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The War on Christmas
- Thread starter CatholicVoice
- Start date
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
Does Santa skip Australia?Not in Australia, given that 'winter' is June-August.
Because like @kerndog says, the unholy orgy of consumerism and indulgence that is currently labeled "Christ"mas is an embarrassment to the faithful. Push the holiday to a long weekend and save the actual day of Christmas for something a bit more reverent.
The current plan is kinda gross, don't you think?
Tom
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
I don't have a problem with Xmas, no. If people don't want to make it religious , that isn't my problem, like I said. That being said, no reason to change the name, either. People who don't celebrate Xmas, at all, sometimes argue that the actual Holiday /about Jesus or not/, should not be celebrated.
Maybe. A bunch of those people indulging in consumerism ARE the faithful though, so...
I like Christmas, admittedly in an entirely secular way. What others decide is important about the day is up to them, in my opinion, but for me it relates to family, basically.
Ouroboros
Coincidentia oppositorum
It's called Yule or Saturnalia. Christmas was invented by the Catholic church to replace the older pagan traditions.
Ouroboros
Coincidentia oppositorum
It would be all encompassing for all religions and lack thereof.
Who cares what the society at large does. If you're a Christian, it shouldn't matter. Let society be greedy and consumerist. Let it be vapid and stupid. Let the morons trample each other over meaningless trinkets. That is their choice to make. But, in your heart, know what Christmas is really about to you. What stores and such choose to do has no bearing on your religious practice or going to church services to celebrate the coming of Christ. Listen to religious Advent and Christmas music, read religious writings about this holy season, watch Christmas specials on TV, etc. Society in general has no bearing on your enjoyment and sense of meaning in those things.
Desert Snake
Veteran Member
That's silly. It's been called Christmas for a very long time, and the ''extra'' trappings are from various cultures, that simply added other decorations, etc., to the Christmas celebration. So, in some areas there would have been a tree, in other areas, not.....just examine your logic for a moment. Christmas is celebrated in areas that didn't have ''Yule'', or ''Saturnalia'', yet have the same standard holiday................hmmmmm............
Draka
Wonder Woman
Uh, no. The tree is a Pagan symbol, the Yule log is Pagan, the wreath is Pagan, mistletoe, and more. Not because they were added to Christmas, but because they were co-opted from an already existent holiday in order to easily convert people to Christianity. Christmas is supposedly to celebrate the birth of Jesus right? Who, according to bible scholars wasn't born anywhere near Dec 25. So why is it celebrated then? Because there were already holidays at that time that marked what? The birth/rise of the son/sun. Midwinter. The time which marks the longest night of the year and the gradual return of light. Of life. Of...the sun. Christmas hasn't been around as long as most of the other holidays during this time. It is not the original. It co-opted practices of originals.
It's called cultural syncreticism. What happened was that people in various cultures reinterpreted their practices when they became Christianized. It wasn't some nefarious thing. It was just a natural occurrence that happens all the time. No one owns a symbol. A tree is just a tree. What that tree means to you is subjective. Christians in Central and South America, or Christians across Africa, Asia and so on wouldn't celebrate Christmas with the same cultural traditions as we in the Anglosphere do. Why? Because they have their own cultures and traditions. Christianity is pretty handy in that it can be adapted to any culture.
girlchristian
New Member
Just as absurd as being offended by the presences of the word Christmas, don't you think?
girlchristian
New Member
AHH, so if a group ASKS to be included then that's when they matter? If they don't ask, it's okay to exclude a group?
Is anyone actually offended by the word 'Christmas' though? I suspect if they are they are a little too precious.
girlchristian
New Member
I actually don't think all do want to be included. I think the misguided generic 'Happy Holidays' in order to not leave people out that may not even care if they're left out is stupid.
I also happen to think that anyone that would be offended by being wished a Merry Christmas or a Happy Hanukkah or a Happy Saturnalia just because they don't celebrate that particular holiday has issues.
girlchristian
New Member
I've only known two people that were offended by being wished a "Merry Christmas" but, I agree with you on the absurdity of being offended by it.
Draka
Wonder Woman
Isn't it just as equally absurd to be offended over not being wished a Merry Christmas? To be offended over "Happy Holidays"? It is Christians who are throwing fits over this stuff. How many times do you see people getting upset because they weren't greeted with "Happy Chanukah" instead of "Happy Holidays"? Do you see Pagans in a tissy because they aren't hearing "Happy Yule"? No other religion is touting a "war" upon their holiday. Only Christians.
Draka
Wonder Woman
The concept of lighting a tree during this time of year actually has meaning to particular paths. Can you say what meaning it has to Christmas? It's awful convenient to co-opt the practices of other religions into your holiday when you are trying to convince people they need to convert. They even celebrate it on the wrong day entirely. Unless, that is, they want to admit it is actually more Earth religion driven in nature than their own particular mythology.
Point being though was that supposedly "it's been called Christmas for a long time". As if it has some original claim on the season. That it is the premiere holiday of the season. It might be the biggest celebrated in certain regions, but that does not mean it has priority claim.
I agree with this, but I would say one thing...
If I'm talking to a group, or someone whose 'allegiance' I'm unsure of, I might go with 'Best of the Season', or something as a generic thing. If they're Jewish I'd say Happy Hanukkah, and if they're Christian or if I know they'd celebrate it, I'd say Merry Christmas. I might also go with Happy Festivus regardless of their religion if they were a Seinfeld fan.
Basically, what I say has little to do with my beliefs, is what I mean. And if someone said any of those things to me, then it's all good.