Quoted Text

Christians act as if they own the season


    The winter solstice (Dec. 21) is an astronomical event that has been noted, observed and celebrated by humans for thousands of years (e.g., midwinter Germanic and Nordic heathen “Yule” festivals). It is not surprising that the narratives developed by many religions assigned major events to this seasonal milestone (and its springtime counterpart).
    A glance at any calendar reveals that many religions and other entities celebrate holidays clustered around the December solstice — the weeks encompassing Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s obviously compose a “holiday season.”
    But in the Dec. 5 Gazette is yet another letter, this one from Arlene Shako, claiming for one religion sole ownership of an entire chunk of the calendar, asserting that it is somehow “disrespectful to Christians to call the city’s (seasonal) parade a ‘holiday’ parade.” Christians do not own the season.
    The writer then makes the preposterous claim that “the Christmas tree originated from Christian traditions,” apparently unaware that, hundreds of years BCE [Before Common Era] — the Celtic Druids venerated evergreen trees as manifestations of deity and symbols of the universe, and decorated them at Yule with images of the things they wished the waxing year to bring, such as fruits for a successful harvest, love charms for happiness, nuts for fertility, and coins for wealth.
    In Scandinavia, Yule trees were brought inside to provide a warm and festive place to coax the native faery folk to participate in Solstice rituals.
    The Saxons may have been the fi rst to place candles in the tree.
Again, it is not surprising that Christians adopted and adapted these ancient observances as they evolved their narratives and customs. It’s fi ne for a Christian family to call their tree a “Christmas tree,” but it’s also fi ne if some other person or organization chooses to call their seasonal tree a “holiday tree” or a “solstice tree” or whatever else they wish.
Christians do not own the season.

RICHARD MCMAHAN
Glenville

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01104&AppName=1

WHO CARES

The nerve of Christians trying to take back Christmas. What next? Renaming the Holiday Parade a Christmas Parade? Another stunad letter to the Gazetto.
     They need to get back to calling for a Federal Gas Tax increase- lol.

Christians 'sold' the holiday to the feds and it became a government holiday.....

Quoted from benny salami

The nerve of Christians trying to take back Christmas. What next? Renaming the Holiday Parade a Christmas Parade? Another stunad letter to the Gazetto.
     They need to get back to calling for a Federal Gas Tax increase- lol.

If there is any "taking back" about Christmas, it would be the Pagans Taking Back THEIR Holiday,
not the other way around.

Quoted from Box A Rox

If there is any "taking back" about Christmas, it would be the Pagans Taking Back THEIR Holiday,
not the other way around.

NOBODY OWNS ANY DAY.....this is a wasted conversation......if you want christmas --- GO TO CHURCH....

if you want a large credit card bill....accept it for what it is.....

Quoted from senders

NOBODY OWNS ANY DAY.....this is a wasted conversation......if you want christmas --- GO TO CHURCH....

if you want a large credit card bill....accept it for what it is.....

Or you could ignore the commercialism of the "CHRISTIAN" holiday, and celebrate the Solstice with
friends and family.  No presents required!

Quoted from Box A Rox

Or you could ignore the commercialism of the "CHRISTIAN" holiday, and celebrate the Solstice with
friends and family.  No presents required!

What do you celebrate, the random astrological movements of the sun moon and stars resulting from the big bang?  

Celebrating randomness with friends and family of chance.

Quoted from CICERO

What do you celebrate, the random astrological movements of the sun moon and stars resulting from the big bang?  

Celebrating randomness with friends and family of chance.

~No I celebrate a fat man with a huge bag of gifts some how sliding down our 8 inch chimney and
delivers bribes if you believe in him.  He arrives on a 'magic' sled pulled by some reindeer.  

~Yea... or I believe that a woman long ago got pregnant by some mystical god sex and delivered a god/man.

~Or I believe that there is a commercial holiday designed to keep people in debt as they run over each other
trying to find the 'perfect gift' at the mall... as they are forced to great each other by saying Merry Christmas,
NEVER 'happy holidays'.  

Take your pick, they are all fairy tails.  Oh wait.
~  Celebrating the astronomical alignment of the earth in
relation to the sun & stars... no fairy tale there... This one is all true!  

Don't get so testy box.

A lot of people in America celebrate things of chance, it's call Power Ball.lol

Quoted from CICERO

Don't get so testy box.

A lot of people in America celebrate things of chance, it's call Power Ball.lol

LOL.....SO TRUE!!!!!

Quoted from CICERO

Don't get so testy box.

A lot of people in America celebrate things of chance, it's call Power Ball.lol

LOL @ "TESTY"!  
Cic always gets it wrong!