From: GE.LJB@forsythe.stanford.edu (Louis J Bookbinder)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans
Subject: a small sentiment
Date: 21 Dec 92 04:47:55 GMT
Organization: Stanford University
NNTP-Posting-Host: morrow.stanford.edu

My dearest friends

And lovers. I am sending this to a lot of you, but - you know who you
are!

I was brought up to celebrate Christmas. I love Christmas. I hate the
snow and all those cold images. But I love the music and the lights and
the music and the love and the music and the sharing and the music, and,
well, the music.

We started a tradition in our house of listening to Handel's Messiah.
With a score in one hand. In later years I went to Messiah sing-alongs.
Then, as my life got busier, I stopped, but I always loved it, and still
do.

Allow me.

"There were shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their
flocks by night.

And Lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.

And the Angel said unto them. Fear not: for behold I bring you good
tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying:

GLORY TO GOD, GLORY TO GOD, GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGH(high G)EST,

AND PEACE ON EARTH, GOODWILL TOWARDS MEN.

HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!
FOR THE LORD GOD OMNIPOTENT REIGNETH.
HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!
The kingdom of this world is become
The kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ
And He shall reign forever and ever.
King of kings, and Lord of lords
Forever and ever HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH!
HAL LE LU JAH!

And every time I sing it the joy is limitless!

Now consider: I was born to parents both devout Christian Scientists.
The Jesus story is not something dear to the hearts of C.S.s but my
parents let us enjoy the entire modern mystique. We did.

We learned early that there really was NOT a Santa Claus, but we did not
care too much - Christmas was always joyous, tasty, and, above all,
musical. My brother David became an excellent pianist and the rest took
various amounts of musical training and kept a great deal of it. I sing
and play recorder. Lisa plays cello. Louise took flute for a while. She
married a music teacher.

My brother and I both became estranged from Christian Science, my
brother less comfortably than I. I do not believe in god, of any sort. I
believe in Jesus as a great teacher and perhaps in the same class with
the other prophets. I do NOT argue religion with people. Everyone with
religious beliefs is absolutely RIGHT about their beliefs. So am I.

My father was not born Christian Scientist. His family converted when he
was a teen. Before that they were Jewish. Now I have reached back and
revived some of that jewish tradition. Now I celebrate passover and
Chanukkah. These are important occasions.

Baruch Atah Adonai eloheynu melech haolam asher kid'shanu b'mitsvotav
v'tsivanu l'hadlik neyr shel Hanukkah

Amen.

I do not believe in god. Because this universe is much, much grander
than our petty beliefs in god, limited by our puny minds. What the truth
is, I cannot say. I cannot believe the jumbled mess of conflicting
claims for the gods we have forged in myth and legend. Forget it.

But I AM religious. I believe in SPIRIT. I believe in US, in our
species, not as some kind of super-race, but as an important part of
this spirit of the universe. When I told Liralen "Thou are god", I did
not want to give to her a label so limiting as the traditional beliefs.
Or to us. We are all god. We are all that is, in fact. We are, what we
are. We may someday be very proud of what we are. But we should rejoice
even now. Because we transcend even our own petty imaginings.

And what other species on our world has philosophy, science, art, music,
laughter, love?

My dear friends. This has been a tough year for many of us. We have
found love and joy, and fear and pain and loss. And laughter. We are a
tiny group, certainly only a mote in the vast tapestry of human life. A
flake, in fact :)

But I love you ALL. Some of you more than others. Please do not ever
forget, in this joyous season, or the year round. YOU ARE LOVED.
So

                       Blessed be, unto thee.
      Kindle the lights that others can realize the love we share.
      Forever and ever,
                             GLORY
                             HALLELUJAH!
Nick Chopper - my opinion? ax not! LB>-}  BOOKY@Forsythe.stanford.edu
"STAN?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"