I had a Jewish girlfriend in high school. To compete with Christmas, they had a Hannakah bush.
ZSpider
Poor Embattled Christians
Well-spoken, gunslinga. Merry Christmas to you.gunslnga wrote:I am a Christian, but I also respect other peoples beliefs and cultures. I am of an opinion that you can say whatever you want as a greeting this season to one another as long as it's civil, however, Christmas is about Christ. I grew up with Santa Clause and my child will grow up with Santa as well, but she will know the real celebration in our family will be about the birth of Jesus. I do not inflict my belief on anyone and would fight and die for anyones right to believe they're own way... In closing, I wish all of you a Mery Christmas, Happy Hollidays, and a Happy New Year.
ZSpider
sorry zspider..let me restate.....95% of Americans celebrate Christmas because they get presents, because it is a free vacation day, and becasue corporate America pushes on them. You are fooling yourself if you think people truly celebrate "the birth of Christ" with much passion.
I have no idea what jesus would do, but I am guessing stimulating the economy with 52 billion dollars in consumer goods, half of which we don't need, and half of which we don't want, would not be his idea of goodwill on earth. ever notice that people get all "guilty" around thanksgiving and christmas, start giving to the poor kids in town, the salvation army, and start volunteering at soup kitchens? doesn't this stike of situational ethics to anyone but me?
how does spending an average of $80 on another person have a single ounce of Christ celebration attached to it?
how does buying a $50 tree that dies in 6 weeks provide tangible results for the less fortunate?
may I suggest that perhaps, just perhaps, Christmas is a forced issue that we gladly swallow. I love it as much as the rest, but I take it for what it is.
here's a novel idea..take all that poorly spent money on gifts, and fill the coffers of every needy non profit in America. Never happen. Why? Because I am too self centered to truly care.
now if that doesn't dampen your Christmas spirit, wait until Alan puts up ANOTHER cartoon degrading the birth of the Almighty.
I have no idea what jesus would do, but I am guessing stimulating the economy with 52 billion dollars in consumer goods, half of which we don't need, and half of which we don't want, would not be his idea of goodwill on earth. ever notice that people get all "guilty" around thanksgiving and christmas, start giving to the poor kids in town, the salvation army, and start volunteering at soup kitchens? doesn't this stike of situational ethics to anyone but me?
how does spending an average of $80 on another person have a single ounce of Christ celebration attached to it?
how does buying a $50 tree that dies in 6 weeks provide tangible results for the less fortunate?
may I suggest that perhaps, just perhaps, Christmas is a forced issue that we gladly swallow. I love it as much as the rest, but I take it for what it is.
here's a novel idea..take all that poorly spent money on gifts, and fill the coffers of every needy non profit in America. Never happen. Why? Because I am too self centered to truly care.
now if that doesn't dampen your Christmas spirit, wait until Alan puts up ANOTHER cartoon degrading the birth of the Almighty.
Positive vibes brah...positive vibes.
I hate to agree with you, Piggie, but you're pretty much correct... except for the "degrading the birth of..." quip. The cartoons I've been putting up are merely observing the stupidity of this whole "taking Christ out of Christmas BS." Just because a small minority of us actually wish to go through life without offending strangers (this would be known as "kindness" for those of you that hate everyone that doesn't think like you) and making enemies doesn't mean anyone is being forced to behave like grownups. It's just another page out of Goebell's playbook.pigsteak wrote: sorry zspider..let me restate.....95% of Americans celebrate Christmas because they get presents, because it is a free vacation day, and becasue corporate America pushes on them. You are fooling yourself if you think people truly celebrate "the birth of Christ" with much passion.
I have no idea what jesus would do, but I am guessing stimulating the economy with 52 billion dollars in consumer goods, half of which we don't need, and half of which we don't want, would not be his idea of goodwill on earth. ever notice that people get all "guilty" around thanksgiving and christmas, start giving to the poor kids in town, the salvation army, and start volunteering at soup kitchens? doesn't this stike of situational ethics to anyone but me?
how does spending an average of $80 on another person have a single ounce of Christ celebration attached to it?
how does buying a $50 tree that dies in 6 weeks provide tangible results for the less fortunate?
may I suggest that perhaps, just perhaps, Christmas is a forced issue that we gladly swallow. I love it as much as the rest, but I take it for what it is.
here's a novel idea..take all that poorly spent money on gifts, and fill the coffers of every needy non profit in America. Never happen. Why? Because I am too self centered to truly care.
now if that doesn't dampen your Christmas spirit, wait until Alan puts up ANOTHER cartoon degrading the birth of the Almighty.
http://de.essortment.com/christmaspagan_rece.htmNo one knows what day Jesus Christ was born on. From the biblical description, most historians believe that his birth probably occurred in September, approximately six months after Passover. One thing they agree on is that it is very unlikely that Jesus was born in December, since the bible records shepherds tending their sheep in the fields on that night. This is quite unlikely to have happened during a cold Judean winter. So why do we celebrate Christ’s birthday as Christmas, on December the 25th?
The answer lies in the pagan origins of Christmas. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis (Goddess of Nature) was celebrated on December 25. Raucous partying, gluttonous eating and drinking, and gift-giving were traditions of this feast.
In Rome, the Winter Solstice was celebrated many years before the birth of Christ. The Romans called their winter holiday Saturnalia, honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. In January, they observed the Kalends of January, which represented the triumph of life over death. This whole season was called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The festival season was marked by much merrymaking. It is in ancient Rome that the tradition of the Mummers was born. The Mummers were groups of costumed singers and dancers who traveled from house to house entertaining their neighbors. From this, the Christmas tradition of caroling was born.
In northern Europe, many other traditions that we now consider part of Christian worship were begun long before the participants had ever heard of Christ. The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year.
Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. Mistletoe was considered a sacred plant, and the custom of kissing under the mistletoe began as a fertility ritual. Hollyberries were thought to be a food of the gods.
Last edited by Alan Evil on Sun Dec 18, 2005 4:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.
[size=75]You are as bad as Alan, and even he hits the mark sometimes. -charlie
"Not all conservatives are stupid, but most stupid people are conservative." - John Stuart Mill[/size]
"Not all conservatives are stupid, but most stupid people are conservative." - John Stuart Mill[/size]