Why????

[dittydottie]

Why do so many people want to take Christ out of Christmas?(xmas)Why are people told they cannot say Merry Christmas?
Let us all take a few seconds at this time of year and remember:Jesus is the Reason for this Season!!!!!

[FutureChief88]

I know!
We are told to say Happy holidays.. or Seasons Greetings.. In worry that we will offend someone! I mean come on.. its the season to be joyous and happy.. It never happenes any other time of the year.. At least at christmas we could be a Tad Joyous?

[FutureChief88]

I thought this was funny..



'Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck...
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves".
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.
And labor conditions at the north pole
Were alleged by the union to stifle the soul.
Four reindeer had vanished, without much propriety,
Released to the wilds by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear
That Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
Were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!
The runners had been removed from his sleigh;
The ruts were termed dangerous by the E.P.A.
And people had started to call for the cops
When they heard sled noises on their roof-tops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe had his workers quite frightened.
His fur trimmed red suit was called "Unenlightened."
And to show you the strangeness of life's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose
And had gone on Geraldo, in front of the nation,
Demanding millions in over-due compensation.
So, half of the reindeer were gone; and his wife,
Who suddenly said she'd enough of this life,
Joined a self-help group, packed, and left in a whiz,
Demanding from now on her title was Ms.
And as for the gifts, why, he'd ne'er had a notion
That making a choice could cause so much commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur,
Which meant nothing for him. And nothing for her.
Nothing that might be construed to pollute.
Nothing to aim. Nothing to shoot.
Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls. Or just for the boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific.
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacific.

No candy or sweets...they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish a truth.
And fairy tales, while not yet forbidden,
Were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden.
For they raised the hackles of those psychological
Who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.
No baseball, no football...someone could get hurt;
Besides, playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist, and should be passe;
And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.
So Santa just stood there, disheveled, perplexed;
He just could not figure out what to do next.
He tried to be merry, tried to be gay,
you've got to be careful with that word today.
His sack was quite empty, limp to the ground;
Nothing fully acceptable was to be found.
Something special was needed, a gift that he might
Give to all without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy, with no indecision,
Each group of people, every religion; Every ethnicity, every hue,
Everyone, everywhere...even you.
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...
"May you and your loved ones enjoy peace on earth

[lizard_lover]

yeah, ok, for us, it is merry christmas. But there are those who do not celebrate christmas, so yeah, i understand. Now I mean they should not be offended, but how many of you wish a happy holiday (specified by name of thier holiday) to a muslim, oriental, or whoever else? I doubt it. Give me a break.

[FutureChief88]

No i dont.. But i wouldnt get offended if someone wished me a happy hannukah, Or happy whatever day.. I am not going to get offended .. I shouldnt have to alter my beliefs of my Wishes for a happy " insert day here" because someone is getting offended because that is what I believe in! Its just absolutely rediculous.. And yes..working in the service industry.. If i knew someone was muslim and knew what they celebrated.. I would wish them a happy.. whatever!

[Crystalbeach]

We are all so politically correct that it's become ridiculous...Christmas is Christmas...end of story!

[FutureChief88]

We are all so damned politically correct that it's become ridiculous...Christmas is Christmas...end of story!

AMEN!
lol

Completely Agreed

[lizard_lover]

I agree that we should be able to say merry christmas or whatever (i work at a call center and they want us to say happy holidays or whatever, and it sucks to not be able to say merry christmas, but why are we bothering about it? it aint gonna change before this christmas hits...

[rhiley_08j]

I think Christ was taken out of Christmas a long time ago. Christmas isn't about Jesus, it's about greed, and traditions and rituals that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ. Christmas is a combination of Pagan traditions and Christianity's attempt to incorporate paganism into their beliefs. Personally, I don't believe that Jesus should be brought into such a thing. It is a blasphemy on his name.

[FutureChief88]

well we know its not going to change.. I believe the thread was asking why we have to.. Its not going to change ever IMO.. The human race keeps getting worse and worse with what is offensive to others and what is not. Yet things like murders and racism still exists at full throttle.. But i must watch who i say merry Christmas to.. They might get offended..
LOL

[mickeymouse]

I went to Calis on Tuesday and the duty guy on the USA side said Merry Christmas, I said, You can tell we are in the USA, because he said Merry Christmas. LOL

[cornerofeden]

I would like to say Merry Christmas to each and every one of you on isaintjohn. And may God bless you abundantly in the New Year!

[FutureChief88]

You as well! :)

[dan j]

I work in customer service and this week pretty much 3 out of 5 customers wished me a merry Christmas. People still say it all the time. I think there is a fake fear out there that some people buy into. Frankly, I find it insulting when people try to get others worked up about things that don't exist in order to push some sort of agenda.

I also don't believe that any groups out there who don't celebrate Christmas even care if they are wished Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. I think if people like to be wished well then they like it no matter how it comes.

The end of a year and the beginning of a new year is traditionally a time for joy and celebration with or without Jesus, long before Jesus and long after through different religions and groups. To say Jesus is the Reason for the Season is an empty slogan that sounds good because it rhymes but this time of year has more meaning than just Jesus.

Being respectful of others doesn't mean that you have to "watch what you say in case the PC police get you" but just showing some regular respect is all anyone could ask for at this time of year or any other. Please don't spread hate masked as joy, religion, or fear of different things.

PS: Oriental is not a type of person but a direction. Are you an Occidental?

[rhiley_08j]

Well said Dan J!!! And I suppose by all rights that would make us an occidental. LOL

PS:

Usage Note: Asian is now strongly preferred in place of Oriental for persons native to Asia or descended from an Asian people. The usual objection to Oriental—meaning "eastern"—is that it identifies Asian countries and peoples in terms of their location relative to Europe. However, this objection is not generally made of other Eurocentric terms such as Near and Middle Eastern. The real problem with Oriental is more likely its connotations stemming from an earlier era when Europeans viewed the regions east of the Mediterranean as exotic lands full of romance and intrigue, the home of despotic empires and inscrutable customs. At the least these associations can give Oriental a dated feel, and as a noun in contemporary contexts (as in the first Oriental to be elected from the district) it is now widely taken to be offensive. However, Oriental should not be thought of as an ethnic slur to be avoided in all situations. As with Asiatic, its use other than as an ethnonym, in phrases such as Oriental cuisine or Oriental medicine, is not usually considered objectionable.

[FutureChief88]

And DanJ I work in a Call center as well.. We are Not ALLOWED to say Merry Christmas to customers.. We must say Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings.. In order to not offend any culture.

I dont care if i am wished a Merry Christmas.. But i would like to wish others a Merry Christmas without having to worry about offending them!

[dan j]

Well, your call centre management fears the boogie man; that obviously doesn't exist. And really, who doesn't work at a place where there are some codes of conduct that make little to no sense. Please do not use work rules as being representative to how people relate to each other in the real world. Now, there are some aspects of all of our work that we get to act as real people and maybe I work at a call centre that allows more of that but if you're out there dealing with people one on one if you say something that doesn't apply to another hopefully they'd be able to tell them a bit about themselves and both parties go away with a little more knowledge about other cultures.

Having said all that, I'd rather we live in a society without much differences but I am a realist and know we live in a society where we hardly understand our neighbours and that is fine but I'd rather we all just give up our human-made differences and understand our natural humanity first above anything else.

[yoyoyip]

Common misconception: Xmas is the 'non religious' way of saying Merry Christmas... the 'X' is the abbreviation for Xristos, in Greek, which means 'Christ'.

[mickeymouse]

I also work in a call center, and when a customer says Merry Christmas I can say you too, but I can't say it. The buses need to say season greetings on their signs as well.

[dan j]

Common misconception: Xmas is the 'non religious' way of saying Merry Christmas... the 'X' is the abbreviation for Xristos, in Greek, which means 'Christ'.

I have never seen any information that matches up with what you just said. Care to back this up?

[FutureChief88]

I'd rather we live in a society without much differences but I am a realist and know we live in a society where we hardly understand our neighbours and that is fine but I'd rather we all just give up our human-made differences and understand our natural humanity first above anything else.

Which is the truth.. and Very sad..

Its unfortunate that most cannot take a moment or two to feel out someone's differences.. that is one thing i enjoy about people :)

Merry Christmas!

[trinity]

I have never seen any information that matches up with what you just said. Care to back this up?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas

[kaj27]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas

I think, as the kids say, dan j just got served.

[dan j]

What? I asked for it. It's an interesting article.

[orange]

I think, as the kids say, dan j just got served.


http://isaintjohn.com/classifieds/showthread.php?t=1996&highlight=xmas

:biggrin:

X-mas is the word people use when they have little or no education. Christmas is the proper term.

I wouldn't call a fridge a stove. Why call Christmas Xmas?

I didn't know myself until a couple of years ago, but I remember it got talked about last year too :) Seems to happen every year, but it's not like it's the kind of thing people would know unless they were told somehow.

[yoyoyip]

I think, as the kids say, dan j just got served.

:)

In other news, Dan J searches for a new term for Christmas so as to not have somebody confuse him with a "Churchy".

[FutureChief88]

:)

In other news, Dan J searches for a new term for Christmas so as to not have somebody confuse him with a "Churchy".

:rofl:

[oasis]

The terrorists on 9/11 set out to change north America.

THEY WON!

Now we are so afraid to offend any group that those of us that believe in the true meaning of Christmas, are being offended by the stifling of it use. But better to offend a Christian. As we are all so forgiving!

[orange]

The terrorists on 9/11 set out to change north America.

THEY WON!

Now we are so afraid to offend any group that those of us that believe in the true meaning of Christmas, are being offended by the stifling of it use. But better to offend a Christian. As we are all so forgiving!

Sounds like something George W. Bush would say :biggrin:

But seriously, I really don't think people from other religions mind about being greeted with Merry Christmas.

If you want to complain about religious greetings being "sanitized" out of society, then blame atheists. You can often find them criticizing and insulting anything that hints of religion, no matter which one it is...

The terrorist comment is kind of illogical... I don't think one of the terrorist goals was the elimination of "Merry Christmas" :D You say "Now we are so afraid to offend any group", but actually, after 9/11, lots of Christians were absolutely not afraid at all to offend people of other religions, and have spewed some pretty vile views...

Reminds me of a Simpsons quote:

Lisa: It's awful being a kid. No one listens to you.
Abe: It's rotten being old. No one listens to you.
Homer: I'm a white male, age 18 to 49. Everyone listens to me -- no
matter how dumb my suggestions are.

Christianity has historically been (as an analogy) the "white male, age 18 to 49" of Canada. It's under assault these days, but blame that on atheists (most of whom probably had Christian parents/grandparents), not other religions.

Non-Christian religions in Canada only account for 6% of the population (all added up together). The rest of the population are probably either Christian (or Agnostic with Christian leanings) or Atheist, and I think that's where the "fighting" comes from over things like greetings.

[katzndawgs]

"If you want to complain about religious greetings being "sanitized" out of society, then blame atheists. You can often find them criticizing and insulting anything that hints of religion, no matter which one it is..."

Don't lump all atheists into one group. Many don't criticize and insult anything that hints of religon no more than all christians criticize atheist for their views.

They call it politically correct. No person seeking public office wishes to "insult" any group that may have influence on that politicians getting (re) elected.

Christmas for me is a time when the focus should be on Peace, Family and Kids.

Merry Christmas everyone.

:)

[jennifer25ca2006]

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night :P

[oasis]

Sounds like something George W. Bush would say :biggrin:

But seriously, I really don't think people from other religions mind about being greeted with Merry Christmas.


I never said that the people of other religions were the problem. I have friends and neighbors that observe several different religions. They often wish me a Merry Christmas even though they do not observe it them selves. I have no problem with any one of any religion. It's the people including government that are so afraid of offending these people that are the problem.

And as to your post before you edited out certain comments.

"Sigh... such ignorance. Based on your post, I wouldn't be a surprise if you're a keen George Bush supporter :rolleyes:"

No I do not support Gorge Bush, I think he's the biggest idiot that US has ever elected. As for ignorance, I find people who assume they know what some one else thinks, or who they support based of a couple of lines of text in a forum shows a lot of ignorance.

[dittydottie]

Now is the time for everyone,no matter your religion,your race,your beliefs or your faith, to share joy and happiness with everyone.Friend,foe,or stranger.
Bring a smile to someones face and or give a smile yourself.Your one smile maybe all that someone needs.

[trinity]

I think if I were to be from a different culture, what I would mind most is if MY holy days were ignored by my employer, like "pooh pooh, I don't care if your religion says you are going to burn if you work next Friday after dark [or whatever your day is], you have to come in! or NO, you can't have 10 extra minutes on your break next Saturday to say an extra prayer!" while watching my less-than-devout "Christian" coworkers have days off handed to them for nothing. I would mind if my neighbours knew our beliefs and secretly fed my children snacks containing pork, or beef, whichever my people felt was wrong, or chocolate or beverages like cola, some strict United Pentecostal religions are against caffeine.
I would be offended if my friends or employers refused to do a thing to accommodate my serious beliefs-, like if you have a Muslim employee who works evenings, when it is the month of Ramadan, they may want to change their dinner break schedule to later in the evening as they are not permitted to eat while the sun is up. That sort of easy accommodation can and should be made, as long as it does not severely affect your business flow (and if 15 minutes one way or another harms your business flow, I would suggest your scheduling is flawed). I also knew another coworker from the Middle East who refused to wear a poppy on Remembrance Day, war is too much a part of his current life experience for him and his country to want to "remember" , and OUR wars had no meaning for him. Other staff were strongly "requested" to wear one but once he explained his point of view we backed off.

[jason.kincade]

Actually, the equinox is the reason for the "birth of the sun" (aka son) on Dec.24th and not the Middle Eastern white man's birthday. So really, the question is why put Christ in XMas? I'm sure EVERYONE is going to be pleased with my answer.

[yoyoyip]

Actually, the equinox is the reason for the "birth of the sun" (aka son) on Dec.24th and not the Middle Eastern white man's birthday. So really, the question is why put Christ in XMas? I'm sure EVERYONE is going to be pleased with my answer.

Wow... that makes no sense at all.... You're talking about two entirely different things here. It's common knowledge that the actual date of the birth of Christ isn't known... I forget the reason why December was chosen... but I'm going to look and see if i can find it.

[rhiley_08j]

Wow... that makes no sense at all.... You're talking about two entirely different things here. It's common knowledge that the actual date of the birth of Christ isn't known... I forget the reason why December was chosen... but I'm going to look and see if i can find it.

Jason is right, it was because of Pagan religion and Christendom's incorporation of Pagan rituals that December 24 was chosen. In fact, you are right as well, the actual date of Christ birth isn't known, however, based on the fact that the shepherds were still in the field at night with the herd the date it thought to be more in the early fall.

[jdcb]

I know!
We are told to say Happy holidays.. or Seasons Greetings.. In worry that we will offend someone!

Those offend me, I always say Merry Christmas

[jdcb]

Originally Posted by kaj27 View Post
X-mas is the word people use when they have little or no education. Christmas is the proper term.

I wouldn't call a fridge a stove. Why call Christmas Xmas?

Actually, Xmas is kinda derived from other languages of old. X was a common way to depict Christ's name in ancient christian art. the mas part is an old english word derived from latin for mass. XMas...

I call it salt, chemists call it sodium, it's the same crap...

[notfarnow]

Wow... that makes no sense at all.... You're talking about two entirely different things here. It's common knowledge that the actual date of the birth of Christ isn't known... I forget the reason why December was chosen... but I'm going to look and see if i can find it.

Northern European pagans celebrated their winter solstice, Yule, at that time. That's where Yule logs come from, mistletoe, even bringing an evergreen tree into the house. All part of pagan winter solstice.

Christs birthday isn't known, but it was "established" that they'd celebrate it on dec 25 in around 340, when pope julius was christianizing pagan holidays in order to make it easier to convert people.

I wish Christians would stop taking over good pagan holidays. Take the Christ out of Winter Solstice, and Ishtar (Easter) too.

[lizard_lover]

I cannot remember the name of the stars for the life of me, but there are 3 big stars that sit in a row in the sky, and on the 25th of december they align perfectly with another star. those 3 stars stand for the 3 kings...and on the 22nd (i believe), those stars sit still until the 25th, when they move and align perfectly with that other star. the 3 days where they sit still is considered the 3 days when Christ was dead, and when they move and align on the 25th, it is to signify his rebirth, and when he is met by the 3 kings. I am not 100% sure on all this, I will have to do the research, but that is about the jist of it. Oh yeah, and back on the religion thing, this goes with the same as most older religions as well, but with different circumstances...