Yesterday my roommate comes in and says that she told the gas station attendant "Merry Christmas" on her way out. He snaps back, "I'm JEWISH!" Okay, this infuriates me. Do most people feel the same? Reason: I would not go to Israel and snap at someone if they wished me a happy Haunnukah. EVER. And Christmas is not strictly for Christians any more, stores EVERYWHERE have decorations up and the music playing, etc. I'm not a Christian but it would never even OCCOUR to me to be offended. What a load of crap. Opinions?
2006-12-25 02:13:07 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I think it is crazy that so many people these days get offended just about everything. You know when I have been out and about these holiday season, and someone said to me Happy Holidays, I did not go off on them and tell them I was a Christian, I simply said.......
"you too"
2006-12-25 02:21:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Maybe it's like when you tell someone, "I'm so glad it's Friday!" And then they say, "Yeah, well I have to work this weekend." Also the holidays can make people realize how much they don't have...(friends, family, money)
Or maybe, just once, someone toting "Merry Christmas" then proceeded to inform our Jewish gas station attendant why HIS faith is wrong...Or even worse, that HIS people killed The Messiah.
It's easy to get the wrong the impression about anything...If you went to Disney Land on an off day...(it rained, the concession stand gave everyone food poisoning, Space Mountain was out of service, Mickey Mouse was drunk)
364 days out of the year, people would agree that Disney Land was the bomb...On the other hand, all the folks that went on that ONE day would then have the WORST impression of that theme park.
My point is that it's human nature to make generalizations...One man breaks your heart, ALL men are bad...One woman breaks your heart, ALL women are bad...One person in Ohio was mean to you, EVERYONE in Ohio is a jerk.
Our gas station attendant didn't wake up one morning and decide to take on Christmas...His opinion of "Christians" was probably formed over years of having a few of them giving grief about being Jewish...I'm not saying he's right in being so combative, but you have to wonder why he's like that.
2006-12-25 02:38:59 · answer #2 · answered by Jefferson 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, I'm with the gas station guy on this one. What is the proper response of a non-christian to the greeting "merry Christmas" - "oh, I certainly would have rented them a room if I had been there"? Seriously, there are two people involved in any greeting, the greeter and the greetee. If the greeter wishes to entirely ignore the greetee they should probably just say something like "Praise Jesus, another heathen we can come back and convert later" and just breeze on past.
I'm not saying he had to be rude or had a right to be so but he didn't exactly start the insensitivity.
2006-12-25 02:50:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I wonder how that Jewish Gas Station attendant feels knowing at least 40% of that Gasoline came from Islamic nations that want to Crush Israel and are using that money they make off the pump to do it!
The only thing I'd find more amazing is if he worked at a Fallafel stand!
2006-12-25 02:22:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
My take on this is that it's merely the tip of the iceberg and that it illustrates one of the most grave problems of religious belief - that for all the good taught by a religion it also teaches just as much that is bad and it is that which keeps people divided by nonsense.
People might try changing their holiday greeting to something which is aimed at including all people rather than just ones self and his own kind - I suggest "Happy Holidays" - but I can't disagree with you that the phrase "Merry Christmas" is one which by now ought to be taken for it's secular meaning, as merely a simple greeting of human warmth, i.e., "be well, be happy, enjoy this time of festivity, etc." ... unfortunately the religious overtones of the phrase are still to strong for some people to tolerate it in comfort.
Certainly the Jewish attendant was too curt in his response - he was wrong - but, consider this: at the root of this small problem is the differences of beliefs; the aggressive advertisement of religion and the continuous effort to spread and foster religious tenons becomes a barrier which stands between people. Without respective religious entrenchment, this situation and other more serious conflicts would have less to fuel them.
All of us might do better to question our own participation in the organizations of our belief systems and perhaps move away from them or dump them altogether for a better way of living in natural harmony with others. The two religions of this case, Christianity and Judaism, along with Islam, are obviously the most divisive of the world and they provide the foundation for remaining as divided groups. Organized religion, and especially the God-based philosophies, keep people sorted and isolated into conflicting camps rather than melded and combined as a harmonic whole, brothers and sisters of a peaceful earth with all things shared by all of humanity.
Listen to the John Lenon song, "Imagine" during this holiday season and see if it doesn't speak truthfully of a better way to live and of a wonderful future-world in which to live... and think, all of it is there just for the taking... surrender to reason.
You can read the song lyrics here: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Imagine-lyrics-John-Lennon/49604BC1C4A024AE48256BCA000779DD
Have a Happy Holiday.
()()() r u randy? ()()()
.
2006-12-25 02:36:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree. I can't think why a happy greeting or good wishes to anyone could offend. It's not like by saying, "Merry Christmas" we're trying to convert anyone. But no matter where we are, what we do, there is never a way to please everyone. And that's just life. Sad.
2006-12-25 02:24:59 · answer #6 · answered by Natalie 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I agree with you.
Christmas is no longer a "Christian" holiday. It's just something a winter holiday for people to enjoy whether they believe in santa or the holy trinity or some kind of kimba the white lion.
Perhaps the gas attendant was either too PC (and we all know where THOSE people can go...) or he was on his period.
2006-12-25 02:26:23 · answer #7 · answered by ? 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I agree with you. I am not a Christian and it does not bother me. One year on Christmas I received a call at my job and I ended the call with Merry Christmas and they screamed the same thing. I in turn said so, I am an Atheist.. She shut up fairly quickly when she realized she was being a *****.
2006-12-25 02:18:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
I thought this was cleared up, there was a stage that the Jewish community wanted everyone Jewish (ha, ha), this was sent back to them that it was impossible, because God did not tell any prophet this was his request. Now Mr Gas Station either has not been informed or has been informed but still has an issue with this. Next time you see him tell him this and i am sure he will be friendly again and that will make you guys happy.
Happy New Year!!!
2006-12-25 02:22:05 · answer #9 · answered by Tonia 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I'm non-Christian, but really don't care what they call it. Wish me a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday Season, Peaceful Winter Solstice, or even a Kwazy Kwanza.
It makes no difference to me.
2006-12-25 02:21:33 · answer #10 · answered by Lunarsight 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋