xmas doesn't have anything to do with religion anymore. it's just a holiday where kids gets presents and you get time off work to spend time with your family.
merry xmas everyone!!
merry xmas everyone!!
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Languages, obviously, shape the way we think and see our world. Over here, we are sort of lucky to skirt the whole controversy of "Christmas" with our native words joulu (Finnish) and jul (Swedish) -- i.e. "yule" -- without anyone getting offended by the taking of our Lord's name in vain or feeling left out. We don't have our own native version of the "happy holidays" and an attempt to construct one would be seen as silly americanism...
It's Christmas for you, but there are other families that also maintain a tradition of giving who might not believe in your God. Ultimately, I think the government should keep their nose out of it and the store owner should be able to put up whichever sign they please, but if they choose one that says "Happy Holidays", they shouldn't be threatened by a boycot or be made out to be "UnAmerican"
Um, really? Well, Chanukah is the most obvious--it's from Dec. 20-28th this year.
A few years ago, Ramadan was around Christmas, but I just looked it up and it was in the summer this year. Kwanza is mostly an American holiday, I think, and I'm not sure how many people actually celebrate it. Diwali meanders through the year, also, so it is sometimes around Christmas, as well. This year it was in October, though. A significant minority celebrate solstice as well.
But then there are the people who simply don't celebrate any religious holidays and don't like people assuming that they do. Some people really can't stand Christmas, and while I'm not among them, I get why--it's commercial and forced. The broader culture is yelling at you "YOU HAVE TO FEEL GOOD RIGHT NOW, OR ELSE YOU'RE A SCROOGE!! FEEL GOOD!! EVERYBODY FEELS GOOD NOW!!! BE HAPPY!!! HAAAAAPPPY!!!!!" What must that feel like to somebody who is depressed? Or who just had a really bad year and needs to just let themself feel bad for a while so they can move on? Well, the clock just ticked "jolly time," so now they're a failure at the biggest holiday around, too!
So,were did my rambling get to. Basically, not everybody celebrates Christmas, and treating everybody as if they should gets annoying. It's aggravating and upsetting to people who just don't celebrate religious holidays; it forcefully marginalizes all religious non-Christians; and it specifically marginalizes Jews who have their own holiday going on at the same time most years, and Hindus and Muslims on years when they also have their own holidays going on.
Why are people threatened by the phrase "Happy Holidays"?
Every winter, I get to hear the debate, but I've never actually heard the reasoning behind it.
I can never quite understand the whole thing of equating "holiday" with Christmas". It seems a particularly American thing. For me, a holiday is some time, normally a week or two, spent off work and away from home, up in the Lake District or down in Swanage, for example. I wouldn't expect anyone to wish me "happy holidays" in those instances, and I wouldn't understand someone wishing me "happy holidays" at Christmas - sure, it falls in the middle of a period of time off work, sometimes stretching from Christmas Eve through to shortly after New Year's Day, but it just seems like a weird greeting.
People are used to living with special privledge with others considering their religion to be the most moral, their holidays to be the most special, and their rituals to be of the upmost importance.
Once people start choosing to do their own thing or demanding that Christians do not get special privileges with the government or in the eyes of society, many Christians actually see a move toward equality as persecution as they are so used to being superior. In a sense they are correct in that they are losing their status of being above others and they try to cling to their privileged position.
Yeah, it's an American thing. I'd probably call what you're describing a vacation. Holidays are printed on calendars and some percentage of people get the day off. Hope that clears things up a bit.
Not being permitted to oppress others does not constitute a persecutionWe have celebrated Christmas for how many years in America? We were able to put the nativity scene in places now we are forbidden. We have had to take down the ten commandments
This is absolutely false. This is all protected by the first amendment....and in our schools in some places children are forbidden to bring anything red and green or anything with a CHRISTMAS symbol on them to school.
Of course they can. They school just can't make them.Kids can't sing traditional Christmas Carols......
False. Against, first amendmentor even acknowledge for them that Jesus is the reason for the season.
This is happening because this is a free country, rather than a theocracy.So why is all this happening....and what harm do Christians do to people who don't share the faith? Are so they so disgusted by the cross that they become sick? So because a minority of the population want God, Christianity out of the holiday season....we have to do it their way?
Before the passing of the 14th amendment, the first amendment didn't apply to states.If you look back at our Founders and in earlier days.......none of this was prohibited. They celebrated Christmas with Christ in it.
No one who is wishing you a happy holiday is stating a belief. That person is trying to be polite and hoping you have a nice time without assuming you share their beliefs. As long as atheists aren't saying to you, "there's no god and everything dies," you could at least be polite and wish that they too have a happy holidayI do not have any problem with someone wishing or saying Happy Holidays. This is a special time of year for a lot of people, also a sad time as well. If someone says Happy Holidays to me......I return with and a Merry Christmas to you. They are stating their beliefs and I am stating mine.
I can see what your saying. A Holiday is a time one could get away and vacation. I think it is used at Christmas because of a lack of anything else someone who does not identify with Christ would say.
Christmas..........contains Christ......so no one who accepted Christ who is acknowledging His birthday would want to say it. In fact I would suspect some atheists would like that term banned as well..........CHRISTMAS.
Christmas is a time for Christians to celebrate their Saviors birthday. It would not matter to me what day we did this. When unbelievers want to tie the Christmas meaning into some pagan worship of traditions....they fail to see the true meaning of the Christmas holiday. It is not about the tree.....or the ornaments or the eggnog or the presents under the tree. It is about the birth of the Christ child....Jesus. Christians might do those things and they might even take center stage above Christ which is wrong....but the true meaning is the birthday.
Not being permitted to oppress others does not constitute a persecution
This is absolutely false. This is all protected by the first amendment.
Of course they can. They school just can't make them.
False. Against, first amendment
This is happening because this is a free country, rather than a theocracy.
Before the passing of the 14th amendment, the first amendment didn't apply to states.
No one who is wishing you a happy holiday is stating a belief. That person is trying to be polite and hoping you have a nice time without assuming you share their beliefs. As long as atheists aren't saying to you, "there's no god and everything dies," you could at least be polite and wish that they too have a happy holiday
And I have the right to say Merry Christmas because for me its what the season is all about.
Why do you assume that I dont wish them good tidings?......There ya go another holdiday phrase.
And of course I would always be polite. As I said.....I have a few agnostics in my own family. But they love me......so they take my Christmas spirit with good faith and respect.
But really, "Happy Holidays," was probably not originally intended to be a recognition of Chanukah, Kwanza and others, but as a shortening of "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," so people turning its use into a "war on Christmas," is a little ridiculous.
Emphasis mineWe have celebrated Christmas for how many years in America? We were able to put the nativity scene in places now we are forbidden. We have had to take down the ten commandments...and in our schools in some places children are forbidden to bring anything red and green or anything with a CHRISTMAS symbol on them to school. Kids can't sing traditional Christmas Carols......or even acknowledge for them that Jesus is the reason for the season.
So why is all this happening....and what harm do Christians do to people who don't share the faith? Are so they so disgusted by the cross that they become sick? So because a minority of the population want God, Christianity out of the holiday season....we have to do it their way?
If you look back at our Founders and in earlier days.......none of this was prohibited. They celebrated Christmas with Christ in it.
I do not have any problem with someone wishing or saying Happy Holidays. This is a special time of year for a lot of people, also a sad time as well. If someone says Happy Holidays to me......I return with and a Merry Christmas to you. They are stating their beliefs and I am stating mine.
So, the agnostics love you enough to tolerate your beliefs. Why don't you love them enough to tolerate theirs?
But no one is saying you don't have a right to be a christian or say merry christmas or whatever. You have the right to say or think or be almost anything. Shoot, in the US, you can even be a Nazi. What we are saying is that there are a lot of people who aren't christian, and if you don't want to be a jerk to them, then wishing them a nice time on their own terms would be a good way to do that.