Nobody laughed at my jokes. :(

SYnapse's jokes.

@SYnapse, we laugh at you all the time. Oh, wait...yeah...see what I did there?

@Jamie...Haaaaa ha ha ha. That was hilarious. Tell another one!

Fuck Christmas....no...FUCK X-MAS persecution. Nobody is fucking persecuting anyone. Good lord almighty...you know all you whiny ass fucking Christians out there bitching about this that and the other thing...get a fucking grip. "Render unto Ceasar What it Ceasar's"...if the law says the court house can't have a fucking minora to light up the baby Jesus scene, then that is how Ceasar wants it, so DEAL WITH IT. You are more than welcome to worship your baby Jesus scene in your living room if you need it. By the way, this little set up, it is what the old Testament would refer to as an IDOL....this man made thing you think you feel you must worship...

Next, as for persecution, if you know a shred about your Bible, you'd realize that if you are being persecuted by the pagans, you are doing something right. You aren't supposed to be in synch with them, nor would God be impressed at all if the pagans suddenly started pretending to worship your God just to make YOU happy. He's not impressed with such false worship, so give it a fucking rest.

Finally, that baby Jesus...you know he grew up to be the guy the whipped and beat, thunked crown of thorns in to His head, nailed him to a cross and hung Him up to die for your sins. And through the entire process of His persecution, though He had an army of angels at His beck and call, He said not a thing...He took it like a man...like a man/God that is...and He is not at all impressed by your bitching and whining because someone wrote X-Max of said Happy Holidays to you. So grow the fuck up and stop being such pathetic, surface "looky me!!-Christians". Your faith is on the inside, pal...not what you force others around you to do or not do.

Who cares?

Krellin, I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not, but 2WL was. I think you were but... well, it's you, who knows...

Krellin, I'd seriously hug you and buy you an eggnog for that wonderful post. As abrasive as it was, it said what needed saying.

Hello Krellin, I love the freedom of religion that our great United States' Constitution provides. It allows people of all creeds and faiths to live together without having to worry about being persecuted for their beliefs. It truly is a beautiful thing that any man or woman may make their own decision based on their own convictions.

As a Christian, I don't feel persecuted at all. While it saddens me to see Christian traditions fading in the United States, it does not threaten me as I am allowed my own personal freedom to express and worship as I choose.

I also appreciate your condemnation of my fellow Christians' almost idolatry styled reverence for Christian images and scenes like the manger. Earthly images and scenes aren't what's important to me, what one calls a holiday with earthly words isn't important to me. What is important is my own personal spiritual reverence to God and my obedience to his command to treat my neighbors as I would have them treat me.

While I believe God would want me to express my faith in Christianity I do not believe he would want me to force my faith, or images or traditions of my faith, on others. I try to live a good Christian personal life and respect others' free will as I hope they would respect mine.

Happy Holidays, Merry X-Mas, or Merry Christmas makes no difference to me. I am curious as to what most people on these boards believe, or don't believe. It's always interesting to hear other peoples' reasons for why they believe a certain way.

I like this guy. ^

"It's always interesting to hear other peoples' reasons for why they believe a certain way."

Nobody actually believes anything on this board. They only know that your beliefs are wrong.

+1 kingjonsnow

@Bo - totally serious, not sarcastic at all, and I'm coming from the perspective of a Christian (yes, a severely backsliding Christian) who is sick an tired of my fellow "Christians" and there self-absorbed, wrong-thinking nonsense.

In that case, I agree totally.

Whatever Christians want is wrong.

Actually, the idea that Xmas is secular is completely wrong. The "x" in xmas comes from the Greek letter "Chi" from the word Χριστός, which means "Christ"

Thank you reddit (a few weeks ago)

You know gf, people always complicate things... the X is a cross. Christ ... cross ... see how they are related ......... mind blown ....................

but....but......history, bo. History.

It's all Greek to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sting_(percussion)

@gf - Bo is right. Early Christianity used the X as well to identify each other and a oid being slaughtered by the Romans.

It's still all based on pagan rituals going back millennia to celebrate and/or pray to the gods during the arrival of the solstice.

pagan rituals around the solstice, celebrated the renewal or new year.

But Santa Claus is a mix of various 'folk' characters, St. Nicholas of Myra; a Germanic/Norse Woden/Oden; the Dutch Sinterklaas; English Father Christmas... But has become an icon of Commercialism - given his red coat by the Coca-Cola Company. The transition from pagan -> christian -> capitalist has been slow and perhaps inevitable.

We once were tied very closely to the earth (which provided our food) and the changing of the seasons; now we very much depend on the corporations which sell us our food. Life hasn't really hanged that much...

No, Thomas Nast first crew him in a red coat I. The 1880s and Cole didn't tale him over int 1920 - 40 years later.

Forgive the phone tyos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHW6dNuogxo