Is it OK to say Merry Christmas to you?

Have you seen Choochoo's new Santa avatar?!!!!! I'm traumatized! :cry::faint::rip:

How's that for light??? ;)
 
FIRST, I never NEVER said I hated anyone, nor did I post anything that would resemble hate, before people attack me, READ what I say, I have never seen so much ignorance without cause! I never said I disrespected ANYONE, you can go back and read, I said I have a hard time respecting other RELIGIONS, now I don't know about you but unless someone down the street just named themselves religion, I am not talking about people. I also said I would never disrespect a person because of their religion, what I do have a hard time respecting is the religion itself and I have already said that. I also never said I disrespect anything, I said I have a hard time, NOW if anyone else has anything to call me on, you feel free, until then, and as I said above, before you go jumping the gun, READ! Also I will add, I don't care what came first, the chicken or the egg, let's move it on up to 2007 people, there are holidays now celebrated with the absence of Christmas, (this is in no way an attack on squid or anyone else posting) those were the holidays I posted about, I don't care what came first, we are all in the here and now.

That will be all...
 
Since this thread has digressed may I submit for thought my opinion, and not to be argumentative- (Oh and I’m going to make some spelling and grammatical errors)

It seems to me,

If we are to believe that God created humanity and all that goes along with it, then we must assume that God appreciates and encourages diversity. How many different types of animals, plants, different terrains, and even different seasons has he created? At no point has he ever settled for one selection, one choice of anything! For humankind he didn’t stop at races or colors but created us different and unique all the way down to each individual. And not just our looks, but how we think, our likes and dislikes, personalities-down to our DNA! He has created a world full of harmonious diversity. He’s created us in his image and given us free-thought and free-will. And he’s filled the world with enough selection and choice to satisfy each of us and our different senses.

They say no two snowflakes are alike. I’ve always had a hard time wrapping my mind around that. Surely a God who has gone to such extreme to fill the world with choice and (can I use the word one more time?) diversity…surely he would not expect, (or want) us to each worship in the same way?

IMHO, we are all spiritual creatures. I applaud anyone who takes the time to honestly examine and contemplate his or her own beliefs and spirituality. Even if what they hear, when listening to their hearts and souls is different from what I hear. We should appreciate and encourage diversity, as God himself must.
 
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I know many people aren't Christians and don't believe in Jesus, but I got this email. It's supposedly from Jesus about Christmas. I just thought the "Get along and love one another" part was especially fitting. (I didn't do the all caps either--it was just like that!) ;)

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset
that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe
you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during
this time of the year and that it was some of your
predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on
what was actually a time of pagan festival. Although I
do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can
probably be most easily understood by those of you who
have been blessed with children of your own. I don't
care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate
My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you
that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene
depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of
Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene
on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that
there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the
town square because there would be many of them all
around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling
the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree.
It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me
anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you
wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching,
explaining who I am in relation to you and what each
of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one,
look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My
birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the
way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of
love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are
terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know,
they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to
know them personally. They just need to know that
someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the
wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why
don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying
for him and his family this year. Then follow
up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you
can't afford and they don't need, spend time with
them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came
to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and
remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and
forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt
to take their own life this season because they feel
so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that
person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm
smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in
your town calls the holiday, be patient with the
people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a
kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a
"Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing
them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the
store didn't make so much money on that day they'd
close and let their employees spend the day at home
with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a
missionary--especially one who takes My love and Good
News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole
families in your town who not only will have no
"Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any
presents to give or receive. If you don't know them,
buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the
Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in
Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about
your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a
Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't
do in My presence. Let people know by your actions
that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself.
Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll
take care of all the rest. Check out the list above
and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but
the ball is now in your court. And do have a most
blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and
remember : I LOVE YOU,

JESUS
 
Just want to address the X in Xmas.. Its not taking Christ out of Christmas, or as they say, an attempt to 'cross out Christ".

Way back, before the letters we use today were around, they still had to spell. And the Greek spelling for Christ started with X, their letter for a 'hard ch', sounding like the ch in Christos, the Greek name for Christ.

Xmas is not a new word. The Oxford English Dictionary documents the use of this abbreviation back to 1551.

1551 is fifty years before the first English colonists came to America and sixty years earlier than the completion of the King James Version of the Bible! Plus, at that time, Xian and Xianity were in frequent use as abbreviations of Christian and Christianity.

The X in Xmas did not originate as our English alphabet's X but as the symbol X in the Greek alphabet, called Chi, with a hard ch. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt" (I wonder if Jesus could sue Microsoft for using his name..); there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as 1021 AD. This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ and ρ), used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ"), and used to make the labarum, so widely used today.

So the problem really isnt the Xmas, its that people dont know where it comes from and make assumptions based on ZERO fact.

edit [Some material stolen from WikiPedia]
 
LiveSquid said:
Just want to address the X in Xmas.. Its not taking Christ out of Christmas, or as they say, an attempt to 'cross out Christ".

Way back, before the letters we use today were around, they still had to spell. And the Greek spelling for Christ started with X, their letter for a 'hard ch', sounding like the ch in Christos, the Greek name for Christ.

Xmas is not a new word. The Oxford English Dictionary documents the use of this abbreviation back to 1551.

1551 is fifty years before the first English colonists came to America and sixty years earlier than the completion of the King James Version of the Bible! Plus, at that time, Xian and Xianity were in frequent use as abbreviations of Christian and Christianity.

The X in Xmas did not originate as our English alphabet's X but as the symbol X in the Greek alphabet, called Chi, with a hard ch. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt" (I wonder if Jesus could sue Microsoft for using his name..); there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as 1021 AD. This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ and ρ), used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ"), and used to make the labarum, so widely used today.

So the problem really isnt the Xmas, its that people dont know where it comes from and make assumptions based on ZERO fact.

edit [Some material stolen from WikiPedia]
Click to expand...


I'm not doubting or questioning anything in your post, but are you basing "your facts" on Wikipedia?? :worry: :suspect:
 
OK - cut it out. You all are making my head hurt!

Keep in in perspective Spoofers - We got funny pictures next to our names for crying out loud.
 
diGriz said:
OK - cut it out. You all are making my head hurt!

Keep in in perspective Spoofers - We got funny pictures next to our names for crying out loud.
Click to expand...

Griz, what happened to your avatar? It used to be a whole robot and now I only see half of him, is it just me?
 
Big Daddy said:
I'm not doubting or questioning anything in your post, but are you basing "your facts" on Wikipedia?? :worry: :suspect:
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that is basing them on rather than getting them from..
 
Big Daddy said:
I'm not doubting or questioning anything in your post, but are you basing "your facts" on Wikipedia?? :worry: :suspect:
Click to expand...


'Course not, but they have it already written, and better than I could explain it, so I use theirs instead of having to type it all out myself and having be convoluted and not making sense..

Besides, it didnt all come from Wikipedia, only some parts of it.
 
Most of us barely know our own faith traditions and their historical roots (as a few of the comments here reflect), let alone others' faith traditions in enough detail to be able to say that we don't respect any religion other than our own. Unless one has a Ph.D. in comparative religions, and perhaps not even then, all one can hope for when speaking of other religions is to say that we respect the rights of others to practice any religion (or no religion) as they see fit, as long as they are not encroaching on the rights of others. It's also worth keeping in mind that the vast majority of humans on Earth practice some other belief system other than Christianity, and that within Christianity itself, we have many different ways of practicing the faith.

I think that's it's spurious to argue that you respect someone, just not their religion, while also stating that religion is "at the core" of most people's identities. How would you like someone to say that they have no respect for Christianity, yet be able to believe that they respect YOU just not your religion? I mean, here we are having a heated discussion about the use of "Merry Christmas", let alone something as incendiary as whether Christianity itself deserves respect or not. I think that Spoofee (like the world and the U.S.) is made up of a diverse audience, and it's hurtful to say that one has no respect for someone else's religion, whatever that religion may be.

I'm not trying to pick on anyone here, but since the topic has been raised, it's now up for discussion.
 
'Most of us barely know our own faith traditions and their historical roots '

Even those that celebrate it really don't have a clue as to what the customs are. For example, why do we get trees & decorate them? Few know that the old way was to put the tree upsidedown, so as to reflect the proper trinity symbol.
 
Man Beaten for Responding to "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Chanukah"

A suspected bias attack on four Jewish subway riders has resulted in a friendship between the Jewish victims and the Muslim college student who came to their aid.

Walter Adler is calling Hassan Askari a hero for intervening when Adler and three friends were assaulted on a subway train in lower Manhattan on Friday night.

The altercation erupted when Adler and his friends said ''Happy Chanukah'' to a group yelling ''Merry Christmas'' on the Brooklyn-bound train.

The 20-year-old Askari said he tried to fight off the 10 attackers, giving Adler a chance to summon police by pulling an emergency brake.

''I did what I thought was right,'' said Askari, a student at Berkeley College in Manhattan, who was allegedly punched and beaten. ''I did the best that I could to help.''

Eight men and two women have pleaded not guilty to assault, menacing and other charges in the case. Prosecutors have said the charges could be upgraded to hate crimes.

''That a random Muslim kid helped some Jewish kids, that's what's positive about New York,'' said Adler, 23, who suffered a broken nose and a lip wound.
 
Thanks for the post, monkfish! The hate that is propagated under the guise of religion is incredible, isn't it?.......I basically think hateful people everywhere act as they would normally, but sometimes do so under the guise of defending their religion. It just gives them another venue to spew hatred.
 
It is ok to say Merry Christmas to me. I think that was the original question here. I don't intend to offend anyone when I say Merry Christmas, it is what I have said my entire life. It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks. LOL My usual saying is "Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" So, I will close with this, to those of you who like Merry Christmas, "MERRY CHRISTMAS", to others who don't use that well "HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU", for those of you who don't use either of those "HAVE A MOST HAPPY, MERRY DAY". And for those of you who don't like none of the above, I will just have to :)
 
My problem isnt with the Christmas part. Its with the Happy part. I mean, who the hell do these people think they are to tell me what kind of Holiday to have? Theyre not the bosses of me, and theyre not my mother. Ill have whatever kind of Christmas I want to have, thank you very much. :eviltongue:

Have a Christmas, Channukah, Eid, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or Holiday, everyone.
 
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