiom.

In recent years, however, it seems that some of my fellow Christians have decided to don the mantle of the offended. Appeals to remember the reason for the season or to put Christ back into Christmas began to be shouted, not in joy but in anger. I’d like to pause for a brief reflection on two common salutations heard this time of year nearly as often as “Merry Christmas!”

“Happy Holidays!” covers a broad spectrum. Within the Christian cycle of celebrations there’s more than just Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. Saint Nicholas Day, December 6, honors the fourth century Bishop of Myra. Stories regarding his gift giving played a role in the development of traditions surrounding Sinterklaas in Danish speaking countries, Father Christmas in England, and Santa Claus in the United States. Saint Lucy’s (Lucia) Day on December 13 honors a third-century martyr remembered for the gifts of food and candles she brought to early Christians hiding from persecution. Saint Stephen’s Day, December 26, remembers the first Christian martyr, whose official duties included distributing alms to widows. Holy Innocents Day, a solemn observance on December 28, commemorates the young children who were ordered killed by King Herod during his attempt to murder the infant Jesus. And, there’s also Epiphany, celebrated on January 6 (in western traditions), marking the arrival of the three Wise Men who showed up in Bethlehem with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

In addition, a number of celebrations are associated with other faith-based and secular communities. Among Jewish people, the eight-day festival of Hanukkah remembers a miracle that enabled the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. Among Buddhist people, Bodhi Day honors Sidhartha Gautama and his attainment of enlightenment. Kwanzaa is a cultural observance, celebrated from December 26 until January 1, honoring the African heritage of African-American people. It emphasizes seven principles: Unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Furthermore, nearly every culture around the world celebrates the changing of the year at New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Although the details vary and some calendars turn on dates other than December 31 and January 1, folks remember days gone by and anticipate better times to come.

As for “Season’s Greetings,” the roster of celebrated seasons comprises a wide-ranging list. On the Christian calendar, noted seasons include Advent (the four weeks before Christmas), Christmas itself (not merely a day, but a short season comprised of 12 days), and Epiphany, which begins on its namesake day and stretches until Ash Wednesday, which ushers in the Lenten season leading to Easter. 

Some people celebrate Yule, a festive stretch of days beginning with the winter solstice and lasting until New Year’s Day. Some observe a season of gratitude, giving, and renewal beginning with Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and extending until New Year’s Day. Some observe the winter, enjoying its weather and the human touches intended to bring cheer to cold and dark places.

So this holiday season, however you define it, please don’t join the grumblefest over which greetings our neighbors choose. Instead, I invite you to simply enjoy all the reasons people celebrate. In that spirit, I’d like to offer Season’s Greetings, wish you Happy Holidays, and hope that your Merry Christmas is truly blessed.

[December 7, 2018; from the author’s newspaper column, which appears monthly in the Farmville Hearld.]

Why Are There so Many Different Bible Translations

Contemporary English speakers can choose from among dozens of modern Bible translations, but this great diversity leaves many people feeling confused about the nature of the differences. Which Good Book? An Impartial Guide to Choosing a Bible Translation, by Karen A. Bellenir, provides readers with an interactive experience that enables them to identify which translations of the Bible are best suited to their needs.

Unlike other guides that lead readers to predetermined outcomes, Bellenir crafted Which Good Book? to offer impartial information and a broad spectrum of choices. Explanatory sections use clear, everyday language to describe the various ways translators have handled challenges such as these:

• Selecting source documents that best represent the original writings

• Identifying the specific roster of books deemed authoritative

• Balancing word-for-word versus thought-for-thought translational philosophies

• Handling gender-related expressions

• Including notes, commentary, and other supplementary material

• Achieving a desired literary style or reading level

Questions and interactive links allow readers to take their own path through the text by focusing on the issues they feel are most important.  Their choices lead to specific suggestions drawn from a list of thirty-one of the most commonly available Bible translations in English. In addition, facts are included about twenty other historically important and specialty Bibles. A concluding section of references and resources provides a starting point for people who want to dig more deeply into the history of Bible translation.

Ultimately, the best Bible translation is the one someone actually uses. Which Good Book? is designed to help match readers with the translations they are most likely to read and appreciate.

The Valuation Game

by Karen Bellenir

A recent post making its rounds on social media was probably supposed to be motivational. I found its conclusions disturbing.

According to the post, a bar of iron had a value of five dollars. It didn’t specify the type of iron, the size of the bar, or its condition, so there’s no way to confirm the truth of this foundational assessment. It then went on to compare the prices of items that could be made with the iron. Horseshoes, it claimed, were worth a little more than double the cost of the iron. It then talked about needles, although I’m not sure whether sewing needles or syringes were intended. The post claimed that these converted the five dollars’ worth of raw iron into something valued in the thousands of dollars. After this, it discussed an intricate component in the mechanism that enables mechanical watches to keep time. Using the iron in this way, the post claimed, increased the material’s value into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The post concluded, therefore, that a person’s value was based on what that person made of him- or herself.

The post’s creator apparently failed to consider that none of the items into which the raw material could be processed achieved the end results by themselves. All of the examples given were fabricated from various grades of steel, and the manufacturing processes required differed significantly. The horseshoes may have been handcrafted by a blacksmith or a ferrier. The needles, whether for stitching fabric or piercing skin, required complex machinery and multiple production steps. As for watch components, the post’s pricing claims specified balance springs. A balance spring is part of the oscillating unit used to track time in mechanical watches. I did some looking around on the internet to see how these small, delicate components were made. Monochrome, a magazine focused on high-end watches, says the process blends manual craftsmanship with high-tech, precision industrial processes. Making the wire used in crafting the springs takes about two weeks. After that, the wire must be shaped, cut, coiled, heat-treated, and pressed.

The logic presented in this social media post inspired me to consider several things, although my own conclusions may be at odds with what the post’s creator expected.

First, I thought about a variety of people I know in various circumstances. I realized that people don’t become who they are by themselves. Each individual possesses a unique set of advantages and disadvantages. People are born into different families, into distinctive situations, and into diverse communities. They attend schools with peers who express assorted cultural expectations, and they learn under the guidance of teachers with varying abilities and resources. Life experiences shape people’s aspirations, and opportunity opens and shuts dissimilar sets of doors.

 More than this, ascribing a dollar amount as the only arbitrator of value seemed to ignore the requirements of unrelated situations. An equestrian on a mount in need of a shoe would likely not prefer a precisely balanced watch component, despite its greater cost. Similarly, a person who relied on insulin injections would be poorly served by even the most handsomely crafted horseshoe. All of the items mentioned by the post served within specific, noninterchangeable realms of need. People, I have learned, are not interchangeable.

Additionally, I reacted negatively to the idea that people had value only to the extent that their achievements could be totaled on a balance sheet. I found myself reminded of the biblical principal that all people are created by God and in God’s image. I felt challenged to look for the uniqueness of each individual person I encountered, and I discovered that when I looked with more spiritually informed eyes, I admired the strength with which people have faced many challenges.

The social media post I saw had been shared tens of thousands of times and had received hundreds of likes, although happily, it did have a few dissenters. I hope you will join me in saying “no” to the flawed logic that measures us against each other, and that together we can join in a mission to see each person as a unique individual of matchless value.

[September 7, 2018; from the author’s newspaper column, which appears monthly in the Farmville Hearld.]