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Gubby,no problem saying that around here and Merry Christmas to you as well
posted by
gomedome
on December 5, 2005 at 8:12 AM
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Didn't want to spoil anything guys... Merry christmas!
posted by
Gubby
on December 5, 2005 at 8:07 AM
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Tamra - first off welcome to Blogit
Your comment lost me and I'm not sure now where you stand. If I'm reading it right; you are suggesting that the Christmas word should be retained because it denotes the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. That unfortunately is the exact same argument being used by those who would like it removed.
posted by
gomedome
on December 4, 2005 at 9:13 PM
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thumpin' and Christmas
I've scanned through this stuff and I have to say some of it or rather most of it bugs me and I think to my self, what the heck is this crap?? I don't understand this mindset. The comments that followed, well the ones I read seem to agree with you for the most part. I wonder what happened to our society? Too much of everything, free to do and say and have to the point that everything that we had in traditons is now a bad thing?? Happy Holidays is now supposed to replace Merry Christmas because it's in celebration of the BIRTH of Christ who was real, by the way. So now we are supposed to throw away Christmas for the real sake of what it is? Has our country really gone mad? Yes. Yes it has and that is sad.
posted by
Tamra
on December 4, 2005 at 7:21 PM
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MandaLee -- this time I am in agreement that a certain amount of respect is
relevant. Christmas is a longstanding tradition within our culture that transcends all religions. The fact that it has the name of a religious icon within it, is not reason enough in my mind to overlook these cultural traditions. This is a perfect example of why they make amendments to specific laws. In this case, the wishes of the majority should be respected simply because there are no real victims.
posted by
gomedome
on December 4, 2005 at 12:55 PM
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Gome, Although many dont believe, America was founded on Christian
ideals. They are part of our national heritage. Why not respect them?
posted by
Amanda__
on December 4, 2005 at 12:47 PM
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LOL, oh, I plan to tell you Merry Christmas, but I was just wishing you a
good day via the Merry day line. Oprah? LOL
posted by
Ariala
on December 4, 2005 at 9:21 AM
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Ariala - you can use the term Merry Christmas --- I intend to use it for
the rest of my life. It doesn't matter to me that it contains a religious icon's name. I figure that when you are the world's number one celebrity as Jesus Christ is, 2,000 years after your death, you deserve a day to be named after you. Besides, think of the alternative, if we renamed the day after a celebrity that wasn't a religious icon who would we use? Merry Oprahmas?
posted by
gomedome
on December 4, 2005 at 9:18 AM
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Gome, I figured you got it...Gubby did research on the word, as
you see below, so I just wanted to clarify where I came up with my conclusion.
Merry day to you, Gomey.
posted by
Ariala
on December 4, 2005 at 9:08 AM
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Ariala- I caught your drift in suggesting that the greeting Merry Christmas
has something in it for everyone. Accuracy or proven word origins are not necessary when one is making an illustrative point.
posted by
gomedome
on December 4, 2005 at 9:01 AM
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Gubby, well, I just meant the Wiccans say Merry Meet all the time, so
basically I associate the words with them...lol
posted by
Ariala
on December 4, 2005 at 8:08 AM
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Bud-Oracle -- I'm hard pressed to remember anyone from the Beaverdams area
simply because we weren't there very long. From there we moved on to Fonthill, then on to Beamsville. As for me getting wound up as I write this blog, you've missed the mark. Everyone knows that I write this blog because I am a pawn of Satan.
posted by
gomedome
on December 4, 2005 at 8:05 AM
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Hey Gome that was an intersting and shared view of christians, but.....
you did say the at you are getting bored with winding up Christians in the blog blurb. I know why. I bet you get wound up in your rant too. I can see how much you put into it by how finely crafted it is. I bet you edited more than once. It shines with well delivered reason but don't you agree I wound them up , the christians, pretty well with just two words. Well you might get a glimpse if you google me and had a look at some of the emails that I've recieved, of the depth of feeling those words have wound up. And I still get as amused saying them as people get hearing them the first time. BUD ORACLE; as in the days of the Oracle. Did You Know the Moretti lads in Beaverdams?
posted by
Bud-Oracle
on December 4, 2005 at 3:38 AM
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Ariala --
How can you say "merry" is a wiccan word? That interested me
, so I checked dictionary.com-- says: Old English, from Indo-European roots.
posted by
Gubby
on December 4, 2005 at 3:13 AM
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blackcat30 - though I'm not one to use slippery slope arguments, this issue
has the ability to become a true avalanche of effort and sentiment headed in the wrong direction. When public court houses are asked to remove the icons and symbols of all religions, as a means of eliminating prejudice towards non adherants to a specific religion, this protects us all. But when this premise is taken one step further and we are now asked to remove or rename objects and events that are simply derived from a specific religion and not central to it, we run into a huge problem. In the case of Christmas, it has been adopted by everyone within the North American populaces to a degree that approaches 100%. It is the mindset or prevailing attitude at this point that becomes harmful. Political correctness has an important role to play in making us aware of others but it also can be a double edge sword or a weapon turned against us.
posted by
gomedome
on December 3, 2005 at 4:13 PM
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kooka_lives -- as I said in the post, I'm batting 100% in getting a return
Merry Christmas from every non believer I know and every time I use the term without fail. If there are people out there that take offence to this, I've never met one.
posted by
gomedome
on December 3, 2005 at 4:03 PM
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I haven't read the comments... but I think it's absurd that we're trying
to create a perfectly "politically correct" society. If I'm not insulted by half of my company getting free vacation days for the Jewish holidays, then why can't we use the word "Christmas" anymore? The White House is going to call their tree a "Holiday" tree this year? Are you kidding me??? Just call it what it is, and teach tolerance!
This subject really annoys the crap out of me. I agree with you.
posted by
-blackcat
on December 3, 2005 at 3:56 PM
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You are correct
No one I know of and I know a fair amount of atheists, has any problem at all with calling it Christmas. It is one of those over blown ideas that just seems to be more about Christians going after attention and has no real merit at all.
As I keep saying, holidays are what you make of them. It matter not what anyone else thinks or claims about the holiday, just what you follow as your personal traditions.
posted by
kooka_lives
on December 3, 2005 at 3:39 PM
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RckyMtnActivist - as far as I can tell - you have hit on the single most
important factor as to why this debate even exists. A few complaints, that never seem to make it to lawsuits, are filed every year over the use of the word Christmas. The premise is as I have mentioned in this posting, in being seen as an extension of the hard fought ban on religious symbols being displayed in public buildings. But it is an extension of this premise, which becomes diluted in relevancy once you apply it to objects and symbols that are only derived from a specific religion and not the central icons or symbols of worship.
I also give an amount of credence to the point that tbgroucho made in that Christians love to play the victim. In summarizing what we have here: We have a few people that are fed up with the fundies, initiating an issue where none really exists. It would likely die on the vine if it were not for the fundies keeping it alive and giving it legs by their outcry that they have been victimized. It's too funny when you think about it.
posted by
gomedome
on December 3, 2005 at 3:07 PM
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Ariala - yep, it means different things to different people
To myself it means a chance to take a holiday. No one except retail is doing business so the time might as well be spent recharging the old batteries.
posted by
gomedome
on December 3, 2005 at 2:54 PM
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tbgroucho - You've covered one of my conclusions
Christians claiming to be victimized is a subject I have blogged about before (to much villification) but nonetheless I feel it undenyably exists and is a factor in this issue.
Loved this line "The gifts the three kings bore did not come from Wal-Mart."
posted by
gomedome
on December 3, 2005 at 2:51 PM
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mysteria -- so far I haven't found one person that finds either term
Merry Christmas or bless you when someone sneezes as being offensive. Like where are all of the offended people hiding?
posted by
gomedome
on December 3, 2005 at 2:46 PM
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Gome...
I think that this entire debate over christmas is because non-christians are so fed up with the christian fundamentalists pushing their beliefs on everyone, that they feel anything associated with christianity is offensive. They make us feel that unless we are christian our life has no value. My sister in law actually thinks the Dalai Lama is going to go to hell because he is not christian. And she thinks that Pat Roberson will go to heaven. (I do not believe in heaven and hell) Clearly it's not based on the life they've lived. I think if those christians (I am not saying all) honored and respected other's beliefs there would not be this fight! Non-christians are fed up with the "bible thumpers" Great post, thanks.
posted by
RckyMtnActivist
on December 3, 2005 at 1:53 PM
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Merry <---is a Wiccan word...so that's for the Pagans and
Christ (for us bible thumpers) Mass (for the Catholics) Sounds good to me.
posted by
Ariala
on December 3, 2005 at 12:13 PM
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Merry Christmas My Ass!
Okay, seriously -- I think it's just another tactic by the Christian Fascists to claim that they are victims. Funny how most of them would scoff at the notion of "victimhood" when applied to giving clemency to Death Row inmates or women with unwanted pregnancies, but there you go.
There is so much commericalism in Christmas, so much consumerism, that we could arguably characterize the holiday as secular. The gifts the three kings bore did not come from Wal-Mart.
posted by
tbgroucho
on December 3, 2005 at 12:09 PM
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Gome I am a non believer but I do not think that Merry Christmas
is offensive personally. Then again I am not easily offended by anything simply because there is so much I don't know.
It is kind of the same when someone says bless-"you" when I sneeze. I ust say thank you and leave it at that....
MeRRy X-Mas...(?) (((gome)))
Loving your vista as always...
posted by
mysteria
on December 3, 2005 at 12:03 PM
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