Do you still Believe in Christmas?

[Tycolby]

Do you stand tall and proud of your believe and greet everyone with a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

Or

Do you stand true to your beliefs of Political Correctness and Greet Everyone with Happy Holidays.

 

[S.W.A.T]

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year
=]]

 

[Basara]

I only greet those I KNOW don't celebrate Christmas with "happy holidays"; strangers will often get "Merry Christmas" from me, unless they are potentially not Christian in an obvious way (known alternate lifestyle, wearing items associated with Judaism, Islam or Asian philosophies, known to be originally from a predominently non-Christian country, seen hanging around with my pagan friends after a ceremony to Thor, Loki or the Earth Mother, etc.).

In some cases, it's easy to choose a statement appropriate to their beliefs (the pagans and a solstice greeting, happy new year by itself for some of the others).

 

[Tamais]

I use Happy holidays as I am a pagan. But I never get offended when some one wishes me Merry/Happy Christmas. I accept all wishes of good will.

 

[Basara]

I know one thing really irked me and my pagan friends alike - the crap that Athiest group in Washington state is pulling with their display.

Not only is their "season's greetings" hate speech against religion, they attempted to "co-opt" pagans into their side by making it a "solstice greeting" - like ANY day should be any more special than any other, for a true Athiest. My friends, one of whom is even a Norse ceremonial leader (not sure what's the proper word), cannot understand what drives some of the pagan groups to routinely side with certain hardcore Athiest groups against Christianity, when by definition everything the "evangelical Atheists" (no one shall have a religion, as it offends our beliefs) stand for, in terms of religion, is just as hostile to the non-christian beliefs in the short AND long term.

And, if they think that religion has blood in world history, maybe they ought to check out Atheism's track record on the subject in 1917-1991 Europe (Communism & Fascism - the latter used some of the trappings of religion, but required Atheism when it could without causing a mass uprising).

Going by deaths inflicted per year, Atheism is a hell of a lot more intolerent and bloodstained than any religion. In fact, in the hands of those that preach it, it is even more a religion than those they attack (how to find these people - call Atheism a religion, and see who blows a gasket, as opposed to trying to politely correct you).

It's sorta like the Great Luke Ski skit "You Might be a Trekkie If..."

"A Trekker is a Star Trek fan
A Trekkie is someone that INSISTS you call them a 'Trekker'..."

 

[Az of DSR]

Havent celebrated it in acouple years myself. But I do visit people who do and am amused by the customs. ( =

I prefer Hello, how are you.

And happy new year is kinda universal, just us keeping time moreso then a holiday?

 

[Lord Nabin]

Merry Christmas everyone. This is a Saeason of Giving. We were all given His only Son.

What have or will you give this year?

With the Light and Grace,

 

[Tycolby]

I will announce my beliefs and you will announce your beliefs. We will respect each others beliefs and live together in peace.

Whats so dam hard about that.

Making ppl feel that they must say a universial saying will never last. Only when we accept ourselves for who we are, will ppl accept us for who we are.

 

[Pacem]

Basara is correct.
Atheistic, evolutionistic and secular belief systems are responsible for more evil and death than all the religious battles of the 20th century combined.
4000 are killed in abortions every day in America.
Cambodia's Pol Pot killed 2 million
Hitler killed 6 million Jews
Karl Marx had multiplied millions killed world-wide
Stalin: 20-30 million
China's Mao Tse-tung killed 65 million
One example that stands out in particular is the Hitler dictatorship. Hitler was a staunch evolutionist that believed in survival of the fittest. The Jews along with other peoples were viewed by both him and those following him to be a species of sub-human. He then proceeded to exterminate them, in his view wiping out a lesser species to make way for the perfect species of the German people. The strongest shall survive. According to naturalistic evolution, this is perfectly acceptable behavior and is required for the survival of the species.

Hitler, to all Christians, was a horrible monster that did and ordered unspeakable things to be done to millions of innocent people. For someone to think that Hitler was doing right, or think he wasn't a madman is to be considered insane. Yet if no God truely exists nor ever did exist, they were neither innocent nor guilty. Hitler simply did what is recorded in our DNA through evolution to do what needed to be done, and did nothing wrong whatsoever.

I will not go into more here, since this really isn't the thread for it, but you can icq me 21168474 anytime to know more.

As for Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas... being the pastor of the church on Lake Austin for coming up 5 years this month, obviously, my response will always be "Merry Christmas".

Merry Christmas to one and all!

 

[Nephrenia]

err.. depends on whom I'm speaking with.

I will wish my pagan friends a Happy Winter Solstice or Happy Yule, the jewish friends a Happy Chaunakkah, etc..

But if I don't know what you celebrate, I do tend to generalize with a Merry Christmas.

I haven't met anyone to date who gets their panties in a twist with Merry Christmas, just as I wouldn't get my panties in a twist if someone wished me a Happy Kwanzaa.

 

[Az of DSR]

Hitler, to all Christians, was a horrible monster that did and ordered unspeakable things to be done to millions of innocent people. For someone to think that Hitler was doing right, or think he wasn't a madman is to be considered insane. Yet if no God truly exists nor ever did exist, they were neither innocent nor guilty. Hitler simply did what is recorded in our DNA through evolution to do what needed to be done, and did nothing wrong whatsoever.

lmao, so if i get your logic... without your religion no moral code would exist?

Ive read that book, after Egypt don't they slaughter whole tribes of people cause of a superiority complex given to them by an invisible man? (he promised them land, lol)

its a old book with its own version of history, but at the end of the day was written by people just like Hitler who thought they were better then other people. but has a few good quotes from a man (Jesus) who tried to save people from that sort of blatant moral corruption. lmao, Hitler is a bad person is proof there is a god? lmao

enjoy your holidays, 'Happy best medieval guess as to which day you were born Jesus' might be a better holiday greeting. ( =

 

[Basara]

LOL, Az...

The writer of Babylon 5 (a known athiest) has made the comment (paraphrasing here) that even if God doesn't exist, man would create one, simply because man needs the type of moral code religion provides to have a functional society, especially prior to the modern era.

I think Pacem was pointing out that the Nazi philosophy was that they were willing to do horrible atrocities "for the greater good", from their twisted view of humanity and eugenics, and that in their minds, since God didn't exist, the later generations would venerate them for doing "what had to be done for the race". Pacem just didn't phrase it well.

BTW, if you look at the Bible again, you'll find that it was the people not listening to those teachers in the old testament between Moses & Jesus, that got their immoral keesters conquered, enslaved in Babylon then spread to the 4 winds. And, going back before Moses, the story of Dinah is an interesting story of 2nd millenium BC hillbilly justice, and a very ticked off father who would have probably preferred having a rich prince for a son-in-law (not to mention having the whole city convert), rather than having 9 or 10 of his sons get pre-medieval on a local city to avenge their sister's honor (and people wonder why, besides the whole wives/handmaiden thing, why the to elder sons were so resentful of Joseph - They'd been mostly disinherited from their actions before then, and Joseph & Benjamin had been too young to be part of the fiasco).

Yeah, and the date for Christmas is a bit, well, pagan in origin. I personally celebrate Jesus and his message - the date doesn't matter to me, but having a common date for it is a nice convenience for fellow celebrants.

 

[Vahne]

Merry Christmas.

Working in retail as I do, I am disgusted by the effort some companies go to be PC. Fortunately I work for a company that respects its employees various beliefs and customs and lets me do my own thing which is usually "have a Merry Christmas". If they respond in kind with their own greeting, well great that means we wished positive things upon each other and the message was conveyed.

And ya I know this wasn't the intent of the post, but atheists really do give pagans religions a bad name. While I would call myself a moderate in terms of my religious beliefs, I certainly don't go around bashing other people's beliefs or going out of my way to reduce the rights of those who are wired differently than myself. My biggest problem with atheists is their blind denial of their own religion, because it is just that - A set of core beliefs that they hold dear to and a faith that certain things do not exist which can not be proven through modern science one way or another.

Frankly evangelical/fundamentalist anything is bad - catholic, protestant, atheist, environmentalist, etc) By definition you are unwilling to have an open mind or most importantly unable to understand that the other party is happy with how they do things and that should be respected and encouraged. Ultimately religion is about giving you a moral code generally in line with maintaining a healthy society and faith in something to give you positive energy and feelings in your life. How you get there is up to you.

Ah I could go on but my agnostic (self described apathetic) wife and I have these discussions on a near weekly basis.

In any case, that is quite interesting the amount of pagans on Lake Austin. I'll have to add a Happy Yule-tide greeting when Christmas day arrives this year.

 

[Gwendolynne]

Do you stand tall and proud of your believe and greet everyone with a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

Or

Do you stand true to your beliefs of Political Correctness and Greet Everyone with Happy Holidays.

I believe in Christ. I greet everyone with Merry Christmas at this time of year and it has become more meaningful now that it is politically incorrect to do so. Ironic ain't it.

Safe journeys!