http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.d...512030313/1021

"Bill O'Reilly, the Fox News commentator, believes the greeting "Happy Holidays" offends Christians celebrating the Christmas season."

Some of the people who read this board are Christians. Does "happy holidays" offend you? Do you feel like non-Christians are waging a war on you and your celebration of Christmas?

 

Although it originally did not have anything to do with the birth of Jesus Christ, but until it was continuiously celebrated as the point in time when Jesus Christ was born, it stands as a dedication to remember what gift was given to the world.

(I'm going to leave out the fact that without Christmas there would be no record setting sales for department stores and an appropriate reason to even recieve gifts from family members, significant others, etc.)

Its been a long lasting tradition since roughly the 4th century, and what reason is there that justifies changing it now?

However, being the Christian that I am, my opinion is that yes it is just another ruthless act to try and restrict religious freedoms within the United States by anti-religious groups. Offensive ? Yeah. But im not a radical, however it seems as if I should be in this situation.

 

I feel that removing Christmas from Christmas is an attempt to secularise it. There is only an extreme minority that have an issue with people saying Merry Christmas. This country was not founded on the will of the minority. Noone is making Jews call a Manorah a Holiday Candle, why should Christians have to call a Christmas tree a Holiday Tree? This is another case of the minority exerting their will in the majority.

 

What is this case? Are you referring to a specific incident?

 

I try to always take 2nd hand stories with a grain of salt, because many times there are other unmentioned circumstances that "forget" to get included in the story. I guess it stirs the pot though.

However, it does seem there's always one yahoo in the crowd that wants attention for himself, so he makes trouble and brings the courts and the ACLU into it. I've seen it before. All it takes is one person not liking something the majority of others see as benign, to get the ball rolling. To ban an instrumental version of a Christmas song would be moronic. Please tell me someone didn't waste good time pursuing that. A person could not be legally bannned from saying "Merry Christmas" either (free speech). If that were true, we'd all be in danger of losing freedom no matter what we believe in.

I don't get offended by the use of "Happy Holidays". People have been saying it for years. There's even a traditional Christmas song with that line in it. I see it as a general salutation since there are several holidays that fall in and close to December (12 Days of Christmas, Hannakuh and New Year's Day).

What does irk me however, is the use of "Xmas" in the place of "Christmas".

I think if anything is waging war on Christmas, it's ourselves. Remember the Friday after Thanksgiving, when people at Walmart were trampling over each other to save a buck or two on something they didn't really need? That kind of thing makes me sad. We should be focusing on others more and not on ourselves, by giving our time and money to worthy causes, and contemplating on what the season means to us. What it means me is the gift of the Savior born to set us free.

 

since when does anyone take what Bill O'Reilly says seriously?

 

I am a Christian and I do take offense at "deChristmasazation". I get angry when people whine about nativity scenes also. It seems like the minority has the biggest mouth and the most $$$. Happy holidays is not offensive in and of itself, but people taking offense at the word "Christmas" is ridiculous. This country was founded on Biblical principles. Go to your state capital or even D.C. and you'll see scripture carved into the stone walls in the buildings.

 

I think you make an excellent point.

Also, I realize I was an asshole to you in the past, so let me just apologize for that right here.

 

I think you're confusing the nativity scene on someone's lawn with the nativity scene paid for with tax revenue and erected on the lawn in front of the town courthouse, or city hall, or any other government building. The religious freedom that you and I enjoy so thoroughly stems from the idea that government is not to endorse or support one religion over another.

When a person sues to have a nativity scene removed, its only ever on the basis that the government should not be paying for it an erecting it in favor of any other religion.

By the way, this country was founded on principles of justice and freedom, some of which were drawn from the Bible, many of which were not. This meme never seems to die, so let me refer you to the Snopes article on it:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/capital.asp

 

I think nativity scenes are a little comical, actually.

I couldn't really care one way or the other. My problem is people that are not very spiritual getting up in arms about religion. Any other time--holding the door open for somebody or helping somebody that has slipped and fell they could care less about what their savior "taught" them.

For the majority, religion is only skin deep.