The 'C-Word'

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I sent a letter about this to a local paper about 2 years ago. There are always people who are willing to bitch and complain about the stupidest little things, and one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.

Usually the ones who are making the most noise are not Muslims, Jews, Buddhists or whatever -- in the west I've found that the vast majority of these people don't take offence at other people saying things like "Merry Christmas." The problem arises from secular humanist atheists, who feel that they are being forced, in a small way, to celebrate a religious holiday by even hearing the words "Merry Christmas" -- and these people don't like to be forced! So they try to make a simple pleasantry out to be a violation of their Constitutional Right not to be forced to worship at all.

I think they're pathetic losers attempting to force others to live more like them. I say "Merry Christmas" every chance I get during the holiday season, and if they don't like it, well, tough luck -- if they're going to take offense where obviously none is intended, then nothing I do will stop them from taking that offense.

[Editted for spelling]

[ November 17, 2005, 17:40: Message edited by: LKD ]

 

I'm sure I posted this last year, but I have a friend who is an Anglican vicar, and she says she doesn't mind the X in Xmas. She says that she thinks of it as a big Kiss to Jesus (X-Mas)

 

I think you're right, LKD. I think these athiests should shut the heck up, and if they don't feel like celebrating any "religious holidays," they should be forced to work the days I consider sacred and have to work.

 

It ticks me off when people pull stunts like this. Last year, we had to change the office Christmas party to a "Happy Holidays" party, because even though the vast majority of people there would have been atheists and couldn't have cared less (it was at university), there were three people who decided to be difficult. One was a committed atheist, the second a bacon-loving Jew, and the third was a pagan/Wiccan.

Don't get me wrong, they're all friends of mine; I can remember telling them exactly what I thought of their actions, though. This was especially so because none of them were particularly devoted or devout practitioners, in my opinion.

 

Just goes to show, NonSequitur, that Australia is Americanising more and more

As HB said, there are no problems with people saying Merry Christmas here, or anything like that. We have christmas tunes all over the TV adds, local shopping centres all decorated, with christmas trees and the likes, even big christmas parades come December, funded by the local government (or whomever). With over 4 out of 10 people (2001 census) offically claiming to hold no religous beliefs, you'd think it much more likely to offend people here than in a place like America, where that figure would be a lot lower (right?). I'm curious, is there much problem with the word Christmas been used over in Europe?

I guess in a way I'm like that, but no way to that extreme. The only thing that I dislike is having angels atop of the trees. Stars are fine, but angels I've never liked. Saying Merry Christmas... well, Christmas is hardly a religous holiday over here, I don't see any problem at all with that.

 

Isn't the spelling of "christmas" just a derivate of "x-mas", as hallow mass somehow was already occupied with another holiday in English...

It should be hallow even, I think.

Armchair Linguist ? Anglist, where are you ?

 

Christmas was a holiday created by the Romans to please both Christians and Pagans (tha pagans worshiped Saturn on that time of year). Because of this, Christmas can be viewed as a secular holiday, though I do believe the Pagan roots are stronger than the Christian influences.

Another interesting to look up is the Norse/Celtic celebrations of Yule.

Note to all bible-bashers here, your Christmas carols are old pagan songs.

 

Ok, that one I know. It's the 24 of december, 3 days after the 21 of december, winter solstice. And the 21 of december is the shortest day and the longest and scariest night in the year. Seeing the sun coming back from the darkness and days getting longer again, that was probably the reason for a lot of peoples on the northern parts of the northern hemisphere to install a celebration because of the slight chance of warmth coming back. As the sun is already a long time around, most of this celebrations were pre-christian. But I think calling it a winter solstice celebration would not be an universally liked naming either.

 

For my family, Christmas is purely commercial. My mom's side are Vietnamese, they go to the temple to worship Buddha, they celebrate Vietnamese New Years, and they also believe in reincarnation, so they're always striving to do good in this life. They, also, shamelessly celebrate Christmas. They have the Christmas tree, the red/green/white/gold decorations around their house, and they also host a January 1st New Years party with our whole family.

I cannot possibly fathom why anyone would take offence to the word Christmas. Just like in Canada, the First Nations (I feel so silly saying that), for the most cases, don't take offence to being called an Indian.

 

I'm not sure what's more annoying: PC folks whining about use of the term "Christmas" or reactionary folks whining about people who whine about use of the term "Christmas."

Yes, political correctness is annoying, but the whole "I'm, like, totally un-PC dude. I'm, like, such a rebel!" is equally annoying -- if not more so.

It has become politically correct to be politically incorrect.

 

@LKD:

What morons don't see is that they are thwarting their fellow citizens' constitutional right to worship, as well as their freedom of speech. But they don't really give a damn because they are interested only in their own rights, not rights in general or rights of all people. It's so constipated thinking that I can't stop wondering how those people finish university or even secondary school. Just like children. And children is how I regard them, regardless of their age. It's hard to take them seriously.

@Klorox:

Yeah. If they don't like Christmas, why not come to work? Why, all of a sudden, doesn't giving them a day off on the Christmas day violate their freedom of religion by implying that they are going to celebrate a Christian holiday?

@Cuchulainn:

Yeah, especially Adeste Fideles and Angelus ad Virginem.

 

I'm very non-religious, but I don't have the slightest problem with celebrating Christmas as a "family gathering/let's eat/give each other presents" kind of thing, and I think it's pretty stupid to take offense from people saying Merry Christmas.

As far as I know, there isn't even any proof that Jesus was born on Christmas specifically. It was just decided that it should be celebrated then, because there were no other religious holidays around that time of the year already. There were similar pagan celebrations long before that.

 

Susipaisti hit it right on the head, there is no evidence of the actual birthdate for Jesus Christ. But for those of us with Religious leanings, we are encouraged to remember Him in our festivities. We still eat a ton of high sugar goodies and huge plates of Turkey Dinners (and likely left over turkey for another week after that...), we still spend beyond our means to give gifts to our loved ones (even ones that dirve us crazy the other 364 days of the year), and even try to think of those less fortunate than ourselves...

 

Out of religiously linked holidays I definetely like Christmas the best, because it's so positive. It's not "Repent, you heathen." It's celebration.

I think people who take such great offense to Christmas stuff are abusing freedom of religion and political correctness quite selfishly. Trying to shove religious holidays under the carpet is just as bad as force-feeding religious views on the non-religious. Tolerance works both ways.

 

i think so too

Merry christmas, doesn't mean convert to christianity or burn a billion times in the flaming hells!!!

i say it to be nice, or whatever to people

 

I guess the big beef some have with Christmas is that it is overdone. One Commercial had a Radio station playing all Christmas music--in the middle of freakin' November! Was that an advertisement or a public service announcement?

 

Yeah, one radio station in my area has already started playing nothing but Christmas songs, and will continue to do so for the next month. But at least them I can tune out. TBH, I think it was summed up pretty well in a Boston Legal episode no too long ago (though the subject was Halloween instead of Christmas). Translated for the upcoming holiday, it would be something like this:

Christmas is not about Jesus dying on the cross, it's about giving...and receiving presents.

 

... and then there's this take on the matter

It goes too far in both directions, IMO.

 

Because we all know Christ loved the idea of wars...

Honestly, every time December rolls around, I've already forgotten how disgusted I was by the blatant attempts to "include other faiths". I'm quickly reminded, though, when I hear all the mangled Christmas songs trying to fit the five-syllable "Happy Holidays" into songs that used to sport the four-syllable "Merry Christmas". Do these people really think they're fooling anyone? Someone who wants to take offense to the Christmas songs will still hear a whispered Merry Christmas in the melody, and others who want to hear Merry Christmas will be slightly put off by the change. Plus it sounds really rushed, and frankly quite out-of-place.

 

The Daily Show did have the best answer for why to use Happy Holidays. The fact that it's plural. It includes ChristmasEve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day and a bunch of other holidays that other religions celebrate (I've heard words like Hannukah, Kwanza, Ramadan. Not sure what they all mean, so I won't expand on them.) But to me, it's not appropriate for me, a Christian, to run around wishing everyone a Happy Hannukah. Further, using the term Happy New year starting in November is just stupid. For me, it's still Merry Christmas.

Sure, Christmas is the only Religious holiday that's still a national holiday. It's easier for for them to allow Christians to attend their services and leave the rest home to meditate on the true meaning of "Seperation of Church and State" as opposed to trying to open on the 25th and having all the Christians say "Bleep you, I'm staying home with my family, it's Christmas for Bleep sakes!"