A time of goodwill - to ourselves.

The solstice has passed and the days will now lengthen and so we move into the religious festival of Xmas. I do wonder though how this farrago is religious - in what sense? It would be an alien with amazing insight who could, on observing the earthly observation of the Xmas festivities, determine a religious core to this wild spending spree, this orgy of self indulgence.

Our notional alien, assuming he could comprehend the purpose of religion in the first place, and assuming that he could unpick enough of the conflicting theologies that comprise a "Xtian" mindset would surely marvel at the amount of self that the festival engenders. Was it ever otherwise?

The Jews, who gave the world The Christ and deny him now and for all time control his birthplace with a ten metre fence and, in this eason of goodwill to all men (including Arabs and Gentiles) open a small gate in that fence for a few days to let believers glimse Bethlehem. Jerusalem, where the young Christ taught is a city divided and fought over by religious sects. More than 2 thousand years after the coming of the "saviour" how much closer to salvation is mankind? Closer this year than last?

If our alien were to measure by results methinks he would judge the whole religious experiment a failure past salvation. We are our own salvation and looking elsewhere is an historically proven error. Look not to Xmas to make the world a better place for mankind. Look only to yourself. You are the only one who can make a difference.