Since it was originally a pagan fertility symbol, how about we call it a "fark Tree"?

God forbid some Christians get offended. The tree IS a holiday tree. What does an evergreen tree have to do with the Christ child being born in a Mediterranean city?

Di Atribe: God forbid some Christians get offended. The tree IS a holiday tree. What does an evergreen tree have to do with the Christ child being born in a Mediterranean city?

Because praise White Jesus!

Repub troll: Ha ha! I will call this felled conifer which I have stood back up and secured, bedecked with polished tin orbs, a "Christmas" tree! Watch the libruls, they're gonna be sooooo mad!

Libruls: ::crickets::

Repub troll: Come on, guys... guys?

Di Atribe: God forbid some Christians get offended. The tree IS a holiday tree. What does an evergreen tree have to do with the Christ child being born in a Mediterranean city in September?

T,FTFY.

As a solitary pagan who has actually studied religion in college I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

1. The tree was a fertility symbol thousands of years before Christ was born.
2. It was actually celebrated at the Winter Solstice.
3. The Roman Empire converted the date to coincide with Saturnalia.
4. Christ wasn't even born in December. It was most likely March or April.
5. It is a holiday tree because despite everything, Christmas is a holiday.

Christmas tree, holiday tree, whatever. January can't come soon enough, bah humbug.

Di Atribe: God forbid some Christians get offended. The tree IS a holiday tree. What does an evergreen tree have to do with the Christ child being born in a Mediterranean city?

Well, Lebanon has a only few cedars left. Maybe they cut them all down for Christmas 1,000 years ago?

/hot
//like a pole dancer

As a godless heathen I would like to say this: "Call the farking tree whatever you want and shut the fark up about it."

I swear the absolute proof their is no god is the lack of lighting bolts smiting ANYONE use the phrase "War on Christmas"

Wait, my wall socket just arced...there's a little smoke, I feel a tingling in my fingers...ahh, I'm okay now, must have been Joe Pesci.

Ennuipoet: their

THERE---I hate it when I do that and hate it even more when the Grammar Gestapo points out that I did that.

mamoru: in September?

I thought it was March.

Ennuipoet: As a godless heathen I would like to say this: "Call the farking tree whatever you want and shut the fark up about it."

Exactly. It amazes me that people get bent out of shape over crap like this. Don't they have any real problems in their lives to deal with?

eddyatwork: Exactly. It amazes me that people get bent out of shape over crap like this. Don't they have any real problems in their lives to deal with?

I don't know many atheists, but those I do could care less about what they call Christmas. It's not like religion has anything to do with it unless you worship at the Mall...yeah, I know.

Ennuipoet: It's not like religion has anything to do with it unless you worship at the Mall...yeah, I know.

Mammon will be displeased with your irreverence.

Ennuipoet: I don't know many atheists, but those I do could care less about what they call Christmas. It's not like religion has anything to do with it unless you worship at the Mall...yeah, I know.

I'm an Atheist. I couldn't care less whether it's a Christmas Tree. Then again, I don't belong to a religious group that also has a holiday at that time of year.

eddyatwork: Exactly. It amazes me that people get bent out of shape over crap like this. Don't they have any real problems in their lives to deal with?

They feel threatened when people don't believe in the same things they do. I don't really understand that.

Ennuipoet: As a godless heathen I would like to say this: "Call the farking tree whatever you want and shut the fark up about it."

Newsletter and all of that. Seriously though, I think most of us grew up calling it a "Christmas Tree". Because of this, saying "Holiday Tree" sounds funny when you've called it a "Christmas Tree" your whole life. So you say "Christmas Tree" out of habit and don't think about it much.

The same thing could be said about saying "Merry Halloween" or "Merry Holidays". It sounds funny, so you stick with the original. Religion has nothing to do with it and shouldn't but I guess the fundies have to feed their AW complex somehow.

That's some lightweight "force." Behold the power of email.

Gecko Gingrich: mamoru: in September?

I thought it was March.

I had heard August-ish myself.

I'm an ACLU liberal, like the guy mentions in the article, and I prefer Christmas. That's what I celebrate. I just don't want to hear any crap if I happen to say "Happy Saturnalia!". I like to see fundies squirm in terror, though...

"...And now, it seems, we have a Tree of Knowledge.
She looked up at the branches overhead
And shrugged her shoulders. Then she went away;
And what was left of Merlin's happiness,
Like a disloyal phantom, followed her."

- 'Merlin' by Edwin Arlington Robinson (1917)

jsobota: Gecko Gingrich: mamoru: in September?

I thought it was March.

I had heard August-ish myself.

Can't we just check his Kenyan birth certificate??

/someone had to...

jsobota: Gecko Gingrich: mamoru: in September?

I thought it was March.

I had heard August-ish myself.


it's my understanding he likely never existed at all.

I celebrate Christmas. If I want to call it a Christmas tree, fine. If they want to call it a holiday tree out of respect for other people, completely fine. I feel like even having an opinion on this is ridiculous.

Wow. Someone's really trying hard to manufacture a controversy.

Why do people need lie when they argue their causes:

- the anti-seal-clubbing people put up posters of the cute white baby seals ... the ones which are not hunted

- the christmas-is-under-attack people say "they want to include everyone except christians" when in reality 'they' just want to include everyone

- the anti-abortion people almost exclusively talk about late term abortions which most people on both sides of the argument feel is a bad idea

- etc.

If your position requires lies to support it ... then it is time to rethink your position.

/when your arguments are based on lies then you are no better than Bevets
//intentional misquotes and out of context quotes are lies

Sweet, Merciful Jesus is this stupid!.

Is like the argument of "The Virgin of Guadalupe is not christian because she's not white!"

Yes, I've heard it.

/Can't we all just get along?

drew46n2: jsobota: Gecko Gingrich: mamoru: in September?

I thought it was March.

I had heard August-ish myself.


it's my understanding he likely never existed at all.

Of course he exists. He cleans my pool.

Church |-Wall-| State

Vodka Zombie: Wow. Someone's really trying hard to manufacture a controversy.

Its that time of the year for fundraising at the American Family Association - which is the organization that flooded the governors office with phone calls.

/the irony is that the AFA laid off a bunch of staff in December last year.
//Merry Christmas!

AliasUndercover

I'm an ACLU liberal, like the guy mentions in the article, and I prefer Christmas. That's what I celebrate. I just don't want to hear any crap if I happen to say "Happy Saturnalia!". I like to see fundies squirm in terror, though...

It's "Io Saturnalia" you crude barbarian.

As a godless heathen I would prefer it if we called it a Christmas Tree, called it Christmas, and shot everyone, regardless of faith, who insists we're encroaching on their beliefs by calling them such.

Ironic, considering that Christmas has its origin from a pagan holiday.

/can we get a flame war started?

Haha, good. As it should be called a Christmas tree anyways.

The anger and tears from Atheists on this issue sustain me.

What the hell difference does it matter if it's called a 'Christmas' or a 'Holiday' tree? In my house, we call it 'The' tree, 'A' tree, or 'That' tree (particularly when it's dropping needles all over everything) when we bother with one.

/blames the holiday bunny

Di Atribe: They feel threatened when people don't believe in the same things they do. I don't really understand that.

Neither do I, but if it wasn't for the hypersensitive fanatics who go apesh*t crazy whenever they even suspect their beliefs are being questioned, the Politics threads would be damn near empty.

Can they still count as a Festivus Pole when a fence is attached?

panoplos: Haha, good. As it should be called a Christmas tree anyways.

The anger and tears from Atheists on this issue sustain me.

I'm an atheist, and I call it a Christmas tree. Not really a problem to me.

drew46n2: jsobota: Gecko Gingrich: mamoru: in September?

I thought it was March.

I had heard August-ish myself.


it's my understanding he likely never existed at all.

According to what I've read, he probably did exist, but the stories about him in the New Testament are grossly exaggerated (and I'm sure at least a few of them are completely made up).

panoplos: Haha, good. As it should be called a Christmas tree anyways.

The anger and tears from Atheists on this issue sustain me.

Did you.. read any of the thread so far? At all?

Vodka Zombie: panoplos: Haha, good. As it should be called a Christmas tree anyways.

The anger and tears from Atheists on this issue sustain me.

I'm an atheist, and I call it a Christmas tree. Not really a problem to me.

I suspect the only atheists who claim to take umbrage with the whole Christmas bit are only really doing it for the lulz.

As an agnostic, I love the Christmas tree. And the gift-giving. And the booze. ...Because they're a traditional part of growing up in the West, and since none of it has anything at all to do with Christ or the Bible, I can enjoy it without getting all religious-y.

Set your nativity scenes up in front of your churches, pretending Christ was white and coincidentally born when the Pagans were celebrating the Winter Solstice. The rest of us will enjoy the lights and the songs about reindeer and snowmen and all of the other secular stuff that make the holidays so much fun.

The American Family Association is the religious right's version of Al-Quaida.

Subby, you earn the tag for this.

Sgeo: panoplos: Haha, good. As it should be called a Christmas tree anyways.

The anger and tears from Atheists on this issue sustain me.

Did you.. read any of the thread so far? At all?

Reading is not one of his strong points.

it's not your holiday, you dirty, thieving xtians! your savior was born in March. He was a pisces, thus his name the Icthys-the Fish. Dec 25th was Sol Invictus. Winter Solstice. When the days got longer they celebrated the Sun being reborn from the death of winter.

/dirty heathen
//hardly godless, we have many.
///married to a lutheran. they sing happy berfday to jesus on xmas. it makes my skin crawl.
////slashies for my big hard yule log.

Thats an 827: Can they still count as a Festivus Pole when a fence is attached?

Festivus for the rest of us!

zoips: Vodka Zombie: panoplos: Haha, good. As it should be called a Christmas tree anyways.

The anger and tears from Atheists on this issue sustain me.

I'm an atheist, and I call it a Christmas tree. Not really a problem to me.

I suspect the only atheists who claim to take umbrage with the whole Christmas bit are only really doing it for the lulz.

I think you're right. When you demand people say "happy holidays," and the Christians get so out of control nuts, it's fun in a tapping-the-glass-of-a-fishtank sort of way.

Are you decorating for CHRISTMAS?

Yes? Then it is a CHRISTMAS TREE.

No? Are you a Druid or Pagan?

Yes? Good for you.

No? Then why bother in the first place?

As someone who will be roasting a goose for Yule, I'm getting a kick out of some of these replies.

/the winter solstice: it's the reason for the season