Hastert Plays Politics With Holidays

[Jedster]

[ QUOTE ]
nice one jedster, I almost thought you were serious.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you, sir. But Hastert still is a scumbag. He'd rather talk about a holiday tree than Duke Cunningham any day of the week.

[Jedster]

[ QUOTE ]
Do you think it always has been a Holiday Tree?

Come on, we all know what it is.

It's like calling a Menorah a Holiday Candle Holder.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh please. It's time for everybody to learn a little something.

(a) "Christmas" trees have their origins in pagan solstice celebrations (see http://www.historychannel.com/exhibi...s/trees.html); the menorah has its origin in a specific jewish story, the miracle of the lights

(b) Many non-Christian househoulds have "Christmas" trees that represent the winter holiday season, not Christianity; you may not know these househoulds, but i do, and so do others.

(c) Clearly the only reason that Hastert wants to change the name of the tree is to start a fight with non-Christians in order to distract from Iraq, corruption, and other issues. I find it offensive that he is playing politics with the holidays and at the expense of non-Christians. He is a bad man and I've got a lump of coal for his Christmas stocking this year.

unfortunately Im pretty sure he could turn that into a diamond.

I completely agree, its such a dick move.

[elwoodblues]

This is nothing that I'm going to lose sleep over, but I kind of agree with Jedster here. It's one thing if it was called a Christmas tree and then to do nothing to change the name. But, to change the name has only 1 purpose, and that purpose is a religious one.

To those squibbling over whether all trees decorated in December are "Christmas Trees"; would you really be confused what they were refering to when referencing a tree decorated in December as a "holiday tree"?

Minor issue, no value but for a religious one --- doesn't sound like something I want Congress working on.

[canis582]

There are many people who wish to divide us Americans for their own political gain.

"When the first missionaries began converting the Germanic peoples to Christianity, they found it easier to simply provide a Christian reinterpretation for popular feasts such as Yule and allow the celebrations themselves to go on largely unchanged, rather than trying to suppress them."

Jedster, what "Holiday" does a "Holiday Tree" celebrate?

[canis582]

"what "Holiday" does a "Holiday Tree" celebrate?"

The Christans stole it from the Pegans anyway. We are really just celebrating the return on the sun after the darkest day of the year.

"Tree Decorating - There is some debate on the origin of this tradition. Druids (and some other ancient cultures) saw evergreen trees as symbols of everlasting life, because they seemed to live through the winter undaunted by the cold. So using evergreen branches as decorations symbolized the undying strength of the Sun. Decorating the trees may have come from the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia."

[ QUOTE ]
The Christans stole it from the P(a)gans anyway. We are really just celebrating the return on the sun after the darkest day of the year.


[/ QUOTE ]

Wow you sound so smart. Because like, Im sure most Christians thought it was like, the tree that spawned the seed of Jesus or something.

No really, just a straight answer, what "Holiday" does a "Holiday Tree" celebrate?

[canis582]

I told you, the winter solstice.

[etgryphon]

[ QUOTE ]


Wow you sound so smart. Because like, Im sure most Christians thought it was like, the tree that spawned the seed of Jesus or something.



[/ QUOTE ]

This made me laugh...

My whole thing here is "Who cares?" It got changed to "Holiday Tree" Hasert tries to change it back. So what it probably took no time at all to do. The only reason that it is a big deal is if you make it a big deal.

Who cares. When the Dem get control of the House, then they will change it back to the "Holiday Tree" for some political reason and the right with cry foul. Its back and forth until no one really cares.

-Gryph