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I'm confused... they still play PLENTY of Christmas music in our malls, to the point where it even annoys the Christmas-celebrators. And I'm about as far from the "Bible Belt" as one can get! Sorry, but I'm still perplexed about this supposed diminishing of Christmas you all complain about, since I haven't seen any evidence here in Atheist-dominated California.
P.S. What do you mean by "if more people respected the holiday?" What exactly do you expect us (non-Christians) to do, and how have you respected Jewish or Muslim holidays lately? I'm asking that seriously...
Good question. Why is it only the Christian holidays that must be "respected"?
I'm confused... they still play PLENTY of Christmas music in our malls, to the point where it even annoys the Christmas-celebrators. And I'm about as far from the "Bible Belt" as one can get! Sorry, but I'm still perplexed about this supposed diminishing of Christmas you all complain about, since I haven't seen any evidence here in Atheist-dominated California.
P.S. What do you mean by "if more people respected the holiday?" What exactly do you expect us (non-Christians) to do, and how have you respected Jewish or Muslim holidays lately? I'm asking that seriously...
Well I live here in the Bible belt and the elementary school cannot have a Christmas Party. It's called a "winter celebration". Christmas
is not discussed, but the meaning of Hannukah is. Go figure.
And if I lived in a predominantly Muslim or Jewish country, I most certainly would respect their traditions.
Good question. Why is it only the Christian holidays that must be "respected"?
Very valid question.
My celebration of Christmas, however, is not because I "respect" the holiday.
In fact, since I'm an atheist, I philosophically "disrespect" it, right?
Yet I still celebrate it.
That's why I ask if I offend Christians by doing so.
I suppose I would ask Jews the same question if I was raised Jewish, rejected Judaism, and then continued to celebrate Hannakuh.
Well I live here in the Bible belt and the elementary school cannot have a Christmas Party. It's called a "winter celebration". Christmas
is not discussed, but the meaning of Hannukah is. Go figure.
Maybe that's because you already KNOW the meaning of Christmas, especially considering you live in the Bible-Belt... I'm assuming most parents there discuss & celebrate Christmas, but mostly forget other holidays and religions even exist. That being said, I don't know why you can't call it a Christmas party, unless you are acknowledging other celebrations - in which case it's only appropriate and linguistically-correct to call it a Holiday/Winter party. However, I maintain the fact that Christmas is still alive and well here in San Francisco, a predominantly NON-Christian city! So I don't know who's in charge where you live, but it seems our respective leaders are a bit mixed-up.
Quote:
And if I lived in a predominantly Muslim or Jewish country, I most certainly would respect their traditions.
How so? I've been to Israel, and highly doubt they would care if or how you "respected" their holidays... in fact, it would be rather insulting if you tried to observe them alongside the Jewish people. You would be free to celebrate Christmas and Easter, at least in the Jewish nation (can't speak for others), and they probably have decorations for both holidays in the cities. But last time I checked, the U.S. doesn't have an official religion, so nobody can declare themselves more important or "worthy" of respect from others.
P.S. If by respect, you simply mean not to insult or defile the holiday, of course I agree with that... it would be wrong to treat ANY religious holiday/tradition that way, regardless of what country you're in at the time. But as I've said every year, I still don't understand how the word Holiday is insulting or disrespectful - isn't Christmas a holiday too???
Very valid question.
My celebration of Christmas, however, is not because I "respect" the holiday.
In fact, since I'm an atheist, I philosophically "disrespect" it, right?
Yet I still celebrate it.
That's why I ask if I offend Christians by doing so.
I suppose I would ask Jews the same question if I was raised Jewish, rejected Judaism, and then continued to celebrate Hannakuh.
For what it's worth, I personally wouldn't care if you celebrated Chanukah, especially if you were born/raised a Jew... my brother has renounced all religious ties, but still happily accepts our Chanukah gifts and treats, LOL. It's a fairly unimportant holiday anyway (despite what some people think), so my answer might be different if you were asking about Yom Kippur. But who'd want to celebrate that if they weren't a practicing Jew??
How so? I've been to Israel, and highly doubt they would care if or how you "respected" their holidays... in fact, it would be rather insulting if you tried to observe them alongside the Jewish people. You would be free to celebrate Christmas and Easter, at least in the Jewish nation (can't speak for others), and they probably have decorations for both holidays in the cities. But last time I checked, the U.S. doesn't have an official religion, so nobody can declare themselves more important or "worthy" of respect from others.
By respect, I don't mean observing their sacred holidays alongside other Jews or Muslims. I mean not expecting Christmas to have equal meaning (to the majority who live their) in a Jewish or Muslim country. By respect, I mean not trying to change the wording of these holidays that are a real part of their culture and history.
By respect, I don't mean observing their sacred holidays alongside other Jews or Muslims. I mean not expecting Christmas to have equal meaning (to the majority who live their) in a Jewish or Muslim country. By respect, I mean not trying to change the wording of these holidays that are a real part of their culture and history.
Huh?
How about some examples of what you mean by "respect" - I still don't get it.
But it looks like you want the US to acknowledge that Christians rule by majority and that, therefore, Christian traditions should be paramount in the US.
Am I close? If so, that's not respect.
By respect, I don't mean observing their sacred holidays alongside other Jews or Muslims. I mean not expecting Christmas to have equal meaning (to the majority who live their) in a Jewish or Muslim country. By respect, I mean not trying to change the wording of these holidays that are a real part of their culture and history.
Bottom line, nobody expects another holiday to be "equal" to Christmas, since it's the most widely celebrated... but where's the harm in including a few others, with simple gestures such as an all-inclusive greeting? I could understand complaints if we forbid personal celebrations, decorations, and told you not to wear a Christmas sweater - but aside from that, I can't offer much more from my end! The catalogs and stores are still full of Christmas stuff, and I'm totally fine with that... even if the Chanukah supplies consist of a few ugly trinkets on half a shelf, which is usually the case. We accept our place in this country, but every so often it's nice to NOT be reminded of our "minority status." Sorry if that's inconvenient or offensive to some people...
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I'm sure it was just a coincidence.
Now we're waiting for aftershocks, which are common when it's above a 5.0!
