Christmas Archives - Universal Life Church Monastery Blog
December 16th, 2020
Santa Claus is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church, and even performs weddings in the classic Santa outfit! We reached out to ask what life is like as Mr. Claus, and how things are different in 2020.
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December 14th, 2020
Christmas used to be a holiday solely focused on the celebration of the birth of Christ. But Jesus has been supplanted by a new figure: Santa Claus. Many religious parents struggle with how to handle this reality.
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December 9th, 2020
Millions of children across the world are eagerly anticipating Santa's visit later this month. But during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, reformers sought to abolish jolly old Saint Nick entirely.
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December 12th, 2019
A controversial nativity scene at a California church, featuring baby Jesus behind bars separated from his parents, has sparked a larger debate about immigration and Christian values. See what critics are saying.
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December 21st, 2018
A Louisiana woman has been putting up dragons around Christmas time for years now, but one Christian neighbor decided enough was enough - leaving an angry letter on her doorstep demanding the dragons be taken down.
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December 21st, 2018
Where does the objectively strange story of a man in a red and white suit who travels with flying reindeer come from? One popular theory involves Siberian shamans bearing particularly special gifts: magic mushrooms.
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December 13th, 2018
Move over, Christmas tree and Menorah. It’s time to make room for Satan. The Satanic Temple has earned a spot in the Illinois Capitol rotunda holiday display, where it has erected a 4 1/2-foot-tall sculpture depicting its own religious message.
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December 7th, 2018
An elementary school principal in Nebraska has landed in hot water after sending out a Christmas memo that included a list of items that would be considered unacceptable during the holidays. Among the various Christmas-themed items on the list was one entry in particular that raised eyebrows: candy canes.
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December 4th, 2018
“You can't take Christ out of Christmas,” as the saying goes. Well, apparently, you can. And one Virginia school plans to do just that. Officials at Robious Middle School have banned all songs containing mentions of Jesus from the annual Christmas concert.
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