« on: December 08, 2008, 09:13:34 PM »
An interesting piece of chain mail I just received from Ser. Got to say I agree entirely; doesn't matter what you call something or what sort of happy thing you wish someone, and it should matter even LESS at Christmas, which is possibly, by even the secular holiday, the most ironic thing to be jerkish about the name of ever.
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Well, I have seen and heard enough discussions from the various religious points of view
so, here is my stand. I have become ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED by every religious/seasonal
piece of "My way is right" propaganda that passes through my email box or makes its way
to the radio airtime that I listen to.
What the hell is wrong with you people? Where did "religious tolerance" turn into
"don't say anything religious to anyone outside your own little clique"?
This kind of idiocy is what turns into FULL BLOWN WARS. Go read about the Crusades.
Sure, Christmas is a Christian holiday. Why is it so goddamn horrible that a Christian
might wish his or her fellow humankind some level of goodwill? I am almost afraid to ask
what the religious fanatic freaks might think of a well meaning, America-supporting US
ctizen Muslim saying to someone in all sincerity "May Allah bless you."
The REASON why the general trend toward religion-neutral expression is progressing is
precisely because of the INTOLERANCE shown in all the gods damned asinine propaganda
that circulates about. Maybe instead of nitpicking whose religion says what and why
we can't allow that, WE THE PEOPLE need to see it for what it generally is.
Maybe with a little RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE, people can see that in most cases, whether
it is an expression of "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hannukah" or any other number of
seasonal greetings which I am unfamiliar, ALL IT IS, IS A MESSAGE OF GOODWILL.
If your religion cannot handle that without getting all offended, then your religion
needs to dissolve itself before you and your fanatic buddies start World War III.
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By the way ... It is NOT a "Christmas tree"
The common cold-climate evergreen trees DO NOT EVEN GROW in the climate where Jesus
Christ is said to have performed his teachings. The tradition of lights upon an
evergreen tree are Germanic and PAGAN in origin, and have nothing to do with Christ,
up until the Catholic Church decided to invent some halfassed bullshit and integrate
the practice over a thousand years after the birth of Christ.
If this offends you ... too bad. Get over it. Read the United States Constitution
First Amendment for what it is supposed to be, not how you can warp it to your own
interests.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right
of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances."
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- May the entity which guides your morality give you the wisdom to accept the genuine
goodwill of others whose nomenclatures, methods and rituals are different than your own.
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