Jezebel's Judgmental Christmas Spirit

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When the website is named Jezebel.com, one expects some irreverence and sarcasm. There is a bit of that, but the greater surprise is how closely the headline hits the mark by proclaiming, "Churches Admit They’ve Lost ‘War on Christmas’ by Canceling Christmas Day Services."

I remember my Christmas Eves at church as having an aura of the supernatural. We sat among comrades, not fellow attendees. Upon leaving the warmth of a candlelit sanctuary, the night sky was filled with starlight or snowflakes. Either way, creation was adding its testimony that provision had been made for Peace on Earth. I wanted that legacy for my children too. Each year it got harder to find a church that was committed to a reverent celebration.

2011, with Christmas falling on a Sunday, Jezebel declared, "churches are actually canceling or scaling back services on Sunday so that their parishioners and clergy can spend the day doing more Christmassy things like opening presents, eating, and watching Wal-Mart commercials with The Nutcracker Suite playing in the background." It is far more likely that it was a Proctor & Gamble, automobile, or cell phone ad, but except for that, she was right. Apparently folks don't want to be beleaguered with the effort of worshiping as a community on Christmas.

Jezebel ends her commentary with a pair of emblematic questions. "And if churches aren't really observing their own religion's holidays anymore, can we really call them churches? Wouldn't it be more accurate to just call them Song Singing Judgment Societies and be done with it?"

I will spot her the "Song Singing" part, but beyond that, can someone PLEASE explain to me where the Judgment comes in? From this spot along my rabbit trail, the view is one of Misjudgment, or possibly Lack of Judgment.

Footnotes ♦ Ryan, Erin G. "Churches Admit They've Lost 'War on Christmas' by Canceling Christmas Day Services." Jezebel, 23 Dec. 2011. http://jezebel.com/5870856/churches-admit-theyve-lost-war-on-christmas-by-canceling-christmas-day-services