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Here's an interesting editorial I came across: http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1216/p20s01-coop.htmlQuote:
Backstory: The game of 'Whose holiday is it?' is especially wacky this year.
By Dante Chinni
WASHINGTON – A tree is a tree is a tree, unless of course it's the 65-foot Engelmann spruce sitting in front of the US Capitol. Then it's a political football.
In case you haven't heard by now, the Capitol Christmas tree is back. Since the 1990s it had been the "holiday tree," but this year House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) of Illinois declared the greenery again be called by its proper Christian name.
All things being equal, this qualifies as progress in this town. Calling things by their actual names is a rare occurrence here: Is that a "revenue enhancement" or tax increase?
But before we all run up to the top of Mount Christmas to sing carols, could we all please get a grip? Because the annual game of "whose holiday is it anyway," usually played out over this school's Christmas pageant or that city's nativity scene, has gotten a bit wacky this year.
Consider some headlines. An Ohio couple is selling bracelets asking people to "Just say Merry Christmas." Some recipients of a White House greeting card were offended because it excluded the C-word and spoke of the "holiday season." And a group called the Committee to Save Merry Christmas urges a boycott of stores that exclude Christmas from decorations and advertising.
What's happening to Christmas in 2005, anyway?
The root may lie in John Gibson's delightful holiday tome "The War on Christmas: How the liberal plot to ban the sacred Christian holiday is worse than you thought." On its website, Penguin, the publisher, says: "The annual debate will be hotter than ever in 2005, and this book will be perfect for everyone who's pro-Christmas."
Yes, the debate is hotter than ever. In fact, TV commentator Bill O'Reilly has made the issue something of a cause célèbre. Mr. O'Reilly, by the way, works for Fox News, which also employs ... John Gibson.
Yet the whole debate strikes Laurie Henrichsen, a spokeswoman for American Greetings, as "kind of funny." Judging by the way card sales break down, she says, Americans seem to have a handle on holiday greetings. For years boxed cards have basically been split evenly between Christmas greetings and Holiday greetings.
"Box cards are for groups of people," Ms. Henrichsen says, and some aren't Christian. Individual cards, where one presumably knows the recipient, are Christmas cards 85 percent of the time.
John Langan, a professor of Catholic social thought at Georgetown University in Washington, thinks the issue is a tempest in a "punch bowl," too. Telling people they should say "Merry Christmas" is "an effort to achieve a kind of social conformity," says Mr. Langan. "People get focused on the literal, and there's a widespread yearning inside churches and outside to have one rule or one book or one passage that simplifies everything."
In other words, it sounds a bit like political correctness.
And what does the retail validation of Christmas mean, exactly? Is Starbucks flogging Christmas this year because they wish to celebrate the birth of Jesus or sell more Egg Nog Lattes? Forty years ago, Charlie Brown railed against the commercialization of Christmas. Lucy wanted real estate. Sally wanted cash. When Charlie Brown couldn't take it anymore, Linus settled him down by quoting from the Bible about the birth of Christ, concluding: "And that's what Christmas is about Charlie Brown."
Linus is right, of course, in the most literal sense. But if that is truly what Christians want to celebrate, how does it jibe with pressuring retailers about what phrase they should use to help sell more copies of "Grand Theft Auto"? Ultimately the issue for Christians may be whether to embrace the religious side of Christmas or the secular traditions.
Which brings us back to the Capitol Christmas tree. Despite all the talk of a name change, staffers at the Capitol Architect's office can't find when or even if the official name was changed. In fact, the Congressional Record indicates the first mention of "Holiday tree" came in 1995, the year Republicans took control of Congress.
Considering all the outrage, though, one can only wonder why the name was not changed before 2005. Could it be that the media have made the topic "hotter than ever?" Could it be that Christmas, the time of peace on earth and goodwill toward man, is being harnessed as a wedge issue?
Good grief.
• Dante Chinni is a writer based in Washington.
I think the editorial could have done without some of the political references, but other than that, he raises some good points.
"Well when I talk to people I don't have to worry about spelling." - wannabuyamonkey
"If Schumacher’s last effort was the final nail in the coffin then Year One would’ve been the crazy guy who stormed the graveyard, dug up the coffin and put a bullet through the franchise’s corpse just to make sure." -- From a review of Darren Aronofsky & Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" script
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This article offers various Jewish viewpoints of the so-called Christmas wars (not really sure if it's an editorial or an article) http://jta.org/page_print_story.asp?intarticleid=16116&intcategoryid=4Quote:
As Christmas struggle intensifies, American Jews fear the Grinch role
By Matthew E. Berger
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (JTA) — The sound of angry Christians railing against the marginalization of Christmas has become the new tune of this holiday season.
Across the country, from department stores to town halls, battle lines have been drawn over how to mark the winter holidays.
Led by evangelical groups, who say the holiday’s religious significance is being ignored, some Christians are fighting back. They’re threatening to sue schools districts that have banned the singing of Christmas carols and other places where “Happy Holidays” has replaced “Merry Christmas” as the preferred greeting of the season.
Evagelical leaders don’t cast the Jewish community as the Scrooge, yet efforts to highlight Christian themes and celebrations at Christmas historically have come at the expense of religious diversity and tolerance — and Jewish leaders fear that stressing Christmas’ religious significance could highlight Jews’ minority status in the United States.
“It is not a movement prompted by an animus against Jews or the Jewish community,” said Abraham Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, who in recent months has taken the lead in warning about growing evangelical influence in the United States. “But the unintended consequence is that Jews may be blamed for it.”
Much of what evangelicals criticize consists of efforts to include religious minorities in holiday celebrations, say Jewish community leaders, who fear that adding more religious expression in schools and government could make Jews feel like second-class citizens.
Rabbi Leah Richman of Pottsville, Pa., received angry letters and phone calls when she called for the removal of a nativity scene in her town square.
“The non-Jewish people in the area are very interested in promoting Christmas and they believe that church and state should be more mingled,” Richman said. “They’re taking my stand as being anti-tolerance and anti-diversity, because I’m not tolerant of their nativity scene.”
Instead of opposing the nativity scene, some respondents said Richman should place a menorah nearby. Indeed, much of the evangelical community’s argument has rested on a call for more celebrations of both Christmas and Chanukah, part of a call for a return to “Judeo-Christian values.”
“It just seems to me that what we ought to be aiming for in America is recognizing everyone’s traditions, rather than melding traditions into a homogenized whatever,” Gary Bauer, the president of American Values, told JTA.
Richman declined to help the local library put up a menorah display, instead suggesting an educational program on different holidays.
The onslaught of Christmas decorations and programming for years has been a source of quiet frustration for American Jews, but decisions about how to handle it have varied. Some Jewish groups have worked to ensure that religious Christmas displays don’t enter the public square, while others —- predominantly the Chabad movement — sought equal treatment for menorahs and other Chanukah decorations.
The inclusion of Chanukah, and then the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa, has forced retailers and municipalities to seek more generic and inclusive ways of acknowledging all faiths. That has led to claims that Christianity has been taken out of Christmas celebrations.
The city of Boston renamed a tree in Boston Common a “holiday tree.” Target, the giant retailer, was criticized for airing commercials in December that did not specifically mention Christmas.
Even Pope Benedict XVI has weighed in, declaring Sunday that a “commercial pollution” of Christmas could alter the holiday’s true meaning. He suggested families erect nativity scenes in their homes.
The pro-Christmas movement comes at a time of growing evangelical political strength, giving their message increased weight and attention. Evangelicals have fought this year against efforts to remove proselytizing from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and for the teaching of “intelligent design” in public schools. Nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court have been weighed in part on their church attendance and their public proclamations of faith.
“They’ve come to feel a certain strength in their position in America and in the public that they didn’t feel under President Clinton,” said Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and chairman of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. “They feel the can flex their muscles more if their rights as a majority are being abridged for the sake of political correctness.”
Even the White House has been chastised this year for writing “Best wishes for the holiday season” on its annual Christmas cards. Last year’s cards also referred to the “holiday season” rather than Christmas, and both years’ cards included a quote from Psalms.
Those who see a decrease in Christmas observance, including media figures like Bill O’Reilly and John Gibson, both of the Fox News Channel, claim Christmas is being excluded from seasonal decorations in an attempt to be sensitive to minorities.
“It’s mostly guilt-ridden Christians,” Gibson, the author of “The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse Than You Thought,” told JTA.
Self-styled defenders of the faith refer darkly to “militant secularists.”
“The Jews I know are not offended by the words, ‘Merry Christmas,’ “ Bauer said. “The controversy doesn’t seem to be coming from believing Jews.”
But Christian leaders often accuse Hollywood, the media and the American Civil Liberties Union of taking the religion out of Christmas —- and all three groups are seen as run by Jews, Foxman said.
Eckstein warned of a backlash if Jews are perceived as being on the front lines of the fight.
In Coatesville, Pa., city councilman William Chertok was accused by a colleague of voting against an increase in the city’s Christmas parade budget because he was Jewish.
“I understand, Mr. Chertok, that Jews don’t celebrate Christmas,” councilwoman-elect Patsy Ray said in a meeting in November. Her comments prompted a rebuke from the council and the local media.
Chertok said he voted against the increase for budgetary reasons.
Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, has been cast as the lead opponent of Christmas celebrations. He said evangelical leaders are trying to place Christmas and Christianity above other religions.
“There’s a kind of Christian triumphalism; a feeling that Christians have to win every battle,” said Lynn, who spoke to JTA by telephone while shopping for Christmas presents. “There is a fear that other religions are going to be treated the same as Christmas, and that means Christmas won’t have its special place five weeks of the year.”
Foxman called a meeting last week of American Jewish leaders to gauge common ground on the fight against Christian influence. Many observant Jews support public proclamations of faith, believing religion in the public square will boost observance in general. Yet the Jewish leaders who attended Foxman’s meeting were united in opposing overt proselytizing of the sort reported at the Air Force Academy.
“What we’re seeing in America today, with the evangelical emphasis, will be looked back on as the last gasp to hold onto an America that is Christian,” said Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University.
Supporters of interfaith dialogue say that as the majority religion in the United States, Christians have a right to see more expressions of their faith.
“It’s a legitimate feeling when 90 percent of the country is for it,” Eckstein said. “I am not threatened by someone who affirms his faith.”
Foxman said he believes retailers especially will continue to present a more inclusive vision of the holiday season — because it allows them to reach the widest possible audience.
“Jews will not go and demand that Target have a menorah,” he said. “But they will have one — and if they have three Christmas trees and one menorah, so what?”
"Well when I talk to people I don't have to worry about spelling." - wannabuyamonkey
"If Schumacher’s last effort was the final nail in the coffin then Year One would’ve been the crazy guy who stormed the graveyard, dug up the coffin and put a bullet through the franchise’s corpse just to make sure." -- From a review of Darren Aronofsky & Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" script
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Happy Holidays is a better thing to say than Christmas. I mean there are several religions that have holidays during this season, not just Christmas.
I wonder what Luke Skywalker would say.
Bow ties are coool.
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Quote:
r3x29yz4a said:
Happy Holidays is a better thing to say than Christmas. I mean there are several religions that have holidays during this season, not just Christmas.
Agreed.
"Well when I talk to people I don't have to worry about spelling." - wannabuyamonkey
"If Schumacher’s last effort was the final nail in the coffin then Year One would’ve been the crazy guy who stormed the graveyard, dug up the coffin and put a bullet through the franchise’s corpse just to make sure." -- From a review of Darren Aronofsky & Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" script
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don't ignore the point of my post.
What would Skywalker think?
Bow ties are coool.
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How the hell should I know? I leave the role of claiming to know what other people think to the rest of the RKMBers.
"Well when I talk to people I don't have to worry about spelling." - wannabuyamonkey
"If Schumacher’s last effort was the final nail in the coffin then Year One would’ve been the crazy guy who stormed the graveyard, dug up the coffin and put a bullet through the franchise’s corpse just to make sure." -- From a review of Darren Aronofsky & Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" script
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Quote:
r3x29yz4a said:
Happy Holidays is a better thing to say than Christmas. I mean there are several religions that have holidays during this season, not just Christmas.
I wonder what Luke Skywalker would say.
Yet you'd stil anger atheiests by this statement because they don't believe in anything. So why bother celebrating Christmas (if they even do) when it's a religious holiday?
It's a rented tux ok? I'm not going comando in another man's fatigues.
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I love how everyone is singling out my store. The Designated Marketing Rednecks at Mullet-Mart must be pretty damn busy of late.  We can't help it if our company is run by a buncha fuckin' frogs outta the Twin Cities.  Don't quote me on that please. 
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Quote:
r3x29yz4a said:
Happy Holidays is a better thing to say than Christmas. I mean there are several religions that have holidays during this season, not just Christmas.
I wonder what Luke Skywalker would say.
Is it better? perhaps, there are alot of holidays including thanksgiving and new-years. The problem is when people dissalow thier employees from saying "Christmas" or changing the name of symbols that clearly are associated with Christmas like the holiday tree, should we call the menorah the "holiday candelabra"? It's rediculous. I heard an add for an online retailer that refuesed to mention the "C" word but insisted that if you order by a certain date you could recieve your package before December 25th... Not before Christmas, but before a supposed arbitrary date of December 25th... who do they think they're fooling? I don't mind people saying happy hollidays, but I'm sensitive of some retailers not wishing to offend people by mentioning Christmas and to do my part I make sure that I don't offend them by polluting them with my Christmas purchases... although come St. Patrics day I'll be demanding to know where I can get a holliday tree, because after all, what's a holliday without a holliday tree?
Putting the "fun" back in Fundamentalist Christian Dogma.
" I know God exists because WBAM told me so. " - theory9
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Quote:
Batwoman said:
Quote:
Captain Sammitch said:
Granted, Elisa's spelling may be far from impeccable, but what percentage of your response was inspired by her spelling and what percentage was pretty much the product of your own individual level of hostility toward religion in general?
I'd say it was 100% his hostility towards religion and had nothing to do with my spelling.
Actually, it was my hostility toward Batwoman's usual dopiness.
You guys aren't paying attention. I'm not anti-religious. And even I am bothered greatly by the utter lack of people saying "Merry Christmas" anymore.
We all wear a green carnation.
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Quote:
wannabuyamonkey said:
I heard an add for an online retailer that refuesed to mention the "C" word but insisted that if you order by a certain date you could recieve your package before December 25th... Not before Christmas, but before a supposed arbitrary date of December 25th... who do they think they're fooling? I don't mind people saying happy hollidays, but I'm sensitive of some retailers not wishing to offend people by mentioning Christmas and to do my part I make sure that I don't offend them by polluting them with my Christmas purchases...
WBAM, I think that's great. Seriously. That's what you should do. If they bother you with their approach, don't patronize them. I even suggest you go into the store and tell them why you're not going to shop for Christmas merchandise there (because they need to know why they've lost you as a customer).
I was at Barnes & Noble Friday evening buying a book for the ex (Jimmy Carter's OUR ENDANDGERED VALUES) and the cashier, a very pleasant lady, wished me "Happy Holidays." I responded, "Merry Christmas." I wasn't offended by her, she wasn't offended by me.
What I hope out of all this, though, is that we Liberals don't take the blame en masse for any move to "de-Christ" Christmas. I will wholeheartedly argue one not need be Christian to celebrate the secular warmth of the Season, but even I do not wish for anyone to feel that they, Christian or not, can't express "Merry Christmas."
We all wear a green carnation.
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Quote:
Jim Jackson said:
Quote:
wannabuyamonkey said:
I heard an add for an online retailer that refuesed to mention the "C" word but insisted that if you order by a certain date you could recieve your package before December 25th... Not before Christmas, but before a supposed arbitrary date of December 25th... who do they think they're fooling? I don't mind people saying happy hollidays, but I'm sensitive of some retailers not wishing to offend people by mentioning Christmas and to do my part I make sure that I don't offend them by polluting them with my Christmas purchases...
WBAM, I think that's great. Seriously. That's what you should do. If they bother you with their approach, don't patronize them. I even suggest you go into the store and tell them why you're not going to shop for Christmas merchandise there (because they need to know why they've lost you as a customer).
I was at Barnes & Noble Friday evening buying a book for the ex (Jimmy Carter's OUR ENDANDGERED VALUES) and the cashier, a very pleasant lady, wished me "Happy Holidays." I responded, "Merry Christmas." I wasn't offended by her, she wasn't offended by me.
What I hope out of all this, though, is that we Liberals don't take the blame en masse for any move to "de-Christ" Christmas. I will wholeheartedly argue one not need be Christian to celebrate the secular warmth of the Season, but even I do not wish for anyone to feel that they, Christian or not, can't express "Merry Christmas."
'Nuff Said!
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Yahoo! News A fictional 'war on Christmas'By T. Jeremy Gunn Mon Dec 19, 7:56 AM ET Last December, a group called Public Advocate for the United States (which claims to defend America's traditional family values) sent some Christmas carolers over to sing in front of the ACLU offices in Washington.
Carrying signs reading "Merry Christmas" and "Please Don't Sue Us!" - they also seem to have carried with them some rather strange imaginings about an assault on Christmas. (Related: Law doesn't mandate a secular Christmas | The year's dust-ups)
I don't know what the carolers thought might happen.
To tell the truth, the ACLU is not often serenaded by Christmas carolers. So it was with some excitement that the staff went outside and joined in the singing. They brought with them cookies and warm drinks to share. One staff member, who is an ordained Baptist minister, did a little witnessing about his faith to some astonished proponents of family values.
Fox News did broadcast the event (as a part of its "war against Christmas" campaign). Although the visiting singers were shown, the cameras failed to include any footage showing that everyone had participated in the caroling. Rather than reporting the facts, the anchor preferred the propaganda: "We believe the ACLU heard the message loud and clear, but they don't care."
The battle cries
This year, several groups are once again introducing the Christmas season with some heated and misleading military rhetoric. Some declare, "There is a war against Christmas!" One group launched a "Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign." One particularly bizarre charge is that there is "a thorough and virulent anti-Christmas campaign." Without a shred of evidence, they pretend that there is an effort afoot to remove "God" from the Declaration of Independence. Two groups even announced that they have assembled hundreds of lawyers to protect Christmas against this imaginary threat.
Make no mistake about it. These warrior-lawyers are not asking us to love our neighbors (and certainly not our enemies), nor to turn the other cheek, nor to be peacemakers, nor to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's.
Nor is this a joyful effort to encourage the Christmas spirit in the millions of places where it can be promoted without any conflict: in people's hearts, in their homes, with families, in churches, or with friend and neighbors.
No, this is a campaign of military-infused rhetoric demanding that everyone accept one politically correct version of "Christmas."
For example, this year in Boston - the same city where Puritans once prohibited the pagan-inspired "Christmas tree" - the new Puritans now demand that the city call its evergreen spruce a "Christmas tree," and they threatened a lawsuit if the city didn't comply.
Another group charges that there is a "campaign of fear, intimidation, and disinformation" against seasonal symbols in Raleigh, N.C. - and they offer to provide a defense for the city against any threatened lawsuit. Yet they give no evidence that anyone is threatening a lawsuit. Before accusing others of engaging in "disinformation," perhaps these Christmas warriors should first take a look in the mirror.
Why this desire to manufacture controversy - about Christmas?
Guidelines already exist
Rather than engaging in propaganda about a "war on Christmas," all who want to promote the spirit of Christmas should remember a couple of simple guidelines.
First, Christmas displays - including nativity scenes - are perfectly acceptable at homes and churches. This religious expression is a valued and protected part of the First Amendment rights guaranteed to all citizens.
Second, governments should not be in the business of endorsing religious displays. Religion does best when government stays out of the business of deciding which holidays and religions to promote. Religion belongs where it prospers best: with individuals, families and religious communities.
And finally, as a seasonal greeting to all Christians: Merry Christmas from the ACLU! And for believers in all other traditions: Thank you for enriching our world! T. Jeremy Gunn is director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief.
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Well I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday & just enjoy their whatever. I'm going to.
Fair play!
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There's a MEM sentiment I can support.
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And a Happy Winter-een-mas too!
"Well when I talk to people I don't have to worry about spelling." - wannabuyamonkey
"If Schumacher’s last effort was the final nail in the coffin then Year One would’ve been the crazy guy who stormed the graveyard, dug up the coffin and put a bullet through the franchise’s corpse just to make sure." -- From a review of Darren Aronofsky & Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" script
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Quote:
Darknight613 said:
And a Happy Winter-een-mas too!
Haven't heard of that one. Sounds naughty.
Fair play!
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Quote:
Matter-eater Man said:
Quote:
Darknight613 said:
And a Happy Winter-een-mas too!
Haven't heard of that one. Sounds naughty.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wintereenmas
Quote:
Winter-een-mas
Winter-een-mas is a week long celebration of video games that lasts from January 25th through January 31st. Winter-een-mas first appeared in Ctrl Alt Del on January 27, 2003. It resurfaced the year after, as well.
* The first [day is dedicated to] adventure games, represented by an Indiana Jones dressed man.
* Second is first-person shooters, represented by a 21 year old that needs sleep.
* Third, is the day for fighting games, represented by a martial artist with too many blows to the head.
* The fourth day belongs to real-time strategy games (RTSs) represented by a rather large, bearded man in a pocket protector.
* The fifth day is for racing games, represented by a racer with old fashioned racing helmet and racing goggles holding a detached steering wheel.
* The sixth day goes to role playing games (RPGs), represented by a elf like woman holding floating dice above her left hand.
* The seventh and last day is dedicated to sports games, represented by a round man wearing a #10 jersey and holding a beer bottle in each hand.
How to Celebrate
Celebrating Winter-een-mas is very laid back because it is such a new holiday. Most people play video games and some buy cheap games for friends (though gift giving is not encouraged). Celebraters are asked to write letters to companies and other sources that are related to video games in order to thank them for their contribution(s). The holiday serves to dedicate the last week in January to spend time with your friends and enjoy and celebrate the entertainment and joy video games have brought to your lives. Make sure that during those days (January 25-31st) you wish a happy Winter-een-mas to everyone around you, then describe the holiday if they don't know what it is.
Creation and Source
This creation, organization, and description of the days were drawn and put together by Tim Buckley, the Author and Illustrator of Ctrl+Alt+Del, a web comic.
Also, here's a link to the official Winter-een-mas homepage.
Last edited by Darknight613; 2005-12-21 4:56 AM.
"Well when I talk to people I don't have to worry about spelling." - wannabuyamonkey
"If Schumacher’s last effort was the final nail in the coffin then Year One would’ve been the crazy guy who stormed the graveyard, dug up the coffin and put a bullet through the franchise’s corpse just to make sure." -- From a review of Darren Aronofsky & Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One" script
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Putting the "fun" back in Fundamentalist Christian Dogma.
" I know God exists because WBAM told me so. " - theory9
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Y'know, what I find amazing about objections to Christmas, and any state or public mention of the word Christmas, is that even the most overtly religious symbols of Christmas celebration are largely just seasonal decorations at this point.
Even among Christians, I think it's perceived as a largely commercial and secular event at this point.
For decades here in South Florida, the Deerfield Beach Fire Department displayed a nativity scene on the front lawn of their firehouse at Hillsboro Blvd and Federal Highway. Despite that a nativity scene is a portrayal of the birth of Jesus, it really has no evangelical or religious purpose. It is arguably just part of the commercial trappings of the holiday.
There has been argument within the Christian community that exchanging gifts has marginalized the true meaning of Christmas, and completely eclipsed the message of the birth of a Messiah whose birth was prophecied in verses throughout Old Testament scripture, and fulfilled in the events of Jesus' birth, life, death and ressurection.
The Jehovah Witness church doesn't celebrate Christmas (or birthdays or other holidays for that matter), and I've met others who identify themselves as Christians who either individually as a family, or as a church community, do not celebrate Christmas with gifts or decoration, or other non-religious celebration.
I actually think Political Correctness and ACLU attacks on Christmas songs and decorations and so forth have had the opposite effect, of making Christians more vocal, fighting for the right to publicly practice their Christianity.
If atheists and other anti-Christian groups just shut their holes and allowed the subtle secularization/commercialization of Christmas to occur, they would be more satisfied with the result, as compared to unwittingly stirring up a revival by openly urinating on Christian tradition.
Jim Jackson has at least partially voiced the sentiment that he enjoys the Christmas trappings, even though he is not a Christian.
I would venture to guess that G-man and many other atheists or agnostics feel similarly.
In my college years when I was agnostic, and even a bit hostile at times toward born-again Christians, I also still enjoyed celebrating Christmas every year.
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Quote:
Wonder Boy said:
Jim Jackson has at least partially voiced the sentiment that he enjoys the Christmas trappings, even though he is not a Christian.
I thought I fully voiced that sentiment.
But even I am shocked at the utter dearth of "Merry Christmas" this year.
Is it perhaps in part due to Hannukah's place in the calendar this year?
We all wear a green carnation.
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shows how busy I've been, I didn't even notice when Hanukah fell this year.
I doubt that has anything to do with it though. As we've said over and over again, the PC movement has become a joke. People are so frickin' easily offended to the point where if you breath wrong they'll have an issue and sue you, or something stupid like that.
It's a rented tux ok? I'm not going comando in another man's fatigues.
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Batwoman,
you need to stop following me from thread to thread.
Please.
Its starting to scare me.
Bow ties are coool.
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I wish Klinton were here to see this thread.
November 6th, 2012: Americas new Independence Day.
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Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
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amen. and mery hannukah christmas thing
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Joined: May 2003
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Officially "too old for this shit" 15000+ posts
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Parents in Medway, Mass. are scratching their heads after their grade-school kids came home from school with news that Christmas had been watered down somewhat in local schools, reports the Milford Daily News. After getting complaints from a couple of parents offended by religious themes, school administrators quashed a planned performance of several numbers from Jesus Christ Superstar during the annual holiday show. They also renamed the Christmas tree in one scene a "magical tree" and changed the kids' red and green elf hats to green and white elf hats to shy away from the traditional Christmas color scheme. "The philosophy of the middle school is one of acceptance for cultural and religious diversity. The study of Jesus Christ, Superstar was approached from a strictly musical perspective," Middle School Principal Joanne Senier-LaBarre explained to parents in a letter sent home. "However, in retrospect, we understand that some members of our school family are uncomfortable with what they feel is a musical work that has religious ties." Some parent were more than a little peeved. "Aren’t we supposed to embrace each other’s differences?" said one parent. "If someone is trying to promote something that’s violent, that’s one thing. But they’re promoting a Christmas tree. The solution isn’t to take Christmas out of the (programming). The solution is telling people to lighten up."
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My sister was written up for saying, "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" (she works at Starbucks), I think it's stupid. Why can't we say whatever we want?!?
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Another reason I don't buy Starbucks.
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Quote:
PrincessElisa said:
My sister was written up for saying, "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" (she works at Starbucks), I think it's stupid. Why can't we say whatever we want?!?
Really? Really? It's amazing she even shows up on time.
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Quote:
PrincessElisa said:
My sister was written up for saying, "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" (she works at Starbucks), I think it's stupid. Why can't we say whatever we want?!?
Because when you're on their clock you're representing their company.
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Quote:
PrincessElisa said:
My sister was written up for saying, "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" (she works at Starbucks), I think it's stupid. Why can't we say whatever we want?!?
I sent a letter to starbucks, matt drudge and rush limbaugh... merry christmas.
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Quote:
Wednesday said:
Quote:
PrincessElisa said:
My sister was written up for saying, "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" (she works at Starbucks), I think it's stupid. Why can't we say whatever we want?!?
Because when you're on their clock you're representing their company.
Companies have teh right to controll the manner in which thier employees represent them so what SB did was perfectly legal, but PE is right... it's stupid. I'm not going to boycott Starbucks, but but I'll definately shy away from buying thier giftcards as CRISTMAS presents. After all I wouldn't want to offend anyone.
Putting the "fun" back in Fundamentalist Christian Dogma.
" I know God exists because WBAM told me so. " - theory9
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Quote:
Really? Really? It's amazing she even shows up on time.
Hah.....I know, impressive right?!? Considering she never made it on time to any classes in college ;p Now that she's at grad school (all be it, Southwestern Theological Seminary) she's doing a little bit better....actually training to become "supervisor" for another week anyway! Hasn't even been late yet....
Yeah wed sure, "on the clock you represent the company" but come on.....happy holidays and no Merry Christmas? Shoot, even I said, "Happy Hannukah" and stuff when I worked as a waitress......
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I've got news for people, the word holidays comes from the word, Holy.
Not that I like the idea of a company, or anyone for that matter, telling me or anyone else they can't say Merry Christmas.
If I was still in retail and someone pulled that crap with me, I'd still say Merry Christmas just to spite my employers. If they tried to fire me over it, they'd have another think coming.
It's a rented tux ok? I'm not going comando in another man's fatigues.
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Stop following me from thread to thread, Batwoman!
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Alright fuckers.
If you work for a company that tells you to not say "merry christmas" and you get all butt hurt about it, quit. Its as simple as that.
November 6th, 2012: Americas new Independence Day.
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Here's something I've been considering for a while now about Christmas.
We have holidays to celebrate the births, lifes or deaths of any number of historical figures: St. Valentine, Columbus, Washington, Lincoln, King, etc. Some people want more, such as a holiday for John Lennon.
As far as I know, most people consider Jesus a historical figure, even if they don't consider him the messiah. Jews and Muslims, for example.
Why can't we consider Christmas to be the celebration of a historical figure who, like King (for example) preached peace and say "Merry Christmas"?
I can't picture anyone, other than some racist perhaps, getting offended at someone saying "Happy Martin Luther King day," for example.
So why can't we say "merry Christmas" in the same spirit?
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