Not to me. It's only confusing because people have allowed CHrist's message to be muddled. Christmas is to celebrate Christ's birthday, if you feel offended by it, then don't celebrate it.
Hey maybe if we can keep the Evangelicals occupied with symbolic wars like the Xmas silliness, it will keep them from backing new real wars. Or can we hope they are getting tired of real wars? The Xmas silliness is like rich white girl abductions in that it is profitable for Fox News, but what is the motivation for the Evangelicals? Does it boost church attendance and revenue? Confused Somehow it remeinds me of the Janet Jackson boob appearance. Also sort of reminds me of the type of irrational ebbs and tides I sort of imagine happening in the Madrassahs in Pakistan or among Al Sadr's followers.
It's a general statement. I wasn't directing it at anyone on this thread. I'm a little tired of people in general who complain about the Christian themes of Christmas, yet still choose to celebrate it. I complain about Halloween, so therefore I don't celebrate it, nor do I try to turn it around to something it's not.
Well here's a question for you. Why do you call it XMas? It was called Christmas when people celebrated it hundreds of years ago, and obviously the only reason we have the holiday is because of Christ. So whats the point of taking out the word Christ? What if Martin Luther King's was spanish and his name was Jesus Luther King, would that holiday eventually be called XLK day by white supremacists? If you're offended by a holiday, just don't celebrate it.
You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch. You really are a heel. You're as cuddly as a cactus, You're as charming as an eel. Mr. Grinch. You're a bad banana With a greasy black peel. You're a monster, Mr. Grinch. Your heart's an empty hole. Your brain is full of spiders, You've got garlic in your soul. Mr. Grinch. I wouldn't touch you, with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole. You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch. You have termites in your smile. You have all the tender sweetness Of a seasick crocodile. Mr. Grinch. Given the choice between the two of you I'd take the seasick crockodile. You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch. You're a nasty, wasty skunk. Your heart is full of unwashed socks Your soul is full of gunk. Mr. Grinch. The three words that best describe you, are, and I quote: "Stink. Stank. Stunk." You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch. You're the king of sinful sots. Your heart's a dead tomato splot With moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch. Your soul is an apalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable, Mangled up in tangled up knots. You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch. With a nauseaus super-naus. You're a crooked jerky jockey And you drive a crooked horse. Mr. Grinch. You're a three decker saurkraut and toadstool sandwich With arsenic sauce.
Lots of non-Christians call the holiday "XMas", including myself. We call it that because we do not believe that Jesus Christ is "our Lord and Savior". Get over it.
the holiday wouldn't be there if the guy never lived. What does it hurt to acknowledge the holiday is there because of Christ? that it was created because of Christ? That without CHRIST, there would be no Christmas.
Sorry Tex....you've been assimilated. The 'X' in XMas means Christ. It's not a nonchristian spelling, but rather an abbreviation. The text messaging version of christmas, perhaps. u r 1 of us now! Welcome aboard.
If you don't believe in Christ, why should you have to acknowledge him? Ever heard of freedom of religion? It works both ways. You have the freedom to participate/worship, and you have the freedom not to.
You don't have to believe in him to acknowledge that the guy really did walk the earth. that doesnt have anyting to do with freedom of religion, it's simply history 101.
There would not be a Christmas, but there would still be a winter holiday. Since Christmas was ceremoniously dumped on top of the winter solstice by the Catholic Church, that is why it is celebrated that time of year. The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years. Many of our Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ child was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the yule log, the giving of gifts, carnivals(parades) with floats, carolers who sing while going from house to house, the holiday feasts, and the church processions can all be traced back to the early Mesopotamians. Many of these traditions began with the Mesopotamian celebration of New Years. The Mesopotamians believed in many gods, and as their chief god - Marduk. Each year as winter arrived it was believed that Marduk would do battle with the monsters of chaos. To assist Marduk in his struggle the Mesopotamians held a festival for the New Year. This was Zagmuk, the New Year's festival that lasted for 12 days. The Mesopotamian king would return to the temple of Marduk and swear his faithfulness to the god. The traditions called for the king to die at the end of the year and to return with Marduk to battle at his side. To spare their king, the Mesopotamians used the idea of a "mock" king. A criminal was chosen and dressed in royal clothes. He was given all the respect and privileges of a real king. At the end of the celebration the "mock" king was stripped of the royal clothes and slain, sparing the life of the real king. The Persians and the Babylonians celebrated a similar festival called the Sacaea. Part of that celebration included the exchanging of places, the slaves would become the masters and the masters were to obey. Early Europeans believed in evil spirits, witches, ghosts and trolls. As the Winter Solstice approached, with its long cold nights and short days, many people feared the sun would not return. Special rituals and celebrations were held to welcome back the sun. In Scandinavia during the winter months the sun would disappear for many days. After thirty-five days scouts would be sent to the mountain tops to look for the return of the sun. When the first light was seen the scouts would return with the good news. A great festival would be held, called the Yuletide, and a special feast would be served around a fire burning with the Yule log. Great bonfires would also be lit to celebrate the return of the sun. In some areas people would tie apples to branches of trees to remind themselves that spring and summer would return. The ancient Greeks held a festival similar to that of the Zagmuk/Sacaea festivals to assist their god Kronos who would battle the god Zeus and his Titans. The Roman's celebrated their god Saturn. Their festival was called Saturnalia which began the middle of December and ended January 1st. With cries of "Jo Saturnalia!" the celebration would include masquerades in the streets, big festive meals, visiting friends, and the exchange of good-luck gifts called Strenae (lucky fruits). The Romans decked their halls with garlands of laurel and green trees lit with candles. Again the masters and slaves would exchange places. "Jo Saturnalia!" was a fun and festive time for the Romans, but the Christians though it an abomination to honor the pagan god. The early Christians wanted to keep the birthday of their Christ child a solemn and religious holiday, not one of cheer and merriment as was the pagan Saturnalia. But as Christianity spread they were alarmed by the continuing celebration of pagan customs and Saturnalia among their converts. At first the Church forbid this kind of celebration. But it was to no avail. Eventually it was decided that the celebration would be tamed and made into a celebration fit for the Christian Son of God. Some legends claim that the Christian "Christmas" celebration was invented to compete against the pagan celebrations of December. The 25th was not only sacred to the Romans but also the Persians whose religion Mithraism was one of Christianity's main rivals at that time. The Church eventually was successful in taking the merriment, lights, and gifts from the Saturanilia festival and bringing them to the celebration of Christmas. The exact day of the Christ child's birth has never been pinpointed. Traditions say that it has been celebrated since the year 98 AD. In 137 AD the Bishop of Rome ordered the birthday of the Christ Child celebrated as a solemn feast. In 350 AD another Bishop of Rome, Julius I, choose December 25th as the observance of Christmas. I love the internets... Don't get me wrong. I am a Christian and by that I mean I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the living son of God and that he died for my sins and conquered death. When my family celebrates Christmas we mean "Happy Birthday Jesus!" and have said that during our celebrations. I really don't give a crap what Wal Mart employees greet me with as I walk in the door from Nov. 28th through Dec. 24th. If O'Reilly's show is any indication, That's what this is about and that's why it is STUPID. By the way, do you think that it is any coincidence at all that the guy that wrote the book about this little "war" that Faux news is perpetrating just happens to work for said network? Hmmm what a coinky dink. I also believe in the First Amendment and the Freedom of (and from) Religion. That is why I am a supporter of the ACLU.
I disagree. It has nothing to do with history, and everything to do with freedom of religion. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
