Posted on 12/20/2005 9:45:33 AM PST by Irontank
Catholics have been keeping Christmas as a day of festivity, merriment and generosity for centuries before 1776.
The reason they did not celebrate, is because their theological and politcal opponents did.
Who cares...they were strange to say the least.
This article seems like one of those attack on Christmas rants. Author trying to slip one under the radar from the left wing.
Make a joyful noise unto the world and kick Scrooge in the crotch...ho ho ho!
Michael Medved covers Christmas for the Puritans and US History on
his history tapes/CDs:
https://www.treefarmtapes.com/catalog/product.asp?productid=11967
Great recounting of the history of Christmas.
Man, the Puritans sure were uptite. Live a little. have fun, have a feast...kill the fattened calf, give gifts and break open the chamagne.
The Pilgrims didn't celebrate anything. They were a very uptight bunch.
They didn't need Christmas, they had their ale's and stong drink and plenty of it and were happy and content.
The other day, I was just going through an old 1950's children's book called "Crusade: Adventures From Our Catholic Heritage" that I picked up used for a dollar...
And, right under Christmas, it stated: "The Puritans in New England tried to do away with Christmas, as they wanted to get rid of all things Catholic. They started Thanksgiving in its stead, but the American people keep Christmas and Thanksgiving, too."
I think most people would be surprised to know that.
They didn't celebrate Christmas in Hawaii for a long time either, because it was Christianized by New England missionaries.
Party on, Saints!
H.L. Mencken once defined Puritanism as "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy"
Considering the bit on Thanksgiving is wrong, I know I'm suprised
Two years before the Pilgrims on December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Plantation in what is now Charles City, Virginia. The group's charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a day of thanksgiving to God. Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving. Here is the section of the Charter of Berkley Plantation which specifies the thanksgiving service:
"Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god."
After hearing Medved go on and on about how brilliant
the gay cowboy movie is, I no longer listen to him!
"Maybe that's why the Catholics are still around and the Puritans aren't."
Oh, we're still here. We just take a less public profile.
And we're not too worked up about Christmas any more, although all the debate about the de-Christianization of Christmas essentially is simply repeating the problems we had with it, mainly that the birth of Jesus was being used as an excuse for commercial profit and debauchery.
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