Christmas No Longer Recognized As The Birth Of Christ

[Rachel Rugelach]

Honestly, all this complaining about some shopkeepers not saying "Merry Christmas" makes me picture an angry army of Karens in elf suits.

Has it ever occurred to these special folks who complain, that the Merry Christimas greetings entitlement starts the day after Thanksgiving and extends through the rest of November and into most of the month of December, right up until the 25th? (And even sometimes after.)

Who else has a holiday that requires the public to appease their need for holiday validation every single day for several weeks prior to the actual day of the holiday? I mean, Jews don't expect non-Jews to wish us a Happy Hanukkah (most non-Jews don't exactly know when the eight nights of Hanukkah begin and end, anyway).

I don't have a problem with anyone wishing me a Merry Christmas, but I think I can speak for many of us when I say that any friendly acknowledgment of us of in the form of an all-encompassing Happy Holidays greeting is appreciated.

And here's a news flash for the folks that get worked up when they don't see a special Christmas section on Walmart's online shopping page... Hobby Lobby has decided, for the second year in a row, that they will not sell Hanukkah items. They used to sell them, but now no more. But that's their choice and fine and no problem for me, as I and the rest of the 300,000 Jews who reside on Long Island can do all our hobby/craft shopping at Michael's Crafts -- which also sells Hanukkah items.

That's a big cut out of the profits of the 4 Hobby Lobby stores I know of that are on Long Island, and more profit for the 18 Michael's stores I know of on Long Island. Hobby Lobby's presence is relatively new here on Long Island, and I suppose they were thinking to conquer the Long Island market when they built their first store here in the summer of 2017. So you'd think Hobby Lobby might have done a little research first regarding the large Jewish population here. I don't think those Hobby Lobby folks are very smart.

Anyway, for anyone interested, tonight begins the eighth "day" of Hanukkah. Hanukkah will be officially over tomorrow (Friday) at sundown when the Jewish day ends.

 

[Kenny]

those that believed in other deities fought against the recognition of Christ and won.

A matter of perspectives… I read the end of the story and I found that recognition of Christ wins.

Merry and Blessed Christmas!

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Never implied anyone was stopping me from celebrating.

I have no idea what the feast of nativity is.

Only when Christmas falls on a Sunday are churches open.

And the post was to bring awareness to the times we're living in to Christians. But only believers in Christ would understand that.
Thanks for your comment!

The Feast of the Nativity is the other Christian name for Christmas, more common among Eastern Christians.

There are many churches that have worship services both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Catholics, for example. It is more common in Protestant churches (though certainly not universal) to have a Christmas service the Sunday before, because they want to encourage people to spend Christmas day with their families.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays and Blessed Be.

 

[SDavis]

Yes, you posted this already. Where in the article does it say that corporations can force you not to wish people a Merry Christmas? Maybe I missed it and you can highlight that part for me

I did not say a corporation can force anyone. What cooperations can do is reprimand, write up, lay off for days, or terminate a person not following their rules. Cooperations do not want to have lawsuits on their discrimination hands from no one and in these days people may sue you for sneezing. A company can fire you for any reason these days.

How Much Trouble Can You Get In for Saying "Merry Christmas?"

If you've had to bite your tongue before uttering the words, "Merry Christmas," you're aware of the growing demand to be politically correct when uttering holiday greetings.

stories.avvo.com

Can My Boss Stop Me From Saying “Merry Christmas” To Clients? Best Lawyer Reply | Spitz, The Employee’s Law Firm | Spitz, The Employee's Law Firm

Top Ohio Religious Discrimination Attorney Answer: Can my manger write me up for telling a customer to “have a blessed day”? I want to sue my employer discrimination at work based on my religion – do I have a claim? What can I do about religious discrimination in the workplace? Where do I find...

www.calltherightattorney.com

Was she fired for saying Merry Christmas? | HRMorning

An employee at a vacation rental company claims she was fired for greeting customers on the phone with "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." Now a

www.hrmorning.com

 

[sun rise]

Christmas was about the birth of Christ and now it's about Santa, the reindeer, and giving gifts and Frosty the snowman and that's my friend is a falling away. But there is more falling away to come.

That conversion of Christmas to a secular holiday is not new at all. But what you label as "falling away" is indeed happening as churches close, some worship Trump not Christ and so forth.

I'm also not bothered one whit if someone wants to wish me Merry Christmas. And if someone wishes me Happy New Year I don't have to be concerned about the historical views about when a new year was and is noted by different cultures and times.

 

[SDavis]

That conversion of Christmas to a secular holiday is not new at all. But what you label as "falling away" is indeed happening as churches close, some worship Trump not Christ and so forth.

I'm also not bothered one whit if someone wants to wish me Merry Christmas. And if someone wishes me Happy New Year I don't have to be concerned about the historical views about when a new year was and is noted by different cultures and times.

No it's not new and these modern days it really took root less than 10 years ago. And it's not just a small section, it's all over this country and still being debated.

Can the federal government employees again say Merry Christmas? I know there was a band on it.

Know your rights: What does freedom of religion cover?

Deciding whether to say, 'Happy Holidays' or 'Merry Christmas' can be a personal choice. But for employers, government agencies, and schools, holiday activities or public displays must respect freedom of religion; otherwise, they could be held liable for discrimination.

www.legalzoom.com

2 Timothy 2:3 tells us that there will be a falling away first and then that man of sin will be revealed. Not for sure what you meant when you said I labeled taking Christ out of Christmas as a falling away. It is a falling away. Falling away will come and various forms.
Merry Christmas

 

[sun rise]

It's about the falling away from Christ and the acceptance of the as they say worldly values and for Christians too be aware. The Bible speaks of a falling away then this was just a form of the beginning.

It's not just Christians

http://www.bci.org/prophecy-fulfilled/hindusa.htm

"...deceit, falsehood, lethargy, sleepiness, violence, despondency. grief, delusion, fear, and poverty prevail..."
... men will abandon their parents, brothers, friends, and relatives. They will occupy high seats [and pulpits] and will [pretend to] preach religion.

(and Islam):
The time is near in which nothing will remain of Islam but its name, and of the Quran but its mere appearance, and the mosques of Muslims will be
destitute of of knowledge and worship; and the learned will be the worst people under the heavens; and contention and strife will issue from them, and it will return upon themselves.
...
Ye follower of Muhammad, I swear by the Lord, if ye did but know what I know of the future state, verily ye would laugh little and cry much.
...
Men will be liars towards the end of the world; and will relate such stories as neither you nor your fathers ever heard. Then avoid them, that they may not lead you astray and throw you into contention and strife.

Sayings of The Prophet | Islamic Values

 

[Twilight Hue]

I've always believed and read that it was the celebration of the Roman winter solstice that Christmas derived from.

Matters not it's origin _ Christmas represented represented the birth of Christ, that's why his title this the first six letters.

According to Jewish tradition a child's date of birth this is day of conception Christ was conceived in December and he was born in September.

I've never heard of January the 6th -epiphany.

I never heard of epiphany either, until I looked up some resources , so I'm kind of thinking it might be some orthodox celebration.

 

[Kenny]

The Feast of the Nativity is the other Christian name for Christmas, more common among Eastern Christians.

There are many churches that have worship services both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Catholics, for example. It is more common in Protestant churches (though certainly not universal) to have a Christmas service the Sunday before, because they want to encourage people to spend Christmas day with their families.

This Sunday we are saying “No Christmas Eve service - go spend time with your family”.

 

[sun rise]

Not even for sure if Puritans considered themselves Christians in those days, since they were against the "Church" of England. Puritanism | Definition, History, Beliefs, & Facts

You should read more history. The Church of England does not define who is a Christian and who is not. And in fact Henry VIII broke away from Catholicism so he could do what he wanted. The Catholic Church considered him to be a heretic for doing that. Schism has been a feature of Christianity for a long time. See for example the "three popes" which happened in the 1370's.

The Puritans believed that they were practicing true Christianity and came to this country to be free to do that. In 1647, the Puritan-led English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas, replacing it with a day of fasting and considering it "a popish festival with no biblical justification", and a time of wasteful and immoral behaviour.[40] Puritans disliked traditions that inverted social hierarchies, such as wassailing in which the rich were expected to give to the poor on demand, and which with the addition of alcohol sometimes turned into violent intrusions. Christmas controversies - Wikipedia

 

[Altfish]

Taking Jesus Out of Christmas - Bible Knowledge

Strong, biblical commentary on how the secular forces are trying to remove Jesus from all public walks of life, along with the Bible verses on this hot topic.

www.bible-knowledge.com

Christmas a holiday for centuries celebrated as the birth of Christ - now the celebration is only about gifts, food, Santa, reindeer, snowman, elves and such. Much of society has forgotten, some of society probably don't know why Christmas was initially celebrated. A few decades ago the unbelievers and those that believed in other deities fought against the recognition of Christ and won. The words now are Happy Holidays. Very few say Merry Christmas in public places. The first five letters of the word Christmas tells us it is about Christ. Scripture tells us there will come a falling away we are witnessing the beginning.

I'm a non-believer and I've never met anyone who doesn't know why Xmas is celebrated.
In my country Xmas is a national holiday, so most people (including non-believers) are off work, people want to enjoy the festival. We have a family meal, we have a tree, the kids meet Father Xmas, we give presents BUT we do not go to church. I will sing carols, they are good fun.
"Happy Holidays" is a very rare greeting, I say "Happy Christmas", my family, friends and colleagues all say it too.
50+ years ago, when I used to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and most of the congregation had come straight out of the pub. So not much is changing.
What is it the beginning of? An enlightened world where we don't waste time worshipping gods.

 

[SDavis]

I'm a non-believer and I've never met anyone who doesn't know why Xmas is celebrated.
In my country Xmas is a national holiday, so most people (including non-believers) are off work, people want to enjoy the festival. We have a family meal, we have a tree, the kids meet Father Xmas, we give presents BUT we do not go to church. I will sing carols, they are good fun.
"Happy Holidays" is a very rare greeting, I say "Happy Christmas", my family, friends and colleagues all say it too.
50+ years ago, when I used to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and most of the congregation had come straight out of the pub. So not much is changing.
What is it the beginning of? An enlightened world where we don't waste time worshipping gods.

An enlightened world where we don't waste time worshiping gods.

Before I said the beginning of I stated what it was referring to. Your attempt at witticism is noted or sarcasm whichever.

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[Sgt. Pepper]

This post was for Christians bringing awareness to those who may not know.

My initial question remains unanswered. Why does it matter to you? Likewise, why should it matter to other Christians?

Why does it matter to you if people who aren't Abrahamic theists don't recognize Christmas as the birth of Christ? Biblically speaking, you shouldn't judge others for it (Colossians 2:16), and people can decide for themselves about how they celebrate a holiday (Romans 14:5–6). Furthermore, there is religious freedom in the United States, and people can decide for themselves how they will celebrate Christmas or any other holiday. If you wish to include Christ in your Christmas celebration, by all means do so; however, others have a right not to include Christ in their Christmas celebration. This is religious freedom.

 

[SDavis]

The Feast of the Nativity is the other Christian name for Christmas, more common among Eastern Christians.

There are many churches that have worship services both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Catholics, for example. It is more common in Protestant churches (though certainly not universal) to have a Christmas service the Sunday before, because they want to encourage people to spend Christmas day with their families.

Someone may not know that.

My comment was based on Christmas day not Christmas Eve, not when churches have may have Christmas service, not the beginning of the tradition of Christmas.

 

[SDavis]

Honestly, all this complaining about some shopkeepers not saying "Merry Christmas" makes me picture an angry army of Karens in elf suits.

Has it ever occurred to these special folks who complain, that the Merry Christimas greetings entitlement starts the day after Thanksgiving and extends through the rest of November and into most of the month of December, right up until the 25th? (And even sometimes after.)

Who else has a holiday that requires the public to appease their need for holiday validation every single day for several weeks prior to the actual day of the holiday? I mean, Jews don't expect non-Jews to wish us a Happy Hanukkah (most non-Jews don't exactly know when the eight nights of Hanukkah begin and end, anyway).

I don't have a problem with anyone wishing me a Merry Christmas, but I think I can speak for many of us when I say that any friendly acknowledgment of us of in the form of an all-encompassing Happy Holidays greeting is appreciated.

And here's a news flash for the folks that get worked up when they don't see a special Christmas section on Walmart's online shopping page... Hobby Lobby has decided, for the second year in a row, that they will not sell Hanukkah items. They used to sell them, but now no more. But that's their choice and fine and no problem for me, as I and the rest of the 300,000 Jews who reside on Long Island can do all our hobby/craft shopping at Michael's Crafts -- which also sells Hanukkah items.

That's a big cut out of the profits of the 4 Hobby Lobby stores I know of that are on Long Island, and more profit for the 18 Michael's stores I know of on Long Island. Hobby Lobby's presence is relatively new here on Long Island, and I suppose they were thinking to conquer the Long Island market when they built their first store here in the summer of 2017. So you'd think Hobby Lobby might have done a little research first regarding the large Jewish population here. I don't think those Hobby Lobby folks are very smart.

Anyway, for anyone interested, tonight begins the eighth "day" of Hanukkah. Hanukkah will be officially over tomorrow (Friday) at sundown when the Jewish day ends.

Not complaining, not angry, can definitely not a Karen angry or happy.

The post was for Christians, and the awareness / reminder of the times we're living in.

I personally don't care what these department stores, governments, businesses, do. I say Merry Christmas and if one's religion is Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, atheism, agnosticism, are any of the other religions out there if I find myself in that position - I'm going to still say Merry Christmas _ just as they have their right to say what they choose to me in whatever holiday greetings they may have in their religion or disbelief. They're greetings wouldn't upset me.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Someone may not know that.

My comment was based on Christmas day not Christmas Eve, not when churches have may have Christmas service, not the beginning of the tradition of Christmas.

My point was that there really is nothing stopping anyone from celebrating Christmas in the religious way.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I'm a non-believer and I've never met anyone who doesn't know why Xmas is celebrated.
In my country Xmas is a national holiday, so most people (including non-believers) are off work, people want to enjoy the festival. We have a family meal, we have a tree, the kids meet Father Xmas, we give presents BUT we do not go to church. I will sing carols, they are good fun.
"Happy Holidays" is a very rare greeting, I say "Happy Christmas", my family, friends and colleagues all say it too.
50+ years ago, when I used to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and most of the congregation had come straight out of the pub. So not much is changing.
What is it the beginning of? An enlightened world where we don't waste time worshipping gods.

I think that's what the holiday is all about.

At least one time a year people can collectively have a good time engaged in many good drink, good food , and feel a little compassion for the poor.

I remember donating to the Salvation Army once , and the guy was so happy about it, he gave me his bell , and I still have it.

It was one of the best Christmases I had, and I still think fondly of the Salvation Army and all the good work they do.

 

[SDavis]

You should read more history. The Church of England does not define who is a Christian and who is not. And in fact Henry VIII broke away from Catholicism so he could do what he wanted. The Catholic Church considered him to be a heretic for doing that. Schism has been a feature of Christianity for a long time. See for example the "three popes" which happened in the 1370's.

The Puritans believed that they were practicing true Christianity and came to this country to be free to do that. In 1647, the Puritan-led English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas, replacing it with a day of fasting and considering it "a popish festival with no biblical justification", and a time of wasteful and immoral behaviour.[40] Puritans disliked traditions that inverted social hierarchies, such as wassailing in which the rich were expected to give to the poor on demand, and which with the addition of alcohol sometimes turned into violent intrusions. Christmas controversies - Wikipedia

Thank you for the lesson but I've already read what I need to read about who the Puritans were and they thought they were purer than the Catholic church when it came to the teachings of Christ.
And I still can't say that they considered themselves as Christians what we say today may not be what they said in the 16th century. More like a cult in those days and have reformed.

The Puritans - Definition, England & Beliefs | HISTORY

 

[SDavis]

My initial question remains unanswered. Why does it matter to you? Likewise, why should it matter to other Christians?

And how did your initial question remain unanswered.

I guess this is what you want to hear it doesn't matter to me whether you say Merry Christmas or not I personally don't care. I say Merry Christmas and I say Merry Christmas to those whoever, whether they believe in judaism, islam, hinduism, spiritualism, or whatever - agnostic, or atheist. All they can do is voice their opinion and go on about their business. And they have the right to say whatever holiday greeting that they may celebrate in their lives to me - the difference is I won't be offended why because I believe in Christ.
And when I said the post was for Christians - Christian should understand and be aware that there is a falling away taking place. And taking Christ out of Christmas is a part of that falling away but an atheist wouldn't understand or care about it. So goodbye