Jacques Review

DISCUSSING HAITIAN ADVENTISM AND CHRISTMAS opens up a forum for a wider conversation on how this religious community views and approaches what it typically categorizes as secular festivities of pagan origin. Highlighting Christmas has more to do with the time of these reflections as opposed to the holiday being of some greater degree of secularization than others. I can easily talk about Easter and Thanksgiving but the general ideas shared below would be applicable to all.

As I have articulated elsewhere, seeing that I’m of the North American Haitian Seventh-day Adventist church (NAHSDAC) community, my reflections are limited to what is observed and understood about that group. While the church in Haiti, and other ethnic groups under the same denominational umbrella, may be similar, I would be speaking with a great deal of assumptions if I didn’t specify.

While I left out a good bit in my Growing up Haitian SDA article because they either didn’t happen or weren’t of significance in other for one to see the big picture being painted, I did manage to leave out my experience within this faith community in relation to Christmas and other holidays. In comparison to other North-American Christian groups that celebrate Christmas and Easter, and reference these on their pulpits, including North-American English speaking Seventh-day Adventist African-American and Caucasian churches, we didn’t.

To this day, NAHSDAC will not be heard referencing Christmas or Easter (or what have you) unless, of course, it is in the context of harsh and bitter criticism. To be more accurate, I’ve heard these criticisms much more out of the mouths of laymen as opposed to the clergy. Since any attempts at correcting were non-existent on the part of the pastors, I generally assumed that there was a general consensus within (at least) our ethnic group that the criticisms were correct in being made public and fair in terms of severity.

This, of course, did not deter what I experienced growing up at home. Our Christmas, up to a certain age, came the same as what was expected in homes all across the jolly nation. We had a Christmas tree with gifts under it. We didn’t for once imagine that Santa had anything to do with gifts. In fact, I can’t recall ever hearing the mention of the man at home. There were no signs of a large size man having made his way through our living room. We didn’t even have the traditional chimney that he is often depicted as making his way down through.

I remember one Christmas when my mother’s cousin stopped by with a large box. Inside this box, which I can’t picture now, was a large mountain. The mountain was meant to be a battleground for soldiers to wage war on. It came accompanied with tons of army figurines to position on various levels from which we were to imagine that they would be shooting from. There was so much excitement as we (my brothers and I) quickly started the process of setting up and commencing the greatest battle of the period.

That’s about as far back as my recollection of celebrating Christmas goes. No sing-alongs, no outings, and no special family shoots in pajamas. The house wasn’t adorned with the electricity bill increasing light wires. It was just the tree and gifts. Naturally, we loved it. What child wouldn’t? At some point, it ended. I can’t seem to pinpoint when but I didn’t mind. Nor was I in a state of disappointment. I haven’t celebrated Christmas to that extent since and I feel perfectly fine about it.

Outside of NAHSDAC, I witnessed the celebration of Christmas by almost all other ethnic groups within the denomination. The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (generally referred to by members as the GC), has never spoken disapprovingly of the celebration. Ted Wilson, the current president, when asked whether or not Christmas should be celebrated, opted to cite one of the founding members articulating the view that the focus of Christmas should be on helping those less fortunate.

While this general consensus of sorts exists, NAHSDAC doesn’t subscribe to it. There is the general issue of most laymen not keeping up with the general declarations of the church’s ruling body so they are not aware that such positions exist. On the other hand, there is also the view of being a truer version of the denomination. In the latter, those that celebrate Christmas (and Easter) are lagging behind and are not part of the real (synonymous with superior) version of the faith.

But what makes NAHSDAC anti-Christmas and other holidays? The general counter would be that these festivals are of pagan origin and therefore Christians should stay clear of them. This isn’t unique to NAHSDAC. There are good amounts of Adventists of other ethnicities that would say the same thing. Furthermore, they would note that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25 or during that part of the year. Others would chime in that sense everybody is celebrating Christmas, then that in of itself serves as an indication that it isn’t something we should be a part of. These are the major reasons as to why they don’t believe that it should be celebrated not just by themselves but by all vrai chrétien (true Christians).

In my general pushback, I take the stance that origins don’t matter as much as we would like to think. I can cite some biblical examples but that’s not the approach I want to use here. The general approach against Christmas isn’t actually biblical. This is despite the fact that some of these believers have argued from the standpoint that they believe the Bible literally mentions Christmas trees in Jeremiah 10:1-5. Obviously, I consider that to be a misinterpretation and ignoring of the general context.

There is much that is of questionable origin. Some of it we aren’t aware of. What I use as a guiding reference is the spirit and the displays which are used in today’s context. Christmas is celebrated as a time of singing, giving of gifts to loved ones, festive gatherings, and celebrating Christ’s birth. As much as some have gravitated towards demonizing it, the fact remains that it is simply a major period of celebration that almost everybody can agree with.

When it comes to Jesus being born on December 25, I don’t even think that anyone actually believes he was born on that date. But even if they did, so what? If the general conversation is about the Christmas story, my contribution, and what should be the contribution of the church, is not to take a needlessly contrary stance of conflict. What damage is done if somebody believes he was born during that time of the year? Nothing, in my opinion. It is equivalent to dying on a hill that one need not die on.

Finally, when engaging in conversation with NAHSDAC members who take the stance that general worldwide participation is an indication of evil, I tend to highlight practices and customs that are shared and/or done by the majority of the cultures in the world that they too take part in and do without regards to the universality. Does that make it evil? How does that make sense? I have yet to hear a satisfactory answer.

There is a rigidity in holding on to things that can’t be proven or simply don’t make sense. Lack of exposure contributes significantly to this. What has been always done or believed, while the norm, isn’t eternal. This should be especially considered when it can get in the way at the interpersonal and intercultural levels for simply no reason.

I think, despite the shock it may cause, it is the responsibility of the clergy to educate and help bring up the laity’s understanding. This is certainly not to say that everybody should celebrate Christmas. That doesn’t matter. All should be free to choose what bests fit them. The problem is the articulation of views that are simply incorrect and used to demonize those with a contrary stance. Such have no place being articulated in a worship service or at any other time from the church’s pulpit.