Why are Christians offend by me saying "Happy Holidays"?

Since I added my hardcore Christian family members to facebook I have seen their updates and news feeds. All I can say is wow! Some Christians find it offensive if I say Happy Holidays to them. They asked me why didn't I say Merry Christmas with a capital C? Some people just have a bad day! at least I know how to play people down.

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel


Tell them something along these lines

The Gospel accounts indicate that Jesus was born before the winter season: Luke 2:8 "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night." [Sheep were never in the field by night in Palestine after the third week of October.] Inexplicable though it seems, the date of Christ's birth is not known. The gospels indicate neither the day, the month, nor the year. (The Catholic Encyclopedia, p.656, vol. 3, 1967.)

What history tells us: Despite the beliefs about Christ that the birth stories expressed, the church did not observe a festival for the celebration of the event until the 4th century. The date was chosen to counter the pagan festivities connected with the winter solstice; since 274, under the emperor Aurelian, Rome had celebrated the feast of the "Invincible Sun" [or Saturnalia] on December 25. (Christmas, The 1995 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia)

Though the substitution of Christmas for the pagan festival cannot be proved with certainty, it remains the most plausible explanation for the dating of Christmas. (The Catholic Encyclopedia, p.656, vol. 3, 1967.)

The decoration of the evergreen tree is of Pagan origin and predates Christ's birth: Jer. 10:2-4 "Thus sayeth the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen ... for the customs of the people are vain: for one cuteth the tree out of the forest ... they deck it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."

Man's customs and traditions, even if heartfelt, are not recognized by God as true worship: Mark 7:6-7, Matthew 15:9 "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites...in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the traditions of men...thus making the word of God of none effect."

Christmas was a pagan holiday, tell them to open a history book and get over it. How one little phrase can upset people is beyond me, I just went thru something similar with a family member but I stopped them in their tracks lol.

reply to post by SpaceJ


No, I couldn't that to them. I hate to admit. The Christians are starting to win me over. My old youth pastor has invited me to camp many times before. I just need some cash money. It would be better then being a Mormon.

Originally posted by Romantic_Rebel
reply to post by SpaceJ

 

No, I couldn't that to them. I hate to admit. The Christians are starting to win me over. My old youth pastor has invited me to camp many times before. I just need some cash money. It would be better then being a Mormon.

If you need to be won over then you're already lost.

There's a little thing called yourself that you should listen to in cases like this.

I do hope that your youth pastor isn't just inviting you... Oo

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel


Okay...well, my point was that that is why they get offended by "happy holidays" because they think it should only be "Christmas" because they think Christmas is all about Christ when in reality it's not. It's an illusion. Christianity took the themes for Christmas from the pagans so that it would be easier to get them to convert their festivities. In the past few years there has been some controversy about businesses and stores no longer using decorations and signs that say "Christmas" because that does not include all winter holidays of all religions, so I guess the more politically correct (so to speak) term to use is "holidays". Businesses don't want people to turn away because they aren't Christian and don't feel like being bombarded by "Christmas" signs or because they feel their religious holidays are under represented. So it makes everyone happy, except the Christians...

reply to post by badw0lf


Not at all! There's a lot of hot single women out there as well. Maybe it would be fun! Ohhhhhhh! I'm so scandalous!

If they'd prefer it if you said Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, it wouldn't hurt to oblige them, would it?

I mean, they may be asking a similar question - why are you bothered about saying Merry Christmas?

I'm a heathen, but I'm never offended by good wishes. I cheerfully dole them out and accept them with the same enthusiasm

If a warm greeting brightens up someone's day I don't care what I wish them - as long as they're not sacrificing animals or small children

Yeah, my uncle is a pastor, i know what you mean.

Him and his family are always talking to me about what my parents say about them. Pretty annoying.

You know what they say, those afraid of being judge are the ones who judge. The guy stole 10 acres of land my grandparents left him and my dad. My dad isn't a Christian, and he happily turned the other cheek.

I also remember my dad trying to get his current job. We moved up from Newfoundland, and my uncle thought we were trying to "take his lifestyle away" so he literally went out of his way to complain to my dads soon to be employer about how he is. Needless to say, it lost my uncle this job, and got my dad his current one.

I am definitely not saying this is how Christan's are. This is just my experience with the closest ones to my family. And they literally make it hell.

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel


And I wouldn't pick a faith because you think its better than another one. That is unhealthy.

Christmas borrows almost all of its customs from different Pagan holidays, including the date of the 25th of December which was celebrated in ancient Babylon as the feast of the Son of Isis (the Goddess of Nature).
Yule (as celebrated in Ancient Germania) was a celebration of the Winter Solstice and the Birth of the Sun God (Mithras). It was customary to light candles to encourage the growth and strength of Mithras which was thought to also help in the lengthening of the days and the warming of the world. Mistletoe is another pagan tradition and was considered a sacred plant by many western peoples. The ideas of Christmas trees and decorative greenery were used as a way to symbolize the life that remains when the rest of the world sleeps.
Even Easter is borrowed from a Pagan Holiday. There's no controversy, its just the way it is. The idea that a Christian would get upset by someone saying "Happy Holidays" is only a testament to their own irrational attitude towards other faiths/creeds. Personally, if I know someone is Jewish, I say Happy Hanukkah. If I know they're Christian I say Merry Christmas. And if they celebrate Kwanzaa..... well I just roll my eyes and tell them to be on their way. But if I don't know someone's religious denomination I simply say "Yule-Tide Greetings". After all; it really is the reason for the season.

My opinion - who cares what they think? The first thing i would do is remove them from my friends list on FB. Hardcore christians are the most back-stabbing, hypocritical bunch i have ever met. As others have stated, the Christmas date is a pagan date celebrating mid-winter. The Christians just hi-jacked it to fool the populace at the time into changing religion.

reply to post by Romantic_Rebel


Why are your hardcore Christian relatives on your facebook friends list so offended because you wish "happy holidays" instead of Merry Christmas? Why don't you ask them, instead of some strangers on a conspiracy site?
You'll never convince me you are as naive as you seem to be pretending in this thread.

Personally I dont tell people happy holidays or merry xmas ever. I was shopping the other day before Thanlsgiving and a clerk said happy holidays. I just smiled and said thank you. I find it weird to be saying it all to people, and who cares what your relatives think? Just ignore it or say what you want to. Really it is just a commercialized travesty anymore, I dont know why anyone still celebrates this season at all.

Originally posted by berenike
If they'd prefer it if you said Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, it wouldn't hurt to oblige them, would it?

I mean, they may be asking a similar question - why are you bothered about saying Merry Christmas?

I'm a heathen, but I'm never offended by good wishes. I cheerfully dole them out and accept them with the same enthusiasm

If a warm greeting brightens up someone's day I don't care what I wish them - as long as they're not sacrificing animals or small children

Excellent. Im a Christian and feel exactly the same way!

Besides, since when is christ about trees,overpriced ornaments, "pagan" symbols, tackily wrapped packages, and kids fighting over toys??

with all due respect RR I think you have this in reverse...

I'd bet far more non-Christians are offended by "Merry Christmas" than Christians offended by "Happy Holidays"...

Personally, I just try and wish folks the appropriate holiday greeting. If I don't know, then I'll resort to Happy Holidays as a catch all, but I try and make it a point to wish my Jewish friends Happy Hanukkah (however you want to spell it), and Christians Merry Christmas, etc., etc.

As a non-denominational guy myself, I'm not offended by either, and merely take the thought BEHIND the words to heart, more than the actual greeting.

reply to post by SpaceJ


Of course they know about when Jesus was born.

John the Baptist who was Jesus's cousin was born exactly 6 months before Jesus.

Johns date of birth is known as it was in March.

Six months would be September,which fits with the sheep not being in the fields after early October.

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