I had awakened early. Far too early. 4:40 a.m. early. And laying in bed for three hours waiting for the alarm to go off was not an option. So I tucked my pillow under my arm, tiptoed out of the bedroom, and nestled into the cushions of our couch. It was raining, drips and drops squiggling down the window panes. I followed a few drops for several minutes and rubbed the small bump where Baby Barmer is growing, thinking the glow of Christmas tree lights in the reflection along with the sound of pattering rain would put me to sleep. No luck.

So around 6 o’clock I turned on the TV. As I flipped through infomercials and predawn local news, I happened upon Fox and Friends just as they introduced Dan Barker of the Freedom from Religion Foundation. He was joyfully explaining why his group had recently posted a sign at a nativity scene at the Washington State Capitol that read in part, “There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world.”

As Dan discussed the issue with Catholic League President Bill Donahue (was this guy really the best opposing viewpoint they could find?), he labeled the nativity scene as “hate speech” and a “direct attack on good human values.”

I muted the TV after the short and heated exchange and thought about the nativity as hate speech. As I searched my heart and mind, rifled through a vast history of memories and experiences, and considered my own journey of belief and doubt, I realized that I had no paradigm for Barker’s brand of reasoning.

“The nativity as hate speech?” I instinctively reached for my growing belly, silently apologizing to my baby for this world, and listened to the rain splat harder. Certainly, the religion of Christianity has made vast errors in judgment throughout its 2,000 year history. No one can argue with that. We followers of Christ can get it way wrong. I never fault anyone for being frustrated with Christians – I’m frustrated with them most of the time myself.

However, throughout the history of all space and time, the only message God has ever sent us has been a message of love. A message of grace. A message of mercy. A message of redemption. He is endlessly sending us gospels of love. In mountain streams and mountain peaks. In wildflowers and wild seas. In unknown universes and in the grains of sand. In a kiss, a laugh, a tear, a sigh. For all the hate in the heart of humanity, I am convinced that the God of the universe is madly in love with us.

And the nativity is just one of our reminders. A soft December rain on a sleepless morning is a good reminder, too. So is the heartbeat of life inside a mother’s womb.

Tags: agnostic, atheist, christmas, Dan Barker, Freedom from Religion Foundation, God, nativity, religion  |  Posted under life stuff  |    4 Comments