War on Christmas

[TheLionPrince]

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEEEEAAAAR (and another round of this "War on Christmas")

The term, War on Christmas, is popularly used around the Christmas holiday in the government, media, advertising, and various secular environments mostly in western societies. The modern-day controversy originates from the growing use of the term, usually "holiday(s)", instead of saying Christmas by name in the last decades, and the banning of the use of the Nativity scene in public.

Just wondering, what are your thoughts on this? Do you believe this war on Christmas exists or not? What is your solution to the controversy? Also, try to refrain from becoming a debate about religion.

[TheBlackCatCrossing]

In Los Angeles, there was a ban on the Nativity scenes. They have to be 'private' now.

[Regulus]

What's Christmas?

[DGFone]

There's a reason why atheism and secularism are faster and faster getting labeled as the last tolerant of all religions.

Last time I checked, your front yard is still private property, and you can do what you want with it. Nativity scene or not.

[Carl]

[quote="DGFone"]There's a reason why atheism and secularism are faster and faster getting labeled as the last tolerant of all religions.

Last time I checked, your front yard is still private property, and you can do what you want with it. Nativity scene or not.[/quote]

No atheists I know have a problem with anyone doing whatever they want in their front yard. I for one like Christmas, and even though I'm not a Christian, I don't have a problem with nativity scenes.

(This not necessarily directed at anyone in particular.) I do have a problem with people refusing to acknowledge that other people celebrate different holidays around this time of year, too. Is there something wrong with saying "Merry Christmas" to people you know celebrate it? No. Is there something wrong with saying "Happy Holidays" to someone if you don't know what they celebrate? I don't think there should be. There's no "War on Christmas." The holiday itself has done nothing wrong, and doesn't even have Christian origins. I think the only thing people are "warring" against in this regard is the people who refuse to acknowledge the differing beliefs of others.

[Woeler]

Honestly I don't see why people are making a fuss out of this. I mean seriously, let the people who want to celebrate their religion celebrate their religion. don't get me wrong, I think Christmas is complete bullcrap, but that doesn't mean others can't celebrate it. People who are protesting against it are giving atheism and secularism a bad name. Even here nativity scenes are totally legal, and I don't see why they shouldn't be. I don't believe in any of it but the people who do put a lot of effort in building such a thing and most of the time they build a beautiful scene. It makes them happy, so let them be happy.

Offtopic

Spoiler: show

[quote="DGFone"]There's a reason why atheism and secularism are faster and faster getting labeled as the last tolerant of all religions.

Last time I checked, your front yard is still private property, and you can do what you want with it. Nativity scene or not.[/quote]
Atheism in not a religion. Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. It falls in the category: irreligion. It is not a belief, it is the rejection of belief. Atheism is as much a religion as bald is a haircolor or health a disease. "to not believe in God" and "to believe there is no God" are two hugely different things. Irreligion consists out of more terms like: agnosticism, ignosticism, apatheism.
Secularism isn't a religion either. It is an ideology. Secularism is as much a religion as communism or capitalism are.

More about this very common misconception here

[Regulus]

Allow me to elaborate on my original point:

You cannot declare a war on Christmas without first defining Christmas.

I dunno about anyone else, but I consider Christmas to be a holiday, and nothing more than a holiday, so I really don't give a flip.

[SlayerOfLight]

Even though I'm a christian, I am totally NOT fond with Christmas and neither do I even believe that Jesus was born in december (I have my own reasons for this). But what I dislike the most about Christmas besides the music and stupid christmas movies on TV, is the fact that I can't even walk into a normal store whitout seeing anything related to that annoying fat individual known as ''Santa Claus'' and his meaningless ''Ho-ho-ho'' jabbering.

[Woeler]

[quote="Nicholas"]Even though I'm a christian, I am totally NOT fond with Christmas and neither do I even believe that Jesus was born in december (I have my own reasons for this). But what I dislike the most about Christmas besides the music and stupid christmas movies on TV, is the fact that I can't even walk into a normal store whitout seeing anything related to that annoying fat individual known as ''Santa Claus'' and his meaningless ''Ho-ho-ho'' jabbering.[/quote]
Somehow your comments amuse me every single time. Pridepoint worthy.

[TheLionPrince]

If you ask me, I believe there is a "War on Christmas". Just as I defined the controversy, it is the growing use of the term, usually "holiday(s)", instead of saying Christmas by name. Just recently, Brietbart Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee called the evergreen tree in the Rhode Island State House a "holiday" tree and not a "Christmas" tree. Chafee acknowledged he is doing so in tradition of his precessdors. However, the evergreen tree has been acknowledged as a "Christmas" tree since 18th century Germany. The term, "holiday tree", is too generic, and needs to be specific about which holiday it is being used for.

So, yes, I believe a "War on Christmas" does exist.