https://youtubetranscript.com/?v=xcUqgqvQlPw
So like me, you’ve probably heard several times this notion that so many of our Christian traditions, including the Christmas tree, has a pagan origin. Either that or they’ll say that it’s recent, that it’s not very ancient. It doesn’t really matter. All of these are strategies to somehow, you know, get some attention for discrediting the Christian tradition. But what’s important to understand if you look at it in the right way is that the mechanical reasons why a tradition becomes important. Sometimes it matters. Sometimes there’s a reason why we… It’s important to track, let’s say, the historical or, let’s say, mechanical way in which something comes into our lives. But sometimes it isn’t. What’s important is rather… You know what? You can almost see it in a Darwinian sense. So imagine it this way. Imagine that the world, imagine that people have all these different variations on how to do things. Even in terms of the Christmas tree, there are all these different types of Christmas trees. Every Christmas tree is different. And it’s the same for all these different traditions we use to celebrate Christmas or to celebrate anything. All these different variations and possibilities of what can happen. Now, what’s important is not so much that variation. Yes, that’s important. But what’s mostly important is understanding what is it that selects. That is, there are all these different traditions that pagans had before Christians. Why is it that Christianity selected some of these traditions rather than others? That’s a template for all of how things work in general. That is, the reason why we do certain things. What’s important is not so much… Let’s say, for example, someone will say, it’s silly that we clink glasses together because what that comes from in the Middle Ages, they used to do that so that the alcohol would mix together. And if you were trying to poison someone, we’d all poison each other. So it was a way to make sure we’re not poisoning each other. And then they’ll say, well, it’s silly that we would do that today because look at how dumb the origin of it is. But the reality is that there were plenty of other traditions like that in that time. But for some reason, that tradition survived until now. It was selected to continue on. The reason is because it fits in with a pattern. And so it fits in with the pattern of coming together. It’s not very hard to understand. We all are drinking different things and we bring them all together. We put them together. We touch them together to show that we’re in relationship, that we’re in communion. Then we bring them back to drink. It’s a very elaborate version of a hug or a kiss where you come together with the person in front of you to show your solidarity. And then you go back on your own. And so what’s important is rather to understand the reason why things are selected. And in that reason, that’s where we can see the pattern.