Preacher exposes celebrating Christmas as false
By Robert Clarita Jr
Manila, Philippines - What’s with the Christmas Season that crime rates go up? What does December have to do with the behavior of men?
Some 1,000 Regional Mobile Groups (RMG) officers of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) are set to deploy in the metropolis this Christmas season for security measures, says NCRPO Director Jeffrey Soriano in an interview with Quismundo.
“We need the RMG as our frontliners for terrorism and other serious crimes . . . in malls and bus terminals, that’s where we have to put additional visibility,” Soriano said addressing the operation.
This is the Philippines. Robbery syndicates were said to have victimized a National Food Authority, a soft drinks company and several commercial establishments during this time according to Tarra Quismundo of Philippine Daily Inquirer (11/20/2008).
In the United States, it is not any different. In there, the incident of crime rate rising during winter also prevails. There are more crimes committed during the months of November and December, says Barboursville Sgt. Jim Bellomy in interview with The Herald- Dispatch last year.
The police officer Bellomy enumerated some crimes regularly committed during the season to be shoplifting, fraud, false pretenses, breaking in cars and forgery. Crimes are observed to be rampant in Huntington Mall, West Virginia as in other similar places.
“Yes, the crime rate as far as larcenies go up during Christmas because people can’t afford certain things or want to have a nice Christmas for someone else,” added Bellomy. He was asked if the perception that more crimes are committed during the holiday.
“Winter months prompt crime rate surge,” reported a study of University of Nottingham in December 2005. It said that winter months leading up to Christmas are when domestic robberies have recently been at their highest. In line with this, warnings are given out to homeowners that Christmas gifts can make an attractive target for thieves.
However, some minor areas have different reports. Crime levels over the Holidays are typically much lighter in the University of Oregon but that is because they have low student population. Spokeswoman Pam Olshanki of Eugene Police Department (EPD), in an interview with Lisa Catto of Daily Emerald in 2004 said crime rate is at peak where there is crowd celebrating Christmas season.
The mounting crime rate during Christmas season also extends in other continents as well, like in Africa. “The crime rate here (North Kivu, Congo) jumps at this time of year because people are desperate to provide something extra to meet their families’ expectations of new clothes and good food on the table,” observed by Nicola Reiss. Reiss maintained a blog, Nicky’s Itchy Feet and on December 18, 2007 gave a graphic description of what happens during this season.
As far back as two centuries ago, Jacques Guerry de Champneuf observed that whereas the crimes against persons are more numerous in the summer, the crimes against property are more numerous in winter. Jacques was the director of affaires criminelles in the Ministry of Justice, France. The Christmas season falls in winter.
These disturbing facts occur within this supposedly peaceful holiday. What is alarming is that this most celebrated holiday is a product of inaccuracy of a traditional belief. Many thought that December 25th was the birthday of Jesus Christ since AD 354.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica Online, the Roman Catholic Christmas links to the Roman Festival of Saturnalia. It was celebrated by Romans from 17th to 25th of December, which had no traits of Christian custom, but actually celebrates the festival of Saturnus.
Roman History also cited that during this period, Roman courts were closed and no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people, according to the research of William Ramsay, M.A. of University of Glasgow. This implies that some Romans can deliberately do crimes during the period, as if the law and justice also had their holidays. This manner perhaps made transition in our times where crime rates are at its peak during the same season.
The fraudulence of the Christmas tradition has been long being shouted about by Bro. Eli Soriano, an international preacher of Members Church of God International (MCGI), through his popular exposition program Ang Dating Daan Bible Exposition.
Soriano gave a reasonable justification of the absence of the data of Jesus Christ’s birthdate in the Bible. “Christ came from eternity. If we are to put his birth, it will appear he just existed during that time. They said Christ just existed when being borne by Mary. What they don’t know is that before Mary or even the world existed, there is already an entity being called the Son of God.” This was the evangelist’s answer during one of the live Bible Expositions held in Lucena. He supported his statement with a passage in the book of Proverbs as his reference.
Perhaps a tradition that was based on a deception and lies has caused serious mishaps to society, and gave a disturbing effect on the character of those who were affected by it. “I am sorry, am just telling the truth. Your Christmas is different from the Christmas in the Bible,” Soriano, who bears the title, “the most sensible preacher in our times” by the congregation he is leading, added.
Instead of celebrating along with the erroneous Christmas, MCGI celebrates offerings of Thanksgiving that is being participated in by the international chapters of the congregation. This is being celebrated in the manner of the activities cited on the Bible. The MCGI tradition of International Thanksgivings is being done quarterly, and with December being its last quarter.
Bible Expositions hosted by Bro. Eli Soriano and its interactive section Itanong Mo kay Soriano (Ask Soriano) is being regularly aired in Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path), a program in UNTV channel and in TOP channel in United States. This is also accessible online 24/7 though Truthcaster.Com and The Old Path.TV.
Gawad Amerika Awards in California have awarded Soriano the most informative religious program of the year with his Ang Dating Daan program in 2006. Many souls are being continuously served with their spiritual and religious queries that are being answered based on the facts in the Bible with Bro. Eli’s program. It is now being aired, not just in the Philippines, but in different countries like in the United States, and some parts in Europe, Africa and in Asia.
