-Caveat Lector- From: Xxx Yyy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >June, thanks for the background information on the separation of >celebrations. No doubt that Winter Holidays are extremely enjoyable. The >only difference between then and now is that the heavy hand of mass >communication has already relegated the religious component to the fringes.
No, that was the point I was trying to make with my post, that this is NOT a modern phenomenon, and one can no more blame mass media for the lack of religiosity in most Christmas celebrations than 'heathen', Catholics, or immigrants were blamed for it in the past... The bottom line is that the winter celebrations predate Christianity by millenia, and all that the Christian church did was to adapt and adopt pre-existing festivals and put a Christian veneer onto them. Point of fact, most scholars agree that if the person known as Jesus Christ actually did exist, He wasn't born in December...the December 25th date is an arbitrary one, a combination of northern European pagan Yule customs with mid-east Mithraic festivals (Mithras' "birthday" was said to be December 25) and with the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia which was held at the same time of year... So the hue and cry about the 'lack of Christ in Christmas celebrations' is a crock, since none of the celebrations had anything to do with Christ in the first place... Religious Christians have bemoaned for centuries that Christmas has become too secular, and their complaints will continue into the future.... >There can be no revival of the religious component on a community wide level >for many reasons. Anyone who wants to keep alive the religious component >will have to buck the trend without community support, and each individual >will have to decide within himself whether it is worth the effort. Well that is what it all boils down to, doesn't it? Religion is, after all, a PRIVATE affair, a decision between an individual and his or her own conscious and with that of their chosen divinity (if they even decide that they believe in a deity)....it should NOT be a community affair, unless everyone in a community is of like mind (as in groups like the Shakers deciding to set up their own community)... For the rest of us who live in diverse communities, so-called "Christians" will just have to get used to the idea that not everyone believes as they do, and under our form of government, "Christians" have no right to impose their religion onto other citizens.... June <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
