Downgrade Christmas

[blazey]

Maybe they find it annoying because its just a way for british people to be greedy legitimatly once a year and forget the true reasons behind xmas. Is it only immigrants with this viewpoint or is it also people who are british born and from other cultures too?

I mean, some immigrants tend to be very wholehearted about their own religious holidays, and aswell as enjoying a celebration, many strongly hold the religious element of their holidays still, and perhaps it just irrititates them that alot of british people dont hold any religious faith whatsoever until its time for xmas and all of a sudden every british person wants to celebrate xmas, of course excluding those from faiths that dont celebrate xmas, i.e jehovas witnesses.

Perhaps with the fact that for example, the muslim faith are brought up to be charitable and unselfish, maybe it just really annoys people to see us put up tacky decorations around the town and pretend we are really celebrating xmas, when in fact, alot of people are doing it simply for the greed of it all, and of course i'm not including younger children in this who have a genuine belief of 'father christmas' but from the teenage years, most people are doing it really so that people will give them presents.

How many of you know teenagers that go to the church on xmas eve/day to celebrate the birth of christ, or how many statues of st nick (the real one not the coca cola one) in people front rooms?

Me and my boyfriend where discussing this today except with bonfire night instead of xmas. How many people are actually celebrating bonfire fire night for the historical background of guy fawkes and so on compared to the numbers wanting to see the expensive firework shows and eat treacle toffee?

Obviously I enjoy xmas as much as the next person, and I was brought up catholic so rightly so, but perhaps the tackiness of it all rather than the real messages just irritate foreigners and see it as just another way for brits to show that its their country and they have their own traditions, even if they dont actually care about the true meaning of that tradition?

I mean on the other hand, I seem to recall that people werent too happy about putting up similar decorations up somewhere for eid last year, though I'm not quite sure where it was now, maybe blackburn or further away than that.

p.s I am not a british holiday hater, i am just trying to see if from the other possible viewpoint.

[garinda]

The peoples of these sceptred isles have been greedily quaffing food and drink at this time, as well as trimming up, to celebrate the winter solstice, long before the baby Jesus was a twinkle in his father's eye.

[firth_dawn]

yes i agree work is to work not trimming the place up with tinsel all over the place causing a fire hazard.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by firth_dawn

yes i agree work is to work not trimming the place up with tinsel all over the place causing a fire hazard.

You don't own a company do you ? If you do can you let us know which one it so I never apply for a job there

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by blazey

Perhaps with the fact that for example, the muslim faith are brought up to be charitable and unselfish,

I'm pretty sure thats what the Christian faith is all about too.

[MargaretR]

We humanists, atheists, agnostics are decent people too, but we dont have hellfire to threaten us, nor 'dozens of virgins' to persuade us.

[blazey]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

I'm pretty sure thats what the Christian faith is all about too.

It was an example, and indeed the main religious faith of england is said to be the Church of England, but I didn't use the christian faith as the example due to the steady decline of practicing christians in the country, and the lack of young followers attending church today, where as the muslim faith has a uch stronger hold on believers of all ages.

If anyone wants to see proof of this you only need to stand in a church entrance and tally how many say, over 50's there are compared to under 18's. Many would see that the only prominent times people of the latter age attend church is during xmas holidays (and probably just gone with the rest of the family to keep the peace) or during baptisms, confirmations etc of younger family members, which often are due to the reputation of the school they want to attend, not because their family are religious.

Currently I only know of one christian family who attend services on a regular basis as a family, yet I went to a catholic primary and high school. When I attended a more diverse college the amount of young muslims who attended their services and prayed regularly was much higher. And so that is why muslim faith was my example. Unfortunatly I also got the pleasant task of studying religion in a sociological sense so I have covered this issue before in an analytical sense rather just a peed off christian.

To be honest, it wouldnt even bother me if we didnt put up the xmas decorations in accy, because they tend to look really cheap anyway, but it'd be nice to have a proper grotto again where u can go inside and see santa rather than quickly go past him sat on a chair. Anyone remember the winfields santa grotto? That one was quite good.

[Greg Pope]

Wynonie is right - this barmpot of an idea has nothing at all to do with either the Labour Party or the Government, it is just a think-tank trying to get publicity. It's important that we respect all religions (like lots of people I sent Happy Eid cards to my Muslim friends for example), but we are a Christian country and we should celebrate our own heritage. So, an early Happy Christmas to all Accywebbers!

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Greg Pope

Wynonie is right - this barmpot of an idea has nothing at all to do with either the Labour Party or the Government, it is just a think-tank trying to get publicity. It's important that we respect all religions (like lots of people I sent Happy Eid cards to my Muslim friends for example), but we are a Christian country and we should celebrate our own heritage. So, an early Happy Christmas to all Accywebbers!

Who, and how, is the Institute of Public Policy Research, the body that came up with the suggestion, funded?

[garinda]

These must be the idiots responsible.

ippr - Institute for Public Policy Research

Strange that they have an office in Newcastle, because I've just had a vision of Catherine Tate's Geordie Georgie. Perhaps she's the diresctor of IPPR who doesn't have her picture up.

[declan]

"The only people who object to our celebration of Christmas are the government think tanks"

But no Government Think Tank has suggested any such thing where is the evidence? Its just a ruse by a mischief maker i suppose to stir up anti emigrant feelings, i am sure most people of other cultures are not offended by any christian celebration, but some employers might take it into their own heads to ban certain things and blame racial intergration, i believe this sort of scaremongering rubbish was started last year and the Government firmly slapped it down shame on those who seek to stir up racial tension

[blazey]

Originally Posted by declan

"The only people who object to our celebration of Christmas are the government think tanks"

But no Government Think Tank has suggested any such thing where is the evidence? Its just a ruse by a mischief maker i suppose to stir up anti emigrant feelings, i am sure most people of other cultures are not offended by any christian celebration, but some employers might take it into their own heads to ban certain things and blame racial intergration, i believe this sort of scaremongering rubbish was started last year and the Government firmly slapped it down shame on those who seek to stir up racial tension

My muslim friends at college made alot of jokes about it when it was said in the papers about blackburn muslims wanted to put an end to the lights and stuff. They didnt know a single person who opposed our celebrations, and they made alot of comments about rainbow coloured sheep and twinkle lights too lol being sarcastic about it.