Jesus is the whole reason for Christmas and for
the season that many Christians celebrate with
Christmas and many other trees and fun for all of our young and new Christians.

To anyone Not familiar with Religion and Spirituality, in China, who are also Christians - shame on you if you don't know what is happening in China. Actually, where have you been?

Every since students protested in public squares all across China there has been a major growth of a new, powerful sect of Christians - some 200 Million on them all over China. The one student standing in front of the tank may have expressed it best when he said that, "I want to thank who ever it was that made it possible for me to receive, unchanged in anyway (via low- cost secure FAX communications) a single page of the "Christian BIBLE" which I used today for my inspiration to stand-up to certain death - that big tank!" [Note: I was one of that select group - for I was the principal author of the Carterfone - II decision which was resolved in Federal Court by Judge Harold Greene. This case and decision caused giant AT&T to divest itself of Bell Labs and all of the Baby Bell Operating companies and led to open access of public (not AT&T) telephone lines. No government or private concern (to date) owns the public access (especially due to cellular satellite communications) and thus everyone everywhere has the right to private communications - whether they are encrypted or not.

Anyway, as we all know, no one people loves to honor our Creator, his son (Jesus OF NAZARETH; son of Mary and Joseph) and the Great 'HOLY' Spirit any more than we Christians do.

We always welcome and cherish all new believers - everywhere. With only 200 million of perhaps 2 billion souls in China Christians - now; there is much room to provide teaching mores, to share heritage(s), to teach the "word", to love our neighbors, and to have the peace that passes all understanding.

May the God of your personal understanding bless each of you - one and all as we enter our period to celebrate all Christian and other believers in the Creator. And, if you are not blessed, I sure that our Creator will increase my covering to protect and keep you during these trying times.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Reverend Dr. Ron Manclaw, Senior Chaplain
UB - Open Door Ministry; and Elected Sr. Ch.
HIV/AIDS Pastoral Care Network - Worldwide
http://www.opendoorministry.com
2180 NW 18th Avenue; Suite A-6
Pompano Beach, FL (USA) 33069-1320

P.S. China has nothing to replace and everything to gain by showing respect and to able to enjoy honoring our Creator, our personal savior and the
holy ghost that is in us and around us Christians.

Who cares what the liberal "zealot" thinks. This is a perfect example of democracy in action: Let the People, Yes! decide. If they don't want the trees, HD won't sell any; if they like the trees, they'll enjoy a new thing. Now what's the harm in giving the People,Yes! a choice.

Amen

Dr. , Rev, etc etc

Show me book chapter and verse where Jesus was born on Christmas Day. And the history of Christmas..... where it began from the birth of Jesus. From what i read it was a pagan holy day of worshipping idols.
Yes I agree that China needs God, but why do you associate everything from the history of the candy cane, the birth of Christ, etc. to the holiday of Christmas?

Have you actually BEEN to China? It's dangerous to try to worship there. Let alone speak about the Bible. My husband is the sole support for our family and when he goes to China he does not go to find a place to worship in. There are no churches and they do not welcome God. You have to find a "church house" where they secretly practice.

What the hell? Has the writer ever been to China? They got Xmas decorations and stuff like that all over the malls by Thanksgiving. Only some country bumpkin doesn't know what the tree is supposed to be.

FACT: You will see more signs that say "Merry Christmas" in Chinese stores than you will see in American stores. Would a Wal-Mart hang a gigantic Merry Christmas neon sign above their stores? In China, one of their competitors, Fu-Mart, did just that. (That was in a heavily Christian city and I saw it first hand, I don't know if they did it all over the country.)

Christmas is a retail holiday in China as well. Chinese retailers want to sell more goods and they know how much gift giving goes on at Christmas.

It is also a Christian holiday for the millions of Christians there. Although religion is not encouraged, and Catholic Bishops are sometimes imprisoned because they are in communion with Rome, not the State Church, people are also open about their religion. I met many Chinese people who are Christian, and had foreign friends who attended mass at Catholic and Protestant churches on Sundays.

ARF is right, the guy who didn't know what it was is probably a migrant worker from the countryside.