Christmas has become the "Great Merchant Holiday."
Every year, it's less and less about "The birth of Christ" and more and more about "Buy, Buy, BUY!"
To me, it's funny as hell to see so many "Religion is phony," "I worship the Great Flying Spaghetti Monster," "I'm an atheist" people talking about what they're getting/doing for Christmas.
If you don't believe in Christ...you shouldn't be celebrating Christmas.
Every year, it's less and less about "The birth of Christ" and more and more about "Buy, Buy, BUY!"
To me, it's funny as hell to see so many "Religion is phony," "I worship the Great Flying Spaghetti Monster," "I'm an atheist" people talking about what they're getting/doing for Christmas.
If you don't believe in Christ...you shouldn't be celebrating Christmas.
Can we still celebrate Easter if we don't believe in bunnies?
Actually, nowhere in the bible does it indicate that Jesus was born in December. Most of the time indicators point to Jesus being born in spring. Little things like having shepherds out in the fields with their sheep. Sheep are mostly kept inside during fall/winter because that's the cold and rainy season.
The bible also states that Jesus was born about 6 months after john the baptist. Elizabeth conceived John when her husband Zacharias finished his tour of duty at the temple which was the course of abia which is in february. John being conceived in February means he was born in November. Jesus was born 6 months later, around may.
The bible also mentions that king Herod ordered people back to their city of origin for the sake of a census. Censuses at the time were generally taken after the rainy season, in spring.
So why December 25? The winter solstice happens around December 21 to 23. Every culture already celebrates the winter solstice, so people more readily accept Christianity if its celebrations happen at the same time or if the celebrations are tacked on to the end of existing celebrations.
Easter is a pagan celebration as well. We don't remember the resurrection of Jesus as much as we remember the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny is a pagan symbol of fertility because bunnies multiply like crazy.
While I tend to agree that Christmas time isn't really "The birthday of Christ," but rather a season that was taken by the early Christians because of the Festivus celebration, Christmas as celebrated IS about Christ...or it's SUPPOSED to be, anyway.
If you don't celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ, stop celebrating CHRISTMAS and start wishing everyone a "Happy YuleTide," or "Merry Festivus," or make up your own holiday name.
"Ramen to you all."
Or...<gasp> Happy Holidays.
ignoring any beef you may have with the Catholic church or the Pope, would using a holiday to think about the problems facing the world rather than just buying shit really be such a made thing?
Christmas has become the "Great Merchant Holiday."
Every year, it's less and less about "The birth of Christ" and more and more about "Buy, Buy, BUY!"
To me, it's funny as hell to see so many "Religion is phony," "I worship the Great Flying Spaghetti Monster," "I'm an atheist" people talking about what they're getting/doing for Christmas.
If you don't believe in Christ...you shouldn't be celebrating Christmas.
Says the Pope.
http://news.yahoo.com/pope-laments-christmas-consumerism-glitter-215615750.html
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Faith: I'm going to blindly make an assumption and hold to it, despite overwhelming real-world evidence to the contrary. Normally, this would be considered to be a sign of a mental disorder. Instead, it's been turned into a positive attribute. (Unless you claim that you hear God talking to you. Then you get locked away.)Wouldn't be bad at all. I was just taking a little poke at his statement that rediscovery of faith will solve all our problems. Even 2 centuries ago the world was extremely religious in some form or other, as progress continued we have gotten more secular. Even the religions have gotten more secular and less intrusive into our lives. Almost every modern, successful government is secular by law.
The repair manual for my car is 1200 pages.Religion and faith are all well and good in the hands of the right individual, but most people don't have the intellect or desire to see much more than an X000 year old instruction manual. Some of it is still relevant, and some of it is hopelessly obsolete in the modern era.
...
:thumbsup:sounds about right. in most cases, Christmas is just an orgy of capitalism.
I mean it when I tell my family/friends that I don't want anything. donate the money to a local charity. or, hell... instead of spending 3 hours of your wages on me, spend 3 hours volunteering somewhere.
I think next year, I'm not going to do gifts for anyone except my nieces. I've just been feeling really disgusted by the whole process this year. I think I'm just going to make donations to charities in people's names and let them whine that they didn't get some shitty movie on bluray.
ignoring any beef you may have with the Catholic church or the Pope, would using a holiday to think about the problems facing the world rather than just buying shit really be such a made thing?
For the anti-capitalist whiners, watch this:
http://www.amazon.com/World-Peace/dp/B002DQ11MA
You want peace on Earth and good will towards men? The best way to that is via trade, so the commercialization of Christmas is doing more for making peace a reality than praying and thinking about the birth of some zombie bastard from thousands of years ago.
I'm still baffled how other people celebrating something in any way affects how you do it, so I really don't understand the whining about "this holiday isn't about what its supposed to be about" when you're the one in control of that. Don't like the commercialization of Christmas then stay at home, setup your manger, and spend all your time thinking about "the true meaning of Christmas" and give us the gift of saving us from your whining about your usurped holiday being usurped. Hope you don't partake in any of the capitalist movement to abolish Christmas, like the Charlie Brown special, or the ABC/NBC/CBS/etc Holiday Special brought to you by __________ on a big flat panel TV with surround sound and Nabisco Chips Ahoy for Santa (or maybe you made it from scratch, using Toll House chips and C&H sugar).
As for the original topic, of course as usual the Catholic church is trying to lead the way with their blatant hypocrisy. Maybe if he wasn't saying that while sitting on a gilded throne in a massive palace it wouldn't ring so hollow. Oh, I'm sorry, maybe he's on a globetrotting trip riding around in bulletproof armored cars languishing the fact he can't let everyone kiss his ring.
I went to buy some booze last Friday, surprised to find the liquor shop was so crowded they made lines to got get the booze and checkout at the cashier. Guess people were more interested in drinking through the long weekend than going to the mass on the Christmas eve.
Says the Pope.
http://news.yahoo.com/pope-laments-christmas-consumerism-glitter-215615750.html
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Gifts were part of Yule before capitalism was invented...go open a history book.
What is next?
Coca-Cola invented Julemanden (Odin, you call him Santa Claus)...
How people feel during Christmas is wholly due to their own mind. I love Christmas and giving presents. I expect nothing, and I don't expect people to expect things of me. I like the season, food, music, decorations, being with family, end of the year, etc.
If you believe Christmas is too commercialized then don't participate, plain and simple.
Christmas has become the "Great Merchant Holiday."
Every year, it's less and less about "The birth of Christ" and more and more about "Buy, Buy, BUY!"
To me, it's funny as hell to see so many "Religion is phony," "I worship the Great Flying Spaghetti Monster," "I'm an atheist" people talking about what they're getting/doing for Christmas.
If you don't believe in Christ...you shouldn't be celebrating Christmas.