Happy Holidays Greeting Opinions

[sgreger1]

Whoa, hold on there Redbeard...


Do you mean to imply that Christianity had to shift it's rules and rituals more than once to make it fit in with the popular pagan religion that was dominant at that time, and may have even celebrated Christ's birth during winter solstice (even though christ wasn't born in december) to appease the Pagans?

That would be like saying the Pope had to move around the meaning of Haloween to fit in 3 different rituals into 1 so more people would feel okay with the Catholics.

Are you trying to somehow claim that the sacrificing of a deity to attone for the sin's of said deity's worshippers is a pagan ritual and was not invented by Christianity at all?


Proposterous! Unpossible!

[justintempler]

"Oh noes! How dare they take Christ out of Christmas! "
...screams the Christian as he decorates his pagan tree

Jeremiah 10:2-4 (King James Version)

2Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Christians don't need any help taking Christ out of Christmas,
They do a good job of it, all by themselves.

Happy Holidays, everyone. 8)

[sgreger1]

Gasp!! Justin, dare I say we agree on something?

As far as I see it, to each his own and everyone has their own beliefs and religions, no one should be excluded from Christmas, this is a country with many religions, and we should respect them all. That doesn't mean take christ out, but it also doesnt mean make it exclusively Christian, because by definition christmas is not exclusively christian. It is a couple of things put together from roughly the same time period and celebrated at the same time to make it easier.

[texasmade]

We as Christian feel like our country was founded on Christ and the Bible so why take it out?

but it wasn't.....

[sgreger1]

We as Christian feel like our country was founded on Christ and the Bible so why take it out?

but it wasn't.....

Look, this country was made via a bunch of immegrants that wanted religious asylum. They wanted freedom to practice their religion. The forefathers agreed with this but also didn't want to make religion part of government since they know that doing so can lead to LESS religious freedom. Like when the catholics ran everything during the dark ages.

They were a religious people, some agnostic, that wanted a gov that would allow freedom but inspire people to govern with some sense of morals.

Seperation of church and state works both ways... scripture doesn't determine policy, but also gov should have little to no say in religion unless it infringes on the rights of others.

So for example I can't start a religion that requires me and my followers to kill people of other religions who won't convert like certain denominations of Muslims for example.

[texasmade]

yes...but they didn't put Under God in the pledge of allegiance. and people tend to forget that. we live in a secular nation with a christian majority but everyone likes to think of us as a christian nation.


and you could start a religion like that....you would just get punished for it.

[jtwh20]

I say Merry Christmas to everyone!

If they are offended, so be it, it's their issue not mine.

I will not walk on eggshells for someone else's belief system / religion.

I'm not pushing anything on them, and if they feel that way they need to take a chill pill and calm down.

[sgreger1]

yes...but they didn't put Under God in the pledge of allegiance. and people tend to forget that. we live in a secular nation with a christian majority but everyone likes to think of us as a christian nation.


and you could start a religion like that....you would just get punished for it.

"Under God" was placed in the pledge of allegiance, however it wasn't untill 1954.

The "under God" part was added in 1954 under D.D. Eisenhower (who was a Jehova's Witness). A chaplain convinced congress to do it based on Lincon's Gettysburg Address in which the claim was made that Linkoln said "under God". There is little basis for the fact that Lincoln added this because the orriginal texts (both versions on record) do not use those words.


Texasmade:"we live in a secular nation with a christian majority but everyone likes to think of us as a christian nation."


We are tehcnically a secular nation

From wikipedia:

Secularism is the concept that government or other entities should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs.

In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions.

And we are technically a majority Christian:

Christianity: (78.5%)
Protestantism (51.3%)
Roman Catholicism (23.9%)
Mormonism (1.7%)
Jehovah's Witnesses (0.7%)
Orthodox Church (0.6%)
other Christian (0.3%)
Unaffiliated, including atheist or agnostic (16.1%)
Judaism (1.7%)
Buddhist (0.7%)
Islam (0.6%)
Hinduism (0.4%)
other (1.2%)



Some people make the claim that giving them non-profit status is wrong but I still don't thinkt that coutns as a subsidie.

The point is everyone should be free to believe and say whatever they want, because we are a diverse group of people.

So if your not christian, and someone says merry christmas, don't give them a lecture.

Same goes for if your christian and a gap commercial says happy holidays.

it's not your place to impose your beliefs on anyone.

[texasmade]

i don't get offended if somebody says merry christmas. i know when "under god" was added in. i just feel that if church and state are to be seperated then there shouldn't be one religions "god" named in something that everbody learns.

people are free to believe what they want and shouldn't have to have another religion forced upon them.

the people tht think merry christmas or happy holidays is taking away from or pressuring them to be a certain religion are idiots imho.

religion complicates things and government is no exception.


people just need to get along or avoid each other and not try to make big deals out of nothing.

[Paul]

In my opinion (as if it matters), as an European, we often look to Americans as people who spend most of their time being politically correct, than paying attention to real matters, I'll give you an example (please don't be offended):

Why you call black people "African -American"?, most of the African Americans do have any relationship with Africa?
Why just don't call them Americans?

Hence that functions to many situations, happy holiday or hare Krishna, whats the point?
As someone said, since it doesn't hurt anybody you should be free to do anything you want...

[sgreger1]

i don't get offended if somebody says merry christmas. i know when "under god" was added in. i just feel that if church and state are to be seperated then there shouldn't be one religions "god" named in something that everbody learns.

people are free to believe what they want and shouldn't have to have another religion forced upon them.

the people tht think merry christmas or happy holidays is taking away from or pressuring them to be a certain religion are idiots imho.

religion complicates things and government is no exception.

I agree. But saying "under God" in our pledge isn't really forcing a certian religion on you. For 2 reasons:

1) If your atheist than there is no God so who cares what you say, just chose not to say the under God part. 1st ammendment says you can say whatever you want. Not adding "under God" does not infringe on anyone elses rights so it is not unconstitutional to ommit it.

2) This nation, when it was created was inhabited by people who believed in a "God". All religions believe in some god. If it said under Jesus it would be different but it doesn't, God is not specific to any 1 religion so it's not really pushing a certain religion on anyone. Furthermore it was added by congress so is officially part of the pledge.

[sgreger1]

In my opinion (as if it matters), as an European, we often look to Americans as people who spend most of their time being politically correct, than paying attention to real matters, I'll give you an example (please don't be offended):

Why you call black people "African -American"?, most of the African Americans do have any relationship with Africa?
Why just don't call them Americans?

Hence that functions to many situations, happy holiday or hare Krishna, whats the point?
As someone said, since it doesn't hurt anybody you should be free to do anything you want...

To answer your question, it's because the black people here prefered "African-American over the term ******. lol

But really yes we are all Americans, but it is human nature to seperate groups via race since the color of thier bodies is the most obvious way to seperate people into groups.

It's what happens when groups of people get together, sutpidity ensues. I guarantee if a white guy somehow came across some black guy and they were both nice to each other neither of them would care about their skin color, but whena group of white people and black people get together, we break out the firehoses and the race card every time.

It makes no sense.

[texasmade]

i don't get offended if somebody says merry christmas. i know when "under god" was added in. i just feel that if church and state are to be seperated then there shouldn't be one religions "god" named in something that everbody learns.

people are free to believe what they want and shouldn't have to have another religion forced upon them.

the people tht think merry christmas or happy holidays is taking away from or pressuring them to be a certain religion are idiots imho.

religion complicates things and government is no exception.

I agree. But saying "under God" in our pledge isn't really forcing a certian religion on you. For 2 reasons:

1) If your atheist than there is no God so who cares what you say, just chose not to say the under God part. 1st ammendment says you can say whatever you want. Not adding "under God" does not infringe on anyone elses rights so it is not unconstitutional to ommit it.

2) This nation, when it was created was inhabited by people who believed in a "God". All religions believe in some god. If it said under Jesus it would be different but it doesn't, God is not specific to any 1 religion so it's not really pushing a certain religion on anyone. Furthermore it was added by congress so is officially part of the pledge.

"sgreger1" D.D. Eisenhower (who was a Jehova's Witness). A chaplain(christian)

jehova's witness is a denomination of christianity.

but wasn't the man who moved to have it added in a christian? that makes it the christian God, does it not? other religions call their gods by other names, yahweh(sp?), Jah, Allah..

In my opinion (as if it matters), as an European, we often look to Americans as people who spend most of their time being politically correct, than paying attention to real matters, I'll give you an example (please don't be offended):

Why you call black people "African -American"?, most of the African Americans do have any relationship with Africa?
Why just don't call them Americans?

Hence that functions to many situations, happy holiday or hare Krishna, whats the point?
As someone said, since it doesn't hurt anybody you should be free to do anything you want...

i see your point.

im not politcally coorect. i call people black, white, hispanic, etc. even if they are an american citizen.

[Premium Parrots]

........religion complicates things and government is no exception.

people just need to get a long....

stick and beat their personal opinions into each other.

[sgreger1]

but wasn't the man who moved to have it added in a christian? that makes it the christian God, does it not? other religions call their gods by other names, yahweh(sp?), Jah, Allah..

God is the english way of saying God. There are other languages but really they are all talking about the same thing, a higher entity, which in english is described generally as god, and each religions God tends to have a specific name.

But God in general was added because he felt we are a god fearing people and apparently most American's, and congress, agreed.

If he was doing it just for his religion, he would have said under Christ, since modern day christians pray to and worship christ (or statues of him) more than God himself, which to me is idol worship by their standards but that's another story.



Most American's believe in God, of one form or another, the word God is the best all encompasing term for whatever higher diety one believes in.

If you don't want to say it than don't. I'm sure even God does not care.