Tuesday 31st of December 2024
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What is Christmas?

All this time I've been thinking that Christmas was just mid-financial year orgy of consumerism, required to prop-up the retail market. But now Prime Minister Howard is saying it's all about Christianity! I wonder if he would be back in the papers taking it all back if we all took him up on his request, and went to church, or spent time with the family unit instead of going to the shopping centres!

But seriously, we have quite a good separation of church and state here, and it is a shame to see it interfered with. If people wanted shopping centres to show the nativity, then I'm sure they would oblige. But the PM calling for the reenforcement of Christian ritual unnecessarily marginalises non-Christians, and potentially adds fuel to the fiery bellies of some misguided Anglo-Saxon Christians.

All these different religious events mean different things to different people, and we should try to retain our appreciation of our diversity by not placing overbearing emphasis on any of them.

 

the old christmas straw man trick .....

I’m with you Nigel. 

 

Once again the little rodent has spoken out in ignorance, not with a view to promoting traditions that might strengthen our ‘commonwealth’ or sense of ‘common community’, but rather, as always, in an attempt to win himself electoral favour or to cast himself centre stage, much as he has repeatedly sought to do with the traditions of ANZAC Day.  

 

In simplisticly equating Christianity with Christmas & ‘nativity scenes’, our prime meanster reveals his profound ignorance of the Christian faith & the true origins & meanings symbolically attached to the festive season: all to curry favour of the 69% of Australians who call themselves “Christians

Well said

Apart from having a muddled historical relevance like that of royalty, Christmas is a major reference point in the economy of this nation, of the US and of Europe.... Should no one buy any stupid gadget to celebrate more than usual, the whole faith system would collapse! Where would China be without our over-spending at Christmas, I ask you? Do we buy gifts for people who have more than they need to show that we care only once a year? About what? Should we care all the time? Some of the time? Do we need a marker to force us to talk to everyone we know but are too busy to call? Sure we do, but has Christmas got to come the day before the Sydney to Hobart yacht race? Rats!... Weird... So if Father Christmas does not exist even under the illusion of Santa Claus, does Christianity and all the other religion not exist too? What about Mrs Claus? Are these rigmaroles just a figment of our imagination, well captured by peddlers who we sell our souls to? Do we understand the reality of where we are living? Our little planet? And nature?... Who knows... but let's have another slosh of this wonderful rum pudding... to celebrate this enlightened intelligent judgement in the US about intelligent design...

It must be Christmas ...

Thanks for the inspiration

Thanks Nigel from me also, and I must admit your post was part of the inspiration for my Webdiary 'Christmas message'.