The War on Christmas

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 8:40 am

Bill O'Reilly was harping on it last year, but the only people I've seen getting really upset are (1) those who think, erroneously, that the Founding Fathers were all Christian and the USA was created of, by, & for Christians; and (2) those who actually believe such extremists might be successful, and have let their paranoia get the better of them by calling to eradicate all that can be remotely called religious (without doing away with the day off work of course).

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 8:47 am

Um yeah...what Accountable said.

America loves to have "wars" on things.

The war on terror

The war on drugs

The war on illiteracy

Etc.

I don't personally think there's any war on Christmas but when people speak up about things they take as slights, such as not acknowledging their holidays or assuming they are christian "just like everybody else," a lot of other people take umbrage with that and flip out that anybody could be different from them and we all know (sarcasm) different is threatening and must be dealt with. By having a WAR on it!

:wah: Even a lot of Americans think this is silly.

Lulu2 · Post by **Lulu2** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 8:49 am

Are you SURE you want me to get started on this, Diuretic? :wah: Here's a letter I wrote which was published in the Op/Ed section of our local paper. It's in response to a man who writes EVERY SINGLE YEAR, complaining that there's "a war on Christmas." This year, I let him have it and they printed MY letter, too.

"Even though I'm no Christian, I'm a passionate civil libertarian and am outraged at the idea of "a war on Christmas." Mr. Norsworthy's letter inflamed me! A "war on Christmas?" How could this be?

I rushed out into the community, looking for traces of this nefarious plot. Christmas card sales? Doing well. Gift wrap sales? Yup! Brisk, even. Post office? Overflowing with people mailing gifts. Markets/stores? Decorated and filled with songs of "Joy to the World" and "Little Drummer Boy." (These must stimulate sales, I suppose.)

I discovered entire neighborhoods of houses decorated with Santas, snowmen, mangers, wise men and sheep. Parochial schools seemed a-bustle, rehearsing concerts of holy music and song. My trip through the city found churches overflowing with Christmas cheer, pre/post holiday activities indicated on their bulletin boards. Nobody was attempting to shut them down.

Even the venerable pages of this very newspaper surrounded Norsworthy's letter with editorials and other letters concerning the observance of Christmas. Radio and television broadcasters were playing features centered around Christmas stories, music and services. (Indeed, one must make a deliberate effort to escape all this "fa-la-la-la-la-ing.")

So where is this "war on Christmas" being waged?

Could it be that (ardent Christians) wish to impose their observance of Christmas on innocent public school children with pagents and choral programs, regardless of their family faith or lack of it? Or perhaps they wish to impose Christian mythological symbols on the general public by using space in tax-supported buildings, thus providing the impression that our city approves and supports the Christian faith? Just how much of our tax-supported space, time and private life do they want for the insertion of their religious views?

Slapping labels on ACLU and other organizations determined to protect the few of us from the tyranny of the many merely demonstrates an intolerant ignorance of democratic principles and the nature of separation of church and state.

Happy New Year!

koan · Post by **koan** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 11:20 am

RedGlitter;496529 wrote: Um yeah...what Accountable said.

America loves to have "wars" on things.

The war on terror

The war on drugs

The war on illiteracy

Etc.

I don't personally think there's any war on Christmas but when people speak up about things they take as slights, such as not acknowledging their holidays or assuming they are christian "just like everybody else," a lot of other people take umbrage with that and flip out that anybody could be different from them and we all know (sarcasm) different is threatening and must be dealt with. By having a WAR on it!

:wah: Even a lot of Americans think this is silly.
I thought of the same thing when I saw the thread title. Christians fear not. The other "wars" haven't really worked either. It will likely result in folks liking Christmas carols even more than they do already. We'll get a year round radio station catering to the Christmas spirit.

koan · Post by **koan** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 11:28 am

The only way to defeat Christmas is to get people to give gifts all year round and expect nothing in return.

eta: and then maybe we'll actually find Christmas.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 11:46 am

Christmas hasn't been a Christian-only holiday for generations ... same for Easter, for that matter. Nothing in the Bible about decorating trees or painting eggs for a rabbit to hide, as far as I know.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 1:26 pm

There is the theory that the christian church adopted pagan symbols and some of pagan ways to bring more people-pagans into the christian church.

I say Merry Christmas even though I am not Christian. But it would be nice to have somebody wish me Happy Solstice or Happy Yule!

It's like a big party for everyone whatever you celebrate! What could be wrong with that?

Funny Diuretic about the E. bunny hopping out of the sleigh! :wah:

Hallowe'en is my big day and I swear we get like a lousy week of preparation for it. Christmas starts in July.

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 1:37 pm

Love your letter, Lulu. And your comments too Diuretic. The Western World is driven by commerce and these festivals are massive money making opportunities. That's why Christmas and Easter have to be shoved down our throats, forced on us at every opportunity. Lights, music, action - BUY NOW. BUY EARLY. SHOW YOUR LOVE BY SPENDING MONEY. I mean in America the Christmas Season opens officiallly, doesn't it with the Macy's Big Parade. Nothing religious about that. Or about the Easter bunny.

There was an article in the Canberra Times newspaper a couple of weeks ago - saying that Canberran's were the cheapest Aussies when it came to spending money on their loved ones. Only averaging about $90 a gift. How much continuing market research goes into the whole shebang.... to work out why we buy, why we don't, with a view to making us do it more and more and more...

Tom Lehrer's timeless song - mentioned in part in another thread - puts it beautifully:

http://members.aol.com/quentncree/lehrer/xmas.htm

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 1:39 pm

I am a big fan of Twelfth Night, Red Glitter. The Feast of the Epiphany, La Fête des Rois, The Feast of Topsy Turvey, Misrule or really, Saturnalia.

Lulu2 · Post by **Lulu2** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 2:29 pm

Well, to get serious...the issue is about religious displays in public spaces/Christian pageants in public schools and that sort of thing. Because many of us object to having our children coerced into singing Christian songs in school, we're considered to be waging "WARRRRRRR ON CHRISTMASSSS!"

The commercial aspects are annoying, too, but less noticeable, considering we have merchandising campaigns with every holiday in the year. You name it...they'll push sales for it!

A'P is right...it's all about SHOWING YOUR LOVE THROUGH CONSUMERISM!

I'm a HUGE Tom Lehrer fan! Stan Freburg did "Green Christmas" many years ago..that's a good one, too.

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 3:31 am

Accountable;496663 wrote: Christmas hasn't been a Christian-only holiday for generations ... same for Easter, for that matter. Nothing in the Bible about decorating trees or painting eggs for a rabbit to hide, as far as I know.
Funny enough, there is. Both are pagan of course. Old testament, natch. Especially the egg and cakes thing.

:yh_bigsmi Festival of Tamuz.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:07 am

Raven;499504 wrote: Funny enough, there is. Both are pagan of course. Old testament, natch. Especially the egg and cakes thing.

:yh_bigsmi Festival of Tamuz.
Found Tammuz in Ezekial, but the eggs were hidden too well for me to find. :yh_glasse

Lulu2 · Post by **Lulu2** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:04 am

eggs=fertility=spring=rebirth=Jesus

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 9:47 am

The egg is a pagan symbol symbolizing fertility of the Goddess. Another one of the symbols christians swiped to make their church more appealing to "heathen" pagans.

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:53 pm

The Christian Church swiped eggs as a symbol ??????????????????

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 3:23 pm

AussiePam;499899 wrote: The Christian Church swiped eggs as a symbol ??????????????????
Just the plastic ones that had money in them.