My response to a Facebook "OMG there's a war on Christmas" poster

[mreilly]

Earlier today my sister (like-minded progressive) wrote a public Facebook post stating that she and her kids had "made sesame seed Kwaanza cookies for the class party at 10 last night."

Immediately one of her friends responded with a huffy "I hope that the class party had Christmas cookies along with the Kwaanza cookies."

My sister lives in an upscale neighborhood. I checked her friend's profile, and of course this is a proud Republican (like any other cultist they have to splash it all over their Facebook pages to scream to the world how Republican they are). Since they all seem to be tuned into the same Fox News/Glenn Beck/Rush Limbaugh/Sean Hannity line of shit I could tell her friend is one of those hysterical "ANYONE WHO HONORS OR PAYS ANY ATTENTION TO ANY OTHER HOLIDAY TRADITIONS IS ATTACKING CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!" types.

Personally, I'm so tired of this crap about Christmas being "attacked" - it's always from the same crowd that feels if their views aren't moved to the front of the line then they're being picked on. I'm not attacking Christmas or the Christian tradition - although I am not a Christian, my family and I celebrate Christmas and always have - but I believe in giving other views equal weight rather than feeling the need to shout them down and angrily promote my own as being worth more. How ironic that a season that's supposed to be about good will, tolerance and compassion has been twisted and co-opted by these types, who march around snarling "Merry CHRISTMAS!!" at anyone who dares to breathe the words "Happy Holidays." I'm in favor of tolerance, but these shrill types who have to rush in bellowing "Ooooh! OOOOH! THEY'RE BEING MEAN! THEY'RE ATTACKING MY BELIEFS!" I have no patience for.

So I posted to my sister:

"It's good that your kids are being taught about diversity and other holiday traditions - hopefully it'll reinforce in them that this is an all-inclusive society with multiple backgrounds and beliefs. Personally I think celebrating all views during the holiday season is the best lesson to share, rather than pushing one view over another."

These people seem to want to be vindicated in their views that they're being picked on, marginalized, targeted, etc. I think the only way to deal with them is ignore it or respond with genuine outpourings of peace and encouragement of the inclusion of all, then let them angrily disprove their own claims that only theirs is the mindset that "loves thy neighbor." They seem to define "neighbor" as "someone just like me."

[Ian David]

1. I never hated Christmas before until Bill O'Reilly started this "War on Christmas" shit. n/t

[T Wolf]

4. Moi aussi. As the reich has pushed their bigotry harder and harder, they have created a

backlash among us who were not really bothered by the Christmas domination of the holiday season.

Now, I go out of my way to wage that war against THEM.

PS - We still have our tree, with a Star of David on the top.

[2Design]

20. I still love the spirit of christmas but ignorethe religous because

they don't practice christ spirit - they like bombing, wars, killing, nothing for the poor or middle class - they are really hypocrits and I just find I have no use for their words - their actions are shouting something else

[niceypoo]

2. Its the kind of issue you bring up when you have no real belief system

You reach for boogiemen

[wryter2000]

3. Speaking as a practicing Christian, I can tell you

People like that miss the whole point of Christianity and Jesus's teachings. He was a Jew, and yet, he preached the inherent goodness of people scorned by traditional Jewish holy law, including Samaritans.

I'm not a confrontational person, and Jesus did tell us to pray in our closets, not out on the street, but if I get up my courage, I plan to ask people like the Republican you mentioned if they actually go to church. I'll bet I'd find that my butt is in the pews a lot more often than theirs are.

[mreilly]

8. It's funny you mention that...

... I'm not Christian but I fully agree with the views of Jesus as I interpret them; helping the poor and the downtrodden, promoting peace, stopping oppression, etc. I myself criticize the materialism and commercialism of Christmas as completely ignoring the message of Jesus, and do think that the Santa angle is overblown far too much (I have young kids and while I can understand their excitement about Christmas based on the presents involved, I do remind them that this season should be about brotherly love, good will, giving thanks for one another, etc.)

I've recently come to the conclusion that I'm a better Christian (despite not being religious) than these militant types who are so judgmental, convinced they are being persecuted, insist on seeing everything as "us vs. them," etc. For pete's sake, does someone really think making (or giving out) Kwanzaa cookies is a threat against Christmas? Really? Is the holiday that fragile; that vulnerable; that easily forgotten that a Kwanzaa cookie might cause someone to lose sight of it?

It's the thin-skinned paranoia that gets me. The obsession with maintaining the spotlight at all times; keeping center stage; ensuring they have the loudest voice, the biggest share of the pie. While proclaiming how devout they are, of course, as if it's a competition to be thrown in the faces of others.

[wryter2000]

10. +1000

It's a case of protesting too much, don't you think? :hi:

[mreilly]

11. Ha ha, new update on my sister's FB post!

One of her African American friends who celebrates Kwanzaa told my sister what a great Mom she is and to have a Merry Christmas!! :-) I truly cannot imagine a more fitting follow-up post to my sister to nicely make the point that we're all in this together (despite the attempts by some to place themselves at the head of the line).

[fascisthunter]

5. they are fanatics who listen to Propaganda to divide them

from other Americans who are different from themselves, which proves they disagree with "Religious Freedom" for all.

[T Wolf]

6. It was not the liberals who attacked and killed CHRISTmas - it was the capitalists who

turned it into just another sales promotion.

Throw that back at them and see what they say.

[Bigmack]

13. I'm gonna use that! Thanks. nt

[Maru Kitteh]

22. Ooooo! AWESOME observation. I think I'll I'll be utilizing that, thanks! n/t

[T Wolf]

23. Not mine originally. Have to give DU credit where it's due...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4463656&mesg_id=4463656

[xchrom]

7. there is a whole set of contemporary christians who -- in order for

their faith to be justified -- must promulgate the lie that they are persecuted.

these people cannot be christian without that lie.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. It's like they need to believe/feel that they are somehow "martyrs"

despite any evidence that the government or any public entity is actually oppressing them. Although, I guess, for them "oppression" pretty much includes doing ANYTHING outside of declaring the inherent superiority and supremacy of their own point of view. Maybe they would've been happier living in Rome around the time that they were getting thrown in the Lions Den?
:shrug:

:banghead:

[mwooldri]

12. Your sisters' friend needs to read my bumper sticker.

Luke 10:27.

Enough said.

[Pacifist Patriot]

16. I think that got edited out of some recent editions.

[Celebration]

14. My child heard the Hanukkah story every year

at Christmas time. Did I say every year? Yes, every year.

She asked to tell the Christmas story, just once, and it was forbidden.

I think the war on Christmas stuff is ridiculous, but so was this!

[BrklynLiberal]

15. Want to REALLY blow their minds...send them these links...

http://www.jesusisaliberal.org/

Welcome to "Jesus is a Liberal"

We created this website because we believe the historical, Biblically documented teachings of Jesus
Christ clearly show that Jesus is a Liberal. His philosophy, based in compassion, equality,
inclusion, forgiveness, tolerance, peace and - most importantly - love, is 100% Liberal.

For 20 years we have seen the growing domination of the radical right wing evangelicals on TV, on
the radio and in the news, newspapers and magazines and in politics - claiming to own a virtual
monopoly on Jesus. They have redefined what He meant and used His name to advance their
radical right wing social, business, governmental, political and military agenda - or as President
Bush calls it their just and righteous Crusade. We strongly object and disagree.

We reflect the views of over 150 million Liberal, Progressive, Tolerant and Independent thinking
Christians, Catholics, and others of all spiritual paths, religions and traditions in the USA and
Canada. Together, we reject the radical right wing Republican evangelicals' claims that they alone
represent the will, expression and blessing of Jesus Christ. We believe it is high time someone
stand up for the Liberal, Progressive, Tolerant and Independent thinking majority's position that any
plain reading of His words, any genuine interpretation of His intent, outline a Liberal, Progressive,
Tolerant, Loving and holistic world view.

Our Mission is to promote the Integral Koan (TM), holistic meme, and the original belief and
understanding that Jesus IS a Liberal, and to their very core His teachings outline a Liberal,
Progressive, Tolerant, Loving, open minded, holistic, and sustainable vision for our World.

We invite you to explore our website, email us, submit articles & links and to link us to your site.
We also invite you to share our website with your friends and family.

http://liberalslikechrist.org/index.htm

If Jesus of Nazareth was anything, he was an extraordinary friend of the unfortunate and the down-trodden, definitely a Liberal, whose advocacy on their behalf so infuriated the ultra-Conservative religious and political leaders of his day that they had him killed to prevent the public from hearing the very liberal teaching that you will see quoted abundantly in Jesus' own words on this web site !

Those who actually know what the Bible says about the life and teaching of Jesus recognize that far from being like Jesus of Nazareth, today's "Religious Right" are much more like the kind of clerics who battled this revolutionary prophet from the day he opened his mouth until the day they had him nailed to a cross. Although these people claim to represent Jesus Christ, they rarely quote his teaching or follow his example. What they do instead is use his name ("in vain") to promote their ideas, ideas which Jesus himself did not teach, and might well have opposed.

[pipi_k]

17. Well I had no idea before yesterday that I was one of them "furriners"

who are here to destroy the country by not wishing people a "Merry Christmas".


A post on a friend's FaceBook page declared just that...not directed at me personally...but just a general rant about how it's the "foreigners" who are coming here and taking away American's rights to enjoy Christmas and say "Merry Christmas" to each other.

"Happy Holidays"...apparently it's a code phrase for "We're here to eradicate your holiday and destroy America".

I suppose I probably am a foreigner...most of my great grandparents immigrated here in the late 1800s from Canada, where they had been living since the late 1500s. One line on my dad's side is MicMac tribe that's lived in Canada for perhaps thousands of years.

Me = filthy non-God-fearing foreigner....


:hide:

[ladywnch]

18. what I love about the 'war ' on Christmas is how all these 'Christians'

are brooding and bitching about the absence of all the Pagan symbols and rituals that were hijacked by Christians and incorporated into 'their' holiday. And most of them are too ignorant, stupid, or just belligerent to even know or acknowledge that their 'Christian' holiday season/traditions are liberally laced/linked with Paganism.

[SeattleVet]

19. Send her this, and watch her head explode::

(Yep, that's an official ornament from the GOP store!)

[Javaman]

21. Kill them with kindness.

It is an effective tact. I've used it myself and I just get a kick out of the repukes and ball lickers when they get their candies in a bunch at not being able to repond in their usual mouth foaming way.