-------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:08:37 -0800 Subject: Starhawk's Christmas Resolution From: Jan Slakov <•••@••.•••> ------------ from: Starhawk <•••@••.•••> Hi friends, I thought you might want to see the response I¹ve written for the Newsweek/Washington Post On Faith site, to the question below: "The U.S. House of Representatives approved HR 847 (see link below) recognizing the importance of Christianity and Christmas. Would you have voted for this resolution? How would you amend it? http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hr110-847 On Faith can be found at <http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/>. My response should be posted sometime this week and you can join in the discussion. I write for them pretty regularly but don¹t always post my responses to this list. A Pagan¹s Christmas Resolution By Starhawk www.starhawk.org Would I vote for a resolution affirming the importance and contributions of Christmas and Christianity? As my readers may have noted, I¹m a Pagan, but I¹d vote for such a resolution‹heck, I¹d even introduce it, if it went like this: ³Whereas Christians and Christianity are of undeniable importance in the world and the foundation of this country, in respect for his example and story at this time of year we make the following statements: ³Whereas Jesus Christ was born in a stable because his parents could not find shelter, and whereas in the last weeks we as a nation have allowed the destruction of the last remaining housing for the poor in New Orleans, and whereas our streets are full of the cold and the homeless, we repent of our policies and in his memory commit to housing all who wander without a roof or a welcome in our cities and our towns. ³Whereas Christ was born among the poor, lived and preached to the poor, we repent of the selfishness and shortsightedness that has failed to provide for all of our children, and commit ourselves to provide health care for all children and for all of the poor. ³Whereas Christ commanded us to Œlove our neighbors as ourselves¹ we repent of the walls we have drawn across borders, the deaths of those who have tried to cross the deserts in search of a better life, the wall we have supported that cleaves the Holy Land itself in two and confiscates the farmland of the Palestinians, cleaves villages in two, and stands as a lasting monument to our failure to achieve peace, and we commit ourselves to establish justice which alone can provide true security. ³Whereas Christ has been called the Prince of Peace, we repent of our eagerness to use war and violence as the answer to every international situation, of the horrific and destructive war we have waged in Iraq which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, and we commit ourselves to a withdrawal of our armies, to a new foreign policy based on the building of relationships, not the bombing of children, and to fostering and nurturing peace.² Anything less is just a bunch of empty words, and real Christians must be cringing at the hypocrisy. If I may quote Jackson Browne¹s beautiful song, The Rebel Jesus: ³Now pardon me if I have seemed To take the tone of judgment For I've no wish to come between This day and your enjoyment In a life of hardship and of earthly toil There's a need for anything that frees us So I bid you pleasure And I bid you cheer From a heathen and a Pagan On the side of the rebel Jesus.² As light is born out of darkness, may hope, love and compassion be kindled this season, Starhawk This post has been sent to you from •••@••.•••. This is an announce-only listserve that allows Starhawk to post her writings occasionally to those who wish to receive them. To subscribe to this list, send an email to •••@••.•••. To unsubscribe, send an email to •••@••.•••. Starhawk is a lifelong activist in peace and global justice movements, a leader in the feminist and earth-based spirituality movements, author or coauthor of ten books, including The Spiral Dance, The Fifth Sacred Thing, Webs of Power: Notes from the Global Uprising, and her latest, The Earth Path. Starhawk's website is http://www.starhawk.org, and more of her writings and information on her schedule and activities can be found there. -- -------------------------------------------------------- Posting archives: http://cyberjournal.org/show_archives/?lists=newslog Escaping the Matrix website: http://escapingthematrix.org/ cyberjournal website: http://cyberjournal.org How We the People can change the world: http://governourselves.blogspot.com/ Community Democracy Framework: http://cyberjournal.org/DemocracyFramework.html Moderator: •••@••.••• (comments welcome)
