2006-12-11 03:27:45 · 27 answers · asked by writergirl 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Holidays ➔ Christmas
Okay-if Christmas is not a religious holiday anymore, why do so many people sue cities over displaying Christmas trees?
2006-12-11 03:33:43 · update #1
You're mixing up a couple of different issues.
First, the reason why people sue cities for having a Christmas true is because of separation of church and state. The constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and when your government, whether at the local, state, or federal level, shows a preference to a single religion over all others - by having a yearly Christmas tree, for example, but not a menorah for Hannukah or a crescent for Ramadan, etc... - then it is violating the principle of separation of church and state. People who do not celebrate Christmas and who do not wish to be told by their government that Christianity is the only religion whose holidays should be openly celebrated get a little pissed off when that happens.
As far as what type of holiday Christmas is, it is open for debate, although I'm pretty sure most Christians will affirm quite vehemently that Jesus is the reason for the season and that Christmas is most certainly a Christian holiday. The reason for the ambiguity is this: Christians celebrate Christmas in a very open, in your face way, primarly because of the gift-giving aspect. Christians spend a ton of money on gifts at Christmas time, and as a huge consumer force, they are given a great deal of service by companies and businesses who hope to make money of off them during the month of December. This aspect of Christmas has become so commonplace that even borderline or non-practicing Christians have embraced it. Heck, even agnostics and atheists, and occasionally a few Jews, have embraced it. It's hard to tell your kid that Santa won't be coming because there is no God.
In other words, parts of Christmas are Christian in origin (e.g. midnight mass in which believers quote scripture, nativity scenes, etc...) and parts of it are of pagan origin, and parts of it come from a more Epicurean tradition, and parts of it are purely capitalist in nature. But make no doubt that if you put up a Christmas tree every year but never display symbols of any other religious belief, the message you are sending is that you are a Christian. This is why it's a bad idea to have a Christmas tree in city hall but never any other religion's symbols.
2006-12-11 04:02:06 · answer #1 · answered by magistra_linguae 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I 'm not a Christian (well I do not affiliate myself with any particular religion; although I have been raised in a dominantly muslim country). Anyways, I love Christmas and the whole spirit of the holiday season. I do not buy gifts nor do I put up a tree. I just feel so warm and cozy on the inside for some reason. I usually capture the spirit of Christmas by listening to Christmas songs (like all different versions of Jingle Bells) and eat mint chocolate and stare at every pretty Christmas tree I see, oh and I loooooooove snow! (Never had snow growing up). So, can't help it Christmas is so warm and fuzzy on the inside :) and there is my reason for celebrating Christmas (my way) but I do not really know if it is a Christian holiday (most likely yes but I love it no matter what :)
2006-12-11 03:35:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Christmas started out as a Pagan holiday. For many years on two seperate occasions, Christians were forbidden by the Church to celebrate because it had Pagan roots. Nowadays it is for anyone to enjoy. But that does not make it strictly a Christian holiday.
2006-12-11 06:37:43 · answer #3 · answered by Cinnamon 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am amazed by this also!
I am a christian living in Trinidad and we have many religions here. So for Eid or Divali some of the non-members also participate in their events. Almost 99% of people in my country light up their houses with Christmas trees or decorative lights during this festive time - and some basic stuff like buying turkeys and hams, making pastelles and black cake etc
Only 50 - 60% are Christians though!
I believe Christmas time though is a really festive and moving period and lots on non Christians celebrate various parts of it - which is also a bit ironic, I have an Aunt who says that Christmas trees and giving gifts etc are demonic - yet she receives gifts from persons!
2006-12-11 03:36:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Depends on who you talk to. Some Christmas traditions came from a pagan celebration of the Solstice, and others come from the Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus. I think whether or not you believe Jesus was the son of God, he was a man, and from what I understand a good man, and great philospher none the less. I would probably celebrate a holiday for Socrates too if there was one, regardless of my religious beliefs, just as we get President's day off work for Lincoln and Wasington's birthday in the US.
2006-12-11 03:34:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
christmas is actuall based on the Pagan celebration of Yule. When christianity was coming to power, the holidays were based upon the Pagan rituals, thus, Winter Solstice/Yule became Christmas. (best estimations put Christ's birth in Spring, not in winter). This was used to help lure Pagans to Christianity.
Yule was a time of remembrance and celebration of rebirth, as the days were starting to get longer. It was also a feast time, as meat had just been butchered and other items were put up from the harvest (samhain (loosely translated, end of the sowing, or harvest), which we commonly know as haloween).
There are many traditions that we associate with 'chrstmas' but in reality they are based upon Yule/Winter Solstice.
The key factor that I believe for this, aside from the disgusting level of consumerism that it has become is for family and friends and those we care about to come together to celebrate the life that is coming, the rebirth of the sun.
2006-12-11 03:34:44 · answer #6 · answered by bilko_ca 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I wish Christmas was still just a Christian Holiday but I am afraid it has become a shopping holiday and it is called Winter Holiday.I celebrate it as Jesus Birthday even though he was born in late summer.This date was set aside for everyone to Celebrate His birtth.I remember growing up and everyone doing that.It was such a blessing. I wouldn't set the neighbors children down and tell them nor would I not let my Children play with them.Your Children need to be strong in the faith and share there beliefs as the neighbors share theres.Sat your Children down and tell why your neighbors believe as they do. You could buy your neighbors Children a picture book about the story of Jesus Birth as a Christmas gift.
2016-05-23 05:24:05 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Celebrations around the Winter Solstice have been going on long before there were such things as christians. Almost all ancient cultures realized that the shortest day (in the Northern Hemisphere) occurs at that time, and from then forward the days get longer, things begin to grow again, and spring (the time for the annual renewal of nature) is on its way. Humans have celebrated this annual re-birth from the cold of winter as long as there have been humans.
Early christian church leaders appropriated the ancient pagan holidays at this time for their own means, superimposing the birth of jesus (which did NOT happen in December) in an attempt to give this annual renewal celebration christian meaning. Though it is celebrated by many christians as the day of the birth of jesus, it's not -- and you don't have to be christian to enjoy giving gifts to loved ones, relish in the fact that we've survived another year, and that spring is on its way.
We just don't put up manger scenes or have angels on top of our holiday trees (which are another pagan symbol of rebirth).
2006-12-11 03:34:31 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The Christmas holiday is for everyone, a time of goodwill.
The Christmas tree was originally a German winter soltice symbol along with the yule log that was adapted to the holy day, when the German Catholic immigrants came to America.
So technically the tree's origins were secular but the day has been, for hundreds of years, the chosen celebration of Jesus's birthday. The media can twist and turn it all they want but it will always be that and our country with, all the baggage attached, was founded on Christian principles.
P.S. everyone likes to get presents.. its universal.
2006-12-11 03:43:15 · answer #9 · answered by Tapestry6 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Christians... or the Roman Catholic Church.... were trying desperately to convert the local peasants (pagans) to Christianity so......... even though Jesus was born sometime in the month of January........ they "stole" the Yuletide holiday where we pagans celebrate the Winter Solstice and decorate our homes with an evergreen tree adorned with shiny ornaments and give gifts to our loved ones....... and turned it into "Christmas." So, in fact, Christians are falsely celebrating the birth of the Christ child on OUR YULETIDE HOLIDAY!! And when Christians put up a Christmas tree and give presents they are actually participating in a Pagan ritual!!
2006-12-11 03:35:40 · answer #10 · answered by quickgirl 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋