ax

OK, what exactly is a Xian anyway?
(I'm new to all this so stop you're laughing!)

freemonkey

X =christ
ian = ian
christ=ian
christian
xian = christian

ax

cheers

Tercel

'X' is a greek letter: chi. (Although in Greek, half of it sits below the line - somewhat like g,j,y etc)
The Greek spelling of Christ is "Xpiotos" (or at least that's as close as I can get to it using the english alphabet) the "X" being equivalent to our letters "Ch".
Over time, chi became used as an abreviation for the word Christ (since it's the first letter), and so it has come to be used in English as such - the most common example being 'Xmas' to abbreviate Christmas.

On these boards a similar abbreviation is used: Christians = xians. I have yet to work out whether the main purpose of the abbreviation is to save time or to annoy Christians. It does both admirably though...

[ May 09, 2002: Message edited by: Tercel ]</p>

Ojuice5001

Ax, I've been wondering about something since you registered. Did you name yourself after the character in Animorphs? I am a huge fan of Animorphs, though I am older than the typical Animorphs fan. I'm twenty-one, not in middle school. But it would be cool if there were fellow Animorphs fans on these boards. Respond if you are an Animorphs fan, and disregard this post if you're not.

sullster

Ax, You have to learn the important terms eventually, so don't worry a bit.

I didn't know what a fundy was a few years back and had to ask at another discussion site.

Er...you do know what a fundy is, don't you?

mac_philo

What about something like, say, 'Hovind ate my balls.' Would you get that phrase?

Ok, what about 'Jebus ate my balls.' Anything?

Don't sweat it about the xian though. Nobody is born with a knowledge of netspeak.

Gar

Christ is spelled Xpistos in Greek. The X sounds like the Ch in Channukah, and the p is in R sound. Its pronounced Christos.

Pensee

When I was growing up, I was always told that the X was just "to take Christ out of Christmas". There was this big secular conspiracy to do anything to get rid of Christ.

Much later in life, when I started coming into contact w/freethinkers & atheists, it used to bother the shit out of me when they used X. Even when it was my friends. I never said anything, but it really ate away at me.

Now that I'm atheist, I purposely use the X to take the word "Christ" out.

Bree

ROFL - I was fed the same line of BS. My mother would actually use a felt pen to cross out the "X" and (leaving a big blob and the 'mas') because she, as a good Christian, needed to protect the name of Christ .