Freethought & Rationalism Archive

555 · 12-04-2006, 08:34 AM

Da link.

Some Christian groups around Europe are having fun as they have decided to start campaigning to ban Santa Claus from stores and alike. According to them, Santa Claus was developed by the Coca Cola Company in the 1930's and is stealing all the attention from Christmas' religious meaning. In Germany and Austria the red-clothed old man has already been banned in certain areas, such as Vienna.

Someone's logic meter has apparently broken when thinking the reason for Christmas' commercialisation. Instead of it being the actual culture around us changing, the answer clearly must be the image of a red-clothed old man. Not to mention the rather silly thought that by taking away Santa Claus from commercial areas, the meaning of Christmas is going to change all around or that Santa is just as easily going to disappear from homes, media and whatnot.

The ridiculousness of the whole thing is even increased by the rather absurd notion of Coca Cola Company being behind the character, who in its current form was already existing long before Coca Cola was even invented.

Not to mention it's a tad funny to preach about the origins of Christmas when Christmas was only invented to replace a pagan holiday held at the same time in order to aid in mass convertion.

Why bother making you and your cause be seen in a positive light when you can just make everyone else miserable and annoyed?

Are the zealots only being silly and harming their own reputation in the eyes of the masses? Is the commercialisation and non-religiousness of modern Christmas even a bad thing? Should Santa die a horrible death?

Not that this has any larger chance of spreading due to the decreasing influence of religion in the modern world.

JoshuaL88 · 12-04-2006, 08:39 AM

Christmas is now a holiday based around corporations. End of story. Christians took it from pagans and we godless heathens took it from Christians.

555 · 12-04-2006, 08:42 AM

Yes but christians will claim as a defence that jesus was born on december 24.

JoshuaL88 · 12-04-2006, 08:46 AM

And the problem is?

What evidence do they have for that? I don't see any dates of when he was born in the Gospels.

Tuvar Ane Ingolenen · 12-04-2006, 08:56 AM

Well, around here, we still have our own, older, from before all this despicalble commerce, original, true, St. Nicolas tradition, that has to compete with the Coca-Cola guy. The Coca-Cola guy seems to be gaining market share, slowly.

Some people think this is oh-no-we're-losing-our-cultural-identity-bad.

pob14 · 12-04-2006, 09:37 AM

So now it's Christians who are waging war on Christmas? :devil:

My only actual question is, does this actually have anything to do with BC&H?

555 · 12-04-2006, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pob14

So now it's Christians who are waging war on Christmas? :devil:

My only actual question is, does this actually have anything to do with BC&H?

No. Just need to know if they have evidence of a jesus born on december 24 at 12:00am year 0 like most christians believe.

Tuvar Ane Ingolenen · 12-04-2006, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 555

No. Just need to know if they have evidence of a jesus born on december 24 at 12:00am year 0 like most christians believe.

Zero wasn't invented yet. Year 1 maybe?

pob14 · 12-04-2006, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 555

No. Just need to know if they have evidence of a jesus born on december 24 at 12:00am year 0 like most christians believe.

I didn't think very many Christians believed that. Christiananswers.net doesn't, Catholics don't, even this guy isn't real sure. I'm hard put to find somebody who DOES believe that Jesus was actually born on December 24/25.

Toto · 12-04-2006, 11:28 AM

No serious Christian scholar believes that anyone knows the date of Jesus' birthday.

All things considered, I think this thread would do better in GRD.

Toto,
mod, BCH

12-04-2006, 08:34 AM	#1
555 Banned Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Japan Posts: 1,148	Banning Santa-Clause Da link. Some Christian groups around Europe are having fun as they have decided to start campaigning to ban Santa Claus from stores and alike. According to them, Santa Claus was developed by the Coca Cola Company in the 1930's and is stealing all the attention from Christmas' religious meaning. In Germany and Austria the red-clothed old man has already been banned in certain areas, such as Vienna. Someone's logic meter has apparently broken when thinking the reason for Christmas' commercialisation. Instead of it being the actual culture around us changing, the answer clearly must be the image of a red-clothed old man. Not to mention the rather silly thought that by taking away Santa Claus from commercial areas, the meaning of Christmas is going to change all around or that Santa is just as easily going to disappear from homes, media and whatnot. The ridiculousness of the whole thing is even increased by the rather absurd notion of Coca Cola Company being behind the character, who in its current form was already existing long before Coca Cola was even invented. Not to mention it's a tad funny to preach about the origins of Christmas when Christmas was only invented to replace a pagan holiday held at the same time in order to aid in mass convertion. Why bother making you and your cause be seen in a positive light when you can just make everyone else miserable and annoyed? Are the zealots only being silly and harming their own reputation in the eyes of the masses? Is the commercialisation and non-religiousness of modern Christmas even a bad thing? Should Santa die a horrible death? Not that this has any larger chance of spreading due to the decreasing influence of religion in the modern world.

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12-04-2006, 08:39 AM	#2
JoshuaL88 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Vance AFB Posts: 75	Christmas is now a holiday based around corporations. End of story. Christians took it from pagans and we godless heathens took it from Christians.

12-04-2006, 08:42 AM	#3
555 Banned Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Japan Posts: 1,148	Yes but christians will claim as a defence that jesus was born on december 24.

12-04-2006, 08:46 AM	#4
JoshuaL88 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Vance AFB Posts: 75	And the problem is? What evidence do they have for that? I don't see any dates of when he was born in the Gospels.

12-04-2006, 08:56 AM	#5
Tuvar Ane Ingolenen Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: 52.35412N 4.90495E Posts: 1,253	Well, around here, we still have our own, older, from before all this despicalble commerce, original, true, St. Nicolas tradition, that has to compete with the Coca-Cola guy. The Coca-Cola guy seems to be gaining market share, slowly. Some people think this is oh-no-we're-losing-our-cultural-identity-bad.

12-04-2006, 09:37 AM	#6
pob14 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 543	So now it's Christians who are waging war on Christmas? :devil: My only actual question is, does this actually have anything to do with BC&H?

12-04-2006, 11:28 AM	#10
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	No serious Christian scholar believes that anyone knows the date of Jesus' birthday. All things considered, I think this thread would do better in GRD. Toto, mod, BCH

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