Comments on: There Is Indeed a Christmas Story

By: Tree

Tree — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 20:06:35 +0000

I felt so guilty after reading the comments here that I set fire to my Christmas tree and took away every kids’ gift in my neighborhood.
Apparently, the true hero of Christmas is the Grinch–before his heart grew too big! Maybe someone should write a dissertation on the socio-politico-religious-o ramifications of the Grinch and his theft of Christmas?
Now excuse me while I go hang myself by the string of twinkly lights I have wrapped around the boxwood…

By: Rahb

Rahb — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:11:45 +0000

to add – how are we supposed to explain that the kids who don’t get gifts aren’t naughty, just for bein’ poor?

By: bozh

bozh — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:10:20 +0000

to me, celebrating christmas means the following:
approbation of intolerance, crusades, burning at stake, inquisition, warfare, divisiveness, persecution of scientists/educators, etcetc. thnx

By: AaronG

AaronG — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 13:14:07 +0000

xmas is certainly an interesting time of year to study the human species in all our imperfections. It’s a frenzy of sheeple rushing around department stores buying forced gifts for loved ones and not really pausing long enough to know why they are doing it. It represents all that’s wrong with our society – WE DO NOT STOP TO QUESTION WHY. Why do we blindly follow the tradition of xmas? Why are our holidays conveniently spaced apart so we don’t get a break from spending? Spend. Spend. Spend. It is now our national duty to spend until we drop. The elite need us to spend and not ask why. Just keep swiping that credit card. These are some of the main reasons that I get when I ask people why they celebrate xmas:

RELIGIOUS – ”I celebrate the birth of Jesus” (I don’t need to elaborate. The Bible says that Jesus was born when the shepherds were living out of doors. It’s a bit cold in the Middle East this time of year to be camping under the stars, I suspect. The whole Jesus’ birth thing is a bit old by now).

SECULAR – ”Oh, it’s just a time to be with family, and the kids love it.” (This is the more disturbing answer, since secular people are supposed to be able to think for themselves. And it’s a hard one to counter, since you’re seen as ‘’spoiling it for the kids”, a bit like not wanting to criticise the war cos you have to ‘’support the troops”. There are approximately 365 days in the year to voluntarily enjoy the family. What force is motivating you to provide the retail sector with approx 40% of their annual takings at xmas time? If xmas is so sacred, why do the best sales occur on or just after the 26th December? When you awaken on the 26th is your family just as important to you as they were on the 25th? If so, why all the fuss about xmas? Does it feel good to lie to your kids about some old fat guy with a beard breaking into your house and delivering gifts? They’re too young to know that their government lies to them, but surely their parents can be truthful. ”Better be good or Santa won’t give you a present” sounds much like ”Better be good or you won’t go to heaven/will go to hell” – secular people unknowingly act very religious sometimes. I’ve met many secular people who don’t really like the idea of xmas, and obviously don’t believe the Jesus thing, but they get involved in xmas anyway since they don’t want to be different. This is disturbing. Though not outwardly admitting it, they are being motivated by a corporate force. They may even have ”progressive” views on the world and may even criticise the corporate world for all our problems. But when it comes to the strong tradition of xmas they put their views aside and join the crowd.)

As a side point, I haven’t celebrated xmas for 16 years. My 4 yo girl and 2yo boy don’t know the difference. Sure, when they start school they’ll be under pressure from the other kids for being ”different”. But ”different” does not mean wrong. My kids can receive presents on August23rd, January 5th, June 24th………yes, any time of year. I don’t want the business world dictating to me when I can surprise my kids with a heartfelt gift. They already bombard my loungeroom with enough advertising.

Sorry to spoil everyone’s xmas – my xmas $pirit is just not working this year. Oh well, tomorrow is another day………………..

By: Don Hawkins

Don Hawkins — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:43:53 +0000

Well here is two way’s it could play out. Hold on to the old way of thinking or at least try and we all go deeper into the rabbit hole/ darkside. Start using reason and the knowledge think anew you know a new way of thinking. The forces for the first way are strong but I have to admit losing some of there power and the truth and knowledge are still there worst enemy. The second way must be started by those of us who know where the wild wind blows and we are few right now but that can change and we do have truth and knowledge and will that be enough? Yes it sure will as it has to be no other way. Two and two is four not twenty or ten but four. Could you just see two million people in front of the Capital saying together one and one is two, one and one is two.

By: Don Hawkins

Don Hawkins — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:27:20 +0000

Bozh you have a good day and by this time next year just one year 365 day’s 12 months I am not sure just how it will play out but interesting times if nothing else change no way around it.

By: bozh

bozh — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:16:51 +0000

my post in which i do not wish anyone a merry christmas had not appeared.
i find that christianity, islam, and judaism r some of the vitiating isms that befell us.
jesus if he had ben accurately quote was antihuman. eg, he said, u shall always have poor amongst u; meek shall inherit th earth (such as pals); i came to uphold the laws and the prophets; ie, approved of stoning and extermination of canaanites; why throw pearls before swine for they will trample it; meaning that people who don’t agree w. him r pigs and wld trample on his wisdom.
he even implied he was son of god, etcet. thnxc

By: UNRR

UNRR — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:02:03 +0000

This post has been linked for the HOT5 Daily 12/24/2008, at The Unreligious Right

By: Rahb

Rahb — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:06:21 +0000

You seem either conflicted or sarcastic at some points, sorry if I don’t read you right.
“[A]fter traditions are detached from their dubious dogma” they would more likely ask whether the guy, aside from metaphoric attempts to pass what they considered wisdom on, was born at all – never mind when he was conceived. Any sun worshiping society would have been quite familiar with a dec. 25 birth/ rebirth following 3 days of death. Astrologers know about following a bright eastern star too. From Bethlehem as a starting point, which is a whole other basket of bread, the star (same with the evening sun) then heads north, that could put us in say Nazareth, kinda fishy if you ask me but it’s okay because, then it then hides off west of there – towards one of it’s origins in Egypt (one of the new testament’s conflicts resolved).
It certainly does maintain the societal ziggurats though. Alas, ’tis the season to endorse religious and economic prejudice. Children are innately color blind (prejudice is the result of taking cues from us) and have a “sense of oneness” that has nothing to do with religion, season, or some so-called “Christian” holiday (keep in mind that the majority of the world is not Christian). Images of “sylvan snow-topped cabins with their smoky chimneys, and ornamented Christmas trees with presents piled up” more likely remind them of what they don’t have, those delights are the experience of very few from a broader perspective, having again nothing to do with their religion.
“Anyone who has ever stopped to help a stricken neighbor, or who had embraced those deemed unworthy, hopeless or condemned” acts on the altruism built into their brain, necessary for existence, and is sometimes helped along by their religious belief, this again is not specific to Christianity. Hand-picking their preferred parts of the scriptures parents buy love from their kids in hopes that they will ignore, Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” For those that play semantics games and say “hate” could actually mean “love less” in Greek, this is potentially true, consider then that it is the same word used to direct your views on other abominations throughout the new testament – again pointing to the hand picking…
I’m not really convinced on “Ole” either, what does Chomsky say?
All of my long-winded blathering aside, do celebrate. Celebrate in peace, celebrate love and compassion, celebrate the beauty and innocence of children, celebrate the fact that no person (not even those elite on top) nor society is completely independent, celebrate the fact that happiness is something from within (not at all dependent on all the crap you can buy, as some would have you believe), and then I don’t care who’s name you celebrate in. Peace!