CARLTON FLETCHER: When consumerism challenges faith

You gotta have faith-a-faith-a-faith.

— George Michael

I’ve encountered people over the years who practice non-Christian religions or atheists who claim no religion at all, and they’ve asked me a question that’s always kind of perplexed me.

“Why,” they ask, “do people who claim the Christian religion celebrate three of the most significant experiences of their faith — the birth, death and resurrection of their chosen Savior — with cutesy emblems that in no way espouse the tenets of their faith?”

My initial reaction has always been, “Hey, you don’t talk about Santa Claus, any of his reindeer or elves, and you don’t dis the Easter bunny or his capacity to deliver candy and other goodies in front of me, Buster.”

But as I’ve quietly pondered the significance of today — actually the one significant event that justifies the faith practiced by tens of millions of people worldwide — I have given the queries of non-Christians a good deal of thought.

Judging by the proliferation of ad campaigns and the non-religious events planned to celebrate the Easter season, those who know little about the Christian faith would indeed have a difficult time figuring out just what it is its practitioners are celebrating. Forget the Easter bunny and other such fun practices, just what the heck do spring and/or Easter sales — or Black Friday or Cyber Monday or any of the other Christmas shopping extravaganzas — have to do with the birth, gruesome death and resurrection of Jesus?

Sadly, it’s becoming more and more apparent that holidays that might lend themselves to more solemn and contemplative celebrations are becoming paeans to consumerism. And that, perhaps more than any other factor, is the reason today’s churches are “losing” their membership to fad and fly-by-night “religions” that are based more on convenience than any sense of conviction.

No, I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s Easter egg hunts or Easter basket bonanzas — or even your Easter parade, if they still have those. Nor am I implying that waking up on Christmas morning to see what Santa left behind is in any way a bad thing. I’m just saying that in modern-day America, it’s getting much more difficult to experience the solemnity and significance of these holy days when the competition is a hollow, 3-foot chocolate bunny or a sleigh loaded down with goodies.

And I’m certainly not trying to tell anyone how to practice their faith. That’s another one of the things that, I believe, is alienating would-be converts, zealots — be they ordained ministers or lay people — assuring any who will listen that they have all the answers and that any who fail to follow them are condemned to an eternity of damnation. Sorry, Rev. Righteous, I haven’t met any man, nor have I heard of one, who has all the answers to life’s mysteries. Your assurances notwithstanding, I generally will summarily dismiss anyone who claims to know the mind of a Supreme Being capable of creating a whole complex universe.

People get touchy when you talk about religion. I get that. But just like topics such as race, politics, taxes, abortion and gender issues, a healthy discussion is not a bad thing. Only thing is, a discussion is a two- — or many- — way street. And just because someone’s philosophy or beliefs differ from yours doesn’t mean they’re in any way evil, stupid, damned or — and this is the biggie — wrong.

The sharing of ideas is how positive change takes place. Sadly, so many people don’t get that there is a give-and-take to sharing, that if you expect someone to listen to your ideas, you should be willing to give them the same courtesy.

I’m never sure about a whole lot of things, but when it comes to civil and meaningful discussion, I’m positive that’s something Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, Joseph Smith, Elijah, Santa Claus and the Easter bunny all would support.

Contact Carlton Fletcher at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ABH_Fletcher.