The True Spirit of Xmas

Reason.com ^ | December 20, 2004 | Julian Sanchez

[BenLurkin]

The article's author comes across as being quite hateful.

Not sure why stuff like this gets published at all.

[webheart]

Christian FReepers do seem to get mighty upset about certain things...

I don't consider myself a Cristian, necessarily, but then I don't consider myself not a Christian, so I am ambivalent about the whole religious identity thing. I believe in evolution, but that it is possible that some higher power may exist somewhere.

I have always been as annoyed as heck at the Salvation Army's bellringing noises at the stores around Christmas. I also do not outright boycott stores, but I do shop a lot less at Target than I did before they banned bell ringers.

I support Christianity in general, as long as they don't try to make me join their particular sect, because it teaches morals and values that I as a thinking conservative consider important. Sometimes there may be no rational or logical reason for opposing abortion or supporting the death penalty, except on the basis of faith, and if a faith is going to be needed to help make the right decision, I vote for Christianity.

[Kenny Bunkport]

LOL

[admiralsn]

I thought that it was widely known by now that that is simply not true- that the X in X-Mas is, indeed, in reference to Christ. It is basically a symbol representative of the cross. This goes back many many years and has been reported in many myth debunking publications.

[InsureAmerica]

Admittedly I do not have a plethora of evidence or opinion on this one way or another. A simple question, though. If indeed it is Christmas, why use Xmas?? Is it Christ, or is it X?
I remember as a child, this issue, and it was very much 'frowned upon'. Means nothing more or less than that, I suppose. Probably it all is a function of individual strains of Christianity. I would never write xmas, i would make the extra effort to remove all doubt, add the extra 5 letters, reference Christ, and be done with it.

Apparently it is not widely known. Lots of things are thought to be widely known and actually are not.

Thanks for the opportunity to engage in discourse with you on this. All you have written is considered with respect..

[InsureAmerica]

I feel compelled to add to my last post - in many churches the 'X' is not accepted. As far as your assertions that "it" goes back many years, (From your post: "This goes back many many years and has been reported in many myth debunking publications"), I ask you please to provide 3-4 instances of evidence of this. Provide the names and dates of these publications, if you would please. Many things are reported in myth debunking publications. (philadelphia enquirer comes to mind) For the sake of this discussion, this is wortheless. Please provide, 2-3-4 examples of these publications. If you can do this, then you have the ability to change the perspectives and opinons of others. If you just, as a matter of course, refer to obscure 'things', then you will achieve nothing. I would like the former, rather than the latter, given my proclivity toward learning and understanding about new and unknown 'things'. Please accomodate me. Thanks.

[admiralsn]

I think what I intended to say was that the use of the X for X-Mas was used for many years, and only recently was it seen as a sign of "removing the Christ from Christmas." Obviously, people are going to do what they feel is right in their heart. Even after reading the information found at the sites listed below, some will still prefer to write out the word Christ. Absolutely and completely understood. If you write the full word/name "Christ" intending all due respect to Him, someone else may do the same by writing the letter "X." I didn't mean to start anything, as I myself prefer to write out the word "Christ."

---

I found the following information on various web sites:

http://www.of-worth.com/ea/Christmas.htm#Does%20Xmas%20Take%20Christ%20Out%20of%20Christmas?

http://www.pulseplanet.com/archive/Dec99/2041.html

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Xmas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-mas

http://www.juiceenewsdaily.com/1104/news/history_xmas.html?1132372195109

http://www.coffeeswirls.com/archives/2003/12/12/the-meaning-of-xmas/

And from a FR thread from a year ago:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1293598/posts#20

 

[InsureAmerica]

Thanks for the links. I'll read more of them time permitting.

So far here is what i've learned:


"In the animated television show Futurama, which is set in the 31st century, Xmas is the official name for the day formerly known as Christmas."

[admiralsn]

Well keep reading, there is a little more there than that.

And Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

There are also those who believe that the word "niggardly" is a racial slur. People have been fired because there are those who say it is a racial slur.

It is not a racial slur, and is really, really believing that it is will not change that fact.

[AmishDude]

Actually, his fifth and eighth paragraphs (think anyone would chastize a teacher for talking about unions "100 times a day"?) are making the exact point he's trying to denigrate. In addition:

the lead plaintiffs in Abington School District v. Schempp, which barred schools from conducting morning Bible readings, were Unitarians

...making the point.

no pride of place for Christmas among those happy winter holidays

What winter holidays? There's Hannukah and the one made up by a felon specifically to piggyback on Christmas. The problem is that "holiday" is used as a 1-1 replacement for Christmas. Watch a commercial: "What are you going to get her this holiday?" Which holiday? Kwanzaa? I thought only kids got presents during Hannukah. Gift-giving is a specific Christmas thing. There's a reason why the whole thing comes to a head on Dec. 25. We don't have big sales for Veteran's Day, but at least the media isn't afraid to say the word. There's only one holiday and this whole thing was made crystal clear when Lowes advertised "holiday trees". You can argue about many things, but the tree is tied inexorably to Christmas and Christmas alone.

demagogues purport to be playing defense against a plot to "purge religion from the public square,"

...but the author just got done saying that this is exactly what's going on and it's a good thing too.

"Reason" magazine has a very misleading title.

[InsureAmerica]

isn't it amazing to occasionally see a politician or some other 'personality' all teary-eyed in front of the media apologizing or resigning for using 'niggardly'? It is a hoot. What idiocy..

[AmishDude]

Joining FR to post a relevant article does not automatically make one a Troll.

Yes it does.

By definition.

[InsureAmerica]

Maybe Xreason would be a better title for the magazine????

[InsureAmerica]

one can also be accused of being a troll by posting a minority opinion or a provocative opinion. I have never started a thread here yet, but 2 times, I think, based on nothing more than the randomness of the date I joined here and the fact that someone disagreed with my opinion on a topic, I was accused of such. Maybe someone should post the 'Troll Rule', if indeed it has been codified here somewhere.

[tonycavanagh]

To my way of thinking, I had a mother who is a past master at claiming victim status that in America every group wants to feel that they are a victim of another group.

Reply if you think I am wrong but it seems the blue states and red states spend there time counting there own right in a almost miserly fashion screaming that any move by another group is aimed at deleting one or more of there own rights

I guess I don't have as many rights as Americans, but I don rt feel even victimized or oppressed.

LOL Apart from recruit training and I think drill Sargent's go to nasty school just to learn how to victimize and oppress end LOL.

[AmishDude]

No, a troll is someone who posts attempting to do nothing more than provoke a response with no intention of an honest discussion. "Trolling for a response." Doing so at the sign-up date is an easy way of doing this because one has no history and no one can judge that the motive is nothing but to tweak the other members of the forum.

A disruptor is something different.

People often confuse the two.

[HappyMary]

Exactly. Most reasonable Christians aren't saying that there's no room for other celebrations. They're just saying that they don't think that their own traditions need to be watered down, renamed or shuffled aside in order to accomodate others.

It is starting to get a little disturbing, though. Look at how much anti-Christian sentiment has grown just in the last 10 years! People are accusing us of overreacting, but if we don't react now, when something can be done about it, 10 years from now we might look back and wonder why we just sat on our hands. I've heard some stuff about Congress looking at a Christmas Protection Act, or some such thing, as a way to protect our traditions (while still respecting others' traditions, of course). I've already written to them and told them that if they're not thinking of it, they should...I think it would get a lot of support.

[Prince Charles]

Canceling subscription to Reason bump...

[gondramB]

"Canceling subscription to Reason bump..."

Absolutely. They seem to feel a need to exaggerate our concerns in order to belittle them.