Isn't the official Federal Holiday "Chrsitmas?"

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Slowguy

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Yes. Isn't that ironic?

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"Slowbern has always made astute observations."-Casey 03/10/2009
2013-2014 Detroit Lions---13-3 until proved otherwise.

The government also designated February as "Black History Month". Are you black? Do you "celebrate" it?

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

"The government also designated February as "Black History Month". Are you black? Do you "celebrate" it? "

No I'm not black, no I don't spend much time celebrating it, but I'm not sure what that has to do with anything. I'm not trying to get people to change it from "Black History Month" to something else. Ohh, and as an aside, where is my White History Month? I thought we were trying to erase those barriers.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

What "season" is that you are referring to. What is the origin of the "season"? I think it would be Christmas. I could be very wrong, and if so, I apologize, but I dont think that Hanukka was ever played up like Christmas. This is not negative--actually it is to the credit of the Jewish people that they kept this as a religious holiday and didn't turn it into a circus. But Christmas is a circus, and the circus is coming to town. Not everybody goes to the circus. Fortunately or unfortunately, Christmas is damned near non-secular. People who haven't seen the inside of a church in years, do not believe in a Christian God, don't buy the risen again from the dead thing and/or are flat out athiests play the Christmas game.

Also--be careful with the "Happy New Year's" thing. Not everybody celebrates on the Gregorian calendar. Oh--and when Christmas is not on the weekend--be sure to show up for work

Just saying that because the federal gov't designates a day/week/month as a time to recognize or celebrate something, doesn't mean that it applies to you or that you're obligated to recognize it beyond payroll.

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

Isn't the official Federal Holiday "Chrsitmas?"

If it is, it will likely change once someone challenges it. I've never really been concerned with it being the official title of the date or not.

Running it through the Lemon Test ..., First, [1] the statute must have a secular legislative purpose; [2] second, its principal or primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion; finally, the statute [3] must not foster "an excessive government entanglement with religion." ... and it would fail.

Personally, they can call it whatever they want, I know when and why I'll celebrate the date.

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monk

What "season" is that you are referring to.

The one that seemingly runs from after Thanksgiving to Dec 25.

What is the origin of the "season"? I think it would be Christmas.

Cultures have celebrated a "winter festival" long before there was "Christmas". The Festival of Saturnalia was on Dec 25 b/c that was the birthday of that nantural god. I believe Dec 25 is Mithras' birthday. Christian leaders, perhaps Constantine (going from memory here) move the celebration of Christ's birth to Dec 25 to over-shadow the former celebration.

In the end, I am saying "It doesn't matter what you call it, the label of the holiday doesn't determine what people celebrate. They can Call it "Snowman Day" and Christians will still celebrate the Birth of Christ, and they could call it Christmas and that doesn't mean that non-Christians are celebrating it. I'm guessing non-Christians place (if they do) an Angel or Star on top of their tree for a different reason than I do.

actually it is to the credit of the Jewish people that they kept this as a religious holiday and didn't turn it into a circus.

Hardly a comparable situation if you think about it. I'm guessing there's also some Jewish kids and people that view Hanukkah as "presents/party week".

People who haven't seen the inside of a church in years, do not believe in a Christian God, don't buy the risen again from the dead thing and/or are flat out athiests play the Christmas game.

I'm not Irish or Mexican, but when I go out with friends on St. patrick's Day or Cinco de Mayo, I am not celebrating an Irish Saint or being Irish, nor am I celebrating the courage a band of Mexican soldiers displayed for defending their territory despite being outnumbered.

Your point is the same one I am making. People celebrate the date, but not all for a religious reason. Giving it a religious name (Christmas) does not mean people are celebrating the religious event. Easter is a larger example, IMO ... much more important to religion. Yet, non-religious people celebrate Easter as their spring celebration.

Just as it is not likely religious people that commercialize and devalue the religious aspect of Christmas and Easter, it is likely not those paying homage to Saint Patrick or being Irish, nor those that are Mexican and are celebrating the bravery of their ancestors that turn those two holidays into "get hammered and puke days". make sense? This seems obvious to me. How can Christians make non-Christians treat Christmas as a Christian religious holiday? They can't.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

Merry Mithras!

Quote:

actually it is to the credit of the Jewish people that they kept this as a religious holiday and didn't turn it into a circus.

Hardly a comparable situation if you think about it. I'm guessing there's also some Jewish kids and people that view Hanukkah as "presents/party week".

Quote:

some

Kind of undercuts your whole argument on this point. You are better than that!

Maybe I am stereotyping in believing that Jewish people keep a stronger focus on their reasons for the celebration. If so, I apologize.

it is pretty screwed up isn't it. for years Christians told us Xmas was not about trees, presents, santa, etc. So everyone started separating the secular pieces of the holiday, and now the Christians are pissed about THAT!

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"the trouble with normal is - it always gets worse"

- Cockburn

Maybe I am stereotyping in believing that Jewish people keep a stronger focus on their reasons for the celebration. If so, I apologize.

If all the "tree, reindeer, snowman, presents, Santa, etc" disappeared from Christmas, Christians would still celebrate the Birth of Christ.

Buying my wife, kids, and family presents to open the morning of Dec 25, and eating more than my share of cookies that look like trees and santa, does not eliminate the religious feelings of being thankful that our Messiah was born, even though other people may only see me buying gifts and eating cookies.

Hannukah, in the view of others, seemingly holds it's religious affiliation better than does Christmas for the simple reason that non-religious people don't celebrate Hannakuh. If they did, IMO, it would not take long to devalue the date as a religous celebration (at least in the eyes of many).

I'm not saying that Christians don't get caught up in all the hoopla surrounding the event, but for Christians, Christmas still is a signifcant religious date.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

"Just saying that because the federal gov't designates a day/week/month as a time to recognize or celebrate something, doesn't mean that it applies to you or that you're obligated to recognize it beyond payroll."

Actually, when the Federal govt designates something, it does in fact, apply to you. You don't have to celebrate it of course, but we're not just talkiing about private organizations here, we're talking about govt and school boards, etc.

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Slowguy

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The key words there are "beyond payroll". How does black history month (designated by the feds) "apply" to me? Not a single thread of my life is changed by a token designation.

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

"How does black history month (designated by the feds) "apply" to me? Not a single thread of my life is changed by a token designation. "

Like I said, you are under no obligation to celebrate it, but you can't decide for yourself to change the name. It applies to you because it is set out by the Federal govt. Feb is Black History Month for you just as it is for me and for my neighbor, whether it changes your life or not. Dec 25th has been officially designated by the Federal Govt of the United States of America as Christmas. You certainly don't have to ever utter the word aloud, but that doesn't change the name of the holiday. It applies to everyone.

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Slowguy

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Wrong. Christian religious leaders said that. I never bought it for a minute--I just wanted to get out of church and go home and go to sleep so I could wake up and get presents.