Christians, Christianity and Christmas - here's what fricking bugs me

Why do Christians still buy into all this Santa Claus crap? I mean Christmas is suppose to be the birth of Jesus and geez, we could definitely find a way to celebrate Christmas, give gifts and not make up some bullshit story of an overweight guy flying through the air in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. That concept alone means every single Christian out there who tells their kids about Santa Claus and says that's where gifts come from is disobeying one of the 10 commandments "Thou shalt not bear false witness" (ie - LIE).

I'd actually buy into this "War on Christmas" if Christians would just drop the bullshit story about Santa and actually use the holiday to celebrate the birth of Christ. Oh sure, some claim "but we take our kids to church on Xmas" but how does that count when you go home to a house with a Blow-up doll of Santa Claus in the front yard?

If Christians (myself included) want to win this so-called "War on Christmas" then they need to drop the Santa Claus act. Stop lying to kids about where the gifts come from. Use gift giving as a religious reason - didn't the 3 Wise Men bring gifts to Jesus?

Ok end rant!

...to celebrate the end of the the days getting shorter and the beginning of the days getting longer. Christianity was grafted onto it in order to facilitate the transition from paganism to Christianity.

Everything about Christmas except for the nativity itself is left over from German paganism. In fact the OT prohibits the decoration of trees or the use of evergreens as decoration because it is an attempt to appease wood spirits.

I seem to remember that JC was supposedly born in the springtime, though I can't remember where I got that.

Would Augustus have ordered the mass migration referenced in Matthew in the middle of winter? As a side note, Augustus never ordered an empire-wide census as claimed in Matt. He did order one for Italy, but did not require anyone to travel to ancestral towns to be counted. What would be the point of that? The real purpose of the census was to evaluate property for taxation and any propery owned by anyone will likely be where that person lives, not where is ancestors lived. Besides, why would the emperor care where the ancestors of some provincial hicks lived anyway?

because for most Christians out there - they don't have a clue and usually don't bother with the details. It's the concept that they're willing to lie to their children about a non-existant man (and I mean Santa!)

It has never made much sense to me. That whole "yes, Virginia" thing seems pretty contemptable to me. If I believe it in my heart it is true? What a load of crap. And what a terrible lesson for children. Things are real because they are real. Belief in ones heart, whatever that means, is irrelevant.

I guess there is one lesson children can draw from Santa Claus. Anyone can lie to you.

talking about how Christmas was the beginning of the celebration of Easter or something.

I laughed a lot, because yeah - Christmas marks the turn back towards spring and Easter is a celebration of spring in full swing and fertility.

As for the OP - it might help keep their kids believing for a little while. I think that a fair few people are led to religious disillusionment by finding out that Santa isn't real. It's like, "Okay then, so why should I believe them about the God dude too?"

So actually then maybe the Santa thing is good and people should keep doing it.

Santa is just as plausible as god or jesus, as far as I can see. I'm always a little bewildered about christians who wholeheartedly believe a story that is really not remotely believable but scoff at those who believe in ghosts or fairies or UFO's.

Really, what's the difference?

indeed!!

the CoffeeFamily was getting on the plane to visit the relatives last week, and we got hung up in traffic right after we entered the cabin but before we could make the turn down the aisle. the flight attendant, in a desperate attempt to appear interested and cutesy, asked 3 year old LittleCoffee if she was going to get a lot of presents from Santa.

LittleCoffee looked right at her and said "Santa's just pretend, but my mommy and daddy got me all kinds of stuff."

the flight attendant was all shocked and said, well, i believe in Santa. LittleCoffee looked at her sideways and said, "Santa is PRETEND."

the flight attendant shut her face. MrsCoffee and i cracked up all the way to Houston.

:P

:D

THERE!

Even Dana Carvey's Church Lady commented upon the similarity of the names santa and satan. Santa is not popular in conservative religious circles.

You've given me myrrh the last FOUR YEARS! I've got CLOSETS full of myrrh! I've got myrrh coming out my ASS! How about some goddamn FRANKINCENSE just once, huh?

:grr:

Work on it body ;p

A bloody crib and some diapers would have made more sense.

"And what're you doing creeping 'round a cowshed at 2 in the morning? Doesn't seem very wise to me..."

We have brought presents. :shrug:

I've been remiss this year - the one Christmas movie I always watch is Life of Brian and I didn't do it this year. :blush:

Though I did watch The Cycling Tour last night. :rofl:

is that it was used for embalming in ancient times.

Wise Man 3: It is a valuable balm.

Mandy: A balm, what are you giving him a balm for? It might
bite him.

Wise Man 3: What?

Mandy: It's a dangerous animal. Quick, throw it in the trough.

Wise Man 3: No it isn't.

Mandy: Yes it is.

Wise Man 3: No, no, it is an ointment.

Mandy: An ointment?

Wise Man 3: Look.

Mandy: (sampling the ointment with a grubby finger)
Oh. There is an animal called a balm ... or did I dream it?

Corner of Anti-Semitic Street and Pogrom Square.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
:hi:


WAR ON CHRISTMAS

I don't get it?

;)

All the christians have been rounded up, all the churches burnt to the ground, the pulpits smashed to bits, christianity officially outlawed. Listening to the lunatic "christians" in the south, one can surmise that is exactly what has happened. It must really suck for them to live in the land of the free. And it seems the holier then thou crowd spends most of their time worshiping in Wal-Mart while holding tightly to THEIR precious constitutional liberties.

i love the magic that and generocity he represents for kids and special attention paid to them.

for me santa doesn't take away from the mystical and joyous holiday that is christmas.

being told about the myth that is Santa. They'll find out soon enough, and that fantasy is pretty fun to participate in.

Where does he appear in the Bible?

He's an omnicient mind-reader who wears red. They'll go after The Golden Compass and not THAT?

In parts of Germany and Holland, children get small presents on St. Nicholas Day (December 6). The custom was brought to New York by early Dutch immigrants, and eventually, the Dutch word for "St. Nicholas" became mangled into "Santa Claus."

If you go back far enough, therefore, Santa Claus is Christian in origin, although not Biblical.

Huh.. Wikipedia says "3rd century". Not a big deal.

:-)

there was no Red Rider BB gun under the tree, AGAIN.......





:hide:



lost

She'd put her eye out!

My father was a Christmas tree farmer. He loved Christmas. He made it fun for my sister and me. In the beginning there was a grudging acknowledgement of the nativity to appease my nominally Catholic mother, but mostly it was all about Santa Claus. I made a construction paper model of Santa and his reindeer when I was five. I didn't give Jesus a second thought. In fact, I found him to be a bit lurid, what with all that nailed to a cross stuff.

After the divorce, that was it for Jesus. It was about blue spruce, gifts which Dad took great pride in giving, his family coming over, the mobbed Xmas Eve shift at CVS where we both worked, and various New England winter activities. Despite its religious name, it was entirely a secular holiday. When Dad bought the tree farm, that continued. Santa and the German pagan symbols were everywhere, but not a nativity scene to be seen. By then Dad had concluded that there was no god. My own feeling is that anyone who is really honest with himself will come to the same conclusion.

When he died in 1999, so did Christmas. I have tried to continue with it, but it is just too painful. I gave it up as a holiday in 2005 when I went to Las Vegas for the 25th. Had it been about Jesus we never would have celebrated it. Frankly Christianity is just too grim to celebrate.

I say socalled because I see no one calling themselves a Christian living a life that Jesus would approve of.

When the parents bring the kids out of church to go hunt easter eggs.