THAT there are conflicts in every religion on earth would be an understatement, yet to not address those close to home would be to just allow the stagnant pool to ferment and discharge its dangerous spawn, to the detriment of our mental and symbolic consciousness. To do nothing would render us, in the face of religious ignorance and its legions of tricksters, mere hypocrites and procrastinators. Christmas, Christianity and their conflicts all revolve around the narrative of the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In fact, these names don’t even sound like Hebrew names. However, it is the drama of this young man, ‘Jesus’ whose revolutionary utterances challenged the religious status quo of his land, and the pretentious doctrines that were sustained by the perennial survivors, embodied at that moment in time by the Pharisees.
Though we cannot say if everything that was allotted to Jesus did occur and how much was embellished, what we do know is that this was a new philosophy; a new way of engaging each other.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” was not a common way of doing business in the old world; nor is it in our new world.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”; that assertion that instructs us to contemplate the redemption of the soul in those we are ready to hasten to the doors of oblivion, has not yet reached home in its full understanding today.
And the most profound revelation of all, “Look not for signs and an observation, for the Kingdom of Heaven is within you…” Yep! The ball is, and always was, in your court!

ANNO DOMINI
Jesus the Christ lived almost 1,700 years before the first slave ship brought many of our ancestors into the New World, and about 900 years before Rome adopted the teachings of the Christ and invented Byzantine Christianity.
The first nations to become followers of his doctrine were most likely the Ethiopians [Aksum-Kush], because they saw in his teachings semblances of older doctrines of their belief systems.
The disillusionment for many of us among the New World’s disenfranchised emerged in the 19th Century with the forced mutation of the Bible to justify African slavery, and with its reconstruction of the ethnicity of Biblical populations, including Jesus and his villagers, into Europeans through paintings, the art of children’s books and movies that still persists today as a more subliminal intellectual method of racism.
Though the fact is, the first peoples to be smothered and persecuted by Christianity were the landless peasant classes of Europe by the Church exalted nobilities; and the first to be exterminated were the European sects that had embraced Christ’s teachings but disagreed with Rome’s adjustments. Those systems, tried and proven against European populations, were transplanted to the Plantations.
All this might seem confusing if you haven’t explored it before; but if you do, a lot of inner confusion can be put to rest, a nd a better understanding of religion, the history of the old world and the debate with Science will most likely be interesting incentives.

THE CHRISTMAS STORY
Whether we celebrate Christmas as the literal or symbolic birth of Christ, the concepts Hollywood has defined as The Greatest Story ever told [that originally began as a radio series in 1947] has changed the world, stirred the imagination of peoples with justifications for oppression, and by the same token the logical interpretations for salvation and forgiveness.
Positive words do carry a significant and healing effect when expressed with sincerity. Over the next few days, we will use such expressions as “All the best!” “Peace and Goodwill to all!” “Best wishes!” “Have a wonderful…!” as the spirit of Christmas envelopes us.
Both good and bad people will give gifts, some to atone for a past year of trickery and trampling on “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, in the interest of self, while some will share because they are compelled to by the needs of the obvious less fortunate, and the fact that they can extend a little of themselves.
We humans need a celebration that can invoke in us sinners of greater and lesser transgressions a compulsion to do better. Strange enough, a Christ-like personality is recorded on every continent among every people, proving that we don’t know everything about the forces that inspire, and are expressive in the collective organism of human-kind.
But what is evident on Plantation Guyana is that the overpowering Biblical imagery mentioned above has fragmented the core of the self esteem of many who are unaware of its damage.

THE CONTRADICTIONS
Some years ago I was paralyzed with disbelief as a female pastor- person on Channel 9 [on a paid programme] emphasised that the Afro-Guyanese community should be thankful for slavery as it had brought us to Christ.
Then the goodly Bishop Edgill assured us that if Christ was on earth today, he would have joined the PPP.
Whether arrogant ignorance with the former, and the gross hypocrisy of a deceitful earthbound soul playing with religion with the latter, they are not alone; ‘they’ are legion, and our indifference makes it worse. That’s why I have crafted this article.
As we enjoy the season over the weekend, what is real will be taking the time out to communicate with friends and family across the planet, as we embrace those close to us and contemplate where our contribution will be directed towards helping to change what has gone wrong, within and without.