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Well I certainly don't think anyone on here or anyone they know have not been alive for the traditional Christmas celebrations as we know them. Lights, trees, decorations.
This disdain for it is new.
I read a lot. Maybe I just choose to read for fun, like true crime and not the same books you read.
Some of you are just some miserable people that just come on here to put others down and just want others to share in your misery.
Sorry, wrong time of year for it. Get a life people. Let people be joyful and celebrate. You don't have to let others happiness affect you so greatly. Try a smile.
The Grinch's heart grew, so yours can too. There's hope!
Nope, I'm just Jewish. And you're wrong about your "forever" remark. But go ahead and turn it into a personal attack.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980
I'd gladly give up that holiday if it meant getting one of mine instead! But no, I get a forced Christian vacation, yet have to use personal leave for Jewish holidays. So much for the US being a secular nation, huh?
THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by FrugalYankee
What "perks" are you referring to?
The annoying commercials for jewelry that husbands and boyfriends are 'supposed' to give to their wives/girlfriends?
The cheesy Christmas music played over store loudspeakers?
Traffic at every shopping mall entrance?
I wonder when Lexus is going to bust out the "Oh honey, you bought (leased) me a CAR!" ads. They've done them at least the last couple of years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chielgirl
Now that's tradition.
It used to be that it was all you could do if you weren't christian celebrating christmas.
It's a thing in north Dallas. Some of us call it the yearly re-jew-nion, since we run into people we haven't seen in a while at local restaurants/theaters. It's awesome.
They don't care because their customers don't care. If their customers took a stand and refused to shop at these ridiculous hours, corporations wouldn't be open.
I usually like your posts Magritte25, but this is not a Thanksgiving shopping thread. There already is one on-going.
I usually like your posts Magritte25, but this is not a Thanksgiving shopping thread. There already is one on-going.
My point was that until "Christians" stop making their holiday a gorgefest of money, greed, shopping and stuff no one else will really take their misdirected ire seriously.
My point was that until "Christians" stop making their holiday a gorgefest of money, greed, shopping and stuff no one else will really take their misdirected ire seriously.
Well, Christmas shopping is not the topic of this thread, either. Not all Christians go overboard on the shopping.
The article posted by the OP is rather informative about the details and broader scope of the issue, and even references political activism pursued by Catholic Bishops as an example of relgious intrusion into politics that may have further inspired some pushback from atheists:
Quote:
National atheist groups earlier this year took out full-page newspaper ads and hundreds of TV spots in response to the Catholic bishops’ activism around women’s health care issues and are gearing up to battle for their own space alongside public Christmas displays in small towns across America this season.
“In recent years, the tactic of many in the atheist community has been, if you can’t beat them, join them,” said Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center and director of the Newseum’s Religious Freedom Education Project in Washington. “If these church groups insist that these public spaces are going to be dominated by a Christian message, we’ll just get in the game — and that changes everything.”
The story explains quite clearly how atheists merely set up their own displays and the displays were vandalized. Santa Monica did not want to approve atheist displays again so they cancelled it altogether. If you are unhappy with no Christmas displays, then don't criticize atheists - all they did was lobby to present their own freedom of expression. Maybe blame those who ransacked the atheist displays last year.
It can be quite dangerous to anger religious people, so hopefully this dies down quickly and they don't become violent about it.
Seems like it's perfectly okay for atheists to discriminate and Christians should just take it. Talk of double standards.
Interesting. One might think that the very point of Christianity is salvation and public religious displays are to celebrate (or give thanks, or whatever) for that salvation.
I think most non-christians tolerate the hostile views of Christians rather well...it's the converse of what you are saying, actually - it's OK for Christians as a matter of course to casually promote their faith that all non-believers are going to hell, but not OK for anyone to stand up and say, "NO - you are wrong" without the Christians claiming oppression and hurt feeling, tradition, etc.
Instead of those witty little slogans about "God accepts knee mail" I see on church signs, I would love love love for churches to display something like "If you are not a follower of Jesus you are going to burn in hell. He alone provides salvation".
Cut though all the fluff about tradition, manipulative evangalism, etc., etc., and just tell non-christians how you really feel about them. I at least respect that guy (the Westboro guy) who travels around with his church to hold rallies at funerals of homosexuals, etc. - that is truly what Christianity teaches. The entire New Testament is about the hell that awaits those who reject the faith. Get a spine and tell us atheists what you really believe or stop whining about supposedly sacred traditions.
Interesting. One might think that the very point of Christianity is salvation and public religious displays are to celebrate (or give thanks, or whatever) for that salvation.
I think most non-christians tolerate the hostile views of Christians rather well...it's the converse of what you are saying, actually - it's OK for Christians as a matter of course to casually promote their faith that all non-believers are going to hell, but not OK for anyone to stand up and say, "NO - you are wrong" without the Christians claiming oppression and hurt feeling, tradition, etc.
Instead of those witty little slogans about "God accepts knee mail" I see on church signs, I would love love love for churches to display something like "If you are not a follower of Jesus you are going to burn in hell. He alone provides salvation".
Cut though all the fluff about tradition, manipulative evangalism, etc., etc., and just tell non-christians how you really feel about them. I at least respect that guy (the Westboro guy) who travels around with his church to hold rallies at funerals of homosexuals, etc. - that is truly what Christianity teaches. The entire New Testament is about the hell that awaits those who reject the faith. Get a spine and tell us atheists what you really believe or stop whining about supposedly sacred traditions.
The thing is, nothing in the New Testament condones animosity toward non-believers. Yes, it teaches that those who don't accept salvation through Christ will end up in Hell; but the message is to try to lead all people to Christ through love, compassion, and prayer, not to mock and ridicule those who don't believe. If that's not your experience then your problem is with individuals who have corrupted the Word, not with the Word itself.
And for the record, the antics of Fred Phelps are not based on Biblical teaching, but his own self-righteousness and homophobia.
From what I have read about atheism, most atheists do not want to be part of any "organization" that supports same.
Well, I'm not really qualified to comment on that as I'm not an atheist. I vacillate between agnosticism and deistism depending on the day and my mood.
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