Topic: Philadelphia says bah humbug.

[Curly4444]

Well its more Politically correct bullshit. Philadelphia has a Christmas village in town, in which the word Christmas was removed from the village's name. Gosh i hate small mined people. I mean if just seeing the word Christmas offends you, you need help. I mean i see all this Spanish shit on everything, and you don't see me demanding it be take off stuff. /rant

[Smaug]

So what is it called now, just plain Village?

[Curly4444]

Yuo, you got it. Boggles the mind.

[stooge1029]

Yeah everything says "Holiday" now instead of Christmas. I dont get it...1% of this country is Jewish and they are primarily located in New York and LA, and I believe the Muslim population is even less. Why is everyone so worried about excluding this 2% by putting up Christmas signs or advertising Christmas sales? Not to mention our money still says In God We Trust and we say one nation under god in the pledge. So you can talk about god being our countrys true leader and print it on currency, yet we cant put up Christmas signs.

[Lefty]

Are you casting asparagus on my (and Larry's) home town?  If you are, you must have been in North or West Philly.  And remember this:  "Roses are red, Violets are bluish.  If it weren't for Christmas, we'd all be Jewish."

[shemps#1]

1029: You're right: roughly 1% of the US Population is Jewish and .5% is Muslim, but that doesn't mean that 98.5% are Christian. 15% are of no religious affiliation such as myself, not to mention there are small percentages of other various religions.

As an irreligious person if it's a Christmas Village call it a Christmas Village. Whether it's a Christmas Village, Holiday Village, Christmakwanzadanika Village or just plain ol' "Village" one thing is certain: I wouldn't be going there either way. This isn't because I have some aversion to Christmas mind you (I take an apathetic stance towards the holiday, and all the songs and shit can be annoying), but it seems like a clusterfuck of idiots and I would want no part of it.

On one hand I can see trying to be all inclusive, to appeal to biggest base possible. However, if it is strictly religious (i.e. a Navity Scene) then it should be a Christmas Village. Of course I would question the Government violating the Separation of Church and State if that were the case.

[Curly4444]

Are you casting asparagus on my (and Larry's) home town?  If you are, you must have been in North or West Philly.  And remember this:  "Roses are red, Violets are bluish.  If it weren't for Christmas, we'd all be Jewish."

Me? If so, no i wasnt. Just the morons in your state that decided to take down the word Christmas.

1029: You're right: roughly 1% of the US Population is Jewish and .5% is Muslim, but that doesn't mean that 98.5% are Christian. 15% are of no religious affiliation such as myself, not to mention there are small percentages of other various religions.

As an irreligious person if it's a Christmas Village call it a Christmas Village. Whether it's a Christmas Village, Holiday Village, Christmakwanzadanika Village or just plain ol' "Village" one thing is certain: I wouldn't be going there either way. This isn't because I have some aversion to Christmas mind you (I take an apathetic stance towards the holiday, and all the songs and shit can be annoying), but it seems like a clusterfuck of idiots and I would want no part of it.

On one hand I can see trying to be all inclusive, to appeal to biggest base possible. However, if it is strictly religious (i.e. a Navity Scene) then it should be a Christmas Village. Of course I would question the Government violating the Separation of Church and State if that were the case.

Well at least you can say, wouldn't go there its just a "clusterfuck of idiots" and leave it at that. Not, ooh their using the word Christmas, that offends me and my religion, take that word down now.

Of course I would question the Government violating the Separation of Church and State if that were the case.

That would depend on who was responsible for the event. If it was put on by a government agency, thats a violation the Separation of Church and State. If a church or private individual put in on then nothing wrong was done.

[Rhinosaurus]

i hate small mined people.

lol.

[metaldams]

Oh, how I miss the good old days.


http://threestooges.net/forums/index.php/topic,1226.0.html

[Curly4444]

lol.

[shemps#1]

I'm assuming it's the Government because they would be the first to do such a thing. The second would be a big business trying to appeal to the masses at large.

[xraffle]

1029: You're right: roughly 1% of the US Population is Jewish and .5% is Muslim, but that doesn't mean that 98.5% are Christian. 15% are of no religious affiliation such as myself, not to mention there are small percentages of other various religions.

As an irreligious person if it's a Christmas Village call it a Christmas Village. Whether it's a Christmas Village, Holiday Village, Christmakwanzadanika Village or just plain ol' "Village" one thing is certain: I wouldn't be going there either way. This isn't because I have some aversion to Christmas mind you (I take an apathetic stance towards the holiday, and all the songs and shit can be annoying), but it seems like a clusterfuck of idiots and I would want no part of it.

On one hand I can see trying to be all inclusive, to appeal to biggest base possible. However, if it is strictly religious (i.e. a Navity Scene) then it should be a Christmas Village. Of course I would question the Government violating the Separation of Church and State if that were the case.

Yeah, that's what I never understood. Not everybody are Christians and not everybody believes in Christ and I respect that. We each have our own beliefs and that's understandable. But why do people go nuts over this holiday when many people are not even religious and don't even believe in Christ? After all, Christmas IS a religious holiday that celebrates the birth of Christ. But for some reason, because of this religious holiday, stores are packed and so are churches. I go to church every Sunday and it usually is not crowded at all. But Christmas time, forget about it. You have to get there 45 minutes before the mass if you want to get a seat.

No offense to any non-religious people here who DO celebrate Christmas, but I'm just trying to figure out why so many non-Christians make a big thing about the holiday. Because I never celebrate Hanukkah since I'm not Jewish.

[shemps#1]

A good question X, and one that I will try to answer to the best of my ability. In the interest of full disclosure I was never "raised" (indoctrinated) into any religion. My mother and father were both raised to be Catholics but my mother resented being forced to go to Church (capitalized because I am referring to the Catholic Church) every Sunday by her step-mother and when she left the house stopped going. She is not an "atheist" as she purports to believe in a "higher power" so she would be a deist. She made a personal vow that if/when she had children she would not force them to attend any church and let them decide on their own.

With all of that said we still celebrated Christmas growing up, but in a secular way. There were no pictures of Jesus, no Bibles, no Nativity Scenes or the like (unless we were at my father's parents' house). It was all Santa and Rudolph and Christmas Trees (which are actually...I want to say Norse in origin) and of course presents and food. As I got older I became disenfranchised with the hole "Christmas thing" and decided I didn't want to celebrate it in either a secular or a religious manner.

As for other irreligious folk who still celebrate Christmas in a secular manner, I think it all comes down to tradition. The getting together with family and reminiscing...all that good shit. Many other atheists/"agnostics"/whatever-you-want-to-call-yourselves did come from religious households and still hold on to the holiday tradition. I can see why, considering the Christians "borrowed" so much about Christmas from the "pagan" faiths that they devoured along the way.

[Curly4444]

No offense to any non-religious people here who DO celebrate Christmas, but I'm just trying to figure out why so many non-Christians make a big thing about the holiday. Because I never celebrate Hanukkah since I'm not Jewish.

Because its not so much about religion anymore. Its about getting together with family, and being festive. I'm catholic, and we too did it in a secular way. No pictures of jesus, just a christmas tree, lights, santa shit and so on.

[metaldams]

I was raised Catholic, and the 15 minute prayers my grandfather would say before meals are still legend in my family.  Grandpa made the Pope look Jewish, may he rest in peace.

Christmas is combination of crass commercialism, families getting together, big meals, and time off from work/school for those who are no religious.