Friday, December 19, 2008
My Visual Argument
Well, here it is. For some reason I can't get it to go any bigger, but here is the link to the full size. http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc137/GalenaNutumnent/Visual-Argumentweb.jpg
Friday, December 5, 2008
Peace on Earth?
Happy Holidays. We say Merry Christmas. Santa Clause. Jesus is the reason for the season. Happy Winter Solstice.
Oh dear what is Christmas coming to? Normally I try not to let all of this nonsense bother me, but this year it seems worse than usual and it can really suck the Christmas spirit out of a person. If someone does not want to celebrate Christmas, that is fine. They don’t have to. No one is forcing them. What I don’t understand, however, is why certain people who disagree with the Christmas message, that God came to earth in the form of a human baby, feel so determined to ruin it for everyone else. No doubt you have heard something of the controversial sign that was placed in Washington.
This sign is completely uncalled for and inappropriate. Not only is it negative and demeaning towards Christians and anyone celebrating Christmas, but it also makes atheists look bad. I know that not all atheists are mean Scrooges with no motive other than to destroy other people’s opinions, but that is what this sign certainly suggests. If I were an atheist, I would not want this to be my representation at Christmas.
It is simply not necessary to spite other people’s opinions in the name of free speech. Constitutionally, there is no reason why a nativity scene or other Christmas decoration cannot be displayed in a public place. “Separation of Church and State” has been so taken out of context, I doubt Thomas Jefferson would have ever penned the phrase if he knew how it would be abused. He wrote it in a letter to a group of Christians, Baptists I believe, who were afraid the government would control religion too much. (It is not even in the Constitution!) He assured them that that would never happen, because there was a “wall of separation between Church and State,” so that the government could not interfere with the affairs of the Church. Now, this phrase has been reversed, to mean that the church and religion cannot be in any way connected with the government. This is not what Jefferson meant at all. In fact, he and many other Founding Fathers openly supported religion and Christianity, thought it was a beneficial and necessary part of the country, and even commended prayers, Bible verses, and religious things being included in schools, governmental ceremonies, and other public places. Now the “separation” phrase has been so misused.
As no one is forced to celebrate Christmas, I do not understand why certain people feel so inclined to speak so negatively about it. To my knowledge, there are not protests of this sort at Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist holidays, or celebrations of other religions. Why Christmas? I just do not see any reason to take away from one of Christians’ most sacred celebrations in this manner.
Oh dear what is Christmas coming to? Normally I try not to let all of this nonsense bother me, but this year it seems worse than usual and it can really suck the Christmas spirit out of a person. If someone does not want to celebrate Christmas, that is fine. They don’t have to. No one is forcing them. What I don’t understand, however, is why certain people who disagree with the Christmas message, that God came to earth in the form of a human baby, feel so determined to ruin it for everyone else. No doubt you have heard something of the controversial sign that was placed in Washington.
This sign is completely uncalled for and inappropriate. Not only is it negative and demeaning towards Christians and anyone celebrating Christmas, but it also makes atheists look bad. I know that not all atheists are mean Scrooges with no motive other than to destroy other people’s opinions, but that is what this sign certainly suggests. If I were an atheist, I would not want this to be my representation at Christmas.
It is simply not necessary to spite other people’s opinions in the name of free speech. Constitutionally, there is no reason why a nativity scene or other Christmas decoration cannot be displayed in a public place. “Separation of Church and State” has been so taken out of context, I doubt Thomas Jefferson would have ever penned the phrase if he knew how it would be abused. He wrote it in a letter to a group of Christians, Baptists I believe, who were afraid the government would control religion too much. (It is not even in the Constitution!) He assured them that that would never happen, because there was a “wall of separation between Church and State,” so that the government could not interfere with the affairs of the Church. Now, this phrase has been reversed, to mean that the church and religion cannot be in any way connected with the government. This is not what Jefferson meant at all. In fact, he and many other Founding Fathers openly supported religion and Christianity, thought it was a beneficial and necessary part of the country, and even commended prayers, Bible verses, and religious things being included in schools, governmental ceremonies, and other public places. Now the “separation” phrase has been so misused.
As no one is forced to celebrate Christmas, I do not understand why certain people feel so inclined to speak so negatively about it. To my knowledge, there are not protests of this sort at Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist holidays, or celebrations of other religions. Why Christmas? I just do not see any reason to take away from one of Christians’ most sacred celebrations in this manner.
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