xmas rant

I'm not attacking people! I'm attacking the ignorant ideas that keep Christmas alive.

Halloween is celebrated by ppl dressing up as things they wouldn't ordinarly dress up as, doing things they wouldn't ordinarily do, and doing all kinds of celebrating, JUST because it's Halloween.

April Fools' Day has people pulling pranks and practical jokes on others, and it's acceptable then. It's April Fools' Day! People expect that kind of stuff then!

Christmas is celebrated in the same way, with the same reasoning, the same "temporary mindset." JUST because it's Christmas. Or am I wrong? Then why do we do it only ONE time per year, why do we buy gifts for EVERYONE we know, as though they all simultaneously crossed our minds? I'm not attacking people, I'm attacking Christmas.





When you were little, and someone gave you something good, food, a present, whatever, and you forgot to say ''thank you,'' but your folks nagged you ''Ah! Did you say 'thank you?''' Then you say ''thank you.'' Those are the worst expressions of gratitude. You had to be TOLD to do it.

I've had some beef with Christmas for quite a while now, and it's finally becoming clear to me exactly what the reasoning is.


Here's what I'm taking about:

Q.: Why do you get people gifts for Christmas?

A.: ''Because it's Christmas! you're supposed to!'' =-O you see?




It's as though getting them a gift wasn't MY idea, Christmas nagged me into it. The ''planned-out-day'' of the year, where we all ''do the Christmas thing'' gave me the idea. I had no chance to think to do something like that on my own. Not that I'm seeking recognition for it, but it is IMPOSSIBLE for such an idea to have come from ''the goodness of my own heart!'' Christmas beat me to the punch-it whispered in my ear ''give gifts to everyone you know, be kind, be joyous, spread peace!'' And now I am just copying what Christmas dictates. Good person or not, it's impossible for any of that to be my OWN idea!

My beef with Christmas is not that it's ''commercialized.'' It is so much more than ''a fake holiday.'' It removes all chances of a person being truly giving; yet we do it, we give to everyone we know, in spite of the fact that we're just doing what we're told! How does that show anyone anything?


I mean, it's all been done before. I'm not trying to top Christmas, but what good is it to give a gift like that, if your genuineness is not even your own?

''Not my own?! How DARE he make a claim like that?!'' Okay, my mistake, you actually celebrate Christmas every day of the year. You are exempt from anything this blog post has to say.

The very idea that I'm getting a gift for EVERYONE i know, testifies to the fact that I'm doing it NOT because these people all simultaneously crossed my mind, but b/c something else convinced me to get a gift for everyone. And supposing for a moment that it was my own idea, from the goodness of my heart, why is it ONLY one, planned-out time a year? It's almost like it's PLANNED out....



no other time of the year gets people to act the way they do on halloween. like ''omg! it's halloween! what are you gonna be??'' or ''geez, what are you, crazy? this ain't halloween!'' people don't normally act that way. it's halloween that gets them to do it. it's acceptable then.

and no other time of the year gets people to act the way they do at christmas. like ''omg! what do you want for christmas?!'' or ''wow! this is just like christmas for me!'' ppl don't normally act that way--they're surprised when it happens out-of-season. it's christmas that gets them to do it. it's accepted then.


Now, Halloween, that's something different. the celebration of that usually entails costumes, trick or treating, and halloween parties. fine. it's a good idea to plan out ONE day a year for this stuff to happen, that way EVERYONE knows when it's supposed to happen, so we don't have ppl like, ''doing the halloween thing'' in the summer or whenever. This sort of thing SHOULD be confined to a planned out date, well in advance, just as it has been.

in god we fussed.

i just got this foreward about some new coin that's going to be circulated in the united states that is devoid of the sentence ''in god we trust.''

that got me thinking...for one thing, i think this email was totally bogus. sounds like someone just wanted to see how many christian conservatives they could get panicked about that.

but suppose it were legit? first of all who would be surprised by this? like wow...how could you NOT see this coming? ''in god we trust'' is a misrepresentation of a major portion of the population. many people simply don't want that kind of banner for themselves. and if it's enough for some people to gripe to get ''in god we trust'' ON the money, then it's enough for some people to gripe to get it removed.

this nation is scarcely a christian nation, anyway. it would be a more accurate representation to have that removed from the money, or to have something non-christian on the other side of the currency.

so now, we have one group of people forcing this slogan to be on our money, and we have others who don't like it.

so, what if we put ''atheism is our following'' on money? that would get the christians angry, but the athiests might not be opposed to it. so, an athiest message, or a christian message? an umbrella statement for the whole united states. who's right? the christian is, of course ;-) done and done. wow...why should we even vote, when just one guy can make the decision like, a million times faster?

but there's another angle to address. the christian has a ''commission'' that they are to fulfill, which is basically to proselytise those who are not already christian.

when a christian gets to heaven, is God really going to ask ''did you petition to keep 'in god we trust' on money? 'cause if not, you don't get in.'' God is more concerned with what we become, and how we treat others. Jesus even said, in regards to money ''whose inscription is this on the coin?'' they said ''ceasar's.'' then he said ''then render to ceasar what is ceasar's, and to God what is God's.''

really. why not just let it go? all that's accomplished by tightening their grip on this matter is:

1.) perpetuating the tensions between themselves and those who actually don't trust in God (which is counterproductive to their ''commission'')

2.) showing everyone else that they are the kind of people who will ''strain out a gnat, only to swallow a camel.''

3.) putting a logo on money that God doesn't even care about. (oh, i could see it now...God asks you ''so, how many followers of christianity did you convert?'' then you answer ''well, none, but i DID get ''in god we trust'' put back on the money. and that's what really matters. i had to offend quite a few of your children down there to get it back, but i'm sure you're pleased with the end result.)

and just seeing how many people put their names on that petition, it's like they're fighting, as though losing this ''battle'' would be the worst thing that could ever happen. hey, chill out. you're not ''winning any souls'' by keeping the slogan on the money, you're just showing a rather ugly side of yourselves by fighting this with so much intolerance.

and while we're on the subject of intolerance, this is the same thing with same sex relationships/marriages. the fact that you're intolerant of it is not going to convince anyone who is homosexual to become heterosexual. the more you push, the more you hurt people, offend people, and generally get people to dislike you.

and finally, some might say ''well, christian faith is what our country was FOUNDED on!'' no, it wasn't. freedom of religion was actually the reason this nation was started, and more accurately, ''freedom from religious oppression.'' keeping that idea in mind, putting ''in god we trust'' on the money seems to say ''freedom of religion, yes, as long as you're christian.''half the signers of the delcaration of independence were deists and/or masons/freemasons. same thing as those who signed the constitution. (http://freethought.mbdojo.com/foundingfathers.html , http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/mashist.htm , http://deism4u2xplore.tribe.net/thread/03ef5d80-932c-436a-a3fb-eecf70645e62)

so now, we have people who are actually taking the idea of freedom of religion to the bank. the joke's on them and ''in god we trust'' is the punchline.

but you know who's right? you are, mr./ms. Supporter of ''in god we trust'' on currency, because

1.) whenever there's a difference in opinion, your opinion is the one that matters.

2.) you're a christian, and our deist/mason forefathers wouldn't have it any other way.

3.) if those other religions don't like it, well they can just move out. go somewhere else. b/c if there's ANYTHING this nation stands for, it's religious freedom. ;-)

okay, so, this is where we're at:
1.) love your neighbours who are heterosexuals. check.
2.) be ready to fight tooth and nail to keep ''in god we trust'' on our money. check.