Christians Aiming to Boost Religion

[saigon68]

Christians Aiming to Boost Religion

59 minutes ago U.S. National - AP


By ALLEN G. BREED, Associated Press Writer

http://story.news.yahoo.com/newstmpl=story&ncid=703&e=1&u=/ap/20041215/ap_on_re_us/what_s_the_season

Emboldened by their Election Day successes, some Christian conservatives around the country are trying to put more Christ into Christmas this season.

In Terrebonne Parish, La., an organization is petitioning to add "Merry Christmas" to the red-lighted "Season's Greetings" sign on the main government building and is selling yard signs that read, "We believe in God. Merry Christmas." And a Raleigh, N.C., church recently paid $7,600 for a full-page newspaper ad urging Christians to spend their money only with merchants who include the greeting "Merry Christmas" in ads and displays.


"There is a revival taking place in our nation that is causing Christian and right-minded people to say, `Wait a minute. We've gone too far,'" says the Rev. Patrick Wooden Sr., pastor of the Raleigh church. "We're not going to allow the country to continue this downward spiral to the left."



****


But to many, the threats and demands that stores put up "Merry Christmas" signs are no laughing matter. "Why not simply require stores owned by Jews to put a gold star in their ads and on their storefronts?" the Rev. Jim Melnyk, associate rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Raleigh, wrote in a letter to the editor.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[saigon68]

17. Many of these "Christians" would love to lock up and Re Educate

Gay Amerika

And some desire to eliminate these "Sodomites" all together

[megatherium]

21. Pink triangles used to be the symbol for gay lib

in the late 1970s, before the modern diversity rainbow became popular. It was a powerful statement against hate.

[ixion]

2. these people are seriously annoying

with their pompus, arrogant, condescending fairy tale religion that they continually try to cram down people's throats.

Sorry, but I can't see how any true follower of Christ would act like this.

[gingergreen]

5. More scary than annoying

as a non-Christian I don't want something I don't believe shoved down my throat.

[ixion]

10. yeah, scary because they're at the helm

I truly believe that dominionism is one of the most dire threats we face these days, coupled with religious extremism from all sides.

It starts with 'Merry Christmas' and ends with mass execution and encampment of those of us in the reality based community.

[gingergreen]

11. exactly, took the words out of my mouth

Hey look, I made it too 100 posts:-)

[ixion]

13. congrats, and welcome to DU!

glad to have you here. :hi:

[0007]

31. Now you can get a star

[Porcupine]

35. These people aren't Christians

Real Christians believe that Christ got it right the first time humbling himself and allowing the people that followed to choose for themselves the path of good or evil.

The current "fundamentalists" eagerly pore over the most bloody passages of the new and old testaments almost ignoring the proffesed words of Christ. They can't wait for a "second coming" where all of us evildoeers (gays, readers, and logical thinkers) are variously tortured for their amusement.

Funny how Christ himself never mentioned that he was going to come back and beat the crap out of anyone who didn't slavishly obey him.

[Catfight]

3. Yes, the Christian forced conversions has gone too far and they

are assisting this country into a downward spiral. I believe that allowing elderly abuse by not passing the Elderly Protection Bill in Congress is NOT a moral Christian value, but one would never know what those "Christians" covet these days...seems to me the new Jesus talisman should be the symbol $$$$$$$$$$$$$. Market Jesus...he's up for sale this Christmas season, it's all about money and power these days. Christians hate tolerance and love. I wish Christians would really live by the 10 Commandments, especially, "Thou shall not lie."

[rucky]

4. WWJD?

Mandate the celebration of his birthday in storefronts and public squares across the country?

[Danmel]

6. Why are they SO Insecure?

If they are so certain, why are they so threatened by everyone else?

[HereSince1628]

7. Another slow news day at Yahoo.

We ought to have a DU forum for latest rerun seasonal stories.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

8. the lack of "merry christmas" is more about capitalism than secularism.

business do not want to exclude customers, that is the bottom line..... it is about the bottom line.

[sattahipdeep]

18. Pat Robertson, Joe Roth "It's wonderful irony "

"People saw what Mel Gibson did with 'The Passion of the Christ,'
" said Peter Sealey, an adjunct professor of marketing at the University
of California, Berkeley, and a former marketing chief at Columbia Pictures,
in explaining the current foray.

In a move that appears to break new ground for Hollywood, Revolution
Studios and its partner, Sony Pictures Entertainment, helped turn
their "Christmas With the Kranks," starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee
Curtis, from a potential loser into a modest hit by using newspaper
ads to highlight endorsements drawn almost entirely from the conservative
televangelist Pat Robertson's "700 Club"; religious-based broadcasters
Good News TV and Family Net; and the Film Advisory Board, whose aim is to
promote family-oriented and children's entertainment.

Mr. Sealey, the marketing professor, said he believed the new approach
would prove especially effective when Sony and Revolution release
"Christmas With the Kranks" to home markets on DVD.

He also noted an unusual twist in the fact that Mr. Roth - famously,
one of the young plaintiffs in a lawsuit that resulted in the United States
Supreme Court's 1962 ban on enforced prayer in public schools - is among
the first to bring prayer-circuit selling into the mainstream.
"It's wonderful irony," Mr. Sealey said, "that Joe Roth should do this."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/14/movies/14mark.html

Pat Robertson's precarious empire
Part 1: Will his Christian mission survive series of financial disasters?

Robertson established a 24-hour channel that in
1992 went public as International Family
Entertainment (IFE). In September 1997, Rupert
Murdoch's News Corporation and Haim Saban (the
creator of the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers")
acquired IFE from Robertson for a reported $1.9
billion.
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=13521

[izzie]

9. Why can't they just leave me alone? I will do it as I wish.

--

[GoddessOfGuinness]

32. Don't let them bug you...

According to Matthew:

6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

and

7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

[mumon]

12. As I note on my blog today...

(http://mumonno.blogspot.com/2004/12/yes-virginia-ideas-do-have.html )

This is more than interesting given the looting of Social Security in which the media is complicit.

[HeeBGBz]

14. I only hope the REAL Jesus is watching

I hope he's as pissed off as we are and is preparing to smite the bastards spreading evil in his name.

[GeorgeGist]

15. Bring it on!

The sooner they reveal the hypocrisy of their beliefs, the better.

"There is a revival taking place in our nation that is causing Christian and right-minded intelligent people to say, `Wait a minute. Wethey've gone too far,'"

[arwalden]

16. Why Are These Christians So Quarrelsome And Petty And Backward?

[athenap]

26. Fear of Pluralism

These folks want to take anything that challenges their worldview and make it go away. Fundie-ism (and among theologians and interested and educated parties to the topic, "fundie" is different from "fundamentalist," the latter being used to refer to the theological tenets of a strain of religion, the former referring to the attitude and behaviors of a certain foamy element self-declared to follow the tenets of the former) abhors pluralism. It's a lack of flexibility in the system. Everything must be true about the religion, and if one thing is proven untrue or even simply cast into doubt, the whole structure must therefore be untrue or in doubt. So the solution is to eliminate the challenges to the structure.

[GOPBasher]

19. Rev. Jim Melnyk had a great response!

This is why I joined the Episcopal church.

[readmylips]

20. Christian religion in the US evolves constantly....

People of the world laugh at the form of Christian religion that is practice in the USA. Historically, Christian leaders have been more interested in power (politics), wealth and racism than in the simple teachings of God. The US has as many different Christian forms of religion as the sea as fish.

The born again seem pretty solid right now. Be on the look out, soon someone will challenge the leader or claim himself as the leader. We don't really know who their leader is today. Is it Falwell, Graham, Robertson, the Pink Lady or George Bush?

As we very well have experienced, these religious nuts have lots of skeletons in their closets, and that's how they will fall again on their faces. Born again is a fad, and a dangerous one. They have been the force in separating our country into black and white.

[yardwork]

22. "Born again is a fad"

A long-time liberal Christian I know told me the same thing. She said that the churches are flooded right now with Christian "wannabes" who will soon lose interest and move on to the next big thing.

Meanwhile, Rove and the Republican machine harnessed this movement to get their little boy (s)elected.

[Karenina]

24. There are some VERY

Überreich lunatics at the reins. Ignore them at your own risk.

http://www.politicalamazon.com/cr.html

[burn the bush]

23. the more the Christians try to push their shit down our throats

the further away from it we go.

[Piperay]

33. Yeah, I used to tell people "Merry Christmas" now

I make a conscious point of saying "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings" instead.

[demigoddess]

25. Go here and you can find all kinds of instances of exactly that

http://www.witchvox.com/xwrensnest.html

[Minimus]

27. Well it offends me that they are celebrating Jesus' birthday

on the wrong day. He wasn't born on December 25. And capitalism has made Christmas more about Santa and almighty dollar, so what's wrong with just a good ol' Happy Holidays! greeting?

Geez these people are nuts: "Emboldened by their Election Day successes" Just give me an f'n break.

WWSD - What would Santa do?

[yellowcanine]

28. Merry = gay. "Have a Gay Christmas." Check it out.

merry - ....2. full of gaiety or high spirits.

merriment - .... 2. a gay celebration or party.

Webster's New Collegiate College Dictionary

[proudbluestater]

29. My local DJ must have gotten the memo...

This is not a right-wing talk show; it's a music channel. The wench was all bent out of shape because at her daughter's high school they had to say Happy Holidays rather than Merry Christmas, because they were told "it's the law." So the DJ starts on a rant, telling the audience that it's not the law at all, and here's how you can fight back. Gees, Louise, we are not ALL Christians. Why do you want the public schools to offend those folks in the audience who do not happen to be Christians? It's mere COMMON COURTESY to say Happy Holidays.

Now, that was on a local FM station. If you flip to AM around noon, there are at LEAST five channels with Rush the Blowhard on simultaneously. And NO voices from the other side. In my neighborhood, equal time does not exist on the radio airwaves.

[Megahurtz]

30. This is getting SO out of hand

in their intention of "boosting religion" they're just causing people to run far away from it.

:think: dumbasses.

[Karenina]

34. Ahhh, the Brownshirt Boosters...

:SIGH:

Sometimes I feel like I'm watching Ionesco's "Rhinosceros," AmiRedux a la Mad Max... :silly:

[VegasWolf]

36. Last time they boosted religion I think it was the Inquistiion. n/t

[fshrink]

37. I fail to see just how this country could be more religious...

Than it already is. Strictly everything has a religious attachment. There are probably more churches per capita than mosks in Iran. "God" is everywhere in the language, from "Godspeed" to "Thanks god". It is nearly impossible to spend a single day wihtout hearing, seeing or being told something religious. On several of these forums, that's the only topic which appears able to mobilize. What in the world could be donen to "boost" religion?

[Lorien]

38. "Downward spiral to the left"?

What country are these delusional nutjobs living in? America is already further to the right than any other civilized country. I guess that until it resembles Taliban controlled Afgahnistan, they won't be happy.

[NYC Liberal]

40. Anyone or anything to the left of Hitler

is "too liberal" for these whackjobs, dontchya know?

[NYC Liberal]

39. Happy Saturnalia!

I hope these people realize WHY Christmas is on the date it is. It certainly isn't the day Jesus was born.

And anyway...why should stores display "Merry Christmas" when it isn't even Christmas?! Do people go around saying "Happy Birthday!" to their friends 3 weeks before the actual date?

[lastliberalintexas]

44. I thought it would be a couple of months?

I've usually heard early March named as his likely birth date, given census customs and astronomical references of the time, as well as the fish symbol being attached to Christianity from early on. It seems Jesus might have been a Pisces- so much for the age of Aquarius. :-)

[donco6]

41. How about boosting religion by . . .

. . . doing good things for other people?

Nah, that would never occur to anyone.

[DeaconBlues]

42. If Christmas is in so much trouble

why do I have to put up with two months of it every year?

[msgadget]

43. It's payback

for the inclusiveness they felt was thrust upon them in the name of political correctness in that 'downward spiral to the left'. How truly spiritual is it to totally ignore the beliefs and sensibilities of others?

[Selwynn]

45. And I'll be putting more Fuck in my Fuck You.

I'm a spiritual man, even a spiritual man from a christian background, but I get so sick of this stuff. Wherever something is uncomplicated and moderately happy, there are fanatical christians ready and waiting to make a big issue out of nothing... :(

[Moderator]

46. accurate link here

http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=2691778

[7th Generation VTer]

47. Just some thoughts

When I was a kid we celebrated Christmas in school. We put our desks in a ring around a tree we decorated with paper chains and cutout snowflakes, and drew names to give presents, and our extremely hippie music teacher (who taught us Woodie Guthrie tunes and pro-Union anthems) taught us great carols, like "Green Grow the Rushes Oh", "The Babe of Bethlehem", "Sussex Carol" and stuff like that. We had a great party, with a gingerbread house every year... and I still grew up to be an open-minded pagan.

Yeah, Christmas is when it is (late December) because the Romans were already having a party then, and if the Christians had insisted upon celebrating the Nativity on what was suspected to be Jesus's actual birth date (sometime in September, so I've heard) no one would have come because there wasn't an already pre-established party. Same with Easter (which is named after Eostre, a Teutonic dawn-goddess).

If we're going to strip Christmas of its non-Christian (or pre-Christian) superfluity, then out go holly, ivy, evergreens evergreens and fires (stuff like Yule logs).

As for me, the big day is the Solstice. I have Christmas off, but Yule is the day that's special in my heart. Though I do think that "Peace on Earth and goodwill to men (mankind)" are noble sentiments more people should honor.

[ItsThePeopleStupid]

48. Merry Christ Myth to you too. n/t