European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes religion saturday december 19, 1992hanukkah enshrines religious Freedom by George w. Cornell the associated press in the coming Days jews celebrate a principle that triumphed Long ago yet remains As urgent today in a world rent by ethnic religious conflict a the right to be religiously different. That right was at stake when a guerrilla band of ancient Israel fought off the attempt of an occupying syrian military regime to impose conformity to a state religion but the right to religious diversity won out which is the Victory celebrated in the eight Day jewish festival of hanukkah which starts at Sunset today. A what hanukkah says is that everybody is entitled to be what they want to be a said rabbi a. James Rudin inter religious affairs director of the american jewish committee. A it established the Point that every group has the right to its own tradition worship and spiritual  he said acceptance of that principle is critically needed now in the Many regions of ethnic religious the sacred and profane have Long marked Holiday what hanukkah says is that everybody is entitled to be what they want to be a rabbi a. James Rudin strife such As the brutal a ethnic cleansing in the former yugoslav Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the hindu Muslim killings in India and Pakistan. Something like a ethnic religious cleansing was attempted in ancient Israel Rudin said. There the conquering syrian Empire ordered extermination of All vestiges of Judaism so that subjects would be a one people worshipping the state pantheon of Pagan gods. A statue of the god zeus was erected in the Jerusalem Temple. Jewish scriptures were burned and idols set up throughout the country with jews ordered to Bow Down to them on pain of death. But the elderly Matathias refused fleeing to the Hills with his five sons and gathering a band that waged a three year hit and run guerrilla War against the huge syrian forces. Matathias died in 167 . His third son Judas a a maccabees a or a the Hammerer a took Over finally routing the syrians in 165 . After the Macc Beans recaptured Jerusalem religious rights were restored and the defiled Temple rededicated to god. Legend has it that there was Only enough Oil for the Temple lamps to Burn one Day but miraculously they burned eight Days until More Oil could be made. In hanukkah which is a largely family Celebration of games songs and gifts one Candle is lighted on the first night and an additional one each night until on the eighth evening eight candles glow in the menorah. That struggle for religious rights is echoed at present in the plea of the former Yugoslavia a religious leaders a serbian orthodox croatian roman Catholic and Muslim a for an end to warfare and to the a blasphemous and senseless destruction of holy places of worship and other sacred  by George w. Cornell the associated press Ever since its beginnings Christmas has been a mixture of the holy and the Gaudy the raucous and reverent with accompanying discord about it. That sort of combination and disturbance Over it Marks the current season. The streets and stores swarm the packages pile up Bills accumulate and Holiday travel clogs the airways while almost everywhere the air throbs with tooting horns Bells and jingles. Amid the clamor some Church leaders assail what they consider a commercial demeaning of a sacred occasion the Celebration of the birth of Christ. A Flor far too Long we have witnessed the spiritual yield to the commercial a with Quot the spirit of Christmas reduced to a carnival of mass marketing a said a coalition of 25 protestant and roman Catholic leaders. They urged reclaiming a the True glory of Christmas and the True spirit of  that kind of admonition has resounded through the years. A put Christ Back into Christmas goes an old and recurrent slogan. The strains Over it have a Check ered history. Celebrating Christmas sometimes and in some places has been outlawed As a a Heathen sacrilege because of the rostering festivities. This was the Case in 17th-Century England under the Impact of the protestant reformation. The Holiday also was banned in colonial new England in America under Sway of Puritan congregationalists. Massachusetts did no to make it a Legal Holiday until 1856. For More than 300 years after Jesus time christians did no to celebrate his birth. The Observance first began in 4th-Century Rome timed to coincide with a midwinter Pagan festival honouring the Imperial gods Mithra and Saturn. Their december Date simply was taken Over to commemorate Jesus birth since its exact Date Isnit known. Consequently the fusion of the sacred and profane characterized the Celebration from the Start. In the Book 7 he american Christmas University of Connecticut sociologist James Barnett says that while gift giving was always customary at Christmas businesses did no to begin to capitalize on it until about 1920. Assistance for Cuba French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray right and cuban Jose Felipe Carneado who is in charge of religious altars for the communist party get together at the Havana Airport thursday. Etchegaray was sent on a four Day trip by Pope John Paul ii to help organize humanitarian Relief to Cuba through the Qantas International  stress can hit a Man from Many directions editor s note these questions and answers Are excerpted from the Hook Quot or. Dobson answers your questions. A question what does a Man experience during a full fledged mid life crisis or. Dobson or. Jim Conway has written a Book called a ten in mid life crisis David c. Cook 1978which i recommend highly in it he identifies four major a a enemies that plague a Man entering this stressful period. The first is his own body. There is no doubt about it that Guy they called a Joe colleges just a few years ago is now growing older. His hair is falling out despite desperate attempts to coddle and protect every remaining strand. Then he notices he does no to have the stamina he once had. He begins getting winded on escalators. Before Long words assume new meanings for old Joe. A the rolling stones Quot Are his gallbladder and Quot Speed which once referred to amphetamines or fast driving is his word for prune juice. To summarize this first great concern of the midlife years a Man approaching 40 is forced to admit 1 he is getting older 2 the changes produced by aging Are neither attractive nor convenient 3 in a world that equates human Worth with youth and Beauty he is about to suffer a personal devaluation 4 old age is less than two decades away bringing eventual sickness and death. The second enemy facing a Man in his midlife years is his work. He typically resents his Job and feels trapped in the Field he has chosen. The third enemy that rises to confront a Middle aged Man is believe it or not his own family. These Stormy years of self doubt and introspection can be devastating to marriage. Such a Man often becomes angry depressed and rebellious toward those closest to him. He resents the fact that his wife and kids need him. The fourth and final enemy of a Man in midlife crisis appears to be god himself. Through a strange manipulation of logic Man blames god for All his troubles approaching him with rebellion and anger. Let me give this last Point the strongest possible emphasis. One of the most common observations made by relatives and friends of a Man in midlife crisis reflects this sudden reversal of personality and behaviour a i done to understand what happened to Loren Quot a wife w ill say. A the seemed to change overnight from a stable Loving husband and father to an irresponsible  this Many a problem is basically spiritual in nature. As his system of beliefs disintegrated the result was a rapid and catastrophic change in lifestyle that left his family and friends in a state of confusion and Shock. This pattern has occurred for thousands of families in recent years. Question How should i respond if my child says a i hate you a when he is angry or. Dobson if my child screamed his hatred at me for the first time in a moment of red faced anger 1 would probably wait until his passion had cooled Down and then convey this message in a Loving and sincere manner a Charlie i know you were very upset earlier today when we had our disagreement and i think we should talk about what you Are feeling. A children get angry at their parents now and then especially when they feel unfairly treated. I understand your frustration. But that does not excuse you for saying a i hate  you la learn that no matter How upset i become Over something you be done ill never Tell you that i hate you. And i can to permit you to talk to me that Way. A it Hurt me for you to say that you hated me just As you would be Hurt if i said something like that to you. You can however Tell me what angers you and i will listen carefully. A you Are free to say anything you wish to me but you w ill never be permitted to scream Call names and throw temper tantrums if you behave in those childish ways i w ill have to punish  Dobson is president of focus on the family 3 nonprofit organization ded-1 Cate a to the preservation of the Home correspondence to Dobson should Aeq or is l0 s in family p 0 Box 32 col0rado Springs Colo