Remember the reason for the season

Editor,

The calendar says it’s December, so according to our belief system, in this artificial, man-made time-table of fixed names and numbers, it’s once again time for all of us to blindly go through the motions and rituals of pretending to celebrate a holiday called Christmas.

Yes, once again it’s time to just temporarily ignore the sadness, division, oppression, injustice, inequality, hypocrisy, greed, deceit, dishonesty, corruption, conflict, hatred, anger, violence and war that so completely surrounds and permeates our broken and hurting world.

It’s time to party and “shop till we drop,” time to go to church and sing some pretty songs, time to put up the tree and hang the garland. Yes indeed, the 2006 Christmas rush is on!

Twenty full centuries have now passed since the very first Christmas and humanity continues to completely misunderstand and malign the true meaning of it all.

We have not yet really heard the message, not learned the lesson of the simple, humble, plain-spoken, street-preaching carpenter from Bethlehem.

How many more centuries must pass before mankind finally grasps, incorporates and begins living the plain and simple Christmas truth of unconditional love of God, of self and of one another?

Kevin L. Clark

Finally got to Florida

Editor,

I was beginning to grow jaded with all the publicity Richard Florida’s lecture was getting in Savannah -- I don’t remember Bill Clinton getting that much ink when he visited earlier this year.

But after reading “Getting to Florida,” your recent interview with him, I “got it.” What touched me was his response to your question about how we’re doing as a nation as far as welcoming and nurturing the creative class to our communities.

Thanks for a great article!

B. Ray

Stop bashing Christians

Editor,

I don’t know why your newspaper likes to take every opportunity to bash Christianity (“Dispatch from the ‘war on Christmas,’” by Linda Sickler).

I myself am a Christian and I used to enjoy reading your magazine every week, but the last issue was rather extreme and insulting. I believe that we are not to judge people or look down on them because of their beliefs, but I feel as though your newspaper has gone to great lengths to alienate me for beliveing the way I do.

I am not judgmental of people. I have friends who are gay and I have friends who are atheist and agnostic and we get along just fine. I don’t judge them and they don’t judge me. I try to keep an open mind about such things and if I personally believe that someone’s soul is in danger I take that out with God in my nightly prayers.

I understand that some people may take things to extremes and be very verbal about their beliefs and I am sorry if any one of you very talented people at Connect Savannah have been judged and ridiculed just for being yourselves. But I am asking that you please don’t force Christians into a corner and belittle us for your misfortunes. 

I was insulted and upset that this was allowed to be published. I guess that I just wanted to let you know that some Christians are not bigots and the most of us are good kind people who just like you want to stand up for what we believe in.

I understand that there is a time and a place for everything. Most of us do. Please just keep this in the back of your mind when you are putting together next week’s issue. I look forward to reading it and I hope you understand my feelings on this.

Merry Christmas... Happy Holidays!

Caitlin Bevill

Editor’s Note: We do understand your feelings, and in the interest of fairness wanted to point out that in the edition prior to the one you’re writing about we ran a positive and well-received story about two local congregations coming together to break down racial barriers (“Mighty Fortress meets megachurch,” Dec. 6). Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you as well!ƒn

Correction

Gretchen Frazier is a fine violist and a wonderful human being, but one thing she is not is chairwoman of the Savannah Choral Sociey, as we strangely indicated in last week’s interview with new director Peter Shannon.

That honor goes to Gretchen Ernest, the actual chairwoman of the Savannah Choral Society. And an excellent one she is.

Connect sincerely apologizes to both Gretchens for the error. We also ask: Wasn't it kind of funny? Just a little bit?ƒnƒç