Originally Posted By FaMulan to further their own agenda. <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10394969/" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10 394969/</a> I'm a Teamster Brat and I find this reprehensible. Using religion to further a unionizing of WalMart employees sits very wrong with me. To me, Religion is a private and personal thing, not to be imposed on anyone else.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer What about using religion to drive retail sales? Does that sit wrong with you as well?
Originally Posted By FaMulan Actually, yes since I am an agnostic who celebrates both my Christain and Jewish heritages. I celebrate Christmas as a secular thing, a means to celebrate my family and friends and give them tokens of my affection. My husband and I light the Menorah for Chanukkah.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer I'm more worried about a retailer who uses the word "Christmas" to sell merchandise than I am about a union that asks us to consider the moral and ethical ramifications of shopping at a store that places profit over sustainability. I think the bigger question is whether or not Jesus would actually shop, especially for most of the stuff that we have in our lives these days. I'm just glad he wasn't around to tell me that computer games were bad.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Also, considering Jesus told his followers specifically to celebrate his death, NOT his birth, because at birth you have accomplished nothing. So, he didn't want the focus to be on his birth in the first place. I do think it's kind of crass to sell Christmas and whore out his birth to make money.
Originally Posted By cmpaley >>Also, considering Jesus told his followers specifically to celebrate his death, NOT his birth, because at birth you have accomplished nothing. So, he didn't want the focus to be on his birth in the first place. I do think it's kind of crass to sell Christmas and whore out his birth to make money.<< What are you talking about? I've read the Gospels through several times and never saw anything about "don't celebrate My birth, celebrate My death."
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Ok, that is what was meant...I should have been a little more specific. Basically celebrating his accomplishemtns, and what that meant to us.
Originally Posted By fkurucz The Incarnation is a big deal. Emmanuel - God among us. A very big deal.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh Do you know why there are only 25 letters in the alphabet this time of year?
Originally Posted By tangaroa No religion is more powerful than WalMart. You could tell people that WalMart was putting babies on spikes, and people would still shop there. If given the choice between WalMart and Jesus, people will pick WalMart.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 The incarnation may be a big deal, but it should not be more important than his death/resurrection. That has a lot more meaning than his birth did...yet that is not celebrated as fervently as Christmas is.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 ...actually, I should say is not celebrated as fervently in SOME circles.
Originally Posted By fkurucz >>The incarnation may be a big deal, but it should not be more important than his death/resurrection. That has a lot more meaning than his birth did...yet that is not celebrated as fervently as Christmas is.<< I Agree. So far the merchants haven't figured out how to sell us more than chocolate easter eggs. Perhaps Lent has something to do with it.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Easter actually used to be the most important celebration (and in some countries still is). Christmas didn't gain its seeming #1 status until the mercantile age.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>You could tell people that WalMart was putting babies on spikes, and people would still shop there.<< Well, it's not like there's much alternative. WalMart drove most of the mom & pop babies-on-spikes shops out of business in most places. ; )
Originally Posted By woody >>What are you talking about? I've read the Gospels through several times and never saw anything about "don't celebrate My birth, celebrate My death."<< What were the three wise men doing? They were giving gifts. They were celebrating. Sure, it may not matter as much as the resurrection, but the birth is certainly quite wonderful. There's nothing wrong with celebrating the event, yet do I hear another "humbug?"
