Posted on 12/11/2006 8:14:08 AM PST by beaversmom
But Christmas trees, Hallowe'en costumes, jack-o-lanterns, etc., are not celebrations of our pagan background. They are fully Christianized traditions now, incorporated into the symbology of the Church. They were once pagan, but they are not longer, and when we use these symbols on holidays, when we understand what we are doing anyway, we are in no sense returning to our pagan roots. Those roots may have inspired the rituals originally, but they've been "Baptized" so to speak, and are now Christian. In truth, most of these things have been Christian now far longer than they were pagan before that.
your opinion. my lovely crock filled with pearls, thrown at the feet of porkers.
your opinion. my lovely crock filled with pearls, thrown at the feet of porkers.
As ye seek, ye find.
If the spirit of joy, love, and forgiveness is not in our hearts, what do our symbols count for?
If you call the airport admins being a lot smarter than the Rabbi and his dumb lawyer cowardice, yeah. I guess a loser at poker needs some cover for playing a stupid hand.
All this whining because the bluff got called and a bet was lost.
Hanukkah is certainly not in the same league with Passover or even Rosh Hoshanna, which could be comparable to Easter and Christmas in importance. But I didn't mean to imply that it was a made up holiday; however, its prominence in the US is basically seen as a counterweight to Christmas.
There's nothing wrong with that, but that doesn't mean that a small group of citizens gets to knock out a symbol of a traditional holiday celebrated by the majority. And if the rabbi really felt the Christmas tree was some dread symbol of Christianity - which it really isn't, but has become a cultural symbol of winter, and in fact is objected to by many Christians - he should have approached the airport months earlier and discussed this, rather than storming in with his attorney.
Incidentally, the Lubavitchers have done this elsewhere in the US, most notably in New York (where they displaced Christmas symbols and got their menorah, while Christians - the majority of New Yorkers - got a snowflake!) and some towns in Florida.
"“All 15 Christmas trees inside the main terminal at Sea Tac Airport (Seattle-Tacoma International) have been removed in response to a complaint by a rabbi. A rabbi wanted to install an eight-foot menorah and have a public lighting ceremony. He threatened to sue if the menorah wasn’t put up and gave a two day deadline to remove the trees.”
Maybe it was misreported?
It's too bad you don't see Christian charity and forgiveness around you.
BTW your screen name is Sabramerican. Why not AmericanSabra? Or American?
The Rabbi and his lawyer were arrogant and stupid and the aiport admin smart and prudent.
They tried to hold a Christmas decoration hostage--the airport outmaneuvered them and now they look ...well, petty and mean and small-minded...for some reason...(g)
It is hard when someone whose work you admire disgraces himself. Makes you all defensive and whiny.
Is that so. Maybe they managed to get the manger scenes replaced...with Winter Festival Trees.
The only solution; let him have his monorah and put in a Nativity scene for the majority!!
My first choice was Americanhatingkike but it was to big a word to spell everytime I logged on.
impossible to know the truth
I think we have gone PC nuts.
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We haven't. He did. It's about time those PC nuts are challenged agressively and with a take no prisoners approach. This rabbi needs to get experience the wrath of those of us fed up and outraged by those who look for every opportunity to be victims of being offended.
Mr.Medved words mean things. When the good Rabbi's lawyer threatened with a federal law suit all bets are off!
I do understand your desire to soften the impact, but the damage is already done!
He made no such ultimatum.
He threatened to sue. That threat brought the trees down.
I'd say threatening to sue was an extortion attempt to demand an action from the airport that it hadn't considered and which would have given blessing to a religious ceremony which the airport had never done. What in the world did this jerk think would happen?
If his intentions were so PURE, why did he hire a lawyer? That's suspect, to me!
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Exactly!!!! The minute the lawyer appeared on the scene all claims of "just making a request" are silly. Common now, GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!!!
The airport management made that decision.
Ofcourse the airport made it. What choice did they have but to give in to an extortion attempt. The rabbi made a demand or bad things would happen, giving days notice of intent to sue. Enough said??
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