I was taught at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) that Christmas is a time of joy. The professor said it was not about Christ's birth. The professor also said that wishing someone Merry Christmas was politically correct, at least in an empirical sense.
2006-11-26 10:55:06 · 12 answers · asked by spoongentry 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Now that you're an adult, it's okay for you to know that many many people do not care to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Think of youself as a minority and imagine everyone wishing you the gift of 72 virgins from Allah. Would you get sick and tired of it after two months of being inundated with "the season?" Every time you pay for a purchase, the clerk wishes you 72 virgins from Allah. How long can you continue to be courteous?
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2006-11-26 11:47:24 · answer #1 · answered by Hatikvah 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'm not indignant I say Merry Christmas decrease back. i ought to have a Merry Christmas. it truly is the way i look at it. are not all of us round on Christmas. I advise what if I Jewish individual went to the shop and acquired a scratch cost ticket and gained massive time on Christmas day. are not they gonna have a Merry Christmas, or in spite of the indisputable fact that in the experience that they are off from paintings and maximum days off are Merry good. :) perhaps dumb wondering yet oh nicely I in simple terms follow what i favor to assert and what's composed of ideas first.
2016-11-26 23:55:47 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Merry Christmas makes the arrogant assumption that the person you are addressing is a Christian. I take offense to that myself. Calling me a Christian is like calling a Jewish person a Nazi. Can't you just wish people Happy Holidays so as to be inclusive of everyone including atheists and Pagans who celebrate the Winter Solstice?
2006-11-26 10:59:51 · answer #3 · answered by AiW 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some of us know the true origins of xmas. I will not attach the name of Christ to a pagan mass. Dec 25 is not the birthday of Jesus, but it is the birthday of Tammuz, the son of Semiramis, the queen of Nimrod, the founder of the Assyrian empire, the builder of the 13 cities of Babylon, and the tower of Babel. Then Catholics took all of the important pagan holy days and feast days and gods and made the 'christian' by giving them 'christian' names. So too all of you who are in the spirit of the season, a very happy and merry Tammuz day to you.
Jesus was born on passover.
2006-11-26 11:06:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Although Christmas is a time of joy, it's original meaning is the birth of Jesus' Christ, the Lord of Lords, & King of Kings. So, originally it's a Christian holiday. But there are those who aren't Cristian & don't believe Jesus is Lord. And it can be offensive to those who aren't Christian. I am Christian & I wish Merry Christms to those all, but if I know for certian someone is Jewish, Muslim, etc. then I will wish then Season's Greetings or Happy Holidays. My intention is not to offend another.
2006-11-26 11:05:32 · answer #5 · answered by 2D 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, for those who were raised under a rock in a sheltered little world... Not everyone is of a background that celebrates Christmas, and when you mix together people from all walks of life in one country, then let only one belief and celebration prevail...people tend to, after a while, get irritated/feel excluded in their own country/their likewise celebrations and beliefs ignored/made into feeling theirs is less important then the dominating belief system and celebrations, which would be offensive/etc...
2006-11-26 11:12:34 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My brother-in-law is Jewish and he loves christmas! He celebrates both holidays so he gets double the gifts :D And food lots of food. And besides, Christmas is when he celebrates with my side of the family, rather then his side of the family. And he loves candy canes, roast chestnuts, and those funky little vaguely tree-ish shaped cut-outs my mom makes. And Baklava is Greek holiday fare and he loves that too (he's a total baklava addict!) but for my family that has been a Christmas tradition. So he sort of associates Christmas with our family.
Seriously though I hang out with agnostics, catholics, atheists, Muslims, Hebrews, Pagans etc and they don't care. I wish them a Merry Christmas because it is easier then a vaguer ''Happy Holidays" or listing every single winter holiday, which is what inevitably happens when there is a group of people.
Besides, they know I don't mean Christmas in the christian sense but more in the sense that Dec. 25 is when I spend time with my whole family. Besides, when we light the candles we don't give gifts to the whole family because most of my family is not Jewish. We aren't either, but we celebrate it because of aforementioned BIL. They know we are certainly not devout Christians, even though we celebrate the spirit of Christmas in a non-Christian way (sorry if that's not clear). We got tired of doing the who tree-decorating thing, so my BIL got the tree from us and decorates it himself (with a little help from us to untangle those pesky lights!) We have a very secular but very loving Christmas.
Plus unless someone tells me they don't mind I tend to say Happy Holidays anyways. Something vague and unoffensive, unless theya re my friends and I know them. Plus I say Happy Hannukah to my BIL but only when it's actually that time of year abouts. or Merry Christmas. Or both.
Now if it was someone who I knew to be of a different religion and who did not partake in joining in said Christimas festivities along with me and my friends, obviously I would not wish them a Happy Christmas as that would seem sort of silly. And offensive. But if you have friends who celebrate Christmas with you and they don't mind you wishing them a Merry Christmas, then by all means go ahead.
2006-11-26 11:01:11 · answer #7 · answered by ladyelfoftherings 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People are offended for a number of reasons. I think that most of the offenses come from those who do not want the birth of Jesus to be a part of their Christmas experience. This comes from a denial of the need for a savior or of an existance of God.
2006-11-26 11:02:00 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
This has been answered pretty well - it's the assumption that everyone is like you or shares your belifs tha's offensive..
I'd just like to add, for the person who posted "I wish them a Merry Christmas because it is easier then a vague ''Happy Holidays" or listing every single winter holiday."
How is it "easier" to say "Merry Christmas" than it is to say "Happy Holidays"? You save ONE syllable. Is speaking that difficult for you?
Or is it that it's just "easier" NOT to be respectful and polite?
It always is, dear, it always is. But that's no excuse.
2006-11-26 11:33:21 · answer #9 · answered by Praise Singer 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I am a Muslim and you can wish me a Merry Christmas all you want because i love Christmas.
2006-11-26 10:59:07 · answer #10 · answered by Sherzade 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋