Merry Freakin' Winter Solstice
In a comment to my last entry, someone (in an otherwise complimentary note) mentioned the "anti-Christian" tone of my posts. It's true that much of the humor (if you located any) in my last two entries centered around symbols of Christianity.
But let me be entirely clear about this. I am not "anti-Christian" at all. Christianity is actually a darned nice religion, as religions go. Christianity -- REAL Christianity -- preaches love and tolerance and happiness, and I have no problem at all with that.
So, I'm not in any way anti-Christian. But I am "anti-pompous hypocrites" and I am "anti-thought police" and I am "anti-Bible-thumping omnicrats". And, if you're a true Christian, you must agree with me that the so-called "Religious Right" (which, in my opinion, is neither) isn't making your faith look very good right now. Accordingly, they should be made fun of ... while we still have the freedom to make fun of them.
Consider, if you will, the latest fight the "religious" conservatives are picking (against their own pet Dubya, no less). President Bush sent out 1.4 million greeting cards wishing his close friends and supporters a happy "holiday season." No taxpayer money went into the printing or mailing of these cards, so that's a nice gesture. Well, because Bush didn't expressly wish everyone a "Merry Christmas", more than a few "Christians" are up in arms.
Now, when people tried to call the Capitol Christmas Tree a "holiday spruce", House Speaker Dennis Hastert insisted on calling it a Christmas tree, not a "Hanukkah bush" or a "Kwanzaa shrub" or whatever. Fine. Trees are a Christian symbol of the holiday, and if you wanna call it a "Christmas tree", fine. It's a tree, for cryin' out loud.
And the White House sent out a greeting card. So what's the problem?
Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association (ugh), has called for a consumer boycott of Target stores because the chain issued a holiday advertising circular that did not mention Christmas. Last year, he aimed a similar boycott at Macy's. And this year, Macy's capitulated.
(Does it seem strange to you that fundamentalist Christians, who believe that the Scriptures are the literal word of God, also seem to think that the Old Testament was nothing more than a first draft that was superceded by the New Testament? I mean, if the Bible is God's word, then I'd think the Old Testament is just as important as the New. But what do I know, I'm a heathen ...)
You know the situation has spun wildly out of control when the most rational voice on the topic belongs to ... Jerry Falwell?!? "There's a verse from Scripture in it. I don't mind that at all, as long as we don't try to pretend we're not a nation under God," Falwell said.
That's a sign. The Apocalypse is coming. I can feel it.
* * *
In a similar vein, I stumbled across this blog entry that points out a few more fallacies in the "Religious Right's" selective use of the Bible to inflate their importance and ridicule their enemies, while ignoring a few more ... troublesome parts of Scripture that don't suit their purposes. Good stuff.
So no, I'm not "anti-Christian". I'm "anti-dogmatic moron". There's a world of difference.
But let me be entirely clear about this. I am not "anti-Christian" at all. Christianity is actually a darned nice religion, as religions go. Christianity -- REAL Christianity -- preaches love and tolerance and happiness, and I have no problem at all with that.
So, I'm not in any way anti-Christian. But I am "anti-pompous hypocrites" and I am "anti-thought police" and I am "anti-Bible-thumping omnicrats". And, if you're a true Christian, you must agree with me that the so-called "Religious Right" (which, in my opinion, is neither) isn't making your faith look very good right now. Accordingly, they should be made fun of ... while we still have the freedom to make fun of them.
Consider, if you will, the latest fight the "religious" conservatives are picking (against their own pet Dubya, no less). President Bush sent out 1.4 million greeting cards wishing his close friends and supporters a happy "holiday season." No taxpayer money went into the printing or mailing of these cards, so that's a nice gesture. Well, because Bush didn't expressly wish everyone a "Merry Christmas", more than a few "Christians" are up in arms.
"This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," said William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.Ummm ... 'scuse me? Last time I checked, Bush (like him or hate him) was President of 280 million Americans, not all of whom are Christian. So where's the beef?
Bush "claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn't act like one," said Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com. "I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it."
Now, when people tried to call the Capitol Christmas Tree a "holiday spruce", House Speaker Dennis Hastert insisted on calling it a Christmas tree, not a "Hanukkah bush" or a "Kwanzaa shrub" or whatever. Fine. Trees are a Christian symbol of the holiday, and if you wanna call it a "Christmas tree", fine. It's a tree, for cryin' out loud.And the White House sent out a greeting card. So what's the problem?
Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association (ugh), has called for a consumer boycott of Target stores because the chain issued a holiday advertising circular that did not mention Christmas. Last year, he aimed a similar boycott at Macy's. And this year, Macy's capitulated.
At the Catholic League, Donohue had just announced a boycott of the Lands' End catalogue when he received his White House holiday card. True, he said, the Bushes included a verse from Psalm 28, but Psalms are in the Old Testament and do not mention Jesus' birth.Oh, sorry, the Psalm is from the Old Testament. My bad. The Old Testament contains obsolete old concepts like, oh I dunno, the Ten Commandments, which the religious nutcases have come to ignore with alarming frequency.
(Does it seem strange to you that fundamentalist Christians, who believe that the Scriptures are the literal word of God, also seem to think that the Old Testament was nothing more than a first draft that was superceded by the New Testament? I mean, if the Bible is God's word, then I'd think the Old Testament is just as important as the New. But what do I know, I'm a heathen ...)
You know the situation has spun wildly out of control when the most rational voice on the topic belongs to ... Jerry Falwell?!? "There's a verse from Scripture in it. I don't mind that at all, as long as we don't try to pretend we're not a nation under God," Falwell said.
That's a sign. The Apocalypse is coming. I can feel it.
* * *
In a similar vein, I stumbled across this blog entry that points out a few more fallacies in the "Religious Right's" selective use of the Bible to inflate their importance and ridicule their enemies, while ignoring a few more ... troublesome parts of Scripture that don't suit their purposes. Good stuff.
So no, I'm not "anti-Christian". I'm "anti-dogmatic moron". There's a world of difference.
Comments
I couldn't resist.
That there was a holiday that many people in the roman empire celebrated in the middle of winter called Saturnalia. Three hundred years later, when the Roman empire officially became Christian, they didn't want to give up their holiday with it's evergreens, presents, candles and singing. (almost verbatim from a Unitarian Universalist magazine)
Maybe we should call it a "Pagan Tree" The righties would love that:)
Merry Freakin Winter Solstice to you too.
Love your pic "Happy Xmas, you heathen b-stards."
I am a Christian and full advocate for the real and awesome Jesus.
Don't compare Jesus to the futile attempts of the rather lame and self-righteous Christian groups.
I guarantee, Christ eclipses the best intentions of any of us.
Great psot and a very honest and open post.
Merry Christmas!!!!!
Thought provoking post.
You are so wrong in your post, though. Christianity is under attack, and Christians throughout the country are being persecuted. Why, just next week there is a lion feeding at the MCI Center here in DC where they will be feeding Christians to the lions, because, after all, Christians are being persecuted. ;)
Cheers.