The X in Xmas is not meant to be disrespectful.  The Greek word for Christ was Xristos.   That is the origin of the X, an abbreviation of Xristos not a way to take the Christ out of Christmas, really. 

MERRY CHRIST-mas!!! May you have a very blessed Christ-mas and Happy New Year!

Beat me to it. Smooth move, loca.

Want to break down Christmas?

Let's set up our Christmas tree and exchange presents in honor of the Roman solstice holiday of Saturnalia.

Let's hang ornaments from the tree to remind ourselves that summer will come again just like the Norse did. Santa was based on Odin who was said to ride around dispensing punishments or gifts on his eight legged horse, Sleipnir. Also they hacked down a Yule log that was supposed to burn for 12 days...12 days of Christmas anyone?

Kiss under the mistletoe like the ancient Druids who worshipped trees.

Mithras, the Persian sun god, also seemed to have a birthday on December 25. What a coincidence, huh?

There's really not a lot of Christ in Christmas to begin with. Actually, none at all besides the Catholic Church, in 1038AD, officially declaring that Jesus was born on December 25.

WWW Link


Anywho, I'm as anti-PC as they come...so I think you should say whatever you want in regards the the holiday season.

~Zoo

The English alphabet consist of 26 ordered letters and none without significance, both vowels and consonants, when put together with rhyme and reason they make up syllables and words that allow us on jU to banter back and forth.

Hamartano,

I think the main reason why celebrating a birthday for God Almighty is difficult for some, is because of the spirit of the anti-Christ which will not confesss that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.



What about 'Today' ? What shadow does this day cast over your heart ?



Without the presupposed truth value of such axiomatic principles as the law of causality, the law of non-contradition and the basic reliability of sense perception, this conversation would not even be possible.



Therefore, JU banter back and forth is therefore quite meaningless, even pointless.

Christ is the reason

That is very deep, my friend.



Aeryck.

Worse than this we would all think like Aeryck? eek…… Imagine a world where we were forbidden to consider and eXperience new and different thoughts, or even the liberty to voice them, jU would not be what it is today?

  

Thank you, Hamartano for this excellent article. These things need be said.





Christmas is a time of wonder and awe...it's the coming of God.

TO learn of it, read St. Luke's Gospel. 1:26-38; 2:1-20. It's good to us who hear it because it's a true story.

The Jewish people's beloved homeland was occupied by the pagan Romans in the 15th year of Tiberias Caesar. There was oppression. The holy places had been taken from the people. Pontius Pilate was Procurator and Herod the local Jewish leader were both petty princes who lived rotten lives. Annas and Caiphas were not the most revered high priests.

This is the times and world in which our Lord Jesus was born. He came where there was oppression, crime and bad parts of life.

And His coming then gave new meaning, hope and goodness to the whole world...just as it continues to give us today.

The Christmas season gives us a time to watch in joyful anticipation, to prepare in great generosity, to reflect and rejoice that Christ once came to live amongst us.

Christ is the real meaning of Christmas. He's the Center. So like the Magi we should all set out to find Him. Where? St. Augustine tells us we find Christ through love, not by seafaring.

The gift of God to all of us in His Son Jesus Christ is the very motivation for our life each moment of the day. And so we act out of love towards one another, we act out of the Spirit of Christ.

A blessed Christmas to all.

Wow...everyone just skips over all the pagan stuff I posted, huh? Oh well, religious appropriation occurs all the time. It's not a bad thing...I'm just one for putting things into perspective.

~Zoo

Naw, I'm right with ya'.

I have long wondered why Christians so willingly celebrate a false birthday.  I mean, by the bible's own account, Jesus was born in spring not in winter, and definitely not December 25th.  So, why do Christians so willing celebrate a false day with pagan traditions?

why would they wanna focus others' attention to stuff they'd rather us all to ignore?

"if 'x' is good enough for jesus, it's good enough for me."
--malcom little

Heh, being a "Christian" myself...I wish I knew besides the fact that it means food and presents for the lot of us.



True enough. Christianity wants you to turn a blind eye to a lot of things. Terrible business being curious and all that.

~Zoo

You say this... and then you say:



First of all, Christianity does no such thing. It's not a blind faith at all. I'm curious tho.....are you sure you're a Christian Zoo? What makes you a Christian?

I ask because, I've only seen you come down against Christianity so it's surprising to me that you say you're a Christian.

My grandmother used to say she was a Christian but she really wasn't. She thought she was because she wasn't a Jew she said. So she had to be a Christian, but at the same time said she wanted to be in Hell because that's where all the fun was going to be.



The bible's own account? Where does it say in scripture he was born in the spring? I know many scholars that believe he may have been born in the fall, maybe in late fall. Also his age was thought to be 33 1/2 years when he died. It is a known fact that he died in the Spring. We do know that. But as for his birth, it's anyone's guess, but many if not most put his birth as sometime in the fall, anywhere between Sept-Nov.

Basic religious belief, really. I suppose you could say I'm borderline agnostic, yet that's not really correct because I still hold on to the idea of God...I'm just not all that convinced of everything. I submit to the idea that something is out there...yet all these contradictions and craziness leave me a little confused. I'm looking into it...consider it a spiritual journey in progress. Don't ever expect me to go wildly devout, though. It's not my style.

The reason I "come down" on Christianity all the time is because I simply love playing the Devil's Advocate...and sometimes all this religion gets out of hand and I think people need to have a bit more perspective about things.

Maybe I'm just God's little hellraiser.

~Zoo

This drives me crazy, KFC. Do you really know what was in her heart of hearts and her personal relationship with God? Some people keep their faith private. How can you KNOW if she was a Christian or not? How does someone PROVE their Christianity to you and why should they have to?