How many of you are really fed up with the over comercialisation of Christmas. The hype starts hear way back in September in the shops, and the atmosphere of spend spend spend is put forward. Celebrations at this time go way back beyond the birth of Christ, but this special time of the year for many is when we all celebrate His birth (most pundits actually put the date some time in March). It is nice to get presents, but the whole idea is to GIVE to the ones around you, in joy and rememberance of the gifts the Wise men gave and the gift of salvation and life Christ has given to us.
THINK OF CHRIST during this festive season
Not me. The mid-winter festival long predates Christianity and as a non-believer I quite resent the assumption that 'we all celebrate his birth' - I don't and neither do many others.
You are free to worship, pray, celebrate in any way you want so why are you trying to tell me and others how we should behave?
Well, CHRISTMAS should, like Eid, be a time of praying, peace, and thankfulness to God and asking for forgiveness, but instead you have people running around buying silly merchandise about fabricated icons (santa), young adults banging each other like there's no tomorrow, going to parties and getting drunk, and just an overall "christmas means get presents from santa".
Go ask anyone "What is Christmas about?" I bet 99% of people won't have the slightest clue that it is an occasion of respect for Jesus Christ. For them, it is mr. Ho Ho Ho coming down their chimney do deliver some little white girl a teddy bear.
| HalfBloodPrince wrote: |
| Well, CHRISTMAS should, like Eid, be a time of praying, peace, and thankfulness to God and asking for forgiveness, but instead you have people running around buying silly merchandise about fabricated icons (santa), young adults banging each other like there's no tomorrow, going to parties and getting drunk, and just an overall "christmas means get presents from santa". |
That's a Christian perspective of Christmas. Many people are not Christians and for me and many others Christmas is NOT a time of praying and thankfulness to God. Nobody is stopping you praying and thanking God are they?
Christianity hijacked the mid-winter festival, which was a time for feasting and not an inherently religious celebration of any sort.Yeah it΄s really horrible how everybody is trying to get some money from Christmas.
| WhistleTurning wrote: |
How many of you are really fed up with the over comercialisation of Christmas. The hype starts hear way back in September in the shops, and the atmosphere of spend spend spend is put forward. Celebrations at this time go way back beyond the birth of Christ, but this special time of the year for many is when we all celebrate His birth (most pundits actually put the date some time in March). It is nice to get presents, but the whole idea is to GIVE to the ones around you, in joy and rememberance of the gifts the Wise men gave and the gift of salvation and life Christ has given to us.
THINK OF CHRIST during this festive season |
Time was that Midwinter Festival meant something. After freezing your nuts off for 2 months and watching everything die, it was now time to look forward to the spring and re-growth. We'd organise a big party to celebrate. The Bards would go on about the cycle of death and life, as Bards usually do, and the rest of us would stuff our faces, listen to the Queen's speech(1) and then fall asleep in front of the fire, before a night of serious quaffing of the old ale.
Nowadays it seems like the whole spirit of the thing has been lost. Fistly we are supposed to dedicate the whole thing to the birthday of some Jewish insurgent who met a bad end.(2) Then we are told that we should show peace and goodwill unto the gits who, for the rest of the year, try to screw us and give us a hard time. Next we are expected to exchange bits of cardboard(3) and to top it all the streets become infested with fat, beardy, child-molesters in red romper-suits.
If you ask me the whole spirit of Christmas has been lost.
1. The speech was normally along the lines of "let's jump in the chariots and go and give those Roman gits a good seeing to".
2. He was arrested for incitement and, unwisely, chose to represent himself rather than get a good brief. He was found guilty and sentenced to 3 days hard-labour(4) after which, apart from a few unconfirmed sightings, his wherabouts are a matter of assumption.
3. Far too hard and non-absorbent to be at all useful.
4. Hard labour consisted of dragging a tree up a hill and then being nailed to it - subsequently known as the 'short sharp shock' and responsible for a massive decrease in re-offending rates.
December 25th is our date for Christmas because that's the date on which the winter solstice typically fell in the Julian calendar.
Here in the pacific northwest, there were some interesting midwinter rituals. In the old days, the natives would go into the woods, deprive themselves of sleep and fast until they met a spirit, and they would try to acquire some kind of "spirit power" from it. Often this meant that they would acquire a song and a dance to display in ritual settings. Their spirit familiars would depart for the warmer part of the year, but they would return in the winter. At first when a person's spirit had returned, they would act forlorn and withdrawn in sort of a stereotyped way, and the people would say they had "spirit illness." Then at the time of the winter dances, these people would display their songs dances with tons of vigor. It was sort of a way to recharge for the new year. The winter dances are still held among some tribes.
I've noticed that in the modern northwest, people tend to get depressed in the winter. Lots talk about SAD - seasonal affective disorder. Some people I know deal with it by going crazy with projects and art and whatever activity they can. I think it's the same sort of reaction.
In the Roman empire you had Saturnalia this time of year. It was very similar to modern Christmas. You had your gift giving, your alignment with the date of the solstice, your general loosening of social rules and goodwill towards eachother. It's pretty interesting to read about actually.
The solstice has lots of history that has nothing to do with Jesus.
So, what, are you saying that consumers spending and aiding the economy is a bad thing? Hrumph, I beg to differ.
As for Christmas, well, I'm not quite sure exactly which religion I am ... So I kind of just celebrate a secular Christmas, which (as of late) does include a trip to Church, but it's more for tradition than anything.
Hm....
Well at least I have got a number of people to think about this time of year, as at least connected to a religeous event(midwinter festival was celebrated by the Druids).
| WhistleTurning wrote: |
| Well at least I have got a number of people to think about this time of year, as at least connected to a religeous event(midwinter festival was celebrated by the Druids). |
The Mid-Winter festival was celebrated almost universally, not just amongst the Druids. It had very little religious connection for most people - it was simply a celebration that the days were now growing longer and getting warmer.I would like to point out that Christ was actually born in the Spring. If the shepherds were out in their fields all night watching their flocks, then it was lambing season, which is in the spring. If Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem to be counted in the Roman census, which was taken in the summer, they would have gone in the spring.
So why is the birth of Joshua bin Joseph celebrated in the middle of winter?
Pre-Christian European cultures had religious beliefs that included the re-birth of the Sun at this time of year (the Winter Solstice, the days get longer again). As the Church attempted to convert the masses they found it easier to combine Christian celebrations with those of the locals and slowly subvert the old traditions and give them new meanings. So the re-birth of the Sun became the Birth of the Son.
Why do we bring an evergreen tree into our homes? Does a tree have any symbolic relation to the birth of Christ? or is it more likely a remnant of an ancient Druidic tradition?
It's funny, because an opinion is expressed ... aka that Christmas is about Christ, and then attacked. Attacked by people who claim to be "open-minded". It gets me thinking, everyone goes on and on about how intolerant Christianity is, but are these people being tolerant themselves? Hm, I'm not thinking so ...
Intolerance goes both ways.
So, whatever it you celebrate ... Jesus Christ, the Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or simply happy that we're heading back toward Spring, celebrate it. This is a time for love, peace, and joy!
http://astore.amazon.com/chinanewsdigestc/detail/B000MGBM1I
The Nativity Story
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
Is this movie acceptable for Christian belief. As i know Bible,everything seemed correct.
but i want to be sure. Is there any place in this movie that non-acceptable for christian belief.well today its not only christmas, all festivals are commercialised
they are just celebrated with half the people not knowing the significance of the festival
why is it so
| Soulfire wrote: |
It's funny, because an opinion is expressed ... aka that Christmas is about Christ, and then attacked. Attacked by people who claim to be "open-minded". It gets me thinking, everyone goes on and on about how intolerant Christianity is, but are these people being tolerant themselves? Hm, I'm not thinking so ...
Intolerance goes both ways.
|
In what way have I attacked Christian views of Christmas? I simply pointed out that Christmas was originally a mid-winter festival and was then hijacked by Christians and renamed 'Christmas'. I have no problem with Christians celebrating the festival in their own way - that is fine and dandy. My only problem is with the Christian notion that everyone should celebrate the birth of Christ at this time. That seems to me to be a deeply intolerant and offensive viewpoint.
If Christians want to celebrate the birth of Christ in their own way then who is objecting to that? Certainly not me.
If you would care to point out an intolerant comment I have made then I would be pleased to consider it, otherwise you should be careful about shouting 'intolerance' when someone expresses a view which you may find not to your liking.
