The War on Christmas or Sometimes You Can’t Tell the Enemies

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The War on Christmas or Sometimes You Can’t Tell the Enemies

Post by Michael » December 15th, 2006, 12:42 pm

<center>(originally published byOpEdNews)</center>

The Bible, with its inconsistencies, its violence, the heartless manner in which the God in which most people believe is portrayed is still referred to as the “good book” by many people and they somehow extract a serious meaning of life from its pages.

Even science, when it gets to a point, needs to have faith in hypotheses which lead them to create theories. One thing about the Bible is it stops. The book was written and it stopped. No more miracles, no more burning bushes, no more turning water into wine. It just stopped

This article is not about the Bible per se, but I must share one thought about the Bible before I get to my main point.

During one of the many times that God saw that His experiment was failing, He decided take care of the sinners by flooding the earth.

There were infants and animals not destined for the ark that died horrible deaths because some people were sinning. What sin did these little ones commit to deserve such an awful fate?

I’ve been told that I have a lot of nerve trying to figure out why God does stuff. Who am I to try to second guess God? Do I think that I’m as powerful as He is?

As I don’t believe that a god exists, I can’t rightly answer that question.

However, if there is a God, He has endowed me with a sense of what’s right and what’s wrong. It’s the gift of a sense of what’s right and what’s wrong that God, Himself, embedded within me that gives me the right to question Him. If He exists, He knows that I can read The Bible, which I have several times, and look upon some of the things that He does as horrific and unnecessarily cruel. The sense He gave me tells me so.

Sometimes I think that atheists feel as though they must know The Bible better than Jews or Christians because they must know what it is they don’t accept.

To the point.

Have you heard? There’s a war on Christmas.

That’s right. The right wing is fighting the politically correct left to keep Christmas and its spirit alive and well in The Former United States of America. After all, everyone who lives in The FUSA is Christian, right? And, if they’re not, they should be.

The laws of The FUSA, so they say, come right out of The Bible. More specifically, the laws are based upon the Ten Commandments, are they not?

For example, most people I know follow that all important commandment, “Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.” (Exodus 34:26).

The so called religious right must someday explain why they don’t refer to the only set of laws in the Bible which is specifically called the “ten commandments” when they speak about displaying The Ten Commandments. If the laws of The FUSA are based upon The Ten Commandments, it would be nice to know which ten commandments they’re based upon.

Many atheists are open minded enough to consider that there may have been a man who lived about 2000 years ago who was not unlike Henry David Thoreau, Louis Pasteur, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer and Martin Luther King. If this man did exist, we can celebrate his being here among us as we celebrate Joan Of Arc's being here among us.

However, the people who are on the war path to smite those who would repeal the flaunted celebration of Christmas may, in fact, be the real enemies of that holiday.

This group may consist of, but may not be limited to, Robert Eckert, CEO of Mattel, Alfred J. Verrecchia, CEO of Hasbro and H. Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart.

If someone like Jesus of Nazareth did exist, the above inordinately wealthy people have seen to it that much of our good, Christian population has made a travesty of his existence.

In the FUSA of 2006, as in past years, his existence is about getting the latest, over commercialized toy or electronic gadget. In recent years, “believers” have been known to stand in line, some actually getting into arguments and fist fights to make sure they get the last available golden calf. Corporations in their greedy quest for consumers’ dollars fuel this ferocity.

If one Googles “The Origin of the Christmas Tree”, one will receive lots of hits. Many, if not most of the hits, will talk about how celebrating holidays by decorating trees began long before the advent of Christianity.

However, in today’s FUSA, keeping Christmas “sacred” is about who can kill the largest evergreen and adorn it with more trinkets than their friends can place on their trees. Ornaments such as flying reindeer, a non existent creature, and Santa Claus, also non existent, adorn the kidnapped and relocated trees. Some people place ornaments on their trees that are of a religious nature, but, in truth, what does evergreen mutilation have to do with a man who practiced civil disobedience 2000 years ago?

We mustn’t forget the thoughtless waste of electricity. People risk life and limb climbing on their roofs to make sure they waste more of a precious resource than their neighbors waste. Though some of the trashing of fossil fuel generated energy is done on behalf of religion, most of it celebrates Santa and those freak reindeer.

Maybe on Gandhi’s birthday Hasbro should produce and sell Gandhi dolls which fast when you wind them up.

To friendship,
Michael

“I’m a born again atheist” – Gore Vidal


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Post by Arcadia » December 15th, 2006, 4:56 pm

I liked your note, but I guess my evaluation capacity (because my job) it´s affected in the last days of the year...!. Let´s see, anyway..:

"The Bible..." if you are catholic (yes, I know you´re not one!!) it´s quite probably you didn´t read the bible directly. It´s more probably you heard the Bible, it´s almost inexistent the love to a book as a book.
"One thing about the Bible is it stops. The book was written and it stopped. No more miracles, no more burning bushes, no more turning water into wine. It just stopped "... well, if you are a catholic miracles must go on anyway...
"There were infants and animals not destined for the ark that died horrible deaths because some people were sinning. What sin did these little ones commit to deserve such an awful fate"... if you are a catholic you have the original sin in your curriculum.... well, sure Jesus came and then the redemption thing.... but still you are in debt somehow...
"Have you heard? There’s a war on Christmas."... well I didn´t have cable tv, I use to walk or work at the hours of the news-hour in open tv, I hate to listen the news in the radio and I have the internet cut since one week ago... are there really news?
"If one Googles “The Origin of the Christmas Tree”, one will receive lots of hits"... yeah, it´s a "pagan" symbol, I like it!. I am thinking in adorn my cactus or the palm tree!!. Maybe it´s also the ying or the yang of the cross.
"We mustn’t forget the thoughtless waste of electricity", not too much electricity waste here, it´s night-night at 9 PM. Maybe thoughtless waste of food and drinks.... maybe. But I like it!.

Try to have a good time, Michael!
Thanks for writing and saludos,

Arcadia

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Post by Michael » December 15th, 2006, 6:43 pm

Arcadia, I was raised Catholic. I even attended St. Bernard High School in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Not only do I tend to believe that Catholics are less than familiar with The Bible, I believe that they have no idea why they do all of those tourette syndrome imitations during mass. Catholicism is the religion that most closely resembles The Third Reich. In fact, it worked very closely with that very same Reich, did it not?

The relationship that The Vatican wants Catholics to have with God is a quid pro quo relationship. You give the quid and the quo is that God won’t beat the shit out of you, literally or metaphorically.

The above article is actually all over the place. I started out with the intention of writing about the commercialistic, consumeristic, craziness of Christmas, but I can hardly speak or write about religion without increasing my pulse rate and sending my mind on a search and destroy mission.

Yes, even though I was raised Catholic, I’ve read The Bible several times. I’m looking forward to the movie.

After one sees images of the blue eyed, blond haired Jesus, one expects him to show up at the next anti-globalization protest with a blunt or two. I’ve heard Jesus referred to as “the first liberal” or “the first hippie”.

Granted, there weren’t a lot of examples of bears mauling kids or women turning into dinner condiments in the New Testament. However, Jesus was more into PSYOPS.

In one of the real ten commandments, God says, “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:” Exodus 34:10

Jealous? He’s God. What the hell has he got to be jealous about? Why is such a powerful being so insecure?

“Love only me because I get jealous when you look at other gods.”

Jesus, however, was much more clever than Dad. When he visited earth, he brought hell with him. Commit a sin today, burn forever. That is, of course, unless you’re Catholic in which case a man, who has a damn good chance of being a pedophile, can wipe your slate clean (or anything else you may want wiped clean).

“Love me and my family or burn for the rest of eternity. Now, what was I saying about forgiveness?”

God, even incarnate, had little to no self confidence. How else does one explain the conditional love that he felt he needed to demand from his friends?

Now you’ve got hell and a supreme, infallible being that knows everything, past, present and future. It doesn’t give free will much of a chance, does it?

“OK, I know what you did yesterday, I know what you’re doing now and I know what you’ll be doing tomorrow. And, since you’ll be sinning tomorrow, I’m afraid I’m going to have to let you go - - - - - - - - to hell!!!

I have an idea. After the baby is born, the cord cut and the father and mother have a chance to look at it, send it on down to hell. Right there and then. God already knows that, in twenty-four years this guy’s going to rape his neighbor, kill her kids and steal their Jell-O Instant Pudding.

I think that those twenty-four years are like foreplay to God. They don’t have to happen, but it makes the climax so much more intense.

To friendship,
Michael

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Post by stilltrucking » December 15th, 2006, 7:09 pm

One good thing about atheists, they are smart enough to stay out of fox holes.

Ain't no more HE god for me anymore

God is just IT.

If that makes any sense to any one but me..

I have never read the bible through. Just the poetical books, I loved them.
No adult in my family ever warned me about hell or told me about heaven. Not sure if that is typical of Jews? Or peculiar to my family. I have no relgious indoctrination at all. Just what I picked up around the house. One good thing about crazy mike, he spared that.

One of these days I would like to read the gospel of Luke, the physcian. The only apostle who was not a Jew I think. I really like the album Luke The Drifter by Hank Williams Senior.

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Post by mtmynd » December 15th, 2006, 9:33 pm

Interesting read, Michael, and one that many would agree with when you speak of this 'God guy.' But being one that is not really into mainstream viewpoints, I 'know' of god as a presence that one could equate with Wisdom.

The old argument that why would a peace-loving, all potent, creator of life kill His own creations? Actually, it is that one question which probably is the basis for belief in atheism, that and how many atheists were at one time either Christian or Jewish in upbringing? I don't know if there are any atheists that were brought up in Hinduism, Buddhism or any other Eastern religion. If my assumption is right, then atheism could well be an extension of Christianity, much to its dismay.

I, too, Michael, was brought up as a Catholic. However it was just a matter of being dragged into church on Sundays by my mother (my father didn't practice any religion) to enforce my belief system. Then I attended a Jesuit high school - they taught me that I wanted nothing to do with the religion by the time I graduated...

But I eventually became very curious about religions in general. Religion has been with us ever since mankind looked to the stars and wondered. Religion has become the most powerful force that drives mankind, more so than politics (witness the Middle East where politics is an extension of religious beliefs, for one glaring example). Conversely, mankind has been in disagreement with the interpretation of religions - the old 'yin/yang thang.'

So on one hand, the principle behind any religion is to affirm to its followers that there is a 'God', i.e., a force (if not being) that gives life and takes life. From that initial belief derives many religions due to different additions various splinter groups see as being paths to uniting with this 'God.' We're all aware of the problems that following paths can lead to if only to know that all paths are different and all paths are not the most direct route to achieving a destination. But religious leaders enforce their own beliefs upon their followers, thus creating not so much a congregation but puppets mimicking their leader's promises of finding 'God' only on their path (note the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Days Saints in recent news), that and it gives the priest/pastor a steady job.

I'm in full agreement with you on your comments regarding the commercialization of Christmas... money becomes the god of importance.

Re: Christmas trees - the person or persons that created the first artificial tree should be given a medal. Think of all the hundreds of thousands of living trees that have been saved and will live a full life (one can hope, eh?). And thumbs up to the electricity comment. A recent visitor was taken on a small side-trip on their return to where they were staying - upon seeing one of those overly lit up homes, the visitor exclaimed "Christmas really puked all over that house!!" About sums it up.

Thanks for the post!

Cecil

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Post by Arcadia » December 16th, 2006, 9:50 am

hi again!
michael:

"Yes, even though I was raised Catholic,": I was also raised as a catholic for defecto but also I can say that I was raised as an unconscious buddist and jew. I went to a catholic school from 7 to 12, and I went to the church regularly and attend catholic groups until I was fifteen. After that, 1984... democracy and other things... wow and auch!, not time or will for that anymore.
"I’ve read The Bible several times.":It´s not my caso. When I had a revisionist period some years ago I read Merton, Nowen, Frei Betto and Leonardo Boff. And I discovered I loved reading them!!
" I’m looking forward to the movie.": hey, "the" determinante and the singular sounds misterious!!. I´ve already seen lots of catholic films: Fellini, El Padrino, Pasolini, Almodovar, Kieslowski, etc. I really enjoyed them!
"Jesus was more into PSYOPS": mmm... I´m afraid I didn´t get it..!
"Catholicism is the religion that most closely resembles The Third Reich. In fact, it worked very closely with that very same Reich, did it not?": ahh...principalmente the burocracia-thing...!!!, and also Franco, Mussolini, The Vaticano in World War II.... but Hitler wasn´t catholic as far as I know.... it´s clear you can fuck up things not matter the tradition..!!!

s-truck:

" have never read the bible through. Just the poetical books, I loved them.": I´ve read the Cantar de los Cantares last year for lit europea II, yes, very beautiful!!

cecil:

"If my assumption is right, then atheism could well be an extension of Christianity, much to its dismay.": interesting!!

bye friends, the little city hell waits for meeee......!!!!!!!!!

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