Quit Stifling Christmas!

[bobbcat]

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The majority in this country has displayed tolerance and acceptance of minority religious groups. It is high time we saw them reciprocate.

[CagedTroll]

Are we to pretend that Christmas is nothing but an orgy of commerce in celebration of ... what? The winter solstice?

"Pretend"...?!? What's "pretend" about this ORGY???

The image of Santa Claus most of us hold most dearly, is based on a Coca-Cola marketing strategy from the early part of the 20th century. The early days of advertising and crass commercialism.

And WHAT in the Bible says Christ was born in the winter????????

[bobbcat]

This is not about splitting hairs regarding historical revisionism. It is about allowing free religious expression. Go read the Constitution and tell me where it says that it is allowed that religious expression is to be supressed. You won't find it.

From the Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Emphasis is mine.

[crazytimes]

I remember in 6th grade we learned all about Kwana, even had a assembly SOLELY for it were we chanted "Kujijakuliyah means self-determination" and all this stuff. We learned all about Hannukah and how GOD let the candles burn for 8 days...and when it came to Christmas we made paper santas.

Well we complained to our teacher and she gave in a read us a storybook version of the nativity. Granted it was dumbed down but it was nice to learn about the real meaning in school.

I have no problem with them calling it Winter Break or Holiday Parties, but it's get to the point where people are SCARED to even mention Christmas. In Chicago the city doesn't even have a Christmas Tree it's a HOLIDAY TREE. Now tell me, does Kwanza put up pine trees? Does those who celebrate Hannkuah put up a pine tree? Call it a Christmas tree and in return they can put up a Hannukah as well as a Kwanza display.

[mayor]

Kwanzaa is a made up holiday.

Enjoy reading about the "questionable" originator of this "holiday"

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Mayor

[CagedTroll]

Originally Posted by mayor

Kwanzaa is a made up holiday.

Oh yeah...? Well, so's Christmas! Enjoy reading about this holiday's [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now].

For example---

Some of the most depraved customs of the Saturnalia carnival were intentionally revived by the Catholic Church in 1466 when Pope Paul II, for the amusement of his Roman citizens, forced Jews to race naked through the streets of the city.* An eyewitness account reports, “Before they were to run, the Jews were richly fed, so as to make the race more difficult for them and at the same time more amusing for spectators.* They ran… amid Rome’s taunting shrieks and peals of laughter, while the Holy Father stood upon a richly ornamented balcony and laughed heartily.”

[Pipanella]

Excuse me? Ask ten people what Christmas really is, and I'm willing to bet that nine out of ten will tell you it is the celebration of Christ's birth. Oh yes, it's become a lot of things, especially in recent years, but it's pretty well accepted that it is the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ.

Get real, people. I'm just getting so sick of all this political correctness and analyzing everything to death. Sometimes I wish I lived a hundred years ago.

Sorry for the rant. But I do feel better.

[CagedTroll]

Originally Posted by Pipanella

Excuse me? Ask ten people what Christmas really is, and I'm willing to bet that nine out of ten will tell you it is the celebration of Christ's birth.

Ask ten people why Columbus set sail in 1492, and three of them will say "to discover America", and six will probably say "to prove the world wasn't flat." They'd all be WRONG, which is why I'd prefer to be in the top 10%.

Originally Posted by Pipanella

Sorry for the rant. But I do feel better.

If you feel better, and no innocents were harmed, then I see no reason for you to apologize.

[crazytimes]

The Catholic Church sucked during that period. They were a terrible, disgusting "organization" during that time period and I don't think many people would deny that.

Christmas may certainly have some non-Christian origins, but I'm glad the reason and traditions of this holiday have changed.

Those things that happened were hundreds and hundreds ago. I don't even think you can call them the same thing. Did they do those things to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ? No. They're not even close to being the same thing.

Why did Columbus set sail in 1492? I always thought he was going in search of India.

[Pipanella]

Well, my point is that I think it's ridiculous for me to worry that my celebration of Christ's birth is offensive to non-Christians.

[bobbcat]

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about offending anyone by celebrating the birth of Christ. What is ridiculous is how there is a rising tide of people kowtowing to the notion that celebrating Christmas would be offensive to anyone.

[mayfly]

Originally Posted by Pipanella

Well, my point is that I think it's ridiculous for me to worry that my celebration of Christ's birth is offensive to non-Christians.

You know, I never thought of it like that. What other religion worries about offending someone with their beliefs? Jesus did say he would offend, and divide. Its weird when we see the proof of that, and how obvious that only Christianity affects people that way.

[ShainaT]

Originally Posted by crazytimes

We learned all about Hannukah and how GOD let the candles burn for 8 days
Does those who celebrate Hannkuah put up a pine tree?

Okay. First God didn't let any candles burn for 8 days. You're thinking of Woodstock or something. (OT but has anyone else been to Woodstock and seen the enormous candle they keep adding to every day for over 30 yrs? Pretty cool.)

The answer to your question is yes.....I celebrate Hanukkah (there are many ways to spell it but none of those ways has 2 N's in it btw.) and we put up a Xmas tree. Of course that mainly has to do w/ the fact that I married a Methodist.

Can I just mention that Xmas has gotten INSANE IMO!!! It's all about buying more and more crap for people who don't need it. I know I've posted this before but a few years ago Jay Leno had this special around Valentines Day where he asked kids what they had received for Xmas and none of them could even remember!! I thought it was so funny because I had a co-worker at the time in Durham, NC, who would spend her whole lunch hour every day searching for Furbys for her kids!!

Sigh....how soon till January??

[luvmetender]

What you are seeing is a backlash from people who are sick and tired of the religious right shoving religion down their throats.

Personally, I adore Christmas. I don't care what the origins are -- I just love that it brings out a giving spririt in my children. We don't celebrate the birth of Christ, we celebrate family and giving, and decorating the tree, and leaving out cookies and milk and carrots for Santa and the reindeer (yes, even now when they are 13, 15, and 20).

Christmas has turned into a political slugfest and it is sickening.

[Pipanella]

I have a friend who told me that another friend of hers' family only buys three things for each other at Christmas, because the wise men brought three things. I thought the symbolism of that was kinda neat.