Stupid Fundie-Freepy Email and My Repsonse.

[Lex]

.
First the Email (you might want to skim) and then my response. What do you think?

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THE LAW IS THE LAW

I hope this makes its way around the USA several times over!!!!! So Be It!

So if the US government determines that it is against the law for the words "under God" to be on our money, then, so be it.

And if that same government decides that the "Ten Commandments" are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.

And since they already have prohibited any prayer in the schools, on which they deem their authority, then so be it.

I say, "so be it," because I would like to be a law abiding US citizen.

I say, "so be it," because I would like to think that smarter people than I are in positions to make good decisions.

I would like to think that those people have the American Publics' best interests at heart.

BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D LIKE?

Since we can't pray to God, can't Trust in God and cannot Post His Commandments in Government buildings,

I don't believe the Government and it's employees should participate in the Easter and Christmas celebrations which honor the God that our government is eliminating from many facets of American life.

I'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter.

After all, it's just another day.

I'd like the US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays. After all, it's just another day.

I'd like the Senate and the House of Representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the "Christmas Break." After all it's just another day.

I'm thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday & Easter.

It shouldn't cost any overtime since those would be just like any other day of the week to a government that is trying to be "politically correct." In fact....

I think that our government should work on Sundays (initially set aside for worshipping God...) because, after all, our government says that it should be just another day....

What do you all think????

If this idea gets to enough people, maybe our elected officials will stop giving in to the minority opinions and begin, once again, to represent the 'majority' of ALL of the American people.

SO BE IT...........

Please Dear Lord, Give us the help needed to keep you in our country! 'Amen' and 'Amen'

Touche! These are definitely things I never thought about but from now on, I will be sure to questions those, in government, who support these changes.

At the top, it says "I hope this makes its way around the USA several times over!!!!!"


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MY RESPONSE:



A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE IS IN ORDER


You ask "What do you all think???"

I think someone needs to hit the books for some facts about religion is what I think. The Government doesn't "bestow" your right to worship when you'd like to by giving federal holidays---and the established holidays we observe and having Sunday off actually far pre-date Christianity.


Since we can't pray to God, can't Trust in God . . .

Just because the Federal Government has to remain neutral and not prefer one religion over another, that in NO WAY means that you as an individual cannot worship God or pray to God or Trust in God. No one needs to have the Government sanction their religion before they can practice it, and that is what makes everyone safe from persecution by the Government over religious practice, such as the Taliban did in Afghanistan.



I'd like the US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays. After all, it's just another day.

Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday in any sense. It is a celebration of the Pilgrims, who were looking to practice their religion WITHOUT Government interference, landing at Plymouth Rock. The very reason this country was founded was to try to escape from England, where the government had an "official" state-approved and mandated religion and used laws to make people worship a certain way.


I'd like the Senate and the House of Representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the "Christmas Break." After all it's just another day.

Actually it's not a "Christmas Break" -- it is the Senate's regular Winter Break, and Jews, Gentiles, Catholics, and non-believers all get to go back home to their home constituents and families and visit. They might celebrate Christmas or Hannakah or nothing at all, if they choose.



I'm thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday & Easter.
It shouldn't cost any overtime since those would be just like any other day of the week to a government that is trying to be "politically correct." In fact....

Whether or not overtime is paid (and overtime isn't just paid for "holidays" but is paid for time OVER 40 hours per week), it is glaringly obvious that having the workers paid and having all the lights on, buildings heated, etc. during holiday would cost more taxpayer money.

But more than that, it is interesting to note that Christmas and Easter are not "Christian" in origin, only adopted later by Christians. These holidays were celebrated well before the time of Christ.

Easter: The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess or dawn goddess of fertility and her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: "eastre." One of the reasons we celebrate Easter with eggs, baby chicks, baby rabbits, and so forth is that it represents the re-awakening of the Earth and springtime.

Christmas: The Christmas tree is derived from several winter solstice traditions. The Romans decked their halls with garlands of laurel and placed candles in live trees to decorate for the celebration of Saturnalia. In Scandinavia, they hung apples from evergreen trees at the winder solstice to remind themselves that spring and summer will come again. The evergreen tree was the special plant of their sun god, Baldor.

The practice of exchanging gifts at a winter celebration is also pre-Christian and is from the Roman Saturnalia. They would exchange good-luck gifts called Stenae (lucky fruits). They also would have a big feast just like we do today.

Mistletoe is from an ancient Druid custom at the winter solstice. Mistletoe was considered a divine plant and it symbolized love and peace. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is Druid in origin.

The Scandinavian solstice traditions had a lot of influences on our celebration besides the hanging of ornaments on evergreen trees. Their ancient festival was called Yuletide and celebrated the return of the sun. One of their traditions was the Yule log. The log was the center of the trunk of a tree that was dragged to a large fireplace where it was supposed to burn for twelve days. From this comes the twelve days of Christmas.

Even the date of Christmas, December 25, was borrowed from another religion. At the time Christmas was created in AD 320, Mithraism was very popular. The early Christian church had gotten tired of their futile efforts to stop people celebrating the solstice and the birthday of Mithras, the Persian sun god. Mithras’ birthday was December 25. So the pope at the time decided to make Jesus’ official birthday coincide with Mithras’ birthday.

So you see that "Christmas" is actually not only a Christian tradition, but a mixture of many celebrations and a "winter break" has been around for thousands and thousands of years.


I think that our government should work on Sundays (initially set aside for worshipping God...) because, after all, our government says that it should be just another day....

Having Sunday off far pre-dates the religion of Christianity and was not "initially set aside for worshipping God"--unless you mean Sol, the Sun God, hence the word "Sunday."

First Sunday Law enacted by Emperor Constantine -
March, 321 A.D. :

"On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or for vine-planting."

Happy Holidays!


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[MountainLaurel]

1. Kudos!

Wish we had an applause smilie, 'cause one would be heading your way!

[BattyDem]

3. Here ya go!

it's not from DU, but it'll do.




By the way, great response, Lex! :toast:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. great reply!

especially liked your take on Thanksgiving, which is bascially a harvest festival.

[Career Prole]

4. My response would be get it written up...

I'll sign it! :)

[Piperay]

5. TERRIFIC

these idiots need to get their facts straight before they go mouthing off about things they obviously know nothing about, :dunce: their ignorance is very tiresome. :argh:

[Momgonepostal]

6. Good Response, let me add...

If that Freeptard wants postal workers to start delivering and processing the mail on Sundays and Holidays, he can look for a major increase in the cost of stamps. People like him are under the impression that the USPS is government funded, but it's not true. Our operating expenses, including salaries, are paid for by the cost of postage.

[ablbodyed]

7. Trying to talk facts to>>>>

peabrain xtians is like spitting into the wind. While all your arguments are valid, it makes no difference to them. They have every advantage, including billions of dollars which are absolutely unaccounted for, tax-free buildings and lands, usually in prime spots that could generate revenue, (then they rail against high taxes). All-in-all a bunch of whining morons.
Great information about all the religious drivel that xtianity vomits onto the world, and unfortunately also onto us who think.

[luaneryder]

8. Nice reply!

Whoever wrote the original should know that the fed doesn't give time off for Easter or Good Friday.

[baba]

9. Since when is anything closed on Good Friday anyway?

I don't believe that the government even takes off on that day.

Good response!

[Lex]

11. That's true. And thanks for looking over my response everyone.

My Dad gets these emails from his cousins and he HATES them (the emails not the cousins) because my Dad is firm believer in separation of church and state and he's a good, thinking man (and Democrat).

He asked me if I could work up a reply that he could send back to them that wasn't too mean, but gave a good reasoned response.

I think he'll like what I submitted.

Thanks again for looking at all that. :hi:

[tsuki]

10. Can I use it? You are far more articulate than I. My response

would have been bleeped.

[Lex]

12. Sure you can---feel free to use it all you want.

Any DU'ers can!

[NMDemDist2]

14. great response Lex, and be sure Dad hits "reply to all" when he

sends it back :)

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

13. Nicely done.

As a Christian, it concerns me somewhat when other Christians continue to force themselves under these traditions. Look, there's nothing wrong with Christmas, or Easter. Most serious Christians just use those holidays to celebrate the birth and crucifixion/ressurrection of Christ, respectively. Why only do it on those days though? Anyway, people need to learn their history. Christmas and Easter were indeed pagan holidays, and let's not forget that the Sabbath day is Saturday, not Sunday.

BTW, I also have no problem worshipping God on Sunday, but again I ask, why only Sunday?

[Lex]

15. I agree 100%.

A little perspective is needed by some of the fundamentalists who think that Jesus was born on December 25 and no one ever celebrated any other way than is done now.

Also, it irks me when some fundies make it seem like no one can possibly have good morals unless they are "Christian morals."

[Sparkly]

16. That's excellent!!

You really know your stuff, Lex!!

[Bouncy Ball]

17. "Since we can't pray to God.."

Where did these stupid idiots get the idea they can't pray?

Where? Seriously? They are fucking IGNORANT! It is NOT AGAINST THE LAW TO PRAY!

You can pray anywhere you want! In school, even! (The teacher can't lead the prayer, but heck you can pray all you want!)

Sheesh. Good response. I would have rolled my eyes, said to myself "yeah good luck with that" and deleted it.

Who is talking about taking "under God" off the money?

[Lex]

18. They are professional victims & crybabies I think.

It is embarassing for them, isn't it? And they don't even know it.

"Just practice your religion and leave the federal government and the rest of us out of it, okay?!" is what I want to scream.

What's stopping them from praying all they want, when they want, and whatever way they want---as long it involves THEM and not the rest of us? NOTHING.

[Sparkly]

19. Exactly!!

Another example: "They won't let our kids pray in schools!!"

Your kids are free to pray in school, and many do right before algebra tests, etc..

[immoderate]

29. Bingo!

I was an algebra teacher. And I always gave my students a moment to "collect your thoughts, or communicate with a higher being" before a test.

--IMM

[LoZoccolo]

25. I think it's a sin to lie, right?

How come they pretend that this isn't so when they're doing the switcheroo between "can't on government property" and "can't, period, it's illegal everywhere"? That's a lie! They lie when they say that!

[sleepyhead]

20. Very nice.

And remember, "Reply All" is your friend.

[hinachan]

21. I can add to your reply....

having Sunday off actually far pre-date Christianity

Much more recently, in the pre-labor-union days, people worked 7 days a week. This was reduced to a 5 day week, with Saturday and Sunday off, so that people didn't literally work themselves to death. No religious significance whatsoever.

Original freeperbabble: I'd like the US Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays. After all, it's just another day.

Your points about Turkey Day are well taken, but I need to add a little to this. Thanksgiving is traditionally a day when people travel to be with their families, which is why people get the day off (i.e., to allow them to be out of town and give them travel time to return). There's a similar situation with Christmas, even if you don't celebrate it for religious reasons (many people just consider it a time of family gathering, like Thanksgiving). So the travel issue is still at stake on that day. Sundays, I've already covered above. IMHO, no federal worker should get Good Friday off, because it *is* a religious holiday, and no travel is necessary. As for Easter...IIRC, isn't it known as "Easter SUNDAY", meaning people aren't at work, anyway? Idiots!

The Scandinavian solstice traditions had a lot of influences on our celebration besides the hanging of ornaments on evergreen trees. Their ancient festival was called Yuletide

I speak Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian, so I can say without fear of contradiction that Christmas, to this day, is still called jul (pronounced "yule") in that part of the world. "Merry Christmas" is God jul, which literally means "good Yule". And "jultid", which us where our word "Yuletide" came from, literally means "Christmas time"!

God jul, all you DU'ers! :D

[Tsiyu]

22. people like this are so blind

He or she actually should be thankful there are no religious laws prohibiting work on a certain day. If he or she is involved in an auto accident on his or her way to Sunday Service, he better be glad for that "non-believing heathen" who chooses to drive the ambulance on Sunday, and the nurse at the hospital who checks him into E.R. and the wrecker driver who gets his car out of the middle of the highway and the cop who talks to witnesses at the scene.

They, in turn, are thankful for the gas station attendants and cooks and donut shops that provide a Sunday worker with fuel.

Why are people so short-sighted?

[jmowreader]

23. "Under God" never was on money

All my money says "In God We Trust"

And most bars go one further: "In God We Trust - All Others Pay Cash"

[yardwork]

24. Thanks for mentioning that a lot of "Christmas" traditions are pagan

I remember this kind of whining during the Reagan days. When Republicans are in charge of everything, they run out of things to vilify, so they move on to increasingly bizarre gripes.

During the mid-80s there were an incredible number of rumors about the ACLU wanting to change the names of any city that had "St." in its name, etc.

Wackos scraping the bottom of the gripe barrel.

[Lex]

31. "Wackos scraping the bottom of the gripe barrell"

True that.

I get tired of the Fundies needing the equivalent of the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" from the Federal and State Government for their religious beliefs and practices.

[genieroze]

26. Nothing like facts to burst their delusional bubble.

I'm a Christian and it annoys me the Christmas celebration is for the birth of Christ, which it isn't it's a pagan holiday. Some scholars say Christ was born during the spring. Easter is when Christ rose from the dead though, but the practice of egg decorating and bunnies is pagan. Beside Easter does fall on a Sunday anyway. As far as Sunday is concerned the Sabbath is on Saturday, not Sunday. I swear these people should educate themselves rather than listen to everything their brainwasher's tell them. You letter was excellent and accurate.

[democracy eh]

27. paper beats rock, knowledge trumps ignorance

good job

[progressoid]

28. Doh!

My mother-in-law gets these all of the time. But she buys it! Sometimes I sneak into her email (I set it up, so I know the password) and delete them before they can be forwarded, or worse yet, before she can start babbling on about the latest email she received.

:puke:

You have a lot more patience than I do. This shit just makes me crazzzzy.

[BiggJawn]

30. Boy, they really take that "Moral Values" Man-Date seriously, don't they?

They blew it when they confused Thanksgiving with a religous holiday.

What do ya expect? they probably only go to church on Oestre, Yule, and Ronald Reagan's birthday, anyway...How long till we start driving these cockroachs back down the drainpipe?