Philippic
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2005 9:34 pm
. . . (And if that was mate tea, its being a member of the Aquifoliaceae family permits a stretch to "seasonings greetings" as well.) Nice to be reminded of that song, stargzer.
-gailr
. . . are the final words as the song fades out as I remember.Folk rock.
She did - she always does ! Thanks, Larry ! Speaking of seasoning's greetings, I really find it difficult to understand what's going on on your side of the Pond - it seems the (Christian) religious types, both Protestants and Roman Catholics, are raising High Heaven (pardon the pun !) over the fact that some commercial establishments have chosen to write «Seasoning's Greetings» instead of «Happy/Merry Christmas» when inviting people to their Temples of Mammon. I distinctly remember an earlier age, when these same groups used to deplore the profanisation of the sacred by these establishments. Have they finally realised that «nemo potest duobus dominis servire aut enim unum odio habebit et alterum diliget aut unum sustinebit et alterum contemnet non potestis Deo servire et mamonae» and changed their allegiance to the Master they love best ?...
Despite the execrable spelling, etymological errors, and holier-than-thou attitude, this editorial makes some good points along those lines. This one does so with more humor, albeit with even less tact.
Speaking of seasoning's greetings, I really find it difficult to understand what's going on on your side of the Pond - it seems the (Christian) religious types, both Protestants and Roman Catholics, are raising High Heaven (pardon the pun !) over the fact that some commercial establishments have chosen to write «Seasoning's Greetings» instead of «Happy/Merry Christmas» when inviting people to their Temples of Mammon.
Henri
Talk about the Grinch !...The Puritans considered Christmas un-Christian, and hoped to keep it out of America. They could not find Dec. 25 in the Bible, their sole source of religious guidance, and insisted that the date derived from Saturnalia, the Roman heathens' wintertime celebration. On their first Dec. 25 in the New World, in 1620, the Puritans worked on building projects and ostentatiously ignored the holiday. From 1659 to 1681 Massachusetts went further, making celebrating Christmas "by forbearing of labor, feasting or in any other way" a crime.
...
Christmas gained popularity when it was transformed into a domestic celebration, after the publication of Clement Clarke Moore's "Visit from St. Nicholas" and Thomas Nast's Harper's Weekly drawings, which created the image of a white-bearded Santa who gave gifts to children. The new emphasis lessened religious leaders' worries that the holiday would be given over to drinking and swearing, but it introduced another concern: commercialism. By the 1920's, the retail industry had adopted Christmas as its own, sponsoring annual ceremonies to kick off the "Christmas shopping season."
Religious leaders objected strongly. The Christmas that emerged had an inherent tension: merchants tried to make it about buying, while clergymen tried to keep commerce out. A 1931 Times roundup of Christmas sermons reported a common theme: "the suggestion that Christmas could not survive if Christ were thrust into the background by materialism." A 1953 Methodist sermon broadcast on NBC - typical of countless such sermons - lamented that Christmas had become a "profit-seeking period." This ethic found popular expression in "A Charlie Brown Christmas." In the 1965 TV special, Charlie Brown ignores Lucy's advice to "get the biggest aluminum tree you can find" and her assertion that Christmas is "a big commercial racket," and finds a more spiritual way to observe the day.
There are those who perceive a concerted effort by "The Left" and especially the ACLU (American Communist Lackeys Union ) to remove all references to religion in American daily life. The first "assault" came in the banning of prayer in public schools, which probably never should have happened in the first place. Later came attempts, so far unsuccessful, to remove the phrase "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, which phrase wasn't added until the 1950s. Next came the banning of religious symbols on Government property, an example being Manger scenes at Christmas time. The last legal big brouhaha concerns having copies of the Ten Commandments on Government property, particularly in court buildings. Now comes the retailers, afraid of inadvertantly offending non-Christians, only to alienate the bulk of their customers. It's a classic no-win situation for them.. . . Speaking of seasoning's greetings, I really find it difficult to understand what's going on on your side of the Pond - it seems the (Christian) religious types, both Protestants and Roman Catholics, are raising High Heaven (pardon the pun !) over the fact that some commercial establishments have chosen to write «Seasoning's Greetings» instead of «Happy/Merry Christmas» when inviting people to their Temples of Mammon. . . .
These two clauses have engendereda great deal of often rancorous debate. Many probably don't even know what "an establishment of religion" is. The Established Church of England, the officially sanctioned state church, is the reason many emigrated to the Colonies in the first place. Unfortunately, their desire for a place to practice their own religion often caused others to move elsewhere to practice theirs. The colony of Maryland was founded by Roman Catholics who wanted a place where they could worship in peace. They were eventually overrun by Protestants, and it was only in the passing of the Toleration Act that the Catholics were able to breath a little more freely. The Act, however, only guaranteed freedom of worship for Christian religions that believed in The Trinity and the Virgin Birth. The penalty for blasphemy was rather extreme by modern standards:Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; . . .
Acts and Orders of Assembly assented
vnto
Enacted and made at a Genall Ses-
sions of the said Assembly held at St
Maries on the one and twentieth day of
Aprill Anno Dm 1649 as followeth viz.:
An Act concerning Religion
fforasmuch as in a well governed and
Xpian Comon Weath matters concern-
ing Religion and the honor of God ought in the first place to
bee taken, into serious consideracon and endeavoured to bee
settled. Be it therefore ordered and enacted by the Right
Hoble Cecilius Lord Baron of Baltemore absolute Lord and
Proprietary of this Province with the advise and consent of this
Generall Assembly. That whatsoever pson or psons within
this Province and the Islands thereunto belonging shall from
henceforth blaspheme God, that is Curse him, or deny our
Saviour Jesus Christ to bee the sonne of God, or shall deny
the holy Trinity the ffather sonne and holy Ghost, or the God-
head of any of the said Three psons of the Trinity or the
Vnity of the Godhead, or shall use or utter any reproachfull
Speeches, words or language concerning the said Holy Trinity,
or any of the said three psons thereof, shalbe punished with
death and confiscaton or forfeiture of all his or her lands and
goods to the Lord Proprietary and his heires,
For a second offense, the fine doubled to ten pounds sterling or being "publiquely and severely whipt and imprisoned as before. . . " A third offense resulted in the original "Three Strikes And You're Out" provision:And bee it also
Enacted by the Authority and with the advise and assent afore-
said. That whatsoever pson or psons shall from henceforth
use or utter any reproachfull words or Speeches concerning
the blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of our Saviour or the
holy Apostles or Evangelists or any of them shall in such case
for the first offence forfeit to the said Lord Proprietary and his
heirs Lords and Proprietaries of this Province the sume of ffive
pound Sterling or the value thereof to be Levyed on the goods
and chattells of every such pson soe offending, but in case
such Offender or Offenders, shall not then have goods and
chattells sufficient for the satisfyeing of such forfeiture, or that
the same bee not otherwise speedily satisfyed that then such
Offender or Offenders shalbe publiquely whipt and bee
ymprisoned during the pleasure of the Lord Proprietary or the
Leivet or cheife Governor of this Province for the time being[/b]
Other provisions banned insulting another's religion or profaning the Sabbath.And that every pson or
psons before mentioned offending herein the third time, shall
for such third Offence forfeit all his lands and Goods and bee
for ever banished and expelled out of this Province.
If people celebrating Channukah buy them, presumably they're Channukah bushes. To me they're rather young examples of Picea abies (if they're not made of plastic, that is, which is an abomination), and their connexion to Christmas (or, for that matter, Channukah) is of rather recent date. I've never really been able to understand how Evangelicals who believe in the literal truth of their version of the Bible can invite this particular pagan symbol (descendent of the old jul log) into their homes, but consistency is, as we know, the bugaboo of petty minds.......
One of the things I did find dumb was the chain, I think it was Home Depot (one of the WalMarts of the hardware store world), that was selling "Holiday Trees." THEY'RE CHRISTMAS TREES FOR PETE'S SAKE, NOT CHANNUKAH BUSHES!
...
I totally agree.I've never really been able to understand how Evangelicals who believe in the literal truth of their version of the Bible can invite this particular pagan symbol (descendent of the old jul log) into their homes, but consistency is, as we know, the bugaboo of petty minds....
There are those who believe that radical Islamic fundamentalists want to take the world back to the 7th century. One could argue that some Christians want to return to the 1st century . . .I totally agree.I've never really been able to understand how Evangelicals who believe in the literal truth of their version of the Bible can invite this particular pagan symbol (descendent of the old jul log) into their homes, but consistency is, as we know, the bugaboo of petty minds....
Brazilian dude