In Response to a Forwarded E-Mail

I got an e-mail about the outrage of a holiday stamp not reflecting Christmas. Here are my thoughts:

Why would anyone not of the [a certain] faith buy this stamp anyway? I don’t think a BOYCOTT is needed. I think to list “Remember...[a list of tragedies credited to a certain group]” creates fear and anger and distracts us from Christ’s direction to love our neighbors and our enemies. Plus, this e-mail is focused against extremists, which is unfair and breeds hate, again, not a virtue Christ calls us to seek. And the whole “Remember...” thing...that has nothing to do with forgiveness modeled by my Savior, the ultimate Ruler of the universe and beyond.

[The e-mail stated, "They don't even believe in Christ and they're getting their own Christmas stamp, but don't dream of posting the ten commandments on federal property?"]

[The e-mail also stated to pass the e-mail along to every Christian and patriotic American. It also made the statement] Religious holidays have nothing to do with patriotism in my mind. And regarding the connection to the 10 commandments in public schools or wherever. Whoever wrote that does not understand the separation of church and state concept accurately, which really does serve believers well. Nor are the 10 commandments the main focus or the magic bullet of Christianity and getting morality into culture. The state cannot endorse a religion, so posting the 10 commandments in a school where children are required to attend is a violation of that premise. However, purchasing a stamp is purely preferential and optional, so it is not an endorsement of anything. Probably just a marketing idea.

The Kingdom of God does not have political borders. All are invited. Christ died to save us all. It we concentrate on drawing divisive lines on things as small and unimportant as a stamp purchase, we are ignoring a greater call.

I read some background on the stamp from the US Postal Service. It is interesting. I found the explanation of the festivals interesting. I’m not going to give this much more thought than that. I wish everyone believed in Christ, but a stamp is not a roadblock to that.

And by the way, who calls this a “new Christmas stamp” as stated in the Subject line of the e-mail? That’s kinda funny. It isn’t a Christmas stamp. It is a holiday stamp for another faith group. They probably don’t buy our Christmas stamps. I wonder if they send around similar e-mails.