Thursday, December 23, 2004

I'm Sure All His Presents Always Said, "Merry Christmas And Happy Birthday"

Jesus Christ was born on December 25th, right? Maybe...but odds are he wasn't. There is actually only a 1 in 365 chance that this is the correct date. In fact, the Eastern Church chose January 6th as the date (and that is still the date celebrated in Armenia). December 25th was chosen by the Church of Rome in 336 for reasons I'll explain momentarily...

So Christians have grown up believing that Jesus Christ was born on December 25th. And maybe he wasn't. Hey, this news isn't all bad; it's important to challenge your assumptions - so important that Challenge Your Assumptions is one of my Fun Commandments.

We are tireless assumers and we like it that way. We are not deterred by our ignorance of the facts either! Stop and think for a moment...why would the word "disillusion" have a negative connotation in our culture if what I'm writing weren't true?

Since most of our assumptions go unchecked they are soon assigned the power of truth. And then we can be in real trouble, led astray or off course by incorrect or misleading information. Challenging our assumptions thwarts this drain on our personal health and success, giving us the flexibility to adjust to new information and make better, more successful, and healthier decisions.

Of course, challenging assumptions is not only a key to the natural medicine of humor, it is also the chief mechanism of humor. So, when we challenge assumptions, we get a dual benefit. We experience the unbridled power of humor's natural medicine and we get more humor in our life. Experience this for yourself by visiting my website today - I teach you for free!

For Christians, Jesus' actual birthdate shouldn't have any effect upon the spirit and meaning of the holiday. For the record, December 25th was finally chosen to absorb pagan holidays occurring around the winter solstice. Other pagan traditions, like tree worship, were enfolded too.

So the December 25th date was actually a marketing and promotional strategy! I'd say it worked very well, wouldn't you?

Cliff Kuhn, M.D.
The Laugh Doctor

The Natural Medicine of Humor
"Discover a unique, FREE, and incredibly powerful prescription created out of desperation by a (formerly) stressed-out Kentucky psychiatrist"

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