Whoa...so decorating pine trees isn't an authentic Holy Land tradition? Who knew?

What, no newsflash tag?

Are there actualy people living who don't already know this?
Honestly, who still believes the birth of Jesus even happened in the winter?
Why is this a big shock story every single year?

I don't see the big story in this. Most Christians understand that Jesus was, likely, born in Spring/Summer.

Only my fellow Fox News watching Americans would be so dim as to not know this! LMAO Welcome to the real world.

more proof scientists are out to get christinanity... the round earth, then the heliocentric universe,then evolution, what next, what will be enough?

I'm a pagan who got my holidays used for control by Rome, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

/ducks
//window seat please

Wow, it must be really easy to be a scientist in Italy. What will they discover next? That there used to be some kind of pan-Mediterranean political power based in Rome?

Every farking years, the "intellectual" come out of the woodwork to tell us how Christmas is really a pagan celebration in disguise.

We know you farking farkwad! Everybody knows. You don't look clever when you explain it.

And guess what : NOBODY CARES! Why don't you try to learn *shocking* truths about other stuff, and try to pick something thats not in every national papers, newscast, blogs and forum threads in the world for 3 weeks before Christmas.

Two things wrong:

1) Green light?
2) Obvious tag on break?

When DON'T pagans have a smug look on their faces?

bitteroldman: Are there actualy people living who don't already know this?
Honestly, who still believes the birth of Jesus even happened in the winter?
Why is this a big shock story every single year?

Probably the majority of Americans don't know this. Even now they *still* won't know, because don't pay attention to this stuff. You're giving people in this country too much credit.

I'm sure there are still plenty of people out there who would reject this information as well. In fact, I know there are, because I used to work with some.

Informed and educated people are actually a very small minority in this country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3O2SvY0d4U

Whoever just "discovered" this deserves a big "DUH" tag.

Christmas was set on December 25 because there were already many other pagan holidays and celebrations that occurred around that time. It was something early Christians did to help popularize their religion. Thought this was common knowledge.

Jesus not likely born in the winter? Heck, no one even knows if He was really born in the year "0".

The people in the US that don't know this are the same ones who claim this country to be a Christian Nation founded on Christian Principles.

Basically, far too many.

Kuroshin: bitteroldman: Are there actualy people living who don't already know this?
Honestly, who still believes the birth of Jesus even happened in the winter?
Why is this a big shock story every single year?

Probably the majority of Americans don't know this. Even now they *still* won't know, because don't pay attention to this stuff. You're giving people in this country too much credit.

I'm sure there are still plenty of people out there who would reject this information as well. In fact, I know there are, because I used to work with some.

Informed and educated people are actually a very small minority in on this countryFark.

FTFY.

Kuroshin: bitteroldman: Are there actualy people living who don't already know this?
Honestly, who still believes the birth of Jesus even happened in the winter?
Why is this a big shock story every single year?

Probably the majority of Americans don't know this. Even now they *still* won't know, because don't pay attention to this stuff. You're giving people in this country too much credit.

I'm sure there are still plenty of people out there who would reject this information as well. In fact, I know there are, because I used to work with some.

Informed and educated people are actually a very small minority in this country.

Oh shush will you. Not knowing and not caring is not the same.

There is things in life that doesn't really requires all the attention it gets, and Christmas' origins is one of them. The whole "bah humbug, it's a Pagan celebration" is just an excuse for atheists and otherwise unreligious people to join in the fun and celebrate what they see as a religious holiday.

/Not religious. Far from it even.
//Doesn't need an excuse to celebrate Christmas.

Originally Christians began celebrating Christmas during Saturnalia in order to have a reason to celebrate while the pagans were having fun.

Now pagans/heathens/atheists are doing the same thing in reverse.

That deserves an IRONIC tag.

bitteroldman: Are there actualy people living who don't already know this?
Honestly, who still believes the birth of Jesus even happened in the winter?
Why is this a big shock story every single year?

*claps hands over ears* LA LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! LA LA LA!

/and now back to setting baby Santa Claus in the manger

mdbirt: Only my fellow Fox News watching Americans would be so dim as to not know this! LMAO Welcome to the real world.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22370072/
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/22/europe/EU-GEN-Italy-Roman-Christmas.ph p
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Home+Family/071222/U12229AU.html
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/ITALY_ROMAN_CHRISTMAS?SITE=INEVA&SECTION= HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

So what about the liberals who watch MSNBC or the Canadians or every single news organization that reads the wire from the Associated Press. Methinks this story is really for people who don't know how to read a byline.

I love it when the Christians say, "Remember the reason for the season!" Almost makes me want to adopt a lion...

obvious tag is already loaded on eggnog, it seems

. . .celebrating the birth of the sun god, Andrea Carandini

It's nice to know the Romans had some god with a first name and a last name, kinda like a certain wiener.



//Not that it's the longest sentence ever, but pretty close

Actually, "Jesus" would have been born around the Jewish festival of Sukkot. If one looks at the Hebrew the word translated "Manger" is Sukkah, which is the tent like thing Jews build for Sukkot(or Feast of Tabernacles). The reason there was no space in the inns was because Everyone was going to Jerusalem for the feast.

DownIncognito

Heck, no one even knows if He was really born in the year "0".


Oddly enough they do: I believe 'year 0' is defined as whichever year the Christ character was born. They get that one because they decided on the definition themselves. :-)

Besides, being non-math types, they probably started counting at 1. This is why everyone thought that Year 2000 == millennium. They were wrong, of course, but we can't let mathematics stand in the way of a good superstition.

JerseyTim: When DON'T pagans have a smug look on their faces?

My guess would be when they are being burned at the stake.

Lost the Obvious tag, Subby?

Kuroshin:
Probably the majority of Americans don't know this. Even now they *still* won't know, because don't pay attention to this stuff. You're giving people in this country too much credit.

I'm sure there are still plenty of people out there who would reject this information as well. In fact, I know there are, because I used to work with some.

Informed and educated people are actually a very small minority in this country.

Unfortunately for all of us, you are 100% correct.

ROFLMAO, way old news. The History Channel has a show on every year (for many years) telling about where all the different 'Christmas' traditions came from, and all were pagan.

Netheus: I love it when the Christians say, "Remember the reason for the season!" Almost makes me want to adopt a lion...

Kiler: JerseyTim: When DON'T pagans have a smug look on their faces?

My guess would be when they are being burned at the stake.

The LOLs, oh the LOLs!

Englebert Slaptyback: Oddly enough they do: I believe 'year 0' is defined as whichever year the Christ character was born. They get that one because they decided on the definition themselves. :-)


Guess again. Jesus was definitely not born in the year 0; but most likely in 4 BC.

bigd29: The people in the US that don't know this are the same ones who claim this country to be a Christian Nation founded on Christian Principles.

Basically, far too many.

This. I still find a wide variety of folks who believe the pilgrims were persecuted for being Christians (and not the antagonism between Puritans and the Church of England), were the same group to form the nation, and that Jesus was "proven" to have been birthed on December 25.

HoneyDog: ROFLMAO, way old news. The History Channel has a show on every year (for many years) telling about where all the different 'Christmas' traditions came from, and all were pagan.



The History Channel sure has fallen off. It had turned into the Hitler Channel, with little else on but shows about Hitler and the Nazis.

Now, it's turned into the Jesus Channel, with little else but shows about Jesus & biblical stuff.

How about showing, oh, I don't know, HISTORY?

Are these the people that believe a 600 year old man built an arc?

Next, you'll be telling me that George Washington wasn't born on President's Day.

/Still, I laugh at Christians for their need to hijack a perfectly fine pagan holiday.

DownIncognito

Heck, no one even knows if He was really born in the year "0".

Englebert Slaptyback: Oddly enough they do: I believe 'year 0' is defined as whichever year the Christ character was born. They get that one because they decided on the definition themselves. :-)

There was no year 0.

Besides, being non-math types, they probably started counting at 1. This is why everyone thought that Year 2000 == millennium. They were wrong, of course, but we can't let mathematics stand in the way of a good superstition.

I certainly hope you were being sarcastic here, cause if you weren't you just pointed yourself out as a non-math type.

bacccc: Are these the people that believe a 600 year old man built an arc?

If you're going to try to start a religious flamewar, the very least you could do is spell "ark" right.

FAIL.

Next you'll be telling me the real George Walker Bush is imprisoned 300ft below sea level in a solitary cell inside an iron mask, and has an IQ of 163; and that his twin Brother Herbert is currently being told how to run the country.

BitwiseShift: . . .celebrating the birth of the sun god, Andrea Carandini

It's nice to know the Romans had some god with a first name and a last name, kinda like a certain wiener.

Not only a first & last name but he's a professor of archeology. I gotta admit, if you're immortal, archeology is a good line of work.

He's already a god but still working on tenure. Once tenured, he's gonna be set.

The History Channel sure has fallen off. It had turned into the Hitler Channel, with little else on but shows about Hitler and the Nazis.

Now, it's turned into the Jesus Channel, with little else but shows about Jesus & biblical stuff.

How about showing, oh, I don't know, HISTORY?

There are two History Channels, the regular History Channel and the International History Channel. The shows tend to go in CYCLES. At holiday times, they have a lot of shows about religious stuff. For instance, one I watched this morning was on how the mother of the first Christmas Roman Emperorer went to the "holy" land to trace the footsteps of Jesus, and how the Church of the Navitity is likely in the wrong spot because there were two Bethlehems, and the one Jesus was born at was 100 mile north in Nazereth and not by Jeruselem.

By the way, are you saying the Hitler had nothing to do with history?

DPoem:

Of course Washington was born on President's Day. That's why he was made the first president!

//Smug Pagan. Celebrating the Solstice by flying from snowy, windy Detroit to Miami for the week.//

HoneyDog

I certainly hope you were being sarcastic here, cause if you weren't you just pointed yourself out as a non-math type.


There was some tongue-in-cheek there, but the point is valid. The transition from the second millennium to the third did not occur until the midnight between December 31st, 2000 and January 1st, 2001.

The conventional wisdom had the transition occurring at the beginning of 2000th year instead of at the end. This is clearly incorrect.

I am still trying to figure out why bibles are not in the mythology section of book stores.

bitteroldman


Honestly, who still believes the birth of Jesus even happened in the winter?

Fixed. You're welcome.

/Happy Festivus, Fark

The_Talented_Mr_Richards: bacccc: Are these the people that believe a 600 year old man built an arc?

If you're going to try to start a religious flamewar, the very least you could do is spell "ark" right.

FAIL.

Well personally, I do believe that probably, some 60 year old man somewhere built an arc. I'm only a "0" and a "k" from the bible fundies.

My favorite is Easter: What's more believable, a guy coming back from the dead, or a rabbit laying colored eggs???

Seriously, these "reports" come out every year to illustrate as much as possible the ridiculousness of religion. It's cool that we have a winter celebration, but to wrap it up in religion, exclude other religions and then have a big fight about it at the entrance to Wal-Mart is asinine!!

I mean, it's not like atheists are protesting at christian funerals or anything over it.

MyNameIsMofuga: I am still trying to figure out why bibles are not in the mythology section of book stores.

Probably because most bookstore owners don't want to have their establishments fire-bombed.

thesums: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3O2SvY0d4U


Jesus loves me cause I celebrate the traditional way...
No tree, no decorations, no shopping or gifts...
Tons of secks


world orgasm day, anyone?

Major holidays are usually around Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Been that way for 4000 years. Romans didn't invent them.