Well I declared war on a relative who whined about The War on Christmas

[Are_grits_groceries]

This is what I said on FB:

Seriously? I have no problem with God or religion. I do have a problem when it is pushed on everyone by hypocrites. I don't care what holiday greeting used if it is said with genuine care. I do mind when it's used to make a point and becomes a weapon. Nobody has ever said that you have to get your religion out of your lives. They have said get your beliefs out of the lives of others who think differently.
Religions are to be kept out of government areas because they represent everyone. If you look at the history of religion in schools, it's not very pretty. Those who don't conform to the specific religious mores that are pushed have become targets of ridicule and intolerance.

AND let's take a look at what the good religious people did. You approved and elected a man who has had no discernible religious beliefs. He has zero idea about forgiveness which is the basis of Christianity. Jesus would run him and his cabinet out of every temple and church on Earth. So spare me the angst about Christmas and God. They will be just fine and strengthened by those who ACT like Christians. For the rest of you, 'Have a Holiday!'

[socialist_n_TN]

1. All holidays matter..........

nm

[blue cat]

2. Hypocrites!

They whine about political correctness, then expect political correctness about a holiday.

[CurtEastPoint]

3. You might want to remove that person's name from your post.

[Initech]

4. Like I keep saying - the republicans have become the whiny crybabies they accuse us of being.

Don't like Star Wars? Boycott. Starbucks being mean to Trump supporters? Boycott. Hamilton was being mean to Pence? Boycott. Stores don't greet you by saying "Merry Christmas"? Boycott. Zales airs an ad featuring a nice looking lesbian couple tying the knot? Boycott. Funny for the party that claims they don't need safe spaces, they sure do need a lot of safe spaces don't they?

[Coventina]

7. What I find hilarious is the Hamilton boycott. Yeah, cuz the deplorables are the target market for

Broadway shows.

[Initech]

16. Not to mention it features a very diverse cast of minorities and LGBT actors. The horror!

[tblue37]

45. That show is sold out until Judgment Day, so their "boycott" is absurd. nt

[Different Drummer]

71. This, exactly! n/t

[BlancheSplanchnik]

78. Oh please boycott.

We like our spaces free of snivelly babies wetting their pants and screaming at the rest of us about their inflamed bums.

[Initech]

83. I'll boycott that!! Rabble!!!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

90. BaaHAAAA!!!!!

That's hysterical!

[get the red out]

5. Wonderful response

I have been attacking the memes about "not being allowed to say Merry Christmas". But your comeback is awesome.

[SCantiGOP]

62. Gandhi quote:

"I like your Christ, but I don't like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."

And he saw the Christians; i.e., the British Empire, up close and personal while they were undertaking the White Man's Burden.

White Man's Burden, by the way, was a phrase originated by Pres. McKinley during the Spanish American War to explain why we had to go around the world killing brown people so we could Christianize them.

[lastlib]

67. My simple response to these idiots:

"What happens when YOUR conscience doesn't meet government specifications?"

[Calista241]

6. Happy Festivus!!!

[malaise]

8. Two Corinthian morons

Good rant

[wcmagumba]

27. Two Corinthians...

walk into a bar and...

[malaise]

64. Smashed some hypocrites

[panader0]

9. Even the word "holiday"

has a religious meaning. (holy day)

[Crunchy Frog]

57. Actually, it has a religious origin

But in contemporary usage, its meaning is not religious.

[stopbush]

10. Er, acting like a Christian is nothing that any decent person should aspire to.

Outside of Jesus' touting his version of the then-centuries-old Golden Rule, the bulk of what he said was reprehensible, anti-human garbage. Have you ever read his suppossed words?

The guy as depicted in the Buy Bull was a megalomaniac. Loathsome, in my books.

[treestar]

15. Interesting

Which do you refer to?

I was thinking something along the lines of leave your family to follow me, that kind of stuff?

[stopbush]

52. That's one. There's also the "confess me as savior or spend eternity in hell"

gem.

Check out the story of the Canaanite woman who begged for Jesus to heal her sick daughter. He taunted her, even stooping as low as calling her a dog.

A sick, sick person whose actions and personality jibe perfectly with the patriarchal religion from which he sprang.

[Ligyron]

51. Agreed and the Southern Baptist cult is one of the worst.

We were Espiscopal, ya know - the church of England.

But I ran screaming even from that liberal bunch once I studied history and especially science.

A plague on all their houses.

[a kennedy]

11. I love you grits.......this would be exactly what I'd write if I was capable of it......

it's perfectly said.....

[smirkymonkey]

12. Bravo!

Well said! I am so sick of these whiny christians and their x-mas crap. Let it go and just enjoy the season.

[libtodeath]

13. The jeebus they want to worship

would be in hell based on the rest of the fairy tale book they claim to follow.

[progressoid]

14. But there is a war on Xmas. Here is the internment camp...

hat tip to Baitball Blogger http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018909100

[Coventina]

17. That photo makes me chuckle every time!

[littlemissmartypants]

21. .

[lunatica]

28. Yeah but what do they have against Halloween?

They just hate everything!!

[DK504]

74. Ohhhh

That is just Delicious. This is going on FB.

[Coyotl]

18. Happy Holidaze, but, FCS, don't kill trees for Jesus.

[DK504]

23. Brilliant

I'm sending this picture to my entire family

[NastyRiffraff]

42. Oooh I love that!

That cat looks like he/she means it!

[Crunchy Frog]

58. I'm killing a tree, but not for Jesus. Only for secular reasons

Of enjoying the scent of evergreen in the house during the holiday season. I'm killing a pig too, and eating it; well, not the whole pig, but part of it. Both killings to be done by proxy.

[deaniac21]

19. You earned your

Social Justice Warrior badge!!

[raccoon]

20. You rock. nt

[littlemissmartypants]

22. I admire your leadership.

Well done!

[forgotmylogin]

24. My favorite holiday moment I thought I would get fired for...

I was working customer service and we were instructed to wish callers "happy holidays" at the end of the call.

One perfectly nice lady suddenly turned on me, "NO! It's not HOLIDAYS. It's CHRISTMAS. MERRY CHRISTMAS is what we say in this house!"

Without thinking, I replied "And in my house we're Jewish, so Happy Hanukkah, Ma'am. Thank you for shopping ____!" The response after a stunned silence was "Oh. (click)"

God will probably get me for this since I'm actually as goy as the day is long. I was terrified until I got a note from my auditor "We could have written you up for this, but every person we played the clip for couldn't stop laughing. L'chaim!"

[mwooldri]

44. ehe if you were working for me you'd probably get a raise!

Fortunately my work place is free to celebrate all, any and no holiday whatsoever.

[Mariana]

49. There are people who have never worked

in retail or customer service who really don't believe how absolutely nasty some Christians get if you say Happy Holidays to them instead of Merry Christmas.

I can just imagine them later on in Heaven, hanging out with some old timers comparing persecution stories. The old timers talk about being eaten by lions, burned at the stake, sent to the gulags, etc. The 21st century American Christian says, "Well, that's nothing. There was a war on Christmas in America! It was awful! Every December store clerks would say Happy Holidays to me!"

[forgotmylogin]

50. We should organize some Safe Spaces for them and their trauma!

A room, no smaller than 12x20, leafed entirely in gold and red and green and mirrors, draped with loops of tinsel with a huge decorated tree in the center and a manger scene in every corner, blaring only religious Christmas songs from concealed speakers. NO SANTAS. A snow machine keeps the air at a brisk 45F. An attendant nun is there with a ruler to slap people's hands who mention gift-buying or Santa or any non-Christian or secular holiday tradition.

[RBInMaine]

66. Next time tell them that "holidays" come from "holy days" and to have a nice day.

[FailureToCommunicate]

84. +1

[dae]

25. Well said! If you don't mind I may have to lift this from DU 2

place on my own FB page.
I do love to engage/enrage heathens.

[Are_grits_groceries]

92. Please do! Nt

[azureblue]

26. So, as I told one of my relatives

If you want to "put Christ back in Christmas" then celebrate the birth of Christ on his birthday, which is some time in September. Read the Bible's description of the birth of Christ- all that happened in the early fall, not winter. What silly herdsman would be out with his flock of sheep, at night, in the cold of winter, anyway? Quit trying to bulldoze over a pagan holiday (yuletide) with your religion.

They did not like that- it simply did not compute with them. too many sacred cows and assumptions blown to pieces in one sentence...

[Coventina]

29. For some reason I recall hearing it was probably early April.

Either way, we know Dec. 25th was chosen merely to trample the Celts/Germanic tribes and their religions.

[NastyRiffraff]

47. They just repurposed Dec. 25th and the entire nativity story

Dec. 25th had been used as the birthday of the following pagan gods:

Sol Invictus
Horus
Osiris
Attis
Mithra
Heracles
Dionysus
Tammuz
Adonis

Many were born of virgins, were announced by stars, meteors and other skylights.

Some of the "virgin births" included the Egyptian sun god Ra, Horus, the son of the virgin Isis, Attis, son of the virgin Nana, and the very interesting birth of Dionysis, who supposedly was "twice-born" of the virgin Persiphone and the god Zeus.

Zeus, by the way, was a sexually busy god. He especially liked mortal women and fathered children by: Danae, Io, and Leda (and counting!)

The Roman god Mithra is an interesting case. His story which predated Christianity included: the Dec. 25th birthday, born of a human virgin, seen by shepherds and Magi who brought gifts to the cave where he was born.

[paleotn]

70. Being the son of a god was relatively common way back in the day....

... Alexander the Great was son of Zeus. And lets not forget Gaius Julius Caesar, son of Venus. Original, Christians are not.

[TaterBake]

30. "Today's" Christians Serve Satan And Vote Republican Satan's Surrogates

Feed the hungry? Yeah right.
Heal the sick? Yeah right.
Take care of the least among us? Yeah right.

100% of, by and for the billionaires.

Jeezus Freaks not Christians.

I am not a christian. I am a follower of Christ's teachings, which is the opposite.

[Bettie]

39. BOOTSTRAPS!

They are only poor because they choose to be!

I hear this all the freaking time from my ultra-religious relatives.

[niyad]

86. welcome to du

[pipi_k]

31. As far as I can see...

the only ones waging a war on Christmas are the ones whining about it.

Yeah, I have the relatives who are posting the same STUPID memes each year over and over again about how, "We say Merry Christmas in my house, and if you don't like it, too bad".

WTF???

They act like there are armies of atheists running around forcing them to say "Happy Holidays" or whatever. It would be laughable if it weren't so damned pathetic.

I personally don't give a rat's ass what greeting someone says to me. Happy Holidays...Merry Christmas...Happy Hanukkah...Happy Kwanzaa....Happy Season of Lights...or nothing at all.

I. Don't. Care.

It's a non-issue for me.

But them? No. THEY are the ones waging a war. I shouldn't say ON Christmas, though. No, they're waging a war WITH Christmas. Using it as a bludgeon on the rest of the world while they act like victims of some mass Christian persecution.

I, quite frankly, am sick and tired of the whole Christian persecution thing.

[Mr.Bill]

80. They do it all year long.

A guy delivered an appliance to my house last summer. As he left he said "Have a blessed day".

[pipi_k]

87. They do...

I run into the occasional person who will say something like that also.

My usual reply is...

"Thanks...you too"

I guess it's automatic.

Like someone will say, "Happy Birthday"

Me: "Thanks...you too". (After which I feel like a bozo)


I guess if someone said "Fuck you", I would probably also say, "Thanks...you too".

Being a bozo is hard work sometimes.

[montana_hazeleyes]

89. Thank you! lol

Your post gave me a much needed chuckle.

[niyad]

32. blessed yule or happy solstice works for me.

[Coventina]

33. Me too!!!!

[niyad]

34. especially when confronted with one of those self-righteously insistent "MERRY CHRISTMAS" types.

[Coventina]

38. It's hilarious how astonishingly ignorant most Christians are about their own religion.

"Jesus is the Reason for the Season" cracks me up every time.

Um, no....the Solstice is the Reason for the Season.....

[niyad]

40. you and me both. every once in a while, I do the educational bit, but here in fundieville, the

effort can prove exhausting.

my shorthand version is "you do realize that every holy day you celebrate you stole from the pagans, yes?"

[Coventina]

41. Yes. Very exhausting. I'm in fundieville as well. Raised by fundie parents.

So, yeah.

[ET Awful]

95. They get especially confused when you explain the origins of the word "easter"

[niyad]

101. I know, I absolutely love doing that one.

[Different Drummer]

75. Saw a meme on Facebook the other day...

that said "Axial tilt is the reason for the season." I started to share it, but I figured a lot of people wouldn't see the humor in it.

[Coventina]

77. I like it!!

[niyad]

102. you would have to explain it to them.

[IronLionZion]

35. If people really wanted to put Christ back in Christmas

[niyad]

37. I LOVE IT

[Kittycow]

69. +1

[niyad]

36. and then we have my favourite, "happy christiceyulekwanzkah"

[zanana1]

46. uh oh nt

[yardwork]

48. Good post.

[ms liberty]

53. Good for you...

Someone shared one of those Memes with me and I told them that if they wanted to stop the War on Christmas they needed to get in their time machine and go back to 1942 and stop Irving Berlin from writing "Happy Holidays" and then stop Bing Crosby from singing it in a movie - and making it a hit. Then they should crawl back in their time machine and go to the 1880's when it became popular to send postcards to family and friends with artwork and phrases like 'Season's Greetings' and 'Happy Holidays.'

[greymattermom]

54. Those cards were sent

so if they arrive late, they'd still be in time for New Years.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

55. Yea grits

I always liked you . Have a great holiday!!

[Greybnk48]

56. Blame it all on Bing

[LeftinOH]

59. Joe Walsh, former GOP Congressman & certifiable moron settles the issue:

The last part of his tweet, "Jesus would say 'Merry Christmas', not 'Happy Holidays" is particularly jaw-dropping...on so many levels.

[Crunchy Frog]

60. This video says it all.

[smirkymonkey]

73. The stupidity of some of our elected officials just astonishes me.

Jesus would be a law-abiding gun owner? WTF?

[jpak]

61. Ha!

[Xolodno]

63. I'm more of a jackass.....

I tell them real Christians don't celebrate Christmas and yes its in the Bible. I whip out these two versus:

Jeremiah 10

[2] Thus says the LORD: "Learn not the way of the nations,
nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens
because the nations are dismayed at them,
[3] for the customs of the peoples are false.
A tree from the forest is cut down,
and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.
[4] Men deck it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so that it cannot move.


Then I get the usual mumbo jumbo about it being in the Old Testament, so I hit them with this:

Revelation 11

[7] And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them,
[8] and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
[9] For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb,
[10] and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

[RBInMaine]

65. Spot on! Last year I told some who did this to "PLEASE STOP MANUFACTURING A CRISIS! No one is

telling you not to say Merry Christmas. Say it all you want. Say it day and night. But also live by the teachings of Christ which are peace and love, and also realize that there are other traditions too at this time of year and people have been saying HAPPY HOLIDAYS for hundreds of years because there are several holidays and many days of the season. In fact, the word "holiday" comes from "holy day." So what the heck is wrong with that?"

[LaydeeBug]

68. It's 'conservative utopia'

no one acts differently.

[Different Drummer]

76. +1 n/t

[paleotn]

72. My personal favorite is....

Happy Saturnalia! Did the early Christian church ever see a holiday they DIDN'T want to co-opt or steal? Christianity is one of the most unoriginal religions ever devised by humans.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

79. ....

[lefthandedskyhook]

81. this hurts

I have disowned many relatives over this foolish choice but not my mother who is fighting for her life

[Xipe Totec]

82. I do not have your patience - you have the patience of Job. nt

[Vogon_Glory]

85. Fundy Preacher in Amarillo Texas: No Santa

You might want to look up Fundamentalist Preacher DavidGrisham who went into a mall in Amarillo, Texas and started shouting that there was no such thing as Santa Claus. Various search engines can locate that bird in action.

[NanceGreggs]

88. Well done!!!

[malaise]

91. Great thread

Kick

[C Moon]

93. The GOP is always looking for a rallying cry.

The "Happy Holidays" (what the fuck sentence can sound more innocent?) is just another.

The GOP really don't give a flying fuck about any of these rallying cries. They use them to get some low/mid income people on their side.

It worked on my mom. I didn't know at that time (about 15 years ago), but my mother was a Fox News abuser. She left it on all day. And I believe that was about the time those freaks came up with the anti-Happy-Holidays idea. One of the first things my mom said to me when I came over for Christmas about 15 years ago was: "Isn't it terrible how people are saying anti-Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas?"

I was speechless. My jaw probably dropped. I had no idea what she meant: even Bing Crosby sang a great song called "Happy Holidays" back in the 40's—and we grew up listening to it on our parents turntable.

It was years later that I found out about this bull shit Happy Holidays thing, and it rang a bell.

I really hope there is an after-life, and that these bastards who work day and night on brain washing people to believe bull shit so they can make money, fry in a large, hot, black frying pan.

[NastyRiffraff]

100. I say "Happy Holidays" just to annoy these idiots

who think that it's somehow dishonoring their religion, or Christmas. A former friend once told me that Hannukah should not be allowed because Christmas was the important holiday! That's one of the reasons why she's a former friend. I used to be in her face with "Happy Holidays."

I also thinkHappy Holidays fits the season best, since there are a variety of holidays, including Solstice.

Bill O'Reilly is so boringly predictable!

[C Moon]

104. Yes. I like Happy Holidays best, too.

[Daxter]

94. Don't mind me, just gonna borrow this

I have family members that are extremely religious and have had enough of the "war on Christmas" bs. Good for you for standing up to them, now it's my turn.

[vlyons]

96. Happy Holidays!

I've decided that anyone who says "Merry Christmas" to me as a political statement will get back "Happy Holidays" from me. For starters, Jesus wasn't born on Dec 25. That is a made up date to take over the various pagan winter solstice holidays. Given that I'm a Buddist, I don't really care much about Christmas anyway.

[Vinca]

97. I don't get this obsession with "Merry Christmas."

"Happy holidays" encompasses all the bloody days Hallmark Cards expects us to celebrate: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and/or any other celebration that floats your boat. It's all bullshit anyway. If any of these people were bona fide Christians they'd stop whining on Facebook and go find a poor person to feed.

[Maraya1969]

98. If someone says there is a war on Christmas I just as, "What do you mean by that? Can you give me an

example?" I find that asking questions, being specific usually trips them up.

If they mention something about stores or the Obama's saying "Happy Holidays" I just remind them that there are several holidays that are celebrated at this time of the year, including Hanukkah. Happy Hanukkah is just so we include everyone in our well wishes.

Same thing with manger scenes. I would tell them that it is not fair to not include the Hanukkah Menorah, or the Native American's Winter Solstice. (I like including Native Americans since, well they are the only NATIVES of America)

There are plenty of others like Kwanzaa.

[pipi_k]

99. You're right...they can never seem

to verbalize exactly what the "war" is. Maybe because it's just easier to parrot what they hear than to give the whole matter much thought.

I just read on Facebook this AM (on a page called "Entitlement is still a disease&quot a post from some woman who posted an outraged complaint on the Target page after she...a "valued customer"...was highly offended that a Target store she shopped in

hold onto your hats here...

was not playing Christmas music!!!

aughhhhhhh!!!

When she asked someone in the store why not, she was told that some people didn't like it.

She wanted to know why "they always got their own way".

They???

Anyway, people tried to explain to her the concept of diversity and inclusion. If you can't play holiday music from other cultures/religions, then why should Christmas be any more special?

She kept saying that her questions (there were a few of them) were not being answered. When asked what questions were not being answered, she couldn't give a specific answer. Just kept on accusing Target of being some kind of evil atheist empire or something.

People parroting bullshit they hear but without the brain cells necessary for critical original thinking.

[Mariana]

103. I work in a store that plays Christmas music

and all of it is bad. It's as if someone intentionally went out to find the most awful versions of every Christmas song. Who knows, maybe someone did just that. People who genuinely enjoy Christmas music ought to feel insulted that this crap is what is being played for them.

[NastyRiffraff]

105. I generally hate the Xmas music the stores play

As far as Xmas music goes, I generally prefer the religious ones (preferably instrumental only), even though I'm an atheist. It's usually just better music. There are exceptions, of course. I'd be very happy if I never heard Little Drummer Boy, Away In the Manger, or O Little Town of Bethlehem again.

I get why stores don't play what I consider good Xmas music because of the religious issue. Which I understand very well indeed.